Port Lincoln.] 
TERRA AUSTRALIA. 
145 
beak of Coffin's Bay on the other. A great part of the bearings iso2. 
taken from hence, crossed those from Stamford Hill very advan- Februaiy ' 
tageously. 
Amongst the various excursions made by the scientific gentle- 
men, one was directed to Sleaford Mere, of which they made the 
circuit. The two southern branches were found to terminate within 
a hundred yards of the head of Sleaford Bay, with which the mere 
had been suspected to have a communication from its water being 
not quite fresh ; but they are separated by a stony bank too high for 
the surf ever to pass over it. At the head of the bay a boat's sail 
and yard were seen floating, and no doubt had belonged to our 
unfortunate cutter : after being set out to sea by the tide, it had 
been driven up there by the late south-east winds. 
The refitment of the ship being nearly completed on the 3rd March, 
of March, lieutenant Fowler was sent round to Memory Cove in a Wednes> 3 
boat, to make a final search along the shores and round the islands 
in Thorny Passage, for the bodies of our late shipmates, which the 
sea might have thrown up. On the 4th, the last turn of water was Thurs. 4. 
received, and completed our stock up to sixty tons ; and the 
removal of our establishment from the shore waited only for the 
observation of a solar eclipse, announced in the nautical ephemeris 
for this day. The morning was cloudy, with rain; but towards 
noon the weather cleared up, and I had the satisfaction to observe 
the eclipse with a refracting telescope of forty-six inches focus, and 
a power of about two hundred. The beginning took place at 
i h 12' 37",8 of apparent time, and the end at 3 h 36' n",8. So soon 
as the observation was concluded, the tents and astronomical instru- 
ments were carried on board, the launch was hoisted in, and every 
thing prepared for going down the port on the following morning. 
Many straggling bark huts, similar to those on other parts 
of the coast, were seen upon the shores of Port Lincoln, and the 
paths near our tents had been long and deeply trodden; but 
neither in my excursions nor in those of the botanists had any of 
