The Rapid left the river Thames on 4 May, and arrived in Antechamber Bay, Kangaroo Island, on 19 August. The Cygnet left England on 24 March, 1836, with Messrs Kingston, Finniss, Symonds, Neale, Cannan, and Hardy, all of the Surveying Department. She touched at Rio, and did not reach Nepean Bay until 11 September. I […]

Made the land to the eastward of Encounter Bay; sandy shore, exactly as described by Flinders. At midnight, sounded in 35 fathoms.

a.m. Fine weather, tacking to windward all the first part, the land being in sight from daylight; p.m. at four, light winds; Cape Willoughby S. By W. halfW., distant about three miles. At six, bore up for Antechamber Bay; at seven, wind dying away; half past seven, calm, and the vessel drifting near the rocky […]

21 August -Early part, hoisting out the surveying boat; at half past eight, observed a boat coming from the westward; at ten, a whale-boat came along side, with Mr S. Stephens and Captain Martin of the John Pirie; at three p.m., sent the gig on shore with Mr Pullen and Mr Woodforde; some spots of […]

22 August-At half past six, got under way with a light breeze from the westward; at two p.m., came to an anchor about two miles from the point chosen by Mr Stephens for the South Australian Company’s Stores. I went on shore at a little sandy bay, where Mr Beare and a few others had their tents pitched. The ground here was much covered by small trees, the soil moist, and many shrubs growing with great luxuriance, perhaps from the late rains; no fresh water was to be found here, and the settlers had to depend for their supply, I believe, on Mr Stephens, who had to send across the bay four miles for it.

23 August-Very bad weather, nothing done.

24 August-Went on shore with Mr Woodforde, and walked to Mr Stephens’s settlement; almost the whole distance thickly covered with small trees and scrub,the soil was moist, and looked in some parts tolerably good.

25 August-Rain almost the whole day; employed on board.

26 August-The same weather.

27 August-Light rain most part of the day; went on shore and took some angles.

28 August-Sunday.

29 August-Fresh breezes and squally; went in the [tooltip color=”grey” text=”A class of net fishing boats used on the Thames estuary. The Rapid’s boat was built specially for the Colonization Commissioners by W.T. Gulliver of Wapping”] hatch-boat [/tooltip] to examine the northern side of the bay, distant about four miles from Kingscote. There is a well of fresh water here, dug in the sand, close to high water mark, which supplies the settlers at Kingscote. The country here is low, and the soil appeared much better than that we had seen before; and altogether, it struck me that a settlement might be formed here at some future period, to great advantage.

30 August-Employed in ascertaining the extent of the shoal, which runs from the northern side of the bay to the southward.

31 August-Went to examine a fresh water river, about three miles to the southward and eastward; being low water, we could not approach for a long time sufficiently near to find the mouth of it, and a whole day was nearly lost. I at last, as the tide served, was enabled to enter it in […]

1 September-Fresh breezes and squally; went on shore to take some angles, but owing to the weather could effect nothing.

2 September-Too hazy for any observations.

3 September-Bad weather all day, and nothing done.

4 September-Sunday.

5 September-The Duke of York being on the point of sailing, employed all day writing my reports to the Commissioners.

6 September-Making arrangements for our departure from Nepean Bay, went on shore to engage one of the sealers.

7 September-At half past eight, light airs and fine, got under way for Gulf St Vincent; at half past three, becalmed, with no prospect of a breeze; came to an anchor outside the shoal.

8 September-Very light airs; at six got under way, and stood for the N.W. bluff; at thirty minutes p.m. came to an anchor in ten fathoms, a beautiful little valley in view. At two, I went on shore, and was enchanted with the appearance of the whole. A fine stream of fresh water ran through the middle of the valley into the sea, and the soil was rich beyond expectation; my hopes were now raised to a pitch I cannot describe. I walked up one of the hills, and was delighted to find that as far as I could see, all around, there was an appearance of fertility, and a total absence of those wastes and barren spots, which the accounts I received in England had led me to expect.

9 September-Being so much pleased with my excursion yesterday, I determined on running the brig more in shore, and remaining here some days; we therefore got under way, and ran into seven fathoms water; at nine, sent four tents on shore, but it took us nearly till dark before we could land all that was […]

10 September-Fresh breezes and fine weather, very cold air. Employed all day examining the valley.

11 September-Sunday.

12 September-Heavy rain with strong gusts of wind; could do nothing in the survey.

13 September-Fresh breezes and squally, with hard rain; being anxious to get on with my work, Mr Pullen and I sallied forth, but the weather was so thick and boisterous we could do very little.

