374 AMPHINOME SHOALS. 



flood tide, from westerly to northerly, did not leave 

 much hope of our finding a passage to the westward. 

 At sunset the anchor was dropped in 9 fathoms, 

 with a shoal patch of 5 fathoms two miles to the 

 eastward, Mount Blaze, just visible from the mast- 

 head, bearing south sixteen miles. During the 

 afternoon we had crossed no less than five lines 

 of ripplings, on which, at low water, there was only 

 from 2 to 5 fathoms. 



Oct. 19. — After the noon observation another 

 attempt was made to find a passage to the west- 

 ward ; but at the end of eighteen miles we found 

 ourselves embayed among patches of ripplings and 

 breakers. The western sand-hills, seen yesterday, 

 bore at this time S. by E. fifteen miles. Two- 

 thirds of the distance from the shore was a con- 

 tinued line of broken water. Finding, by sounding 

 with the boats, that there was no passage for the ship, 

 we retraced our track east; and in the evening 

 anchored again in 7 fathoms, between two ridges 

 of 4. The outer breaker of the Am phinome Shoals 

 bore N. 37° W. three miles, which placed it in 

 lat. 19° 41' S. and long. 119° 24' E.; and as these 

 shoals extend eighteen miles off such low land, they 

 may fairly be considered dangerous. 



Next evening we anchored off the east side of 

 Bedout Island, having, in the morning, nineteen 

 miles to the east of it and twenty-two from the main 

 land, passed over a ridge of 5 fathoms. 



Oct, 21. — We spent the day on Bedout, the centre 



