homs. The latitude
was then 10 deg. 81/2' south longitude, by time keeper, 141 deg. 31' east, and no
land was in sight; nor did any thing more obstruct captain Bligh and his
associate, in their route to the island _Timor_.

Thus was accomplished, in nineteen days, the passage from the Pacific, or
Great Ocean, to the Indian Sea; without other misfortune than what arose
from the attack of the natives, and some damage done to the cables and
anchors. Perhaps no space of 31/2 deg. in length, presents more dangers than
Torres' Strait; but, with caution and perseverance, the captains Bligh
and Portlock proved them to be surmountable; and within a reasonable
time: how far it may be advisable to follow their track through the
Strait, will appear more fully hereafter.

In the _Voyage to the South Seas in H. M. ship Bounty_, page 220, captain
Bligh says, "I cannot with certainty reconcile the situation of some
parts of the coast (near Cape York) that I have seen, to his (captain
Cook's) survey;" and from the situation of the high islands on the west
side of the Strait, which had been seen from the Bounty's launch, and
were now subjected to the correction of the Providence's time-keepers; he
was confirmed in the opinion, that some material differences existed in
the positions of the lands near Cape York.

BAMPTON and ALT. 1793.

The last passage known to have been made through Torres' Strait,
previously to the sailing of the Investigator, was by Messieurs WILLIAM
BAMPTON and MATTHEW B. ALT, commanders of the ships _Hormuzeer_ and
_Chesterfield_. Their discoveries were made public, in two charts, by Mr.
Dalrymple, in 1798 and 1799; and from them, and captain Bampton's
manuscript journal, the south coast of New Guinea, and most of the reefs
and islands near it, are laid down in Plate XIII.; after having been
adjusted to the observations of captain Bligh, and to those subsequently
made by me in the Investigator and Cumberland. The journal was obtained
through the kindness of Mr. Arrowsmith; and, though no courses and
distances be given, and the differences from the charts be sometimes
considerable, it is yet so interesting in many points, that I have judged
the following abridgement would be acceptable, as well to the general, as
to the nautical, reader.

The Hormuzeer and Chesterfield sailed together from Norfolk Island; with
the intention of passing through Torres' Strait, by a route which the
commanders did not know to have be