COASTS OF AUSTRALIA. 
139 
them of the destructive power of our weapons, 
which they must first experience before they can 
dread their fatal effects. 
During our stay at Coepang the thermometer 
ranged between 75 and 91?. The latitude of the 
flag-staff was observed by several observations 
to be 10° 9' 40". No observations were taken for 
the longitude, on account of my being confined 
to my bed with an attack of ague, the effects of 
which remained upon me for some time after- 
wards ; but the result of those made by Captain 
Flinders and Commodore Baud in were so satis- 
factory, that I had no hesitation in taking the mean 
of the two, 123° 35' 46", for the correction of my 
chronometers, and for the purpose of comparing 
with the longitudes I had assigned to several 
parts of the coast that we had just left. 
Before we sailed from Coepang, the departure 
of a vessel for Batavia furnished me with the op- 
portunity of acquainting the Lords Commission- 
ers of the Admiralty of my progress ; and the 
letter fortunately arrived in time to contradict a 
report that had reached England , of our “ having 
been wrecked on the South Coast at Cape Nor- 
thumberland, and that all hands had perished.”— 
This report could never be satisfactorily traced to 
its author, but it was supposed to have been 
spread by the man who commanded the Mermaid 
1818 . 
June 
5 — 13 . 
