CAPE PATTERSON. 491 



W. ^ W. from the eastern entrance of Port Western,* 

 and twenty-one miles N. 55" W. from Cape Liptrap, 

 the next headland to the eastward. Five and seven 

 miles to the westward of Cape Patterson there are 

 two rivulets, near the former of which an inferior 

 kind of coal crops out ; it occurs in beds of the car- 

 boniferous series. Between the two headlands above 

 mentioned the shore falls back, forming a bight 

 six miles deep, at the head of which is Anderson's 

 Inlet, six miles in extent, full of mud banks, and 

 available for boats only. A river, called Toluncan 

 by the natives, empties itself into the head of it. 



From Port \\(estern we carried a line of sound- 

 ings across the Strait to Circular Head,t the 



* The observations on the tides at this place make the time 

 of high water at the full and change days Ih. 10m., when the 

 rise is 8 feet. The stream in the main channel runs upwards 

 of 2 knots, and off the N.E. end of Grant Island it makes to the 

 eastward about two hours before the time of high water ; this 

 difference is to be attributed to the flood entering round both 

 ends of the island. 



f My intention of getting some more soundings in the western 

 entrance of Bass Strait was frustrated ; but as I have entered 

 into detail respecting the eastern entrance, I am induced to 

 devote some space to a few directions, which may aid in averting 

 a repetition of such terrible catastrophes as the late wreck of the 

 "Cataraqui" on the western side of King Island. The western 

 entrance, formed by the islands off the north-west point of Tasma- 

 nia and the projection on the Australian continent called Cape 

 Otway, is 108 miles wide. King Island, lying nearly midway, 

 occupies 35 miles of this space, and leaves to the north of it a 

 passage of 47 miles in width, and to the south one of 37 miles. 



