ng on the slopes; the character of some of the lower hills and
valleys is that of a mineral district.

8th May.

Passed through many patches of drifting seaweed coming from the eastward.
Light south-east winds and cloudy weather.

Latitude 20 degrees 24 minutes south; longitude 114 degrees 37 minutes
east, at noon.

9th May.

Richie's Reef cannot be in the position shown on the charts, as we sailed
over it, and saw no broken water. At noon found our latitude to be 19
degrees 58 minutes south; longitude 115 degrees 23 minutes east; light
winds from the south-east, and a current of half a mile per hour setting
to the west or north-west.

10th May.

At daylight sighted Legendre Island to the south-east, distant ten miles.
Ran east-north-east till 10 a.m., with fresh breeze; tacked to south-west
with wind at east; by noon it fell calm, having fetched to within ten
miles of the north end of Delambre Island. At 5 p.m. a light wind from
the north-west enabled us to run in and drop anchor at 6.0 in thirteen
fathoms, the south end of Delambre bearing east about three miles; at
11.0 a strong breeze sprung up from the south-east, freshening to a gale
by 2 a.m. of the 11th. Tide setting to south-west at four miles per hour,
with a rise of sixteen feet.

STRONG TIDES PREVENT LANDING.

11th May.

The gale continued to 11 a.m., when it moderated; the tide being full at
about noon. Got underweigh at 1 p.m., and stood to the south-west, under
topsails, stemming a strong ebb tide to 3.30, when we came to anchor in
five fathoms (sand and shells), about three miles from the western shore
of the bay, Sloping Head bearing north by east five miles. The water of
the bay is much discoloured, being of a deep reddish-brown. In passing
down the shore we observed that the whole of what is shown on the chart
as a promontory, extending to the north of Sloping Head, is an island,
with a channel nearly half a mile wide, separating it from the main; to
the outer portion was given the name of Dolphin Island. At 4 p.m. left
the ship in the life boat, accompanied by Captain Dixon, Mr. Hall, and
four men, and took soundings for six miles to the south-west down the
centre of the bay, finding five and six fathoms all the way; the water
then shoaled to three fathoms, when, being within a mile of the head of
the bay, it became dark. Pulling about two miles to the south-east, it
gradually shoaled to one foot, when we grounded, and remained there til