and a quarter north-west, upon which courses our soundings were between twelve and fifteen fathoms; the bottom being generally hard sand mixed with coral and stones and often with rocks. We then steered west for four miles, and supposing we had cleared the shoal, hauled in South-South-West until dark; by which time we had run seven miles. Although the evening was clear the horizon over the land was so covered with the smoke of the natives' fires that it could not be discovered, nor any anchorage found: we therefore hauled off for the night and from our vicinity to this dangerous shoal passed it very anxiously, but happily without any unpleasant occurrence. I now gave up all idea of examining the opening round Point Pearce which appeared of so interesting a character. The danger of remaining under weigh (for our only anchor could not be trusted with safety on so bad a bottom) was too great to run any longer risk, and we left the place with a much stronger impression of its value and importance than we entertained after the examination of an opening that was discovered by us a few days afterwards. September 13. At daylight the land about Point Pearce (a sugarloaf hill on the Goodwin Range) bore nearly due east. At eight a.m., having stood to the South-South-West for thirteen miles, the water changed colour; the depth however still continued to be regular in twelve fathoms and we steered on; soon afterwards it shoaled to seven and five fathoms, upon which the helm was put up; but before the vessel's head was got round we were in three fathoms with the swell of the sea breaking so heavily around us that our escape for the fourth time on this shoal was quite providential. After getting into clear water we ran along the edge of the coloured water, sounding in fourteen fathoms hard sand, mixed with shells and stones; at noon we hauled round its north-west extremity and steered for the land, which was soon afterwards visible from south to south-west, the latter bearing being that of a remarkable hill, of quadrilateral shape, answering in position to Captain Baudin's Lacrosse Island. At two o'clock our soundings, for the first time since leaving Port Keats, were on a muddy bottom; at sunset we were within six miles of a small rocky island of half a mile in extent, surrounded by an extensive reef, which was partially dry; the land between South-East and West by South appeared to be a very low sandy coast, and the back lands to the south-east are wooded and level. Nearer to Lacrosse Island the coast is not only more irregular in its outline but of a more mountainous character: on each side of the nearest part of the coast, which was eight miles off and bore South, the shores fall back and form two bays; the land was however so enveloped by the smoke of the natives' fires that the greater part was very indistinctly seen and therefore very imperfectly described. After dark a light breeze sprang up from the South-West, and we stood off