The fifth is a high perpendicular barren cliff
which, as we get almost abreast, looked like two islands joined together
at the bottom, rising to a sharp edge ragged at the top and resembling a
large tower or castle. This island I named The Devil's Tower. An island
inshore was observed, it bore west-north-west distant 10 miles: I called
it Moncur's Island in compliment to Captain Moncur of the Royal Navy, and
another was visible bearing north by east 16 or 17 miles.
Land, apparently an island to the southward and eastward we can just see
from the masthead. It may be necessary to observe that these bearings
were taken at noon, and as it was then a stark calm the vessel was nearly
stationary. By a good observation the latitude was 39 degrees 30 minutes,
longitude 147 degrees 18 minutes east, calculated from lunar observation
2 days before. But I take it to be correctly 147 degrees east from my
making the Ramhead according to the best charts, therefore the bearings
are laid down in my chart from 147 degrees east.
"Wilson's Promontory was so named by Mr. George Bass of H.M.S. Reliance
who was the first navigator that ascertained the real existence of a
strait separating Van Dieman's Land from New Holland in his voyage in a
whale boat from Sydney to Western Port.* (* "Mr. Bass places Wilson's
Promontory in 38 degrees 56 minutes south, Lieutenant Grant in 39 degrees
17 minutes, and Mr. Black in 39 degrees 8 minutes.
