188 SURVEY OF THE INTERTROPIC AL 
1819. been left dry : its western edge was so steep, that 
June 9. we were very quickly in deep water again. We an- 
chored at sunset in the centre of a tide eddy, 
under Pine Head, in sixteen fathoms sand and 
shells: the night was passed without accident. 
The next morning we landed on the Island of 
io. which Pine Head is the south-easternmost extre- 
mity, and from its summit obtained an extensive 
set of bearings. 
The island possesses the same rocky character 
with the rest of this group; but the soil, although 
shallow, nourished some luxuriant grass, which 
reached up to our middle, and concealed the rocks 
that are plentifully strewed over the ground. The 
trees are low and stunted, but the steep slope of 
the head is covered with pines, r and forms one 
of the most remarkable features of Whitsunday 
Passage. 
Whilst we were on shore, Mr. Bedwell short- 
ened in the cable preparatory to weighing ; but on 
doing it the anchor tripped, and it was with 
difficulty that the cutter was kept clear of the 
rocks, close to which she was drifted by the 
eddies. On arriving on board, we steered to the 
northward through Whitsunday Passage, and 
afterwards stood towards Captain Cook’s Cape 
Gloucester, the extremity of which turned out to 
be an island (Gloucester Island,) of five miles 
