The Logbooks of the Lady Nelson - With the journal of her first commander Lieutenant James Grant by Ida Lee
page 26 of 327 (07%)
page 26 of 327 (07%)
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flat as far as the eye can reach. I named the first of these mountains
after Captain Schanck and the other Gambier's Mountain. The first cape I called Northumberland, after His Grace the Duke of Northumberland. Another smaller, but very conspicuous jut of the land, which we plainly saw when abreast of Cape Northumberland I named Cape Banks.* (* Grant named the two points first sighted Cape Northumberland and Cape Banks and the two mountains behind Mount Gambier and Mount Schanck, names they all still bear. Grant came in sight of Australia near to the present boundary of Victoria and South Australia.) When the former Cape bears north-west by west distant 8 or 9 miles, Schanck's Mountain loses its table form and appears like a saddle. There does not appear to be a harbour here, but vessels may find shelter under Cape Northumberland from north and north-north-west winds. The shore is in general a flat sandy beach, the sea at present making no breach upon it. "December 4th. As we stood along the shore steering eastward, the land as far as we could see bearing south-east. Hauled close up for it. This forming a conspicuous cape, I named it Bridgewater* after the Duke of that title. (* This cape has been described since as having "a bald pate and shoulders besprinkled with white sand." Cape Bridgewater forms with Cape Northumberland another bend called Discovery Bay where the tides meet and create a very turbulent sea. The bay receives the waters of the River Glenelg.) The shore is a sandy beach from where we made the land to this cape, with bushes and large woods inland. Finding we could not weather Cape Bridgewater, got four oars on the lee side, which were employed all night. At daybreak in the morning we weathered the cape when another cape appeared bearing east by north about 15 or 16 miles distant forming with Cape Bridgewater a very deep bay and to appearance had shelter for anchorage. The land appeared beautiful, rising gradually and covered with wood. Being anxious to examine whether it was safe to |
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