On our revisiting the shore, we traced their steps through the grass, and came up with a shallow well containing fresh water, which they had evidently taken the opportunity of our absence to drink at. Upon further search we found their encampment; it consisted of three or four dwellings of a very different description from any that we had before, or have since seen: they were of a conical shape, not more than three feet high, and not larger than would conveniently contain one person; they were built of sticks, stuck in the ground, and being united at the top, supported a roof of bark, which was again covered with sand, so that the hut looked more like a sand-hillock than the abode of a human creature: the opening was at one side, and about eighteen inches in diameter; but even this could be reduced when they were inside, by heaping the sand up before it. In one of the huts were found several strips of bamboo, and some fishing-nets, rudely made of the fibres of the bark of trees. Mr. Cunningham took the advantage of a good spot of soil in the vicinity of our wooding-place to sow every sort of seed that we possessed, namely, peach, apricot, loquat (a Chinese fruit), lemon, seventeen sorts of culinary seeds, tobacco, roses, and a variety of other European plants; and in addition to these, the coconut was planted, which we had found upon the beach of South-West Bay, but it is very doubtful whether any have succeeded, on account of the custom that the natives have when the grass is dry, of setting fire to it, so that there is little doubt but that all the annual plants have been destroyed. The bay was called Mullet Bay, in consequence of the immense shoals of that fish which were seen near the shores, and of which Boongaree speared several with his fiz-gig. The trepang were found about the rocks on the beach in great numbers, as they were also on the South Island. April 8. On the 8th we left Mullet Bay, and made an unsuccessful attempt to beat round the north end of the island, and to return by steering through the strait that separates the Northern from the Southern Island: we were, however, prevented by the freshness of the wind, and the strength of the current. April 10. On the 10th, we bore up with the intention of returning to South-West Bay. On approaching it, however, we were surprised with the sight of the Malay fleet steering through Macquarie Strait, towards two of their proas that had already anchored in a sandy bay on the South-West side of Sims' Island. It was therefore determined that we should proceed as far to the westward before nightfall as we could, and as the bay to the South-East of Sims' Island had not been sufficiently seen by us, we steered off so as to reconnoitre the proas, and improve the survey at the same time.