268 CROSS THE STRAIT. 



formation of this end of King Island exactly cor- 

 responded with that about Captain Smith's house, 

 which shews that it is a continuous ridge of granite. 

 The south-eastern shore is rather steep, and the 

 ground which rises abruptly over it is almost denuded 

 of wood. 



Leaving Seal Bay — from the south point of which 

 we saw the principal dangers at this extremity of 

 Bass Strait, Reid's rocks bearing E. by S. j S. 

 1'2 miles — we coasted round the eastern shore and 

 anchored off a sandy bay about the centre of the 

 island. The only remarkable object was a rock, 

 lying one mile from the shore and five from Seal Bay, 

 on which we bestowed a name suggested by its form, 

 Brig Rock. Off the north point of the bay in which 

 we anchored lies a white rock or islet called Sea 

 Elephant Rock, with a reef a mile off its north 

 point. Opposite this is a small inlet fed by the 

 drainage of some lagoons or swamps behind the bay. 

 Northward the character of the coast, as far as we 

 could see, changes considerably, being lower, with 

 a continued line of sandy shore. 



A breeze from the eastward prevented our com- 

 pleting the survey of the northern side of the 

 island ; but one important result we had arrived at, 

 namely, that safe anchorage may be obtained in 

 west winds within a moderate distance of this 

 part of the shore in less than fifteen fathoms. We 

 now crossed over to the group of islands fronting 

 the north-vvestern point of Tasmania, and confining 

 the southern side of the mouth of the Strait. The 



