A SECURE ANCHORAGE. 269 



tide setting to the S.W. at the rate of three knots 

 an hour* hrought us within five miles of Reid's 

 rocks. Passing at that distance from their eastern 

 side we had 28 and 30 fathoms sand and rock : and 

 the greatest depth we found in crossing was 37 

 fathoms towards the south side of the Strait. 



Early on the morning of December 3rd, we reached 

 a secure anchorage between Three Hummock 

 Island, and Hunter, formerly called Barren Island ; 

 and we had every reason to be thankful at finding 

 ourselves in such a snug berth, for during our stay, 

 we experienced gales from east and west, with such 

 sudden changes that no ship could have saved her- 

 self. This made us sensible how necessary it was to 

 choose anchorages sheltered from both winds. Our 

 surveying operations were sadly delayed by this 

 boisterous weather. 



Three Hummock Island receives its name from 

 three peaks rising on its eastern side. The south 



* This set of the tide being rather across the channel 

 renders the passage between King Island and Reid's rocks by 

 |io means recommeudable. Captain King on returning to New 

 South Wales, used this passage and was very nearly wrecked ; 

 the set of the tides at that time not being known. It appears 

 they saw the south point of King Island just at dark, and shaped 

 a course well wide of Reid's rocks ; they found themselves, how- 

 ever, drifted by the tide close on them. We made the time of 

 high water at the full and change of the moon in this entrance 

 of the Strait to be half an hour before noon ; but the western 

 stream began three hours and a half before, and the eastern 

 again precedes low water by the same amount of time. 



