108 A VOYAGE TO [South Coast 
I802. the eight isles and a rock, surrounding this Isle St. Francis, I set 
Ww'ines/ij. f rom the north-east point, three other islands. The first, named 
Lacy's Isle, bore N. 2 8° E., seven miles; and two miles from it to 
the north-west, there is an islet and a separate rock above water, 
surrounded with breakers, the same near which we had tacked at 
half past four on the preceding evening. The second was called 
Evans' Isle, and bore N. 49 0 E. eleven miles ; and the third, to which 
the name of Franklin was given, bore N. 8i°E. sixteen miles. All 
these are much inferior in magnitude to the central island of St. 
Francis. 
For several days before anchoring here, we had observed 
large flocks of sooty petrels ; and I found the surface of the island, 
where it was sandy and produced small shrubs, to be full of their 
burrows. Pinguins, similar to those of Furneaux's Islands, had 
their burrows nearer to the water side. A small species of kanguroo, 
was also found, and at some preceding season the island had been fre- 
quented by geese; but at this time, the vegetation being almost burnt 
up, they seemed to have quitted it from want of food. The heat 
was, indeed, such as to make walking a great fatigue; and this was 
augmented by frequently sinking into the bird holes, and falling 
upon the sand. The thermometer stood at gS° in the shade, whilst 
it was at 78 0 on board the ship. 
Where the surface is not of sand it consists of calcareous rock, 
mostly in loose pieces ; but the stone which forms the basis of the 
island is heavy and of a close grain, and was judged to be porphyry. 
In the crevices of a low calcareous cliff, at the south-east side of the 
bay, I found some thin cakes of good salt, incrusted upon a stone 
containing lamina of quartz. 
A party was sent on shore at dusk, to collect petrels, and in 
less than two hours returned with sufficient to give four birds to 
Thursday 4. every man in the ship. Early in the morning, the boats were again 
sent upon the same errand, and to haul the seine ; but the birds were 
gone off to sea for the day, and no fish were caught. A small 