14 September-Light breezes and very cold.Employed in taking angles.

15 September-Fine weather, employed in surveying. My servant, Cooper, who had volunteered to go to Encounter Bay, returned with a tribe of natives, who soon became intimate with our men. Having now spent as much time as I could well spare in this little paradise, I made preparations for returning on board; and at two p.m., sent the surveying instruments on board, and at four embarked myself, leaving Messrs Pullen, Claughton and Jacob, and the men on shore, to embark the following day with the tents, &c. The natives were engaged to remain and take care of our garden.

16 September-We did not get all on board before two p.m., and from the variable winds and dark cloudy weather coming on, I did not think it right to get under way.

17 September-Calm and fine; at nine, Messrs Pullen, Claughton, Jacob and Woodforde (surgeon) landed to walk to Yankalilla. I went in my gig to examine an inlet about two miles to the northward, where I appointed a meeting with these gentlemen, desiring Mr Field to get under way and proceed to Yankalilla as soon as he could. On landing at this little inlet, which I shall call Finniss Valley, I found a little cove fit to moor a vessel of 70 or 90 tons, in any weather, but there is only room for one; and there is a beautiful stream of fresh water running into the sea, where a boat may approach to within fifty yards of a good spot for filling water casks. On joining my shipmates on the rising ground above, we beheld a valley three times as extensive as the last, and equally rich in soil; there is abundance of wood all the way, yet not so thick but that agriculture might be pursued without the trouble of clearing. From this we walked to Yankalilla, over undulating ground of good quality, and wooded in the same manner as before mentioned; passing several little runs of water which are dry in summer, sometimes edging our way down to the sea-at others, bending inland, mounting and descending as the ground presented itself: but having just landed, we were all quite satisfied when the walk was over. At two p.m., I went on board and sent the tents on shore.

18 September-Sunday, calm and cloudy, employed all the early part in sending necessary things on shore; at half past ten, went myself; being Sunday, we worked only as absolutely necessary; rain all night.

19 September-Employed surveying on the plain.

20 September-Out surveying, and walked up the valley; running in a south-easterly direction, between very high hills. I was enchanted with this spot, it put me in mind of some of the orchards in Devonshire, and I found it plentifully supplied with fresh water. From this valley we ascended the hills, crossed over to the seacoast, and returned to our tents; the whole distance fine soil.

21 September-Very warm; out surveying. The flies this day for the first time appeared in swarms and were dreadfully annoying.

22 September-Rainy and foggy weather; having seen as much as I wished of this beautiful plain, at eleven a.m. I returned to the brig; the rest of the day employed in getting things on board.

23 September…Felt some disappointment at the appearance of the land, as it looked so luxuriant from the ship; we could find no fresh water; a lake of some extent on the high ground above the beach proved, on reaching it, to be salt. Although the ground we went over was not so good as the rest we had seen, yet the country a few miles inland appeared the same as that we had left…

24 September-At eight a.m. light breezes with rain; at half past eight got under way, found our anchor broke nearly asunder in the shank, and we had neared the shore very much before the ship got way on her; at ten o’clock fresh breezes and hazy; at noon the weather clearer; at half past four […]

25 September … I left the ship to examine what appeared to us a considerable inlet; the water shoaled very gradually, and about half a mile from our supposed inlet it became very shallow, and soon after the boat grounded. Seeing this could not be Jones’s harbour, which I was intensely anxious about, I resolved on returning to the [tooltip color=”grey” text=”A sailing vessel with two square-rigged masts.”] brig [/tooltip] and running higher up the Gulf, but on getting on board, Mr Hill, [tooltip color=”grey” text=”A merchant ship’s officer next in rank below the first mate; also known as a ‘second officer’.”] second mate [/tooltip], told me he had seen from the masthead a river to the southward of considerable breadth…

26 September… After going some distance and finding it did not accord with Captain Jones’s description of the harbour he discovered, I determined on running higher up the Gulf…

27 September…we came to anchor in three fathoms, about four miles from the shore, latitude 34°31′ south. From this position we could distinctly see the head of the Gulf as laid down by Flinders, and the opposite shore-nothing could look much worse, mangroves and very low swampy looking ground seemed to surround this bight. I now despaired of ever finding the beautiful harbour described by Captain Jones, but the jolly-boat with Mr Field was sent in shore to see if anything like an inlet could be found…

28 September…; I was now full of hope that Jones’s harbour was at last found, and at one p.m. came to an anchor in our former berth, to await the arrival of Messrs Pullen and Claughton… At one p.m. Mr Pullen returned, reporting his entrance into the northern channel, &c.; no fresh water was seen, and the channel, though broad and deep at first, was reduced to [tooltip color=”grey” text=”A fathom is a measure of depth in the imperial system. One fathom is equal to six feet or 1.83 metres.”] one fathom [/tooltip] water a short distance from the mouth. He further stated that there were two separate channels, thus forming two islands. This was so different to the account given by Jones that I felt a great disappointment…

