At six o’clock in the evening, we were nearly
the length of the north end of the passage; the north-westermost
point of the main in sight bore N. 54.W., and the
north end of the island N.N.E. with an open sea between
the two points. As this passage was discovered
on Whitsunday, I called it Whitsunday’s Passage,
and I called the islands that form it Cumberland
Islands, in honour of his Royal Highness the Duke.
We kept under an easy sail, with the lead going all
night, being at the distance of about three leagues
from the shore, and having from twenty-one to twenty-three
fathom water. At daybreak, we were abreast of
the point which had been the farthest in sight to
the north-west the evening before, which I named Cape
Gloucester. It is a lofty promontory, in latitude
19 deg. 59’S., longitude 211 deg. 49’
W. and may be known by an island which lies out at
sea N. by W. 1/2 W. at the distance of five or six
leagues from it, and which I called Holborne Isle;
there are also islands lying under the land between
Holborne Isle and Whitsunday’s Passage.
On the west side of Cape Gloucester the land trends
away S.W. and S.S.W. and forms a deep bay, the bottom
of which I could but just see from the mast-head:
It is very low, and a continuation of the low land
which we had seen at the bottom of Repulse Bay.
This bay I called Edgecumbe Bay, but without
staying, to look into it, we continued our course
to the westward, for the farthest land we could see
in that direction, which bore W. by N. 1/2 N. and
appeared very high. At noon, we were about three
leagues from the shore, by observation in latitude
19 deg. 47’ S., and Cape Gloucester bore S.
63 E. distant seven leagues and a half. At six
in the evening, we were abreast of the westermost
point just mentioned, at about three miles distance,
and because it rises abruptly from the low lands which
surround it, I called it Cape Upstart.
It lies in latitude 19 deg. 39’ S., longitude
212 deg. 32’ W., fourteen leagues W.N.W. from
Cape Gloucester, and is of a height sufficient to
be seen at the distance of twelve leagues: Inland
there are some high hills or mountains, which, like
the Cape, afford but a barren prospect. Having
passed this Cape, we continued standing to the W.N.W.
as the land lay, under an easy sail, having from sixteen
to ten fathom, till two o’clock in the morning,
when we fell into seven fathom; upon which we hauled
our wind to the northward, judging ourselves to be
very near land: At day-break, we found our conjecture
to be true, being within little more than two leagues
of it. In this part of the coast the land, being
very low, is nearer than it appears to be, though
it is diversified with here and there a hill.
At noon, we were about four leagues from the land,
in fifteen fathom water, and our latitude, by observation,
was 19 deg. 12’ S. Cape Upstart bearing S. 32
deg. 30’ E. distant twelve leagues. About
this time some very large columns of smoke were seen
rising from the low lands. At sun-set, the preceding
night, when we were close under Cape Upstart, the variation
was nearly 9 deg. E., and at sun-rise this day,
it was no more than 5 deg. 35’.; I judged therefore
that it had been influenced by iron-ore, or other
magnetical matter, contained under the surface of the
earth.


