The weather this morning being very foul I occupied myself in making a survey of a portion of Dirk Hartog's Island, which is of a very barren nature, though rather better than either Bernier or Dorre Islands, but for many years to come it must be utterly useless. It looks exactly like a Scottish heath; and I have no doubt whatever that water would be found by digging on it; but as we could have obtained plenty from large holes in the rocks we did not make the attempt. Whilst I was occupied in this examination of the island the wind shifted suddenly to the north-west and I hurried back to the party in order not to lose so favourable an opportunity. On arriving at the boats I found that the water had not been completed, nor had three days' provisions (such as they were) been cooked, although I had left orders when I went away that these necessary preparations for our moving should immediately be made; this gave me another reason to suspect that, during my temporary absence from the party, discipline was now altogether neglected, and indeed treated as an unnecessary restraint under existing circumstances. Mr. Smith had warned me that such was the case, and I therefore never separated myself from any portion of the party without great anxiety; for I well knew that the safety of all depended upon preserving the strictest subordination. In this instance however I merely ordered the boats to be instantly launched; for I knew that to lose a fair wind in our present situation would be rashness; and we were soon bounding before the breeze. The wind now continued fair and at nightfall we landed on the main in such a position as to look out to the open sea, through the passage between Steep Point and Dirk Hartog's Island. PERILOUS COASTING. March 30. This morning we pulled up the opening and found a perfect bubble of a sea running into it and breaking on the various reefs which lie in its mouth. We then made an attempt to pull round Steep Point and succeeded in getting out to sea; but there was a formidable swell setting dead on the shore and drifting us rapidly in towards it, whilst in the event of being stranded nothing could have saved our lives for the surf was so tremendous that the boat must instantly have gone to pieces, and the lofty limestone cliffs were perfectly inaccessible, being hollowed out into deep caverns by the action of the waves. The attempt to get along this coast appeared indeed to be so hazardous that even the old sailors who were with me begged me not to risk it, but rather to allow them to endeavour to walk overland to Perth. I was well aware that had I attempted to do this at least half the party would have been lost; for but few men can support the fatigue of making long and continuous marches in a very warm climate in which a great scarcity of water prevails. SHELTER UNDER A REEF.