140 
A VOYAGE TO 
[Mnih Coast. 
1802. a port, is yet almost equally well sheltered, and I named it Inves- 
Sunday2i! tigator’s Road ; it has the appearance of being exposed between 
N. N. W. and N.E.^N.; but the rocks from each shore occupy 
nearly one half of the space, and the water is too shallow in the re- 
maining part to admit any surge to endanger a ship. 
Monday 22. Next day, a boat was sent to fish with the seine upon Sweers’ 
Island, and an officer went to the opposite shore to dig for water; 
the botanists divided themselves into two parties, to visit both islands, 
and the carpenters began caulking the starbord side of the ship. I 
repeated the observations under Inspection Hill, for the rates of the 
time keepers ; and being informed on my return, that the midship- 
man of the seining boat had discovered a small hole containing a 
little muddy water, with a shell lying near it, I had the place dug 
out, through the sand and a stratum of whitish clay, to the depth of 
ten or eleven feet. Under the clay we found a bottom of stone and 
gravel, and the water then flowed in clear, and tolerably fast. This 
was a great acquisition ; more especially as the spring was not far 
from the beach at the west point of Sweers’ Island, where the 
casks could be conveniently landed, and where we had had great 
success in fishing. 
The gentlemen who visited Bentinck’s Island, found a small 
lake of fresh water at no great distance from the sea side ; and it 
appeared that the interior part of Sweers’ Island, towards the north- 
ern end, was occupied by swamps. This comparative abundance of 
water upon such low islands, and at the end of the dry season, 
seemed very remarkable; it may perhaps be attributed to the clayey 
consistence of the stratum immediately under the sand, and to the 
gravelly rock upon which that stratum rests ; the one preventing 
the evaporation of the rains, and the other obstructing their further 
infiltration. 
Tuesday 23. Early next morning the ship was removed to within two cables 
length of the west point, nearer to the spring; and lieutenant Fowler 
was established on shore with a party of seamen and marines, taking 
