404 CLARENCE STRAIT. 



the nature of this part of Melville Island to be low 

 rocky points, separating sandy bays. One of the 

 few remarkable features on it, is a round hill 320 

 feet high, five miles N. W. from Cape Keith. 



Passing the latter, we crossed over to the opposite 

 eastern entrance point of Clarence Strait, Cape 

 Hotham, discovering on our way thither a reef 

 nearly a wash, about two miles in extent, bearing 

 S. ^5" W. fifteen miles from Cape Keith, and N. 10" 

 E. fourteen miles from Cape Hotham. The deepest 

 water we found while crossing was 22 ftithoms, five 

 miles north of the latter, the general depth being 13 

 and 15 fathoms. The wind failing in the afternoon, it 

 was evening^ when we reached our anchorafje in nine 

 fathoms, Cape Hotham bearing S. 43 W., two miles 

 and a half, and close to the edge of a large shoal 

 which we subsequently found to extend a mile and a 

 half north, and six miles east from the Cape. Here 

 we found the tides set W. by S. and E. N. E. 

 from half a knot to two knots, the westerly stream 

 beginning nearly three hours after high water, a 

 peculiarity generally occurring in straits. 



July 26. — After one of those soft and lovely 

 evenings so common to this part of Australia, with 

 a gentle breeze and cloudless sky, we were surprised 

 to find that the morning opened dreary and gloomy. 

 There was a very fresh S. S. E. wind with heavy 

 masses of clouds ; the breeze continued until noon, 

 when as usual it subsided. We moved the ship a 

 few miles down the opening in the south side of the 



