COASTS OF AUSTRALIA. 
61 
shoaled our soundings from 31 to 10 fathoms ; 1818, 
and during the morning we steered through them. March 24. 
The group contains several low coral-formed 
islands ; the north- easternmost of which proved to 
be the New Year’s Island of Lieutenant M‘Cluer 
of the Bombay Marine ; they are covered with a 
shrubby vegetation, and are severally surrounded 
by a coral reef: the principal of them were 
named Oxley’s, M e Cluer’s, and Lawson’s Islands, 
and a larger and higher island in the S.S.W. 
was named in compliment to my friend Captain 
Charles Grant, C. B., of the Royal Navy, under 
whose auspices I entered the naval service. 
We steered on to the E.S.E. through the first 
part of the night, with every prospect of reaching 
Cape Arnhem, where our examination of the 
coast westwardly was to commence ; but at mid- 
night the wind changed to the eastward, and at 
day-light, (26th) the land was visible from south 
to S.W. At ten o’clock we fetched in close to a 
low sandy point, and then bore up to the westward 
along the coast, which appeared, as it afterwards 
proved to be, a part of the main. The low point 
which commenced our survey was called Point 
Braithwaite, and one mile N.W. from it is Point 
Hall: the shore then trends five miles to the 
westward to Point Cuthbert, from which a shoal 
communication extends towards a rock on which 
