92 A VOYAGE TO [South Coast. 
1802. of being caught in the archipelago with strong south, or western 
January. . , . . ° 
Sunday 17. winds, in which case destruction would be almost inevitable, for I 
know of no place where a ship might take refuge in a gale. The 
shelter in Thistle's Cove is, indeed, complete, when a vessel is once 
placed ; but the cove is too small to be entered except under favour- 
able circumstances, and the shelter in the western corner could not 
be attained with winds blowing strong out of it. The archipelago 
should not, therefore, be entered without the assurance of carrying 
fine weather to the proposed anchorage. 
During the night of the 17th, there was no current or set of 
tide past the ship. Every thing was kept prepared for getting under 
way at a moment's notice ; but the wind blew gently off the land, 
and the people of the watch occupied themselves successfully in 
Monday is. catching dog fish. At day break we made all sail to the north- 
eastward, along the same low and, if possible, still more sandy coast. 
The wind was light, and at nine it fell calm. This was succeeded 
by a sea breeze at east-south-east, and we trimmed close to it, keep- 
ing on our former course until four in the afternoon ; when the land 
being one mile and a half distant, we tacked in 12 fathoms, and 
stretched to the southward. 
The shore curved round here, and took a more eastern direc- 
tion; and the bank of level land, which continued to run along 
behind it, approached very near to the water side. Three leagues 
further on, it formed cliffs upon the coast ; and a projecting part of 
them, which I called Point Culver, bore N. 77 0 E. four leagues : 
this was the furthest land in sight. 
This afternoon we passed a number of pale red medusas, such 
as I had usually seen on the East Coast at the entrances of rivers, 
and which, on being touched, produce a sensation like the stinging 
of a nettle. There was also a red scum on the water, and some of it 
was taken up to be examined by Mr. Brown in a microscope. It 
consisted of minute particles not more than half a line in length, and 
each appeared to be composed of several cohering fibres which were 
