362 HISTORY OF 



the sloop under weigh; but was obliged to give 

 up the idea, finding the shoal water so extensive 

 as to make it probable it joined a line of breakers; 

 and the sun being near the horizon, to get clear 

 of the shoal water before dark, became a princi- 

 pal concern ; these induced him to shape his 

 course for an hummock on the West side of the 

 bay. 



The soundings deepened gradually to six 

 fathoms ; but, shoaling again to three and even 

 two fathoms, Lieut. Flinders suspected the flood 

 tide might set the vessel to the Southward to- 

 wards the shore ; this however, was not the case, 

 for at day light next morning her situation was 

 that expected, the sloping hummock bearing 

 W. 5* N. and their distance off shore about 

 two miles. 



Keeping along the shore till nine o'clock, the 

 water shoaled to nine feet, and obliged them to 

 haul off to the N. E. Being now to the North- 

 ward of where Capt. Cook had laid down the 

 coast line, and the land being visible at W. 10* 

 N. and as far as N. W. from the mast head, 

 he did not judge it necessary to pursue the search 

 any longer under the supposition of there being 

 a double bay, and therefore continued his 

 course for the extreme of the sloping hummock 

 called Break Sea Spit. 



Round Hervey's Bay the coast was in general, 

 low near the shore, and on the West side it ex- 

 tended to some distance inland. On that side 

 the land wore a different appearance from that 

 of Sandy Cape, there being few marks of sand, 



