e Island. The
wind being fresh from the eastward we attempted to beat to windward, with
the intention of anchoring near the islands, but the bottom was too rocky
to admit of it. We then endeavoured to pass between them and Melville
Island, but the ground was also so rocky and irregular that we desisted;
and after an unsuccessful attempt to reach the southern pass, we steered
off to the westward. This group was called Vernon's Islands. They are
situated in mid-channel of the Strait that separates Melville Island from
the main, which was named in honour of His Royal Highness the Duke of
Clarence. The group consists of four low islands; they are each
surrounded by a belt of mangroves, and are probably connected by reefs to
the south shore.

May 31.

The next morning after a stormy night we steered to the northward, and
made the south entrance of Apsley Strait, which was recognised by the
peculiar shape of Buchanan's Islets lying off it, one of which has a
flat-topped summit.

The time had now arrived for our leaving the coast: our provisions were
drawing to an end, and we had only a sufficiency of bread to carry us
back to Port Jackson, although we had been all the voyage upon a reduced
allowance: our water had also failed, and several casks which we had
calculated upon being full were found to be so bad that the water was
perfectly useless: these casks were made at Sydney, and proved, like our
bread casks, to have been made from the staves of salt-provision casks:
besides this defalcation, several puncheons were found empty, and it was
therefore doubly necessary that we should resort to Timor, without any
more delay.

We therefore bore up, and at four o'clock the coast was lost sight of
from:

Latitude: 11 degrees 43 minutes 45 seconds.
Longitude: 129 degrees 47 minutes 0 seconds.

From this, having ran four miles and a half on a North-West course, we
passed over a small coral bank in thirteen fathoms; at eight o'clock, we
were in forty-two fathoms sandy mud.

1818. June 1.

But between midnight and four a.m., we passed over another coral bank, on
which the least water was eighteen fathoms.

June 2.

On the 2nd June, two small birds were caught; they proved to be the Java
swallow (Hirundo esculenta), the nest of which is esteemed as a great
delicacy, and is an article of trade between the Malays and Chinese.
Large quantities of pumice-stone were also seen floating on the water; on
one piece was found a sea