SAILING DIRECTIONS. 
267 
The Repulse Isles are of small size ; they are surrounded 
by rocks, which do not extend more than a quarter of a mile 
from them. The summit of the largest island is in latitude 
20° 37' 5", and longitude 148° 50' 30". Variation 6° 15' E. 
Between Capes Conway and Hilsborough the flood-tide 
comes from the north-eastward, but is very irregular in the 
direction of the stream. At an anchorage off the island 
near the latter cape the tide rose twelve feet, but close to 
the Repulse Isles, the rise was eighteen feet. At the former 
place, the moon being full, high water took place at about 
three-quarters past ten o’clock ; by an observation the next 
day at the latter, it was a quarter of an hour later: the max- 
imum rate was about one and a half knot. 
WHITSUNDAY PASSAGE, formed by the northern 
group of the Cumberland Islands, is from three to six miles 
wide, and, with the exception of a small patch of rocks 
within a quarter of a mile from Cape Conway, and a sand- 
bank (that is probably dry, or nearly so at low water) off 
Round Head, is free from danger. The shores appear to 
be bold to, and the depth, in the fair way, varies between 
twenty and thirty fathoms; the shoal off Round Head 
stretches in a N.N.W. direction, but its extent was not as- 
certained. 
In steering through the strait, particularly during the 
flood-tide, this shoal should be avoided by keeping well over 
to the east shore ; for the tide there sets across the strait ; it 
is about a mile and a half from Round Head, in which 
space the water is ten and fourteen fathoms deep. 
Between Round Head (in latitude 20° 28' 30") and Cape 
Conway is a bay, where there appeared to be good anchor- 
age out of the strength of the tides ; and to the north of 
Round Head is another bay, the bottom of which is an 
A. 
Sect. II. 
N. East 
Coast. 
