222 
A VOYAGE TO 
[North Coast. 
isos. under Mount Saunders, was sandy and barren, and so continued for 
SawnJay 'is. seven miles westward, to a low point near a woody islet. F urther 
on, the coast took a northern direction, and was seen from the mast 
head as far as N.N. W. ; but no other part could be set from the 
deck than the highest of several eminences on the back land, named 
Mount Bonner, which proved to be an useful mark in the survey. 
The bearings taken at this anchorage were principally these : 
Mount Dundas, bluff' north end, - - S. 54 0 E. 
Woody islet, near a western sandy point, - S. 62 W. 
Mount Bonner, - - " N. S2 W. 
Melville Isles, the northernmost, - - N. 13 E. 
, the largest, - N. 33 0 E. to East. 
Sunday 13. In the morning we steered westward, with a light air of wind 
at south and a flood tide in our favour ; and having passed over some 
ripplings near the anchorage, our soundings became regular, in- 
creasing from 7 to 12 fathoms. On a breeze setting in at north-west, 
the course was directed towards a bight behind the woody islet; and 
a little before noon its appearance became so promising, that I 
steered into it before the wind. In passing the islet and sandy point 
we had from 10 to 7 fathoms, in an opening of four miles wide ; and 
a bay of considerable extent then lay before us. In the middle of the 
bay were three rocks, and to the north-east of them a head-land, 
beyond which the water extended eastward ; we steered to pass be- 
tween these till the depth diminished to 4 fathoms, when we tacked 
and let go the anchor in the north-eastern part of the bay, in 5 fa- 
thoms, muddy bottom ; the sandy point at the entrance bore W. by 
N., one mile and a quarter, and the largest of some granitic rocks in 
front of the beach, N. by W. half a mile. 
A boat was sent to haul the seine on the beach, and I went 
there with the botanical gentlemen. The depth was 5 fathoms close 
to the shore, even within the rocks ; and the ship might have been 
placed there in perfect security, though the room was scarcely suf- 
ficient to allow of swinging at single anchor. I called the largest 
