Rare and important, early c.19th hand coloured engraved chart of Bass Strait and the Victorian Coast by Lieutenant James Grant who was given command of the Lady Nelson with the instructions to sail her to Sydney and hand her over to Matthew Flinders.
He left Portsmouth on 17 March 1800 and while at Cape Town Grant received additional orders to search and sail through the recently discovered Bass Strait from the west. He made landfall on the Victorian coast near Mt Schank and Mt Gambier which he named and proceeded to chart the coast to Wilson’ Promontory. He sailed through Bass Strait becoming the first to do so from west to east and confirming a new route for shipping to the east coast and so avoid having to sailing south around Van Diemen’ Land. He also gave names to, Cape Banks, Cape Bridgewater, Cape Nelson, Cape Sir William Grant, Lawrence Islands, Lady Julia Percy Island, Portland Bay, Cape Otway, Cape Patton, Cape Danger, Governor King’ Bay, Cape Liptrap, King George’ Sound and Glennies Island.
Grant’s remarks of his survey:
“December 3d, at day-light made all possible sail, judging myself to be in the latitude of 38° S.* At eight A.M. saw the land from N. to E. N.E. the part that was right ahead appearing like unconnected islands, being four in number, which, on our nearer approach turned out to be two Capes and two high mountains a considerable way in shore. One of them was very like the Table Hill at the Cape of Good Hope, the other stands farther in the country. Both are covered with large trees, as is also the land which is low and flat, as far as the eye can reach. I named the first of these mountains after Captain Schank, and the other Gambier’s Mountain. The first Cape I called Northumberland, after his Grace the Duke of Northumberland, and another smaller but very conspicuous jut of the land, which we plainly saw when abreast of Cape Northumberland, I named Cape Banks. When the former Cape bears N.W. by W. distant eight or nine miles, Schank’s Mountain bearing N. and Gambier’s N. by E.; from the vessel Schank’s Mountain loses its table form and appears like a saddle. There does not appear to be an harbour here, but vessels may find shelter under Cape Northumberland from N. and N.N.W. winds, as also between Cape Banks and it from the E. winds. The shore is in general a flat sandy beach, the sea at present making no breach upon it.
But to return to the Straits: we proceeded to make a survey of the coast from Western Point to the Southern Point of New Holland, named by Mr. Bass, Wilson’s Promontory, which we obtained for a distance of 70 miles. The weather was unsettled, winter being now far advanced, and I found little more was to be done in the way of survey. The wet was prejudicial to the instruments, the suddenness of the gales prevented us from keeping constantly as near the shore as was necessary; and, in short, I was fully convinced that winter is a very improper season for making surveys of an unknown coast: I therefore resolved to make the best of my way for Sydney. Being close off the Promontory, we found behind the southern point of it, a little to the eastward, three small sandy beaches, the middle one forming a little bay, which a small craft might anchor in, should she meet with northerly or westerly winds. But as the Promontory is entirely open to the south, if vessels can get round it, they will find better shelter under Cape Liptrap, which affords a good one from easterly winds, as well as from the northward. As we ran in sufficiently far to see the whole extent, we found the bottom of the Bight a fine sandy beach with some hummocks on it. I therefore imagine vessels bound from Western Point and its vicinity to Sydney will find it useful, when meeting with strong winds from the eastward. This place, I had, in the passage out, named King George’s Sound, but I scarcely think it deserves the appellation.
From: Grant, J. The Narrative of a Voyage of Discovery, performed in His Majesty’ vessel The Lady Nelson in the years 1800, 1801, and 1802, to New South Wales.
