£30 HISTORY OF 



mbre open than wooded ground, and little 

 brush-wood ; but the soil sandy, and the grass 

 thin. 



Proceeding, the shore no longer retained a 

 regular line of direction, but fell back into 

 sandy bights. Hauling off for the night to the 

 Westward of a small rocky barren island, about 

 four miles from the land, at six o'clock the next 

 morning they came in with it again, and began 

 their course along the shore, to the S. S. W. in 

 an irregular manner. 



At eleven they passed within a mile of a 

 grassy cape, which is the extremity of a ridge, 

 that rising up by a gentle ascent, retreats and 

 joins some lofy mountains. A small rocky 

 island lay too miles from it to the W. S. W. at 

 noon the latitude was 40° 55 l 25", and the lon- 

 gitude 147° 16' 30". 



Early in the afternoon a gap in the land situ- 

 ated at the back of a deep narrow bight, at- 

 tracted attention, this they bore away to ex- 

 amine; and, after running three miles, they 

 found they had shut in the line of the coast on 

 each side, and were impelled forward by a 

 strong inset of tide. Continuing their course 

 for the gap, some back points within the en- 

 trance soon became distinguishable, and the 

 rapidity of the flood tide was observed to in- 

 crease on nearing the shore. When the sloop 

 was on the point of entering the harbour, the 

 water shoaled suddenly, and she struck the 

 ground and lay fast ; but the strong flood in a 

 few minutes dragged her over into deep water, 



