OCK.

While standing towards a small island bearing North and by West five and
a half miles from Point Adieu, we discovered a single rock with
apparently deep water all around it, and just awash at low-water. It bore
North-West and by West three-quarters of a mile from this island, which
resembles Red Island, and Captain King's group of the Rocky Islands, in
that calcined-like appearance which has by turns given them red and brown
for a distinct appellation. In the afternoon we saw the sandbank laid
down in Captain King's chart; it appeared a white rocky islet. The night
was spent beating to the westward, between it and Red Island, against a
light breeze.

April 20.

At daylight, whilst standing to the South-West the water shoaled rapidly
though regularly from 20 to 6 fathoms, we then tacked, Red Island bearing
South-East one mile and a quarter; in standing out (north) the water
deepened suddenly and almost immediately to 15 fathoms. I imagine this
shoal to be a continuation of one laid down by Captain King, extending
two miles south from Red Island: passing the latter on our way to Port
George the Fourth we had 28 to 30 fathoms, two and a half miles from its
North-West side.

April 21.

We continued to make but little progress to the westward, scarcely
averaging more than a mile per hour: the soundings indicating that we
were still on the coral ledge that skirts the whole of this coast,
northward of Cape Leveque; on the raised parts of which are numerous
reefs of an irregular size and almost invariably trending from West to
North-West. The number of these low coral reefs already known, and the
probable number of those yet undiscovered, make this rather a dangerous
sea, and must have a tendency to lessen the value of the North-West coast
of Australia for purposes of forming settlements. In the afternoon we saw
again the reef discovered and named after the Beagle. Steering
West-North-West we passed four miles from its northern side in soundings
varying from 41 to 47 fathoms.

REMARKABLE RIPPLINGS.

April 23.

Towards the close of this day we passed through a line of very remarkable
ripplings, extending in a north and south direction, which we knew
indicated some great inequality in the bottom, but whether from deep to
shoal water was a matter of some anxiety; therefore, with leadsmen in the
chains and the men at their stations for working ship, we glided into
this streak of agitated water, where plunging once