COASTS OF AUSTRALIA. 
123 
are situated in mid-channel of the Strait that 1 _ 
separates Melville Island from the main, which 
was named in honour of His Royal Highness the 
Duke of Clarence. The group consists of four 
low islands ; they are each surrounded by a 
belt of mangroves, and are probably connected 
by reefs to the south shore. 
The next morning, after a stormy night, we 31 * 
steered to the northward, and made the south 
entrance of Apsley Strait, which was recognised 
by the peculiar shape of Buchanan’s Islets lying 
off it, one of which has a flat-topped summit. 
The time had now arrived for our leaving the 
coast : our provisions were drawing to an end, 
and we had only a sufficiency of bread to carry 
us back to Port Jackson, although we had been 
all the voyage upon a reduced allowance : our 
water had also failed, and several casks, which we 
had calculated upon being full, were found to be 
so bad, that the water was perfectly useless : these 
casks were made at Sydney, and proved, like our 
bread casks, to have been made from the 
staves of salt-provision casks: besides this de- 
falcation, several puncheons were found empty, 
and it was therefore doubly necessary that 
we should resort to Timor, without any more 
delay. 
