First Fleet artwork collection

A chart of the south coast of Norfolk Island around Sydney Bay, including Nepean Island to the south and inscribed with a title, remarks, scale, bearings, soundings and place names. The title and bearings, in brown ink, are contained within the main land mass towards the upper centre of the composition. The remarks at lower left, in black ink, are contained within an oval cartouche created by two palm trees on either side and a Norfolk Pine tree above. The "Scale of one thousand Fathoms" is at bottom left (1000 fathoms = 9.5 cm.). The orientation arrow, in black ink and wash, is to the right of the cartouche, and indicates north diagonally upwards and to the right. The coastline runs from left to right, with the land mass above coloured with a yellow wash and cliffs indicated by a scalloped-edge shaded brown. Off-shore reefs are outlined in ink and edged with a band of blue wash indicating the sea. Two flagstaffs flying the union jack of Queen Anne are depicted on the shore, with to their right a small blue patch marking the fresh-water spring and a stream leading from it. In the sea below there is a small schematic ship labelled "Sirius", possibly marking the place where the Sirius was wrecked in 1790 (see also Watling Drawing number 22, and Raper Drawings numbers 22 and 23). Places named are, from left to right, "Rocky Point", "Pt. Ross", "Reef Pt.", "Cresswell Bay", "Pt. Hunter", "Collins Head, "Bluff Head", "Balls Bay" and "Pt Blackburn". The drawing is framed by a triple-banded ink border, the central band coloured with a pink wash.

• Port Jackson Painter
• The drawing is inscribed in blue pencil at top right with the number "5", which refers to the pre-1984 numbering system for the Watling Collection.
• The drawing is inscribed with the title in faded brown ink at upper centre "South Coast of Norfolk Island Latitude ----- 29[degrees] : 03 St. Longitude ------ 168 : 01 Et. Variation of the Compass 11 : 10 Et." It is inscribed in black ink, in a cartouche at lower left, "-Remarks- Sydney Bay. tide flow full and change 8 hours, & rises 6 or 7 feet. Flood runs to e/y W. Ebb to e/y Et. In general the tides are equal each way - the tide makes two hours sooner in the stream, than by Nofk. Id or Phillips Isd." It is also labelled with soundings, navigational hazards and place names, as detailed in the contents note below.
• The drawing is unsigned and undated.
• This drawing relates to Watling Drawing number 1.
• T. M. Perry (Wheeler and Smith, 1988, p.86) notes that this drawing appears to be a copy of a chart made by William Bradley, and published by him in 1794.
• The author of this catalogue record is Suzanne Stenning.
• By permission of the trustees of the Natural History Museum (London).
• Two sets of transparencies held in the Natural History Museum (London) Zoology Library and Picture Library: Picture Library order number 12002
• James Lee of Kensington : purchased ; 1902
• Data sheet available.
• Wheeler, A. and Smith, B, (eds.) The Art of the First Fleet and other early Australian Drawings. New Haven and London, Yale University Press, 1988. (Plate 86, p. 87.)