scott's reef. 181 



and passed round the north-west end of Bedout, 

 where there is much uneven ground with ripplings. 

 We carried sounding's until abreast of the north end 

 of Rowley Shoals and twenty-five miles from their 

 inner side, in from 45 to 154 fathoms. These shoals, 

 like the Abrolhos, appear to stand on the outer edge 

 of a bank projecting off this portion of the coast, as 

 we did not get bottom after leaving their parallel . 



On the "iOth, in the afternoon, we passed, having no 

 soundings with 200 fathoms, alonof the western side 

 of Scott's Reef, at the distance of three miles, and 

 determined its position. It forms a large lagoon, 

 with an opening, not appearing to be a ship passage, 

 midway on its western side ; marked by a dry bank 

 just within it, in lat. 14° 3' 30" S. and long. 6" 4' 45" 

 E. of Swan River. The eastern extreme of the reef 

 was not seen ; the southern limit is in lat. 14" 15' S. ; 

 and the north-west extreme being in 13° 55' S., and 

 long. 6" 2' E. of Swan River, gives it an extent of 

 twenty miles in a north and south direction. Captain 

 Owen Stanley, in March, 1840, discovered a shoal 

 about sixteen miles to the N. N. E. of Scott's Reef; 

 he considered its extent from east to west to be about 

 five miles ; but from the mast head the south end 

 of it could not be seen. It did not appear to have 

 more than two or three feet water on it. The north 

 point, Captain Stanley places in lat. 13" 39' S., 

 long. 121" 56' E. ; or 6" 11 E. of Swan River.* 

 We now began to feel a westerly current, which 



* This reef was seen by the Seringapatam merchant ship in 1842. 



