King George's Sound.] 
TERRA AUSTRALIS, 
61 
excited their astonishment ; but when they saw these beautiful red- isoi. 
Decembe 
Wednes. 30. 
and-white men, with their bright muskets, drawn up in a line, they 
absolutely screamed with delight ; nor were their wild gestures 
and vociferation to be silenced, but by commencing the exercise, to 
which they paid the most earnest and silent attention. Several of 
them moved their hands, involuntarily, according to the motions ; 
and the old man placed himself at the end of the rank, with a short 
staff in his hand, which he shouldered, presented, grounded, as did 
the marines their muskets, without, I believe, knowing what he did. 
Before firing, the Indians were made acquainted with what was 
going to take place; so that the vollies did not excite much 
terror. 
The tents and observatory were already struck ; and every 
thing being sent on board, we took leave of the natives, and em- 
barked with the intention of running into the Sound this evening ; 
but a change in the wind, to south-by-east, prevented it. This wind 
veered to east and north-east, and for a short time blew strong ; so 1802. 
that it was the 3rd of January in the afternoon, before we steered Sunday^, 
out of Princess-Royal Harbour. It was not my intention to pro- 
ceed immediately to sea ; and I therefore took the opportunity of 
standing backward and forward in the sound, with the dredge and 
trawl over board ; and a variety of small fish were brought up. 
These were of little use, as food ; but with the shells, sea weeds, and 
corals, they furnished amusement and occupation to the naturalist 
and draughtsman, and a pretty kind of hippocampus, which was 
not scarce, was generally admired. 
In the evening, the anchor was dropped in 7 fathoms, abreast 
of the second sandy beach near a flat rock on the south side of the 
sound, almost in the same spot where captain Vancouver had an- 
chored in 1791. I think the Sound does not afford a more secure 
place, the sole points of exposition being between -Bald Head and 
Break-sea Island, making an angle of no more than io°; and as both 
wood and water are procurable here, though neither very good, 
vol. r. Mm 
