106 MERMAID BANK. 



high water. The times of high water for the last 

 three days had been most unaccountably the same. 



December 5. — Crossed over to Point Pearce at 

 daylight, but the wind being light all the morning 

 did not reach an anchorage till the afternoon ; the 

 extreme of the point bearing N. 41° W. three- 

 quarters of a mile. A line of ripplings extended a 

 couple of miles off to the south-west of it, in which 

 we found there was only four fathoms. In standing 

 across the entrance we passed first a bank of three 

 fathoms, with six and seven on each side ; Turtle 

 Point bearing S. 45° W. 11 miles ; then two more, 

 one of seven and eight fathoms, with twelve and seven- 

 teen on each side, the other of only two fathoms with 

 twelve on the south, and twenty on the north side. 

 We subsequently found the latter to be a continuation 

 of the bank on which Captain King had five fathoms, 

 Point Pearce bearing N. 22° E. 5 miles ; and in 

 order to record his visit we named it, after his 

 vessel, Mermaid Bank. 



December 7- — I left the ship in the morning to 

 make some observations at Point Pearce for the 

 errors of the chronometers. I was accompanied to 

 the shore by Mr. Bynoe, who was going on a shoot- 

 ing excursion. It being high water, I was obliged 

 to select a spot near the cliffs forming the point, for 

 carrying out my intention. That selected was about 

 60 yards from the wood-crowned cliff* which rose 

 behind ; thinking such an intervening distance 

 would secure me from the spear of the treacherous 

 native. This caution rather resulted from what 



