COASTS OF AUSTRALIA. 
145 
two particular points of my instructions, namely, isi8. 
the opening behind Rosemary Island, and the July 24. 
examination of the great bay of Van Diemen. 
Upon rounding the N.W. Cape, we had been 
unfortunate in losing our anchors, which very 
much crippled our proceedings, and prevented 
our prosecuting the examination of the coast in 
so detailed a manner as we otherwise might have 
done; for we possessed no resource to avail our- 
selves of, if we had been so unfortunate as to 
get on shore. A series of fine weather, however, 
on the first part, and a sheltered coast with good 
anchorage on the latter part of the voyage, en- 
abled us to carry on the survey without accident ; 
and nearly as much has been effected with one 
anchor, as could have been done had we pos- 
sessed the whole. It prevented, however, our 
examining the bottom of Exmouth Gulf, and our 
landing upon Depuch Island. The latter was 
a great disappointment to us, on account of the 
following description which M. Peron gives of the 
island, in his historical account of Baudin’s 
Voyage, from the report of M. Ronsard, who 
visited it. 
“ Au seul aspect de cette ile, on pouvoit dej k 
pressentir qu’elle 6toit dune nature differente de 
toutes celles que nous avions vues jusqu’a ce jour. 
En effet, les terres en etoient plus hautes, les 
Vol. I. L 
