the northward passed close round the western side of the Bird Isles of
Captain Cook. Eight or ten natives were standing on the sandy point of
the north-easternmost islet, attentively engaged in watching us as we
passed by; and near them were two canoes hauled up on the beach. The
canoes appeared to be of similar construction to that seen at Endeavour
River; but certainly were not more than sixteen or eighteen feet in
length. The late Admiral Bligh, in his account of the Bounty's voyage,
has described one that he saw and measured at Sunday Island, the place we
had just left; it was thirty-three feet long and would hold twenty men;
but from his account it must have been of bark, for he says, "the canoe
was made of three pieces, the bottom entire, to which the sides were
sewed in the common way."* The largest canoe that we have seen did not
measure more than eighteen feet in length.

(*Footnote. Bligh's Voyage to the South Seas page 210.)

After leaving this group we experienced a considerable swell from the
South-East which would indicate this part of the coast to be less
occupied by reefs than it is more to the southward; particularly between
Cape Grenville and Cape Tribulation where the outer or barrier reefs are
nearer to the coast than in any other part.

Our course was held outside of two groups of islets one of which was
called Hannibal's, and the other McArthur's Group. At eleven o'clock a
larger islet was passed by; at half past twelve o'clock we were abreast
of Captain Cook's Orfordness, and of Captain Bligh's Pudding-Pan Hill;
continuing our course parallel to the coast we passed half a mile inside
of Cairncross Island which is about half a mile in length; it has a reef
extending for more than a mile off its
south point, under which a vessel might securely anchor. At 3 hours 30
minutes p.m. Bligh's Turtle Island was seen, for which we steered; but,
attracted by the flattering appearance of an opening in Newcastle Bay, we
hauled in to examine it. As we stood towards it the soundings were very
regular until we were within the projecting points of the coast, when the
quality of the bottom changed from mud to sand; and with this the depth
began to decrease. The opening trended deeply in to the North-West and
bore the character of a river with a good port at its embouchure; the
heads of which were rocky and apparently bold, but the light colour of
the water between them indicated that its entrance was shoal, and w