COASTS OF AUSTRALIA. 
207 
delayed very much, or entirely prevented from 
weighing. 
Thus it was with us on this day ; soon after 
we weighed it fell calm, and the tide, drifting 
us rapidly to the southward over rocky ground, 
carried us close to a reef of dry rocks to the 
northward of Foul Point, without our being able 
to avoid it. At a little before five o’clock the 
flood-tide was nearly expended, and obliged us 
to drop the chain-cabled anchor, at the distance 
of three miles from Foul Point, upon a bottom 
of rotten yellow-coloured rock, that crumbled 
away upon being touched, but from the noise 
that the chain made in dragging over the ground, 
there was reason to apprehend it was very rocky; 
and consequently great fears were entertained 
for the safety of our anchor. 
Our situation was in the outer part of a bay, 
the southern head of which bore S. 22° E., and 
which, from the loss and perplexity we met 
with in it, was afterwards called Disaster Bay, 
and its south extreme, ofi* which is a small rocky 
island, was named Repulse Point. 
During the afternoon we had another instance 
of mirage, which proved useful so far that it in- 
dicated to us the trend of the land to the south- 
eastward, in which direction nothing had pre- 
viously been seen; it appeared to be very low 
1822. 
Feb. 13. 
