her we experienced
during our stay enabled us to judge of the capabilities of the Port,
which we were glad to find the finest we had yet seen in Bass Strait, not
so much, however, from its size, for above Grant Island the extent of
deep water is limited, as from the great facility of access.

On the 19th we left Port Western, passing out by keeping an isolated
piece of tableland, called Tortoise Head, on the South-East extremity of
French Island, open of the North-East point of Grant Island. The only
danger is a sandbank, lying in the centre of the channel, four miles
within the entrance. It may always be avoided by keeping a cable's length
from the eastern shore.

The western half of the south side of Grant Island, is a line of cliffs,
from one to three hundred feet in height. A remarkable pyramidal rock
marks the point where this terminates, after which a long range of low
hills, covered with scrub, stretches to Cape Wollami, the helmet-shaped
headland before-mentioned. A light North-East wind rendered our progress
slow towards Cape Patterson, we reaching it by daylight of the 20th. It
is a low point, covered with scattered sand hillocks; a few rocky patches
here and there front its sand beach.

Finding from the succession of dense fogs that we could not prosecute an
easterly examination of the coast, we returned towards Port Phillip, and
experienced some unusual swells off Port Western.

EXTRAORDINARY SOUNDINGS.

The soundings were in general tolerably regular; but in the same
neighbourhood we had some extraordinary ones--SEVENTY FATHOMS, on a
gravelly bottom. This was nearly one third of the way across from Grant
Island to Cape Shanck, seven miles from the latter. The same strange
depth was likewise found three miles south from Cape Wollami, with the
same kind of gravel bottom, or a very fine kind of shingle. It was a
single cast of the lead. On either side in this last case were 39 and 33
fathoms fine sand and shells. Had it not been for the change in the
quality of the bottom, I should have doubted so great a depth, which is
the more remarkable from its being the greatest within the Strait.

The next day towards evening we again anchored in Hobson's Bay, where we
stayed till the 23rd. This time in getting out of Port Phillip through
the southern channel, we met with an accident. I have before mentioned
the difficulty of seeing the eastern part of the north bank, which, on
this occasion, combined with the daz