tores and provisions, and the Lady Nelson, colonial brig, was
also placed at the disposal of the commandant.

Lieutenant Roe, in describing this voyage to me, writes: "We had a very
favourable passage to the northward, and in less than three weeks cleared
Torres Strait by the route you recommended to Captain Bremer, without
encountering any accident. We nevertheless saw several shoals that, in
our former voyages in the Mermaid and Bathurst, were not noticed; by
reason of the greater altitude of the Tamar's masthead affording a much
more extensive view on either side of our course." The particulars of
these discoveries of Lieutenant Roe are given in the Appendix, under the
description of the North-East Coast, in the order in which they occur.

Having cleared Torres Strait the Tamar anchored in Port Essington.
Lieutenant Roe then says, "Having brought the ship to anchor off Table
Point in Port Essington, all the boats were hoisted out and the marines
landed, when, an union-jack being fixed upon a conspicuous tree near the
extremity of the point, formal possession was taken of the north coast of
Australia, between the meridians of 129 and 136 degrees East of
Greenwich. The marines fired three volleys, and the Tamar a royal salute,
upon the occasion.

"Our first object being to find water, parties were despatched in various
directions for that purpose; but after traversing many miles of country,
and coasting a great deal of the port, only one place was discovered (the
low sandy east point of entrance to Inner Harbour) where any was to be
procured, and it was then only obtained by digging deep holes in the
sand. A large Malay encampment had recently removed from this spot,
leaving their fireplaces and temporary couches, and large piles of
firewood to season, in readiness for their next visit. No natives were
seen, not even at our old place in Knockers Bay. The adjoining country
was found to be very good forest land, well timbered, but parched with
drought, which was by no means in favour of our views. Having buried a
sealed bottle upon the sandy point, containing an account of our
proceedings, we named it Point Record,* and sailed at the expiration of
two days for Apsley Strait.

(*Footnote. Point Record is the low sandy point on the left of the
picture in the view of Port Essington, volume 1.)

"Light winds retarded our arrival off Cape Van Diemen until the 24th, and
it was not before the 26th that we brought up close t