SEAL BAY. 267 



cruise, was the leafless appearance of the trees on the 

 higher parts of the island. It seemed as though a 

 hurricane had stripped them of their verdure. They 

 reminded me strongly of a wintry day in the north. 



About eight miles from the extremity of the island 

 we discovered a bay affording good anchorage in east 

 winds. It was afterwards called Fitzmaurice Bay. 

 From its neighbourhood alongdarklineof black cliffs 

 stretches southward until within about three miles of 

 the point, when the ground sinks suddenly, whence 

 vessels are apt to be misled and to fancy that the island 

 ends there, whilst in reality it stretches out into a low 

 dangerous rocky point, named after the writer, for 

 about three miles more. Rounding this we anchored 

 on the eastern side of it in Seal Bay — a wild an- 

 chorage, the swell constantly rolling in with too 

 much surf to allow of our commencing a series of 

 tidal observations. This bay, in the mouth of which 

 liesa small cluster of rocks, is separated from the one 

 on the opposite side, by a strip of low sandy land, 

 which, as I have said, may easily be overlooked by 

 vessels coming from the westward. A ship indeed 

 has been lost from fancying that the sea was 

 clear south of the black cliffs that skirt the shore 

 down from Fitzmaurice Bay. The Wallaby are 

 numerous on this part of the island. Mr. Bynoe shot 

 one {^Halmaturus BellideTeii) out of whose pouch 

 he took a young one which he kept on board and 

 tamed. It subsequently became a great pet with 

 us all. 



I noticed here a trappean dyke, but the general 



