Flinders.
1798.
of the 8th, neither Wilson's Promontory nor any other land to the northward could be seen; but between the bearings of N. 84° and S. 63° E., six or eight miles distant, there was land rather high and irregular, with a cliffy shore; and a separate cluster of rocky islets bore south to S. 16° W., from three to five miles. We passed close to these last, at six o'clock, and perceived that the tide, which before had set to leeward, was then turned to the east: the moon had just before passed the meridian.
This small cluster consists of a steep island, near one mile in length, of two smaller round islets, and two or three rocks; one of which obtained the name of Judgment Rock, from its resemblance to an elevated seat. The higher and more considerable land to the eastward was seen, as we advanced, to divide itself also into several parts. This group is principally composed of three islands; and between the largest on the east and two others on the west, there appeared to be a deep channel. The other parts are rocks, which lie scattered mostly off the north-western island. These two clusters were called Kent's Groups, in honour of my friend captain William Kent, then commander of the Supply.
Our latitude at noon was 39° 38′; the steep island of the small group bore N. 50° W., and the passage through the larger islands N. 12° E., six or eight miles. This observation places the centre of the passage and of the large group, in about 39° 29′ south; and from the lunar observations of the preceding day, brought on by log, (for unfortunately I had no timekeeper,) it should lie in longitude 147° 25′ east. It is however, to be observed, that a fortuitous compensation of errors can alone render a dead reckoning correct in the way of such tides as we had experienced during the last twenty-four hours.[1]
By keeping the wind to the southward, we came up with a pyramidal-shaped rock through which there is a chasm: it bore W. 8° S.
- ↑ The longitude of the large group, as given by my time keepers in a future voyage, is 147° 17′.
