Shoal-wafer Bay .] 
TERRA AUSTRALIS. 
49 
Cape Capricorn, my first object on landing was to examine the 1802. 
refuse thrown up by the sea. The French navigator. La P6 rouse, ^dayT' 
whose unfortunate situation, if in existence, was always present to 
my mind, had been wrecked, as it was thought, somewhere in the 
neighbourhood of New Caledonia ; and if so, the remnants of his 
ships were likely to be brought upon this coast by the trade winds, 
and might indicate the situation of the reef or island which had 
proved fatal to him. With such an indication, I was led to believe 
in the possibility of finding the place ; and though the hope of 
restoring La P6rouse or any of his companions to their country and 
friends could not, after so many years, be rationally entertained, yet 
to gain some certain knowledge of their fate would do away the 
pain of suspense; and it might not be too late to retrieve some docu- 
ments of their discoveries. 
Upon the south-east side of Aken’s Island, there was thrown 
up a confused mass of different substances ; including a quantity of 
pumice stone, several kinds of coral, five or six species of shells, 
skeletons of fish and sea snakes, the fruit of the pandanus, and a 
piece of cocoa-nut shell without bernacles or any thing to indicate 
that it had been long in the water ; but there were no marks of 
shipwreck. A seine was hauled upon the small beaches at the 
south end of the island, and brought on shore a good quantity of 
mullet, and of a fish resembling a cavally; also a kind of horse 
mackerel, small fish of the herring kind, and once a sword fish of 
between four and five feet long. The projection of the snout, or 
sword of this animal, a foot and a half in length, was fringed with 
strong, sharp teeth; and he threw it from side to side in such a 
furious way, that it was difficult to manage him even on shore. 
A boat was sent in the evening to the foot of Pine Mount, for 
the naturalist and his party, but returned without any tidings of 
them ; and it was noon next day before they got on board. They Saturday 4. 
had reached the top of the mount, but were disappointed in the view 
by the pines and underwood. In returning to the boat, a chase after 
VOL. 11. H 
