SAIL ON SECOND NORTHERN CRUIZE. 77 



north from S3^dney^ where we are to assist in the 

 disembarkation and starting of the party. 



For the first nine days we averag'ed only thirty 

 miles a day^ owing* to a long continuance of calms 

 and light winds with a strong adverse current^ 

 which on one occasion set us to E.S.E. fifty-three 

 miles in twent3^-four hours. At lengthy on May 8th 

 we picked up a strong southerl}^ breeze^ accompanied 

 by a northerly set. On May 12th we rounded 

 Breaksea Spit; and Captain Stanley finding his 

 original intention of passing inside of Lady Elliot's 

 Island impracticable^ or at least involving un- 

 necessary delay^ determined to bear up N W. by W. 

 keeping outside of the Bunker and Capricorn 

 Groups^ and try the channel previously passed 

 through by Captain F. P. Blackwood in H. M. S. 

 Fly. Captain Stanley's remarks on this subject 

 are so important^ that I give them verbatim : — 



^^ After reaching Lady Elliot's Island^ we steered 

 a course direct for the High Peak of the Northum- 

 berland Islands^ so as to pass between Bunker's 

 Group and Swain's Beefs^ which affords a far better 

 entrance into the Inner Passage^ than the old route 

 round Breaksea Spit inside the Bunker Group ; 

 when the course requires to be changed^ and the 

 channel is much narrower. We sounded every 

 half-hour without finding bottom^ Avith from 80 to 

 120 fathoms^ till we came to the soundings laid 

 down by the Fly^ which we found to agree almost 

 exactly with ours. ^c. , . ^ 



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