1544 
A VOYAGE TO 
[ North Coast 
isos, steered W. by S. by "compass, the soundings increasing gradually 
Tuesday 25. from 7 fathoms to 13 at noon, when our latitude was io° 38 ' and 
longitude 141 0 17'. No reefs or other dangers had been seen to the 
(Atlas, west of Booby Isle ; nor were any met with in steering across the 
1 late xiv.) Q u |p| a Carpentaria towards Cape Wilberforce, though many 
birds, principally boobies, were seen every day. We ran in the night, 
with the precaution of heaving to every four hours, to sound; the 
depth was from 30 to 36 fathoms on a muddy bottom, nearly all 
across the Gulph. 
Friday 28. On the 28th at two in the morning, Cape Wilberforce being 
(Plate XV.) seen directly a-head, we hove to in 18 fathoms till daylight ; the 
south-east extreme of the cape then bore S. 54,° W., and the largest 
of Bromby’s Isles was two miles distant to the northward. After 
making some short tacks, we passed through between the two outer 
isles, with soundings from 6 to 11 fathoms ; and at ten o’clock, when 
clear of the passage, the bearings of the nearest lands were as under : 
Bromby’s I., the largest, cliffy S. E. end, - S. 34 0 W. 
outermost, highest part, dist. ii m., S. 50 E. 
Truant Isle, centre, - - - N. 37 E. 
Two islets, dist. 5 miles, centres, - - N. 24 0 and 32 W . 
Wigram’s Island, extremes, - - N. 55 to S. 87 W. 
The longitude of our situation according to the positions laid down 
in the Investigator, would be 136° 41' 10", and the time keeper now 
gave 136° 42' 12". It was principally for the sake of comparing the 
two longitudes, that I made the land near Cape Wilberforce. 
We steered northward for the two islets, and at noon, when 
the latitude from an observation to the south was 11° 43', but from 
bearings 1 1° 42', they were distant three quarters of a mile to the 
W. by S. ; these islets had been set from the south-east head of 
Cotton’s Island at N. 42 0 35' to 45 0 5' E., and that head was now 
seen bearing S. 45^° W. At one o’clock the Wessel’s Islands came 
in sight, and I hauled more up, wishing to ascertain their extent to 
the northward ; but the wind being at E. N. E, we could not pass to 
