as named after my friend James Bowen, Esquire, one
of the Commissioners of the Navy. As soon as the proas had reached a
sufficient distance to leeward, we got under sail; and on rounding the
south point of the bay, and opening the strait, the remaining proas of
the fleet that we had previously seen, were observed at anchor close to a
sandy beach on the north shore, and their canoes to the number of twenty
were fishing on the opposite side of the strait. The latter, on observing
us, hoisted their sails, and returned to their proas; but as it was not
considered prudent to examine the port until they had passed by, its
exploration was deferred, and we returned to our anchorage in Palm Bay.
We had not, however, to wait long, for the proas left Bowen's Strait the
next morning, and crossed the bay to the westward. Our anchor was weighed
immediately, and we steered towards their sternmost vessel, in order to
communicate with her, and to show her a letter with which we had been
kindly provided by Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles, written in the Malay
language, and explanatory of our occupation. On running alongside the
proa, the letter was displayed, but they appeared frightened and
unwilling to bring to, and repeatedly pointed towards the headmost proa
in which their Rajah sailed.

Since our object could not be effected without communicating with their
Rajah, and as another opportunity might offer at some future time of
communicating with these people, it was abandoned for the present; and we
steered into the bay, and anchored within a small island at the entrance,
in time to observe the sun's meridional altitude. The evening was spent
in pulling round the bay, the shores of which are low, and so overrun
with mangroves, that landing was in most parts impracticable; but a small
break in them being observed under a cliff, we put ashore to examine the
country. Here we found two streams of fresh water, one of which ran over
the beach with some force; but they appeared to be only the drainings of
the country, and to be merely of temporary duration. The soil was here
very good, but the trees and underwood were so thick that we did not
venture far from the boat. A native's basket was found, and the usual
signs of their having lately been hereabouts. We also landed on a
projecting point, at the bottom of the bay, to obtain bearings; and a
second time under a remarkable cliffy point on the west side, from the
summit of which another set of b