Between the Archipelagos.] TERRA AUSTRALIA 
99 
miles ; and at five o'clock were abreast of the furthest part seen by 1S02 - 
January. 
the French admiral when he quitted the examination. The coast is Wednes. 27. 
a sandy beach in front; but the land rises gradually from thence, 
and at three or four miles back is of moderate elevation, but still 
sandy and barren. According to the chart of Nuyts, an extensive (Atlas, 
Plate IV ) 
reef lay a little beyond this part. It was not seen by D'Entrecas- 
teaux, but we were anxiously looking out for it when, at six o'clock, 
breakers were seen from the mast head bearing S. 43 0 E. some dis- 
tance open from the land. We kept on our course for them, with 
the wind at south-south-west, until eight o'clock, and then tacked 
to the westward in 27 fathoms ; and the ship's way being stopped 
by a head swell, we did not veer towards the land until three in the 
morning, at which time it fell calm. Thursday28. 
On a light breeze springing up from the northward we steered 
in for the coast ; and at noon were in the following situation. 
Latitude, observed to the north, - - 32° q~ 
Longitude by timekeepers, - - 131 51 
Breakers, distant 2 or 3 miles, - N. 22 to 42 E. 
A sandy projection of the coast, south part, - N. 37 E. 
Extremes of the land from the deck, N. 15 W. to 89 E. 
The breakers lie five or six miles from the land, and did not appear to 
have any connection with it, nor with two other sets of small reefs 
which came in sight to the east and east-south-east, soon afterward. 
At two o'clock, our situation was betwixt these last reefs. The south- 
ernmost patches are two or three miles in length, and there are 
large rocks upon them, standing above water ; the northern patches 
extend eight miles along the coast, from which they are distant 
three miles, and on the eastern parts there are also some rocks 
above water ; but there were none upon the western reef first seen. 
It may be doubted whether the western reef were known to Nuyts, 
but there can be no doubt concerning these last ; and I call the 
whole Nuyts' Reefs. 
