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By Philip Gidley King Esq.r Captain General & Governor in Chief in & over his Majestys Territory of New South Wales & Captain of his Majestys Armed Vessel Porpoise
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His Majesty having judged it expedient that a Voyage should immediately be undertaken for the Survey of the South or South Western Coast of this Country & for shortening the passage through the Straits discoverd & Saild through by Lieut. Flinders on the North side of Van Diemans Land, by Yourself, on your Voyage hither on the South West side of New Holland, & by the Harbinger & Margaret Briggs from the Cape of Good Hope nearly in the center of the said Straits, which are distinguishd by the name of Bass's Straits, so named after the Surgeon of his Majestys Ship Reliance who first establishd the certainty that such a passage existed . - And the Brig you command together with the Bee Sloop having been equipped Manned & Victualled for that Service, You are in pursuance of his Majestys pleasure signified to me by his Grace the Duke of Portland, one of his Majestys principal Secretaries of State HERE BY required & directed to proceed without loss of time with the said Brig & Sloop to the Southern promontory of New Holland named by Lieut. Flinders "Wilson's Promontory" & after having very exactly ascertained the Latitude & Longitude of that Point & also the Islands lying off it as far as the two Sisters, You will proceed to examine has far the two Coves described to be in Kents Group can afford you Shelter. After having satisfied yourself on this point & not making any delay you will proceed to Western Port as described in the Sketch & Manuscript Narrative of Mr. Bass (which you are furnishd with) for the purpose of determining whether it will afford you shelter & is of a practicable access in case you should want to make a Port - After having ascertained this point you will proceed to examine the Round of the two Bays you describe to the Westward of Wilsons Promontory, And as you report not having seen any Bottom to these extensive Bays in passing across them you will persevere in exploring