Recherche' s Archi P elago.~} TERRA AUSTRALIS. 
tion of the southernmost, which has a hill at each end and some vege- 1802. 
1 January. 
tation, are little better than low sterile rocks. Sunday 17. 
At seven in the evening, the water being smooth, we anchored 
in 8 fathoms, sandy bottom, three or four miles from the shore ; (Atlas> 
where our calculated situation, and the bearings of the land were as Plate m -) 
follow : 
Latitude, - - - 33° Vf- s - 
Longitude, - - - 124 6 E. 
Northern extreme of the coast, N. 27 E. 
Southern extreme, - - S. 36 W. 
A mount in the interior country, S. 68 W. 
From Cape Pasley to the northern extreme above set, the 
coast is sandy and low, presenting, with trifling exceptions, a con- 
tinued beach. On the north side of Point Malcolm it stretches north, 
and then eastward, forming a bight five miles within the land ; after 
which the general trending is north-north-east, with very little 
sinuosity. Four or five miles behind the shore, and running parallel 
with it, is a bank of moderately high and level land ; over which 
the tops of some barren-looking mountains were occasionally seen. 
The most remarkable of these is Mount Ragged, lying N. 8° W. 
nine or ten leagues from Cape Pasley. 
We had now altogether lost sight of the Archipelago of the 
Recherche. The chart which I have constructed of this extensive 
mass of dangers is much more full, and in many parts should be 
more accurate than that of D'Entrecasteaux ; but I dare by no means 
assert, that the very great number of islands, rocks, and reefs therein 
contained, are the whole that exist ; nor that every individual one is 
correctly placed, although the greatest care was taken to obtain 
correctness. All the islands seem to be more or less frequented by 
seals ; but I think not in numbers sufficient to make a speculation 
from Europe advisable on their account ; certainly not for the China 
market, the seals being mostly of the hair kind, and the fur of such 
others as were seen was red and coarse. There is, besides, a risk 
