A PASSAGE THROUGH TORRES STRAITS BY BLIGH'S ENTRANCE.

Southland Times, Volume I, Issue 83, 16 December 1864, Page 2

A PASSAGE THROUGH TORRES STRAITS BY BLIGH'S ENTRANCE.

(From the Madras Times.) Sib,— As anything tending .to the promotion of commerce and the safety of navigation will, I am sure, meet with your approbation and support, I beg leave to forward to you a short account of my passage through Torres Straits, in the hope that it may tend in some measure to dispel those groundless objections which so many navigators have to that passage. -- ' The ship Queen of the East, under my command, left Port Jackson on the 29th June, 1864, •vritH"horse3, bound to Madras, "and, although I* had never been through- Torres Straits, I determined bo take that passage rather, than attempt a winteV passage round Cape Leuwin in a large Bhip with the almost certainty ' of losing some of the horses. I accordingly- took the ordinary route to the northward, but, owing* to a succession of very light winds, and four days' calm, I did not sight the "Eastern Fields" until the l<lth July, and, Troin the same cause, did not pass Bramble Bay until daylight on" the 16th, having passed the north end of Portlock Reef and the Eastern [fields ; and they are plainly visible from the masthead at the distance of six or seven miles ii clear weather. July 16, at ssven a.ra, Bramble Bay hearing ' north, half a mile distant. Darnlcy Island peat ! being clearly visible bearing B.S.W. Steered a direct course for Stephen's Island, making due | allowance for the tide (the flood setting pretty trong oh t\tv -weather beam) the elioaL patches northward cf ParnJey Island showing quite plan), "being covered with a white sand, or ground coral. They arc correctly laid down on the chart (Admiralty.) Carried all sail during the day, with studding eaili? on the port side, the wind being light from 33.8.1 L At three p.m., the weather thick and equjilly, the rain at times completely obßcurlng the land, I anchored in' nine fothoms water, the 2f.8. end of Stephen's Island, with the peak of Darnlcy Island about half atnilo off shore, the water emooth and the holding, ground gooJ. Sunday, July J.7,~-Gofc under weigh at daylight, with a fine breeze from. E.S Jk, and c\ear weather, get alHail and proceeded, giving her "all studding

•jijaiUri&fi w<! Wfitt^alcuig, , 'passiiig^Bbutli of Dalrym* pie Islat^ ;ii&n&^<tttli ; of; Campbell's, • ' Mai<sden, B^anel, and:; j&iden isles, batweon Cove and Cocoanut islands, RUdi north; of < three Bot, Sue, abd Poll. ! <Tliq extensive; roe^^uamng out to tjdc eastward from) tlie^prtliermpsb of the sisters (Be^jCii; steep l^apd;, freedom outlying dangers. along WitSi^a cable's length of it iv order to give a good berth to some shoal patches to -leeward, ■which are, however, plainly yi3iblo'irom_,t'ho tnasthead. Afte? rounding Bet, the JTinopin Roclj and .Saddle Island dan be seen, ■ if tho weather bo at all clear, the Mnepin-being not unlike & vessel under sail, I then passed between We ITmopiti and Harvey's Bocks 5 it is better to keep olosa, to? the ".Niriepin;-. in order to avoid somo shoal patches which lie to the north of Harvey's Rocks, some . portions of which are only awash at low water. I then steered dbwn for Double' Island, o-where 1 anchored at eleven p.m. -in ; seven fathoms --'of 'water half a' mile off shore. ■ ' •..- .■■.;■. ■'■ „-.■■ •/• ,>■;..-. ' ' ''■„. ;,, '.'"■•..! Monday/ July 18th.--G ; ot under weigh, at d ß^ light; made all sail and steered down for the /Prince of "Wales! Channel, rounding Wednesday xSpit at the distance of eighty yards. Pound the tide running like ;a millstream'; rounded Hammond Book at twenty yards distance, the eddies so strong that the helm was almost useless. From the top-gallant yard I conned the ship through Ipilli .and Sunk Beefe, : keeping within for-ty jard3 of the; edge of Ipilli , Eeef, .as ..Sunk Beef, being covered, renders it : ,tb.e more dangerous, of the, tuvp. .-:;..•: i' : k . . .' : .. :•::■-■.' iff The Prince of,Wales_ Channel, w.hioh. l consider^ the best out to the westward, requires very great caution ,• in passing Hammond Bock and Ipilli Beef, I feel certain that the ship was going over tile ground at the rate oi -Jenknots per hour,' the. eurren't having, such,; -/power.;; on othe ship; that I was compelled to assist the? helm by workirig the sails,- although I had a good breeze at the time. I should itherefore consider 'it advisable, especially; lif tho wind be light and baffling, to take the Prince ; ofWales ; Channel as near slack water as possiblei. and am of 'opinion, that a commander would be_ justifled:.in saeriflcihg; a Tew hoih's 'in order to ; aceoin piish' that object; 'especially in a.dull-sailing orbadly-steiermg ship, father than run the risk of touching oii^the beefs' when the passage of the Straits may; be 1 said to be accomplished. I reached Booby,;island at jipqn, hove to, ",aiid. _ deposited a few necessaries in "the cave, for the use of those less fortunate than myself. • ''■■-■■'■/>■ 'After reading some of the records deposited in that cave I was led to re-examine the,;comparative merits of the two passages— i.e. that by Uaine Island .and the /one I. had adopted ...by Eligh's. •Entrance. Poi« tho : one, by Eaine ', Island I was dependent solely for information upon the charts, "Nautical Magazine," Horsburg (1855), and other works..,. By Bligh's Entrance, I had the benefit of course of- what experience I had gained on naypassage, and' though the result* :has . peirfectly satisfied my own mind that I was correct in my foEtneir estimate -that BligK's Entrance is the most safe, the great objection ui'ged agamst it, that, of its being so far to leewai-d, I consider groundless. I cai"ried niy studclrag-sails all the way through, and have been assured by gentlemen of experience in the command of colonial ships that they have invariably passed through without a taok. : With regard to the inhabitants of the islands they certainly have anything but a '•prepossessing appearance • they appear very poor, and «o perfectly naked. Li passing the various islands, which I did at the distance of a cable's length, I could not perceive anything to indicate cultivation, not even, a banana or a stalk of Indian corn, the only, signs of animal life being the savages themselves and occasionally a sea-bird standmg solitary on- the reefs ; their huts were merely a few sticks stack ixp -with a covering of leaves or scurvy grass, no sides, and. incapable of affording much shelter to then- wretched inmates. With regard to their cannibalism, I am not in a position to express an opinion, but should imagine it has its existence as much in tbe inia.gination as in % reality. Two canoes came of to the ship at Double Island, from which I obtained some good specimens of tortoise shell' in exchange for some tobacco,- that being the only word of English 7 they appeared to know. - In conclusion, I must express my opinion that ,witii a clear head, a good nerve, and the aid of the .excellent and valuable charts published by the Admiralty, no navigator of ordinary capacity need hesitate tq take this passage, evevy reef, rock, island, and shoal being as correctly laid down on those charts as' the milestone on the Queen's highway., ..-,,- - , , . - • ,_ , r remain Sir, your very 'obedient servant, ' ■ Ed mtfnd A. Askebs, Commander ship Que.en of the East. ■ ■ ' - 1 : ' '- — ■■ ■ !