COASTS OF AUSTRALIA. 
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the S.E., and observed to join the low land at 1819 . 
the back of the reefs that we passed on the 12th. Sept- 14 - 
A remarkable echo was heard in the evening : 
whilst the cook was chopping his wood, every 
blow was echoed round the bight, although we 
were eight miles from the shore. After leaving 
Port Keats, we met with large quantities of a 
very beautiful species of medusa; it appeared 
to be the m. panopyra, figured in Peron’s Atlas, 
(Plate xxxi., fig. 2.) It is from this animal 
that the French have named their “ Banc des Me- 
duses” No turtle, or snakes, had for some 
time been seen, and very few sharks ; but other 
fish were numerous. Very little progress was 
made the next day ; several attempts were made 15 - 
to stand toward Lacrosse Island ; but we were 
obliged to give it up, as the bank still crossed 
our course. In the evening we again anchored 
near the edge of the bank, and during the night 
the breeze blew fresh, but the anchor held well. 
At daylight, another ineffectual attempt w r as 1 6. 
made to cross the bank. At two o’clock, we 
passed several detached banks, on which were 
seven and eight fathoms ; and soon afterwards 
rounded the north-west end of the large bapk, at 
a quarter of a mile distance in four fathoms ; 
after which the water deepened to twelve and 
thirteen fathoms, but still the bottom was of 
