Page:Narrativeavoyag01wilsgoog.djvu/320

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288
BASS'S STRAITS.

longitude 118° 20' 30", by chronometer from Swan River. On Tuesday evening, December 22d, we were abreast of Termination Island, within a quarter of a mile of the longitude assigned to it by Vancouver[1], who thus named it, from its being the termination of his researches on this coast. The weather was chilly and disagreeable, the wind varying from E.S.E. to E.N.E. until the 25th, when it became westerly, and the weather fine.

On January the 2d, 1830, we entered Bass's Straits, the wind blowing very gently from the westward. By cross bearings of Cape Otway and King's Island, we were in longitude 143° 53' 00", while the chronometer from Swan River, according with several lunar observations lately taken, showed 143° 54' 15", which may further prove, that the longitude assigned by us to Arthur's Head, is pretty correct. The westerly wind continued to blow gently, until Tuesday, the 5th of January, when, being close to Curtis' Group, we were unfortunately caught by an easterly gale, which commenced suddenly a little after midnight.

On Thursday the 7th, the gale continuing to blow with unabated fury, without any appearance of the weather becoming more moderate, it was resolved to bear away for Port Dalrymple, to obtain a supply of provisions; which, there was reason to fear, we should stand in need of, before reaching Sydney. We accord-

  1. Captains Flinders and King placed it farther to the westward.