94 
SURVEY OF THE INTERTROPICAL 
the northward, and gradually rises, at the dis- 
Aug. 23 . tance of eight miles from the shore, to wooded 
hills, and bears a more pleasing and verdant ap- 
pearance than we have seen for some time past ; 
but the coast still retains the same sandy and un- 
inviting character. During the afternoon we had 
but a light sea-breeze from the westward ; and 
at sunset the anchor was dropped in thirteen 
fathoms fine soft sand, at about six miles from 
the shore. Large flocks of boobies flew over 
the vessel at sunset, directing their course to- 
wards the reefs of Lacepede Islands, and in 
the direction of the Whale Bank, which, ac- 
cording to the French chart of this part, lies 
in the offing to the westward. As no island 
was noticed by us in the position assigned to 
Captain Baudin’s Carnot Island, the bay to the 
southward of Cape Baskerville has received that 
name. The smokes of fires have been noticed 
at intervals of every four or five miles along 
the shore, from which it may be inferred that 
this part of the coast is very populous. Captain 
Dampier saw forty Indians together, on one of 
the rocky islands to the eastward of Cape Le- 
veque, and, in his quaint style, gives the sub- 
joined interesting account of them 
“ The inhabitants of this country are the mi- 
serablest people in the world. The Hodmadods 
