82 
SURVEY OR THE INTERTROPICAL 
1818. south head of Palm Bay, and which proved to be 
April is. a strait communicating with Mountnorris Bay. 
It was named after my friend James Bowen, esq., 
one of the Commissioners of the Navy. As soon 
as the proas had reached a sufficient distance to 
leeward, we got under sail ; and on rounding the 
south point of the bay, and opening the strait, 
the remaining proas of the fleet that we had pre- 
viously seen, were observed at anchor close to a 
sandy beach on the north shore, and their canoes 
to the number of twenty were fishing on the op- 
posite side of the strait. The latter, on observ- 
ing us, hoisted their sails, and returned to their 
proas ; but as it was not considered prudent to 
examine the port until they had passed by, its 
exploration was deferred, and we returned to our 
anchorage in Palm Bay. "W e had not, however, 
to wait long, for the proas left Bowen’s Strait the 
next morning, and crossed the bay to the west- 
ward. Our anchor was weighed immediately, 
and we steered towards their sternmost vessel, 
in order to communicate with her, and to shew 
her a letter with which we had been kindly pro- 
vided by Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles, written 
in the Malay language, and explanatory of our 
occupation. On running alongside the proa, the 
letter was displayed, but they appeared frightened 
and unwilling to bring to, and repeatedly pointed 
