ESCAPE RIVER. 365 



the quaint name of Pudding Pan Hill. It received 

 this appellation from a resemblance to an inverted 

 pudding dish, commonly used by sailors, and is 354f 

 feet high. The coast about ten miles to the north- 

 ward projects a mile and a half further eastward 

 than is marked in the chart. This error did not 

 however appear to be so great south of Escape 

 River, where the character of the coast is low and 

 cliffy, separated by small sandy bays ; instead of a 

 continued line of cliffs as at present represented. 



At noon we were in the parallel of the south 

 point of Escape River, in lat. 10° 58' S., observa- 

 tions and bearings both agreeing. This river receives 

 its name in record of one of those narrow escapes 

 to which surveying vessels are subject, Captain 

 King having been nearly wrecked in the Mermaid. 

 Attempting to enter the river he found it not to be 

 navigable, a reef extending across its mouth, on 

 which his vessel struck very heavily. 



Avoiding Captain King's track, we passed to the 

 eastward of reef x, being thus afforded a better 

 opportunity of determining its position than he had. 

 This we did by transit bearings with different 

 points, which placed it nearly two miles S. by E. of 

 the spot assigned it on the charts.* 



* On mentioning this afterwards to Captain P. P. King, 

 he told me his survey of that part of the coast had never 

 given him satisfaction ; for there the monsoon blows fresh, 

 and his small vessel was hurried past without his being able 

 to land in search of better data for the chart. The reader 



