44 
A VOYAGE TO 
[ East Coast. 
1809. Island, whence it appeared that the deepest water was close to the 
Saturday 2S. shoals on the eastern side. After searching along the shore of 
Townshend Island, and amongst the rocky islets near it, I crossed 
the western channel over to the south end of Leicester Island ; where 
a set of bearings was taken, and the latitude observed to be 22 0 18' 
17" from an artificial horizon. This channel is about one mile wide, 
and I proceeded up it until a passage out to sea was clearly distin- 
guishable ; but although there be from 4, to 7 fathoms with a soft 
bottom, the deep part is too narrow for a stranger to pass with a ship, 
I returned on board in the evening, without having discovered any 
traces of the lost cutter or seen any thing worthy of particular 
notice ; unless it were three of the large bats, called flying foxes at 
Port Jackson : when on the wing and at a distance, these animals 
might be taken for crows. 
Sunday 29. On the following morning, we got up the anchor and steered 
further into Shoal-water Bay. The land on the western side appeared 
to be high ; and as the botanists were likely to find more employ- 
ment there, during the time of my proposed expedition to the head 
of the bay, than they could promise themselves at any other place, 
I was desirous of leaving the ship on that side, in a situation conve- 
nient for them. After running three miles to the westward, mostly 
in 3 fathoms, we anchored in 6 , till four o’clock, and then again 
weighed. The soundings became very irregular ; and at five, seeing 
a shoal which extended up and down the middle of the bay, we 
tacked from it and came to, in 5 fathoms soft bottom, it being then 
low water. 
Mount Westall bore - - N. 8 6 ° E. 
Leicester Island, the south end, - N. g W. 
Pine Mount, - - - S. 78 W. 
The western land was still six or seven miles distant, but there was 
’ no prospect of getting nearer, without taking time to make a previous 
examination of the shoal ; and I therefore embarked early next 
