racted our notice, and were at first supposed to be coconut trees that
had been planted by the Malays; but on examining them closer, they proved
to be the areca, the tree that produces the betel-nut and the toddy, a
liquor which the Malays and the inhabitants of all the eastern islands
use. Some of these palms were from thirty to forty feet high, and the
stem of one of them was bruised and deeply indented by a blunt
instrument.

Having spent several hours on shore, without finding anything very
interesting or at all useful to us, we returned on board, when we found
that we had been watched by three natives, who had walked along the
beach, but on coming near us, had concealed themselves among the trees,
from which they had, probably, observed all our movements whilst we were
on shore. They were perhaps deterred from approaching us from our
numbers, and from the muskets which each of us carried; for our
experience of the disposition of the natives at Goulburn Island had
taught us prudence, and no boat was, after that affair, permitted to
leave the vessel without taking a musket for each man. It was, however,
fortunate for us that we were not often obliged to resort to them for a
defence, for the greater number of the twelve that we possessed were
useless, notwithstanding they were the best that could be procured at
Port Jackson when the vessel was equipped.

The rocks on the beach and the stones which are scattered about the
surface of the ground are all of a ferruginous nature, and appear from
their colour and weight to contain a large portion of iron; but the
needle of the compass was in no way affected by being placed near them.
The soil is also highly coloured by the oxide of iron, and it is this
that gives the cliffs of this part of the coast, particularly the upper
portion of them, the red appearance that they almost universally possess.

April 15.

The next day we went to High Point, which was found to be the east head
of a moderate-sized port, affording good anchorage and perfect security
during either monsoon. A sufficient inducement to bring the cutter thus
far presented itself; and as it was near sunset, our remarks were merely
confined to bearings from the point.

April 16.

On preparing to weigh the next morning, four Malay proas were observed
steering across the bay out of an opening which trends round the south
head of Palm Bay, and which proved to be a strait communicating with
Mountnorris Bay. It w