and is low and thickly
wooded, and partakes of the monotonous appearance of the mainland, which
is equally covered with low, small, and apparently-stunted trees.

April 12.

At day-dawn the Malays were observed making a move, and as each proa got
under sail, it steered towards us. The anchor was, therefore, immediately
weighed, and we prepared to receive them as formidably as our means
allowed. Their number was now increased to twenty-one vessels, by their
having hoisted out six large canoes; but as they approached there was no
appearance of any hostile intention, since some of them steered across
the bay, and only a few continued to direct their course towards us. One
of the canoes came near with the intention of visiting us, but not liking
too intimate an acquaintance with them, we pointed to our carronade, and
beckoned to them to go away, which they immediately did. One of the proas
soon afterwards passed by with Dutch colours displayed, to which its crew
repeatedly pointed, at the same time hailing us in an unintelligible
jargon, of which Macassar and Trepang were the only words that were
distinguished. They also pointed to the North-West, but whether this was
intended to convey to us the direction of the place whence they came, or
the course they were about to steer, was not very evident. In a short
time the fleet had passed by, and as we were under weigh we returned to
the examination of Malay Bay, in which nothing worthy of note was found.
It affords good anchorage during the easterly monsoon on a muddy bottom
in from four to five fathoms, but its shores are low and its beaches
rocky, and so uninteresting, that we returned to our previous anchorage
in Mountnorris Bay.

April 13.

The next day we landed on Copeland Island and from its summit obtained
extensive bearings for the survey of the bay. The island is surrounded by
a coral bank; its north side is formed by a perpendicular argillaceous
cliff of a bright yellow colour, and is a conspicuous object to vessels
entering the bay. Behind the cliff to the south the land gradually
declines and runs off to a low point; the whole surface of the island is
covered with trees, among which a beautiful hatchet-shape-leafed acacia
in full bloom was very conspicuous. The other trees were principally of
the eucalyptus family; but they were all of small size. On the west side
of the island was a dry gully, and a convenient landing-place, near to
which a bottle was deposite