335 
Towards Tones' Strait.] TERRA. AUSTRALIS, 
part of the day was frequently required at them to keep her free, and 1S03 - 
r w October, 
they were becoming worse from such constant use. 
Our north-west course was resumed at five in the morning, Sunday is. 
and continued without interruption, or sight of any danger, to the 
19th at noon, when the latitude was io° 53' south, and longitude by Wedties. 19. 
time keeper 147 0 6' east; the current had set above*^ of a mile an 
hour to the N. 6 o° W., and we had every day seen boobies, noddies, 
tropic birds, and some gulls. At four in the afternoon the course 
was altered one point more west, in order to make the Eastern Fields, Plate xiii.) 
whose extent to the southward, not having been seen in the Investi- 
gator, I wished now to ascertain. The breakers came in sight at 
eight next morning, and we hauled up to pass round their south end ; Tiujrsdayso. 
but the wind being scant for going to windward of all, and the small 
gap before seen in the middle appearing to be passable for the Cum- 
berland, we bore up for it. The depth at less than a quarter of a 
mile off was 40 fathoms, then 6, 7, 4 in the centre of the opening, 
8, and no ground with the hand line ; this front reef seeming to be 
a mere ledge of coral, which extended N. N. E. and S. S. W. ; and 
that part of the opening in it where the sea did not break, is about 
one mile wide. Immediately on getting through, altitudes were 
taken for the time keeper; and the longitude, reduced to the north- 
east extremity of the Eastern Fields, was 145 0 44-' east, or about 
T less than what had been found in the Investigator from Broad Sound. 
In steering W. N. W., two small patches of reef were left to 
the south and one to the north, about five miles from the opening ; 
other reefs then came in sight a-head and on each bow ; and after 
sounding in 34 fathoms coral sand, and observing the latitude io° 2 j , 
we passed through a narrow channel between Them, having no 
ground at 7 fathoms. At one o’clock, the western extremity of these 
reefs bore S. i6°E. two miles, and others w r ere seen in the horizon 
extending from N. W. to W.S. W. ; we passed close round the 
north end of these ; but the single breaker laid down the year be- 
fore, and which should lie about five miles to the N. N. E., was not 
