e distance of four or five miles from
the beach, and the report made by them is sufficiently in detail for all
the purposes of navigation.

Upon these considerations it was not deemed necessary that we should
examine this part again, and therefore sailed at a distance from the land
to ensure a quicker passage to Cape Peron, in order to explore the bay
behind the Isles of Louis Napoleon. Swan River and Rottnest Island had
been already carefully examined by the French; but from the latter island
to the North-west Cape, with the exception of Shark's Bay, they saw very
little of the coast, and have given its outline principally from Van
Keulen.*

(*Footnote. Freycinet page 441.)

At noon on the 10th our latitude was 34 degrees 16 minutes 14 seconds,
and a large bare, sandy patch upon the land, the Tache Blanche
remarquable of Captain Baudin, bore North 77 degrees East (magnetic). At
six o'clock in the evening we passed Cape Naturaliste, having experienced
a strong current setting North 11 degrees West, at nearly two miles per
hour; hence we steered to the northward, but it was dark when we passed
near the position assigned to the Recif Naturaliste: after steering on
for three hours longer we edged in for the land and at ten o'clock hauled
to the wind for the night.

January 11.

The next day at noon we were in latitude 32 degrees 36 minutes 2 seconds,
having the land about Cape Peron in sight from the masthead, bearing East
by South 1/2 South; but during the day the wind was so light that we had
not approached it within four leagues by sunset.

At this time the coast was visible as far as Cape Bouvard between which
and Cape Peron it is low and sandy, but the hills appeared to be
tolerably well wooded, and of a moderate height. Buache Island was
visible as well as the small rocky islet between it and Cape Peron. The
former is low and sandy, and its outline of hummocky shape; and to the
eastward was some distant land trending towards the assigned entrance of
Swan River. To the northward of Buache Island a small lump was seen on
the horizon, which perhaps might have been Berthollet Island, but it was
very indistinct. The sun set in a dense bank and the moment it
disappeared a very copious dew began to fall.

January 12.

The next morning at daylight the land to the southward of Cape Peron was
ten miles off, but at half-past nine o'clock we were between Capes Peron
and Bouvard, and about five miles from the shore, whi