Page:Voyage of Discovery to the North Pacific Ocean, and Round the World in the Years 1791–95, volume 1.djvu/96

Rh allou. I ic favorite intcrrUincT d part of he pacific Remarks on the country and fn-oduclions on part of the. fouth-wep coafl of Neiv HoUcipd—Lxtraordinary dcvafation by fire — AJlronomicai. ,ni nautical oLfervations, /xLTHOUGH the confidcrations adverted to in the foregoing chapter, rendered it imprafticable to explore the s.w. coafl of New Holland to the extent my vviflies firfl led me to imagine, and prevented our afccrtain- ing its boundary and connexion with, or feparation from, Van Dieman's Land; yet the information we have acquired, will open a field to thofe whofe duty it may hereafter be to perform that taflc; by fhewing, that its s.w. part may be approached with the greatefl fafety, as its fhores are bold with regular foundings to the diflance of 8 or 9 leagues ; and by the dif- covery of the very excellent harbour in King George the Third's Sound. Confidering therefore its fituation and conveniences as likely to become of material importance to thofe whofe purfuits may induce them to navi- gate this and the pacific ocean, it may not be uninterefting to detail, in a more particular manner, the circumffances that occurred during our vifit to a country hitherto fo little known to Europeans. Our furvey comprehended an extent of 1 10 leagues, in which fpace we faw no other haven or place of fccurity for fhipping than the found before mentioned • notwithflanding the opinion of Dampier, who has conhdered the whole of the weflern part of New Holland as confi fling of a clufter of iflands. He was undoubtedly a judicious obferver, of very fuperior talents ; and, n is mofl likely, formed his opinion from the many iflands which he found compohng the exterior coafl of the n. w. part of this extenfive coun- try. However jufl may be his conclufions as to that part of New Holland, they i70r. Ocloh.T.