his anchorage we considered ourselves
fortunate for the freshness of the breeze in so dangerous a situation
made me feel uneasy for our only anchor, which we must have dropped at
night, however exposed our situation might have been: by midnight the
breeze fell and we had a dead calm.

October 10.

The next day we landed on the west head of the bay, Crystal Head, where
the meridional altitude of the sun was observed and sights for the
chronometers taken; in the evening we ascended its summit and by a
bearing of the land of Cape Bougainville the survey was connected with
Vansittart Bay.

In the morning a young kangaroo was started by Mr. Cunningham but made
its escape; the traces of these animals were very numerous on the sides
of the hills; several birds new to us were seen, and we also found about
the bushes the tail-feathers of the Cuculus phasianus (Index Orn. Sup.
page 30). The summit of Crystal Head is of flat tabular form; and the
sides, which are both steep and rugged, are covered with stunted trees
and high grass, now quite dry: the geology of this part is principally of
siliceous sandstone; and on the beach we found large detached water-worn
masses of the same rock, incrusted with quartz and epidote in a
crystallized state.

(*Footnote. The Centropus phasianus Tem. anal. plate 24. Polophilus
phasianus Shaw's Gen. Zool. volume 9 page 48 plate 11. Zool. Misc. plate
46. Pheasant Cuckow Gen. Syn. sup. 11 page 137.)

No natives were seen; but, from the large fires that were burning, a
numerous party was probably collected at the bottom of the port.

October 11.

On the 11th we got under weigh and anchored again at a few miles further
up the port, near a small rocky island where the latitude was observed to
be 14 degrees 32 minutes 45 seconds. In the afternoon Mr. Roe and Mr.
Cunningham accompanied me in the whale-boat to examine the bottom of the
port; which was found to terminate in two inlets winding under either
side of a bold prominent range of steep rocky hills, thickly clothed with
stunted trees. We pulled up the south-eastern arm; and having proceeded
as far as prudence allowed, for from not calculating upon being absent
long we had brought no provisions, we returned on board with the
intention of examining it further on the following day. In rowing back, a
kangaroo was seen skipping over the hills; and an alligator was lying
asleep on the beach, but it rushed into the water as we passed the spot.

O