210 
A VOYAGE TO 
[South Coast. 
3R°2- spaces of rock or sand ; so that I judged this part of the coast to 
A pril. 
Sunday 25. exceed in fertility all that had yet fallen under observation. 
Cape Otway lies very nearly in latitude 38 0 51' south, and 
longitude 143° 20/ east. The width of the north-west entrance to 
Bass' Strait, between this cape on the north and King's Island to the 
south, is therefore sixteen leagues ; and with the trifling exception 
of the Harbinger's Reefs, which occupy not quite two leagues of the 
southern part, the passage is free from danger. In such parts of it 
as we got soundings, the depth was between 38 and 50 fathoms. 
At noon, the wind had veered to the south-east, which being 
directly upon the shore, I did not think it prudent to follow the 
land too closely ; and we therefore kept up nearly to the wind. In 
the course of the afternoon, land came in sight to the eastward ; and 
the bearings taken at sunset were these : 
Furthest extreme towards C. Otway, S. 73 0 W. 
Furthest connected part to the northward, N. 18 W. 
Two small distant peaks, - N. 1 W. 
Bluff head, like the N. end of an island, N. 63 E. 
Extreme of the eastern land, - N. 83 E. 
Between the first and last of these bearings there was a deep bight 
formed, at the head of which no other land than the two small peaks 
could be perceived. 
Monday 26. In the morning we kept close to an east-south-east wind, 
steering for the land to the north-eastward ; and at nine o'clock 
captain Grant's Cape Schanck, the extreme of the preceding even- 
ing, was five leagues distant to the N. 88' E., and a rocky point 
towards the head of the bight, bore N. 12 0 E. On coming within 
five miles of the shore at eleven o'clock, we found it to below, and 
mostly sandy ; and that the bluff head which had been taken for 
the north-end of an island, was part of a ridge of hills rising at 
Cape Schanck. We then bore away westward, in order to trace the 
land round the head of the deep bight; and at noon, the situation of 
the ship and principal bearings were as under : 