29 September-Light airs and fine; employed all the forenoon in constructing my chart of the coast. At one p.m. Mr Pullen returned, reporting his entrance into the northern channel, &c.; no fresh water was seen, and the channel, though broad and deep at first, was reduced to one fathom water a short distance from the […]

30 September…At the end of this reach, a large inlet appeared, still keeping a southerly direction; but as I was anxious to examine to the eastward, we ran about one mile in that direction, when another creek appeared in a line with Mount Lofty; into this I bent my course, with the strong hope of finding it prove the mouth of some fresh water stream from the mountains… I landed for the purpose of tracing on shore the source or direction of this creek, but the swamp and mangroves checked me entirely, therefore I returned to the [tooltip color=”grey” text=”A class of net fishing boats used on the Thames estuary. The Rapid’s boat was built specially for the Colonization Commissioners by W.T. Gulliver of Wapping”] hatch-boat [/tooltip], which being now afloat, we got under way; and having now fully persuaded myself that no part of this harbour could be that described by Captain Jones, I resolved on returning to the [tooltip color=”grey” text=”A sailing vessel with two square-rigged masts.”] brig [/tooltip], to run down the coast again, and see if by any chance we could have missed so desirable a shelter; but my mind was so impressed with the capabilities of this place, that it was my determination, should we be fortunate enough to discover the other, to return again to this as soon as I had made the first necessary survey…

1 October…Running down the coast, I was enchanted with the extent of the plain to the northward of the Mount Lofty range; and as we had very little wind, our progress was slow, and consequently more time for observation; all the glasses in the ship were in requisition. At length seeing something like the mouth of a small river, and a country with trees so dispersed as to allow the sight of most luxuriant green underneath, I immediately stood in for it, and at fifteen minutes past four p.m. came to an anchor in three and a half [tooltip color=”grey” text=”A fathom is a measure of depth in the imperial system. One fathom is equal to six feet or 1.83 metres.”] fathoms [/tooltip] in mud and weeds, about one and a half miles from the mouth of the river…

2 October-Strong gales and a heavy sea; down top-gallant yards, and struck topgallant masts, blowing hard all day. At eight p.m. more moderate; midnight, moderate.

3 October… at nine went on shore to examine the plains. And as two of my officers had said that they saw from the main-top something like a large river, only two miles from us to the southward, I resolved to walk there, and desired Mr Field to get under way and anchor the [tooltip color=”grey” text=”A sailing vessel with two square-rigged masts.”] brig [/tooltip] at the mouth – as should this prove to be the long-sought-for harbour of Jones, I could run the brig in and carry on the survey there. And at this place from the same point, our party consisted of Messrs Pullen, Claughton, Woodforde, a gardener named Laws, with a spade, and the gig’s crew; the latter were desired to pull along shore, and stop at the mouth of the river. Messrs Claughton, Woodforde and Laws kept some way inland to examine the soil as they went along, while Pullen and myself kept along the beach. Thus prepared not to miss the river, we proceeded, but about two miles off, we found nothing but a rather wide indenture of the coast, and were also surprised at the brig’s not anchoring, we therefore walked on about five miles further, and finding nothing like a river, returned to where we landed. Mr Field seeing distinctly our movements on shore, came back to the former anchorage – and at four p.m. we all returned on board. I was much gratified at the report Laws gave me of the soil, he being a good judge. It was, he said, excellent, and the further inland he was certain it would be still more so.

4 October-Fresh breezes and fine; went on shore at nine a.m. to examine the plain. I cannot express my delight at seeing no bounds to a flat of fine rich-looking country with an abundance of fresh-water lagoons, which, if dry in summer, convinced me that one need not dig a deep well to give sufficient […]

5 October-Light breezes and fine. Having much to do in observing several bearings from the ship, for the purpose of constructing my hasty chart of this side of the gulf, I remained at anchor, and sent Messrs Claughton and Jacob to trace the river up if they could, until they found fresh water in it. At one a.m. these gentlemen returned, and said the river about four miles from the mouth was fresh, it was then a very narrow stream bending to the N.E., and appeared to have its source in the plains-a circumstance that led me to suppose that more of these lagoons existed in that direction; and as every appearance indicated that these lagoons would be dry in summer, I felt convinced that the torrents from the mountains must be the fountain from whence they were now filled. My previous observations at sea,which I remarked often to Mr Field before I saw this country, were that all the vapours from the prevalent south-westerly winds would rest on the mountains here, and that we should, if we could locate this side the gulf, be never in dread of those droughts so often experienced on the eastern coast of Australia. And I was now fully persuaded by the evidence here shown, as well as the repeated collection of clouds, and rain falling on the hills even at this season of the year.

6 October…At six, got under way to run down the coast, as the native woman on board said there was still a large river more to the southward, which we had passed in coming up…