ters to Banks, Grant says
that, with all his stores of every description on board, he could take his
vessel into seven feet of water, and could haul off a lee shore, by the
use of sliding keels, "equal to any ship in the navy." On the night of
January 23rd, 1800, it blew such a gale in the Channel that six vessels
went on shore, and several others were reported missing. This gale lasted
for nine days, and during that time the _Lady Nelson_ rode comfortably at
her anchor in the Downs.

Grant's instructions when he left England were to proceed through the
newly discovered Bass' Straits on his way, report himself at Sydney, and
then set to work and survey the coast, beginning with the southern and
south-western parts of it. The brig sailed, with a crew of seventeen all
told, in February, 1800, and arrived on December 16th of the same year,
being the first vessel to pass through Bass' Straits on the way from
England to Australia. On the voyage Grant discovered and named many points
on the Victorian coast-line; then, as soon as the vessel arrived and
received a thorough overhaul, she was sent to sea again to continue the
work in company with a small intercolonial vessel, the _Bee_.

They sailed on March 8th, 1801, and were surveying until May 2nd, when
Grant sums up the work done in these words:--

"We have now gained a complete survey of the coast from Western
Point to Wilson's Promontory, with the situation of the different
islands of the same, and ascertained the latitudes of the same,
which from our different observations we have been able to do
sufficiently correct.... These points being ascertained so far as
lays in our power, I judge it most prudent to make the best of our
way to port, keeping the shore well in sight to observe every
particular hitherto unknown."

The portions left out in this extract refer to the latitudes and
longitudes, which are so correctly given that the only ascertainable
difference between them and the figures in a recent addition of Norrie is
in the case of Wilson's Promontory, which Grant says is [Sidenote: 1801]
in longitude between 146 deg. 25' and 146 deg. 14', and Norrie's table gives
us 146 deg. 25' 37".

On the return of the little vessel, she took part in an interesting
ceremony, which the following proclamation by Governor King, dated May
29th, best describes:--

"Thursday next being the anniversary of His Majesty's birth, will
be obs