COASTS OP AUSTRALIA. 
77 
diately did. One of the proas soon afterwards 1818 * 
passed by with Dutch colours displayed, to April 12. 
which its crew repeatedly pointed, at the same 
time hailing us in an unintelligible jargon, of 
"which “ Macassar” and “ Trepang” were the 
only words that were distinguished. They also 
pointed to the N.W., but whether this was in- 
tended to convey to us the direction of the place 
whence they came, or the course they were about 
to steer, was not very evident. In a short time 
the fleet had passed by, and as we were under 
weigh we returned to the examination of Malay 
Bay, in which nothing worthy of note was found. 
It affords good anchorage during the easterly 
monsoon on a muddy bottom in from four to five 
fathoms, but its shores are low and its beaches 
rocky, and so uninteresting, that we returned to 
our previous anchorage in Mountnorris Bay. 
The next day we landed on Copeland Island, 13. 
and from its summit obtained extensive bear- 
ings for the survey of the bay. The island is 
surrounded by a coral bank ; its north side is 
formed by a perpendicular argillaceous cliff of a 
bright yellow colour, and is a conspicuous object 
to vessels entering the bay. Behind the cliff to 
the south, the land gradually declines and runs 
off to a low point ; the whole surface of the 
island is covered with trees, among which a 
