TRANSCRIPTION
ON THE MORNING of the 12th [2 January] we sighted the coast of New Holland very distinctly and likewise that of the South-East part of Kangaroo Island. At daybreak we found ourselves about 3 leagues off shore, with a perfect view of the channeL Cap de l'Etoile* and the point inside which I had anchored at the time of our first examination of this coast.
Since I had lost my longboat, in the way I described at the time of the accident, and since the one being built aboard was still only a little way on, I decided to do the geography of the southern portion of this island with the ship. Consequently I ordered Mr. Freycinet, who commands the Casuarina, to follow us, coasting the land as closely as he could and examining all inlets which seemed likely to offer anything of interest. In accordance with this arrangement, we ourselves approached the South-easterly point † of Kangaroo Island and at ‡ o'clock in the morning began our bearings from it.
Throughout the morning the weather was fine and the breeze moderate; but the winds were from the South and this was not to help the day's work much, if' as we had reason to believe, the coast headed in that direction.
The land that we sailed along during the morning is reasonably high and drops down to the shore in a not very steep slope. The terrain is completely sandy and treeless, and only occasionally does one see some stumpy tufts of heath, which constitute the sole ornament in this region. It is not nearly so pleasant-looking as the opposite, northern, side.
At midday the latitude of 35° 52' 6" was observed and the longitude by No.35 put us in 135° 41' 42".
In the afternoon we entered a large bay § which had seemed at first, by its direction, to promise us something worthwhile and a shelter against winds from South-West round to North. But we found nothing more than a low, sandy coast with no vegetation whatsoever. In order to make our tack longer, we sailed past it at a distance of 2 miles and often less. It is clean and offers not the slightest danger,
* Land's End (?).
† By this Baudin is referring to Cape Willoughby.
‡ Blank.
§ This is probably D'Estrées Bay.
except right at the shore, where landing did not look to be possible with the southerly winds then blowing. The current seemed very violent all along this coast and flowed North-East. 1 think we were on the floodtide at that stage.
At two o'clock we tacked a little way out to sea in order to stand off the land, which was no more than 1 1/2 miles from us at the most. At half past three, having gone on the shoreward leg again, we drew near the East coast of this large bay, the southern point or cape * of which the winds did not allow us to double.
We spent the night tacking about with the winds from the same quarter and the weather fine. During the day we had covered roughly 10 leagues of coast without finding anything of interest, except that one of the highest mountains † in this part has a completely sandy summit, with here and there some tufts of vegetation. It is a very good landmark for those who should chance along this coast.
* Point Tinline
† Mt. Thisby.
