26 
SURVEY OF THE INTERTROPICAL 
Isis. nent. We steered towards it to satisfy our 
Feb. 15. doubts, but the water shoaled and prevented our 
approaching it near enough to ascertain the fact. 
The gulf was here so much narrower, and the 
bottom so uneven and rocky, that an anchorage 
was now of material importance, but our poverty 
in anchors made me fearful of risking our last 
upon a bottom of the least questionable nature. 
Before dark, however, we were fortunate in finding 
a bay on the western shore, in which the anchor 
was dropped in three fathoms muddy bottom, 
at one mile from the shore. 
The discovery of this anchorage proved so 
welcome to our fatigued crew, that the place was 
not unaptly named the Bay of Rest. We re- 
mained here three days, in which time I was 
enabled to lay down my plan of the gulf, and 
give some little respite to the people who had 
been up both night and day, and most laboriously 
occupied, since we rounded the North-West 
Cape. 
As soon as the vessel was secured Mr. Bedwell 
landed on the eastern shore of the bay, and 
found it to be of bold approach, but lined with 
coral rocks, and covered with dead shells, among 
which, a buccinum of immense size was noticed. 
The soil, if such it can be called, is composed 
of a red quartzose sand; but on the hills it con- 
