114 A VOYAGE TO [South Coast. 
1802. of calcareous stone, in some places fifty feet thick. The soil at the 
February. 
Sunday 7. t0 P was little better than sand, but was overspread with shrubs, 
mostly of one kind, a whitish velvety plant — (artriplex reniformis of 
Brown),* nearly similar to what is called at Port Jackson, Botany- 
Bay greens. Amongst these, the petrels had everywhere undermined ; 
and from the excessive heat of the sun, the reflexion from the sand, 
and frequently stepping up to the mid-leg in the burrows, my 
strength was scarcely equal to reaching the highest hill near the 
middle of the island. I had no thermometer, but judged the temper- 
ature could scarcely be less than 120 0 ; and there was not a breath 
of air stirring. My fatigue was, however, rewarded by an extensive 
set of bearings, and I overlooked the lower and larger island to the 
eastward, and saw the water behind it communicating with Smoky 
Bay. That low land and the island upon which I stood, being the 
north-easternmost of this archipelago, must I conceive, be the Isles 
of St. Peter in Nuyts' chart ; notwithstanding their relatively small 
distance from those of St. Francis. The bay to the northward, be- 
tween these islands and the main land, I named Denial Bay, as well 
in allusion to St. Peter as to the deceptive hope we had formed, of 
penetrating by it some distance into the interior country. The bear- 
ings most essential to the survey, taken from this station, were these 
Point Brown, sandy hillocks on it, S. 52 0 o' E. 
Franklin's Isles, the extremes, - S. 49 0 15' to 33 45 E. 
Evans' Isle, centre, - - S. 23 oW„ 
Isles of St. Francis, southernmost, 
the centre, - S. 34 o W. 
, the largest, extremes, S. 38 o to 46 20 W. 
Lacy's Isle, centre, - - S. 51 o W. 
Purdie's Isles, the easternmost, N. 83 15 W. 
Lound's Isle, centre, - N. 76 30 W. 
Point Bell, the hill on it, - N. 73 0 W. 
Point Peter, across Denial Bay, - N. 12 45 W. 
On returning to the shore to complete my observations, a 
* Prod.flor. Nov. Hull, p. 406. 
