826 
A VOYAGE TO 
[East Coast 
1803. 
September. 
Wednes. 21. 
Thursday 22 
Friday 23. 
Satui day 24. 
taken a passage in the Rolla with his instruments ; and of the thir- 
teen persons who came with me in the boat, captain Park and his 
second mate were on board that ship, and the boatswain of the Inves- 
tigator with the ten seamen composed my crew in the schooner. 
We had a fresh breeze at south-east, and the Cumberland appeared 
to sail as well as could be expected ; but the wind becoming stronger 
towards bight, she lay over so much upon the broad side that little 
sail could be carried ; and instead of being tight, as had been re- 
presented, her upper works then admitted a great deal of water. 
Next morning, the wind having rather increased than diminished, I 
found we should soon be obliged to lie to altogether, and that if we 
passed Port Stephens there was no place of shelter for a long dis- 
tance where the schooner could be saved from drifting on shore ; the 
signal was therefore made to tack, and at dusk the Rolla and Francis 
ran into Port Stephens. Not being able to reach so far, I anchored 
in a small bight under Point Stephens, in very bad plight ; the pumps 
proving to be so nearly useless, that we could not prevent the water 
from half filling the hold ; and two hours longer would have reduced 
us to baling with buckets, and perhaps have been fatal. This essay 
did not lead me to think favourably of the vessel, in which I had 
undertaken a voyage half round the globe. 
Next morning I joined the Rolla and Francis ; and it being 
then calm, we did not quit Port Stephens until the afternoon. At 
night the wind again blew strong from the south-east ; but the 
desire to arrive at Wreck Reef overcoming my apprehensions, the 
schooner was made snug and we persevered. Our inability to carry 
sail was so much the more provoking, that this wind was as fair as 
could be wished ; but whilst the Cumberland could scarcely bear a 
close-reefed main sail and jib without danger of oversetting, the 
Rolla went along under double-reefed top sails in great tranquillity ; 
and to avoid parting company was obliged to keep her courses up, 
and to back a top sail from time to time. 
The wind moderated next day, and allowed us to make better 
