S02 LEAVE FOR CIRCULAR HEAD. 



Even when, fortunately, he had taken the right 

 direction, it was with the greatest exertion that he 

 hurst through the matted thicket and reached the 

 water's edge before the fire. 



Our fishermen were very successful with the 

 hook and line, taking near the rocks great numbers 

 of fish, some of which were a species of rock cod. 

 Alongside the ship we only caught sharks, one of 

 which contained thirty-six young ones. 



Although the barometer remained stationery at 

 29.9. the weather continued so boisterous, and 

 westerly squalls followed each other in such rapid 

 succession, that it was the ord of February, before 

 we could commence work in earnest. On that day 

 the ship was moved to near the south end of Hunter 

 Island, where we found a nice quiet anchorage with 

 scarcely any tide off a long sandy beach. By the 

 6th we completed what remained to be done of the 

 survey of this part, and proceeded to collect the 

 necessary soundings between Three Hummock 

 Island, and Circular Head, anchoring under the 

 latter the same evening. Here we met Mr. Curr, 

 the Company's Superintendent, who was absent 

 during our first visit. From him we experienced 

 so great hospitality, that our stay appeared shorter 

 than it really was. On the morning of the 9th we 

 again left. It was our intention to have stood over 

 midway across the Strait in search of some islands 

 reported by the French to be thereabouts, though 

 all the local information we could gain on the sub- 

 ject tended to induce a disbelief of their existence. 



