Page:Narrative of a survey of the intertropical and western coasts of Australia, Volume 2.djvu/274

 veering to E.S.E. and E.b.S., which is often the. case; and A. then the current, setting upon the weather.bow, will pl. ace Sct. L 'the vsel, in a dark night, in considerable danger.. The E. Coast. rate of the current is generally about one mile per hour, but it sometimes, though rarely, runs at the rate of nearly three knots. To the eastward, in the space between New South Wales end. New Caledonia, the current sets to the N.W., which carries a great body of water into the bight between the former end New Guinea; but, as Torres' Strait offers but a very inconsiderable outlet, the stream is turned, and sets to the southward until it gradually joins the easterly current, whleh, from the prevalence of westerly winds, is constantly running between Van Diemen's Land and Cape Horn. The tides in this interval are of little consequence, and in few places rise higher than six feet at the springs, excepting where they are aected by local elreumstances. There are but few places of shelter upon the east coast, between Port Jackson and Breaksea Spit: Captain Flirttiers points out Broken Bay, Port Hunter for small craft, Port Stephens, Shoal Bay for vessels not exceeding fifty tons, and Glass House (Moreton) Bay. There re, however, other anchorages that might be resorted to in the event of being thrown upon a lee shore, which are equally good with Port Hunter, Shoal Bay, and Glass HouseBay. There is an anchorage behind Black Head to the north of Point Stevens, which Lieutenant Oxley discovered to be an island; Port Macquarie also aorcls shelter for small ves- sels; and, on the north side of Smoky Cape, there is good .shelter from southerly or south-easterly winds: but the whole of these, excepting Broke. n .Bay, are ouly attainable by small vessels. A large ship must keep an otlng; and, a the coast is not at all indented, the wind must blow very

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