Torres' Strait .] 
TERRA AUSTRALIS. 
117 
with squally weather. We steered south-westward, passing at seven isos, 
o’clock between two dry sands, three or four miles apart, with a sunuLy iu 
depth of 15 fathoms ; at eight, another dry bank was left two miles 
to the southward, and a small, low island set at N. by W., two or 
three leagues. From this time, and running at the rate of seven 
knots, nothing was seen until ten ; a dry sand then bore N. 78° W., 
two miles and a half, and two more low isles were seen to the north- 
ward ; the soundings had become regular, between 10 and 9 fathoms, 
and the bottom was of mixt sand and shells, fit for anchorage. Our 
latitude at noon was io° 2 6‘ 45", and longitude 142 0 39Y ; and we 
had high land bearing S. 3 0 E. ten or twelve miles, which I supposed 
might be the easternmost of the York Isles, although captain Cook’s 
longitude of it was 38' more westward. The weather being hazy, no 
other land was seen, nor any reefs ; but at one o’clock, I set these 
bearings : 
York Isle, high flat top, - - S. 35 0 E. 
A more northern, double isle, - - S. 84 W. 
A high peaked hill ( Mt. Ernest of Bligh), N. 16 W. 
At two o’clock, when we passed on the north side of the double 
isle, it was seen to be surrounded with a coral reef, and there were 
rocks on its west and south sides. We then hauled up S. W. by S. 
for some rocky islets lying, as I supposed, off Cape York ; but find- 
ing no shelter there, bore away round the north end of an island, 
of which Mr. Westall took a view, and anchored in 7 fathoms, gravel view 12.) 
and shells, one mile and a half from the land, and two or three 
cables length from a shoal to the southward, which became dry at 
low water. Our latitude here was io° 30' from bearings, and longi- 
tude by time-keeper 1 4 i8i' east ; but I was altogether at a loss to 
know what islands these were, under which we had anchored. Sup- 
posing the flat-topped island to have been the easternmost York Isle, 
the land we had in sight to the southward should have been Cape 
York ; but no such isles as those around us were laid down by cap- 
tain Cook, to the north of that cape. On consulting the sketch 
