ht
miles in the same direction. Between it and the south end of the Abrolhos
Group the water deepened to 35 fathoms. In approaching the nearest island
we passed close round the south-east end of a reef, running out about a
mile from the south point, and then trending away round in a North-west
by North direction, so as to form one side of a lagoon, whilst the island
I have mentioned--a long narrow strip trending North-east by North--forms
the other. The weather looking unsettled, the wind being from the
south-west, with slight rain squalls, we were glad to find shelter, so
near the commencement of our work, in a bight on the east side of the
island, three quarters of a mile from the south point, where we anchored
in 13 fathoms, scarcely a quarter of a mile from the shore. A coral
patch, of two and a half fathoms, with only two on its northern extreme,
confines this anchorage, which affords shelter from South-South-East
round by West to North-east by North. The tide rose here 32 inches.

From the masthead I got a tolerably good view of the island, in some
places scarcely a cable wide, and a number of islets scattered to the
north-west. The lagoon at this place was not more than three miles
across, though marked twelve in the old charts; and I could trace the
long line of white breakers rolling in on the other side in solemn
grandeur, contrasting strongly in their foaming turbulence with the
placid waters within the protection of the reef and island. I could
clearly distinguish the limit of the danger in this direction, and that
there was nothing to break the swell beyond. The surface of the lagoon
was diversified by blue and grey patches, showing the alternations of
shoal and deep water; near the centre there appeared to be a channel,
which we afterwards found to be ten fathoms deep.

In the head of the bight where we were anchored, there was a narrow low
sandy neck, placed by our observations in latitude 28 degrees 58 minutes
26 seconds South and longitude 1 degree 47 minutes 32 seconds west of
Swan River,* over which we hauled a boat to examine the opposite side of
the lagoon.

(*Footnote. As we shall refer all longitudes during this cruise to
Scott's Jetty, Swan River, I may here state that the approximate
longitude of that place is considered to be 115 degrees 47 minutes East
of Greenwich.)

A few remarkable clumps of mangroves pointed out the position of some
lagoons about a mile and a half from the south end of