Narrative of an expedition to Furneaux's Islands on the coast
of New South Wales in the Port Jackson colonial schooner Francis
By Matt^w Flinders 2 lieutenant of H.M.S. Reliance March 1798
Copy made by his grandson William Flinders Petrie 1877. Original held in the Mitchell Library, State Library of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia

Transcriber's note: as this is a copy and not Flinders' original manuscript, I have not transcribed it literally. Mistakes and corrections have generally been ignored.

The ship Sydney Cove, from Bengal to Port Jackson, having been wrecked on one of Furneauxs Islands, the colonial schooner Francis, and a small sloop in which was M^r A Armstrong – master of H.M.S. Supply, went from Port Jackson to fetch away part of the people and cargo. The schooner returned safe, but the sloop has not yet been heard of. In the beginning of February 1798 the schooner went a second time, to bring away the rest of the people, and everything valuable that remained.
    In this occasion, the writer of this narrative obtained the permission of His Excellency Governor Hunter to accompany M^r Hamilton – commander of the wrecked ship, for the purpose of making such observations, serviceable to geography and navigation, as circumstances might permit; and the master of the schooner was ordered to assist in forwarding these views; as also, to endeavour to find a small island somewhere to the south-west-ward of Point Hicks, where some convicts had been left by a boat, which they and others had ran away with from Port Jackson.