elxxxvi 
INTRODUCTION. 
[Prior Discoveries. 
Flinders importance of the places sought ; but after the above examples, we 
and Bass. . 
1798. were no longer deceived by them 
In the afternoon of the 25th, we got the sloop, with much diffi- 
- culty, five or six miles further up the river, to an inlet which I called 
Herdsman's Cove, from the pastoral appearance of the surrounding 
country. Two streams fall into it ; and up the principal one, in the 
north-east corner, I went two miles with the boat. The water was 
there found to be fresh, and the depth sufficient to allow of its being 
reached by the sloop ; but the banks being steep and channel narrow, 
I was deterred from watering in this place, by the fear of detention 
from foul winds. 
The width of the Derwent abreast of Herdsman's Cove is half a 
mile ; but except a very narrow channel close to the eastern shore, 
it is too shallow even for boats. The intention of proceeding fur- 
ther with the sloop was therefore abandoned ; but so soon as the 
rainy, blowing weather permitted, which was not until the 28th, I 
accompanied Mr. Bass in a boat excursion up the river. Three miles 
above Herdsman's Cove the banks open out to a mile in width ; the 
river, from running north-westward, turns to the south-west ; and 
the deep channel makes a short cut across to the convex bank, 
leaving the mud to collect in the opposite elbow. A great deal of 
long, aquatic grass growing upon these mud flats, seemed to have 
attracted the black swans, for the number collected there was not 
estimated at less than five hundred. 
The width of the Derwent is contracted in the south-west reach 
to little more than a quarter of a mile, and we had not rowed far 
up it before the water became perfectly fresh. The land on both 
sides rises to hills of moderate elevation, and the rather steep 
acclivities being well clothed with verdure, they had an agreeable 
appearance. Our attention was suddenly called from contemplating 
the country, by the sound of a human voice coming from the hills. 
There were three people ; and as they would not comply with our 
signs to come down, we landed and went up to them, taking with 
