visited some few parts of the West Coast, and skirted the islands which
front the North-west Coast, without landing upon, and indeed scarcely
seeing, any part of the mainland. The whole of the north, the north-west,
and the western shores remained, therefore, to be explored; and in the
year 1817, among the numerous voyages of survey and discovery upon which
a part of the navy of Great Britain was so honourably and so usefully
employed, these Coasts of Australia were not forgotten. An expedition for
the purpose of completing the survey of its North and North-west Coast
was planned, under the joint direction of the Lords Commissioners of the
Admiralty, and the Secretary of State for the Colonies, to the command of
which I had the honour of being appointed.

The arrangements for providing me with a vessel and crew were made by the
latter department; and the Governor of New South Wales was instructed to
give up to my use any vessel in the colonial marine establishment that
should be deemed capable of performing the service; or, in the event of
there being none fit for the purpose, to purchase any suitable one that
might be offered for sale.

For my guidance I received the following instructions from the Admiralty
and the Colonial Department:--

Admiralty Office, 4th February, 1817.

SIR,

My Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty being informed of the
arrangements of Earl Bathurst, His Majesty's principal Secretary of State
for the Colonial Department, for employing you in a survey of the
unexplored parts of the Coast of New South Wales, have commanded me to