rest of the night.

It was not till two days later that they found the place they were
seeking. It turned out not to be a river at all, but only the little bay
of Port Hacking, which they examined and minutely described. When they
reached Sydney they gave information which enabled accurate maps to be
constructed of between thirty and forty miles of coast.

#3. Clarke.#--On arriving at Port Jackson, they found that an accident
had indirectly assisted in exploring that very coast on which they had
landed. A vessel called the _Sydney Cove_, on its way to Port Jackson,
had been wrecked on Furneaux Island, to the north of Van Diemen's Land.
A large party, headed by Mr. Clarke, the supercargo, had started in
boats, intending to sail along the coasts and obtain help from Sydney.
They were thrown ashore by a storm at Cape Howe, and had to begin a
dreary walk of three hundred miles through dense and unknown country.
Their small store of provisions was soon used, and they could find no
food and little fresh water on their path. Many dropped down, exhausted
by hunger and fatigue, and had to be abandoned to their fate. Of those
who contrived to approach within thirty miles of Sydney, the greater
part were murdered by the same tribe of blacks from whom Bass and
Flinders had apprehended danger. Clarke and one or two others reached
Port Jackson; their clothes in tatters, their bodies wasted almost to
the bones, and in such a state that, when a boat was brought to carry
them over the bay to Sydney, they had to be lifted on board like
infants. Mr. Clarke, on his recovery, was able to give a very useful
account of a great tract of land not previously explored. The crew of
the _Sydney Cove_ were meanwhile living on one of the Furneaux Group,
and several small ships were sent down from Sydney to rescue the crew
and cargo; these also served to make the coast better known. Flinders
was very anxious to go in one of them, in order to make a chart of the
places he might pass; but his ship, the _Reliance_, sailed for Norfolk
Island, and he had to be a long time absent.

[Illustration: MATTHEW FLINDERS.]

#4. Discovery of Bass Straits.#--His friend Bass was more fortunate; for
Governor Hunter gave him an open whaleboat, together with provisions for
six weeks, and six men to manage the boat. With these he discovered the
harbour and river of Shoalhaven; entered and mapped out Jervis Bay;
discovered Twofold Bay, then rounded Cape Howe, and d