ile from the shore and five from Seal Bay,
on which we bestowed a name suggested by its form, Brig Rock. Off the
north point of the bay in which we anchored lies a white rock or islet
called Sea Elephant Rock, with a reef a mile off its north point.
Opposite this is a small inlet fed by the drainage of some lagoons or
swamps behind the bay. Northward the character of the coast, as far as we
could see, changes considerably, being lower, with a continued line of
sandy shore.

A breeze from the eastward prevented our completing the survey of the
northern side of the island; but one important result we had arrived at,
namely, that safe anchorage may be obtained in west winds within a
moderate distance of this part of the shore in less than fifteen fathoms.

CROSS THE STRAIT.

We now crossed over to the group of islands fronting the north-western
point of Tasmania, and confining the southern side of the mouth of the
Strait. The tide setting to the South-West at the rate of three knots an
hour* brought us within five miles of Reid's rocks. Passing at that
distance from their eastern side we had 28 and 30 fathoms sand and rock:
and the greatest depth we found in crossing was 37 fathoms towards the
south side of the Strait.

(*Footnote. This set of the tide being rather across the channel renders
the passage between King Island and Reid's rocks by no means
recommendable. Captain King on returning to New South Wales, used this
passage and was very nearly wrecked; the set of the tides at that time
not being known. It appears they saw the south point of King Island just
at dark, and shaped a course well wide of Reid's rocks; they found
themselves, however, drifted by the tide close on them. We made the time
of high-water at the full and change of the moon in this entrance of the
Strait to be half an hour before noon; but the western stream began three
hours and a half before, and the eastern again precedes low-water by the
same amount of time.)

A SECURE ANCHORAGE.

Early on the morning of December 3rd, we reached a secure anchorage
between Three Hummock Island, and Hunter, formerly called Barren Island;
and we had every reason to be thankful at finding ourselves in such a
snug berth, for during our stay, we experienced gales from east and west,
with such sudden changes that no ship could have saved herself. This made
us sensible how necessary it was to choose anchorages sheltered from both
winds. Our surveying operations w