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Flinders crew and two officers, whose names, Thistle and Taylor, live in two neighbouring islands. Hard by is Memory Cove, and a few miles further are Port Lincoln, Cape Donington, Boston Island, Spalding Cove, Grantham Island, and Spilsby Island, one of the Sir Joseph Banks group. On Kangaroo Island they found a countless number of kangaroos, of which they killed thirty-one, knocking them down with sticks. On 8 April, off Encounter Bay, they met the French exploring ship Géographe, under the command of Captain Nicolas Baudin, of his conversation with whom Flinders has left an amusing account. Whether from the excitement of meeting the French ship or from the state of the weather, which prevented the ship's entering the bay, the embouchure of the Darling escaped his notice, but with this exception he seems to have obtained a chart of the coast which, under the circumstances of a running survey—and, for the most part, it was nothing more—was wonderfully accurate, and is still the basis of our admiralty charts. From Port Phillip eastward the coast which had been first explored by Bass had been examined more closely by Lieutenant Grant of the Lady Nelson in 1800 (, A Voyage in the Lady Nelson to New South Wales, London, 4to, 1803)—a priority of discovery and survey which was contested by the French, who, in ignorance of Grant's work, also surveyed the coast in 1802, renaming the several noticeable points, not only in that part, but also in that further west, which had been examined by Flinders ( et, Voyageaux Terres Australes, 1800–4, Paris, 1807–16). On 9 May 1802 the Investigator arrived at Port Jackson, where she found the Lady Nelson, ordered to act as her tender during the further progress of the survey. While the ship was refitting, an observatory was established on shore under the charge of Lieutenant Flinders and Franklin. The ship's company was badly in want of fresh provisions, but the price was prohibitive; none could be purchased on the public account, and all that could be done was to pay the men what savings' allowance was due, so that they might buy some for themselves, when fortunately the Géographe came in in a very distressed state, owing to the ravages of scurvy, so that out of a complement of 170 not more than twelve were capable of doing their duty. All the resources of the colony were at once put at their disposal, and some few cattle which the governor had as breeding stock were slaughtered for the stranger. One quarter of beef—only one—Flinders managed to secure for his own men.

On 22 July the Investigator sailed from Port Jackson, with the Lady Nelson, as a tender, in company. The tender proved, however, of but little use; she was so bad a sailer that she retarded the work, and, after being aground and having lost part of her false keel, was worse than ever. She was accordingly sent back, and the Investigator, rounding Cape York on 31 Oct., proceeded with the survey of the Gulf of Carpentaria. The ship, however, was leaking badly; on examination it was found that many of her timbers were rotten, and the examining officers reported that if she had fine weather she might last six months without much risk. Flinders was naturally much disappointed. He had hoped ‘to make so accurate an investigation of the shores of Terra Australis that no future voyage to the country should be necessary.’ This was now impossible. He finished the survey of the Gulf of Carpentaria, and to the westward as far as Arnhem Bay; then finding his men sickly went to Timor for refreshments, and returned to Port Jackson on 9 June 1803. The ship was then officially surveyed and pronounced incapable of being repaired. Flinders therefore, in consultation with the governor, determined to go home as a passenger in the Porpoise, an old Spanish prize attached to the colony. Fowler, the first lieutenant of the Investigator, was appointed to command her, with twenty-two officers and men; the rest of the ship's company staying at Port Jackson to await Flinders's return with another vessel. She put to sea on 10 Aug. in company with the East India Company's ship Bridgewater and the Cato of London; and standing to the north on the 17th, the Porpoise and Cato both struck on Wreck Reef. The Porpoise stuck fast, but the Cato rolled over and sank in deep water, her men having barely time to scramble on shore. The Bridgewater sailed away, leaving them to their fate; and after earnest deliberation, it was determined that Flinders should attempt to fetch Port Jackson in one of the boats. This he succeeded in doing, and the governor at once engaged the Rolla, bound to China, to relieve the party and to carry them on to Canton; two schooners accompanying her; one to bring back to Port Jackson those who preferred it, and one, the Cumberland of twenty-nine tons, to go with Flinders to England. At the wreck the master, the boatswain, and eight men agreed to accompany him on this risky voyage; and the little craft parted from the Rolla on 11 Oct., passing through Torres Straits. In crossing the Indian Ocean the Cumberland proved to be very leaky; her pumps were worn out and