BOY DAN ISLAND. 3.59 



void of any feature of interest, after passing Fair 

 Cape. 



July 11. — At daylight we were again under 

 way, and steered N. by E. for the purpose of ascer- 

 taining if there were any reefs to the eastward of u. 

 and V. When No. 1. of a group next south of Cairn- 

 cross, bore N. 43° W. four and a half miles, the 

 course was changed to W. N.W. to pass between 

 the reef fronting its south side and reef lu. where 

 we had a depth of 20 fathoms ; — both of these we 

 found it necessary to enlarge on the chart. At the 

 time of altering the course, the ship was W. N. W. 

 two miles from the position of an island according 

 to chart ; but as we did not see it, and as 

 Captain King has not laid it down upon his own 

 authority, we may safely conclude that it either 

 does not exist, or that it is much out of position. 

 Rounding the reef off its south extremity, we 

 anchored in 18 fathoms, one mile S. ^5" W. from 

 the centre of the island before mentioned — No. 1. 

 of the group S. of Cairncross — shortly before noon. 

 This Captain King supposes to be B5ydan, that on 

 which the crew of the Charles Eaton were mas- 

 sacred. It was therefore determined that the re- 

 mainder of the day should be spent in examining the 

 place, with a view to ascertain the correctness of this 

 supposition. The melancholy interest of the search 

 was to me greatly enhanced, from having seen 

 at Sydney young D'Oyly, one of the survivors of 

 this ill-fated party, and son of an Indian officer 



