TERRA AUSTRALIS. 
123 
Gulph of Carpentaria ,] 
the west, out of sight of land, before regular soundings could be 
obtained and a southern course steered into the Gulph of Carpentaria. 
At dusk, the anchor was dropped in 8 fathoms, soft mud, in latitude 
1 1* 5', as observed from the moon to the north and south, and longi- 
tude 141 0 51' by time keeper. The variation from amplitude at sun- 
set, was 2* 33', with the ship’s head S. S. E., or 3 0 10' east when re- 
duced to the meridian ; which is i° 42' less than was obtained from 
azimuths under Wednesday Island. 
I now considered all the difficulties of Torres’ Strait to be 
surmounted, since we had got a fair entry into the Gulph of Carpen- 
taria ; and to have accomplished this, before the north-west monsoon 
had made any strong indications, was a source of much satisfaction, 
after the unexpected delay amongst the Barrier Reefs on the East 
Coast. It was this apprehension of the north-west monsoon that pre- 
vented me from making any further examination of the Strait, than 
what could be done in passing through it; but even this was not with- 
out its advantage to navigation, since it demonstrated that this most 
direct passage, from the southern Pacific, or Great Ocean to the Indian 
Seas, may be accomplished in three days. It may be remembered, that 
the reefs on the north side of the Pandora’s Entrance were passed at 
six in the morning of Oct. 29 ; and that, after lying two nights at an- 
chor, we reached the Prince of Wales’s Islands at three in the afternoon 
of the 31st ; and nothing then prevented us from passing Booby Isle, 
had I wished it, and clearing Torres’ Strait before dusk. Our route 
was almost wholly to seek, and another ship which shall have that 
route laid down to her, may surely accomplish the passage in the 
same time ; it must however be acknowledged, that this navigation 
is not without difficulties and dangers ; but I had great hope of ob- 
viating many of them, and even of finding a more direct passage 
by the south of Murray’s Islands in the following year, when I 
should have the assistance of the Lady Nelson in making a survey 
of the Strait. 
IS02. 
November. 
Wednes. 3, 
