COASTS OF AUSTRALIA. 
305 
fellow had been for nearly three months on our i8io. 
sick list; he was a native of Norfolk Island, Sept. sr. 
and, when in health, had been one of my most 
useful and attentive men. He was interred the 
next morning on shore ; in memorial whereof, 28. 
the north-west point of the island was named 
after him. Soon after noon the ebb, tide made, 
and we worked out against a strong northerly 
breeze, which gave us a good opportunity of as- 
certaining the soundings and breadth of the chan- 
nel. The tide, however, did not serve to carry 
us out of the gulf, and at low water we dropped 
the anchor near a bank on the western side in 
six fathoms, sandy bottom, out of the influence 
of the tide ; which in the mid-channel was ob- 
served to run with great strength. 
After sunset the clouds began to collect in the 
S.E., and threatened the approach of bad wea- 
ther ; but in our situation, the anchor, although 
we had but one, was our best security. At two 
o’clock in the morning heavy clouds rose in the 29 - 
E.S.E., and the wind freshened from that direc- 
tion ; it, however, soon after veered back to S.E. 
and enabled us to weigh. The weather was 
cloudy and dark, but as the plan of the gulf had 
been already roughly formed, and our soundings 
laid down, I was sufficiently aware of the course 
we had to steer. The only event to be dreaded 
Vol. i. x 
