under an easy sail, with the lead going all night, being at the distance of about three leagues from the shore, and having from twenty-one to twenty-three fathom water. At day-break, we were abreast of the point which had been the farthest in sight to the north-west the evening before, which I named CAPE GLOUCESTER. It is a lofty promontory, in latitude 19° 59ʹ S., longitude 211° 49ʹ W., and may be known by an island which lies out at sea N. by W. ½ W. at the distance of five or six leagues from it, and which I called HOLBORNE ISLE; there are also islands lying under the land between Holborne Isle and Whitsunday’s Passage. On the west side of Cape Gloucester the land trends away S. W. and S. S. W., and forms a deep bay, the bottom of which I could but just see from the mast-head: it is very low, and a continuation of the low land which we had seen at the bottom of Repulse Bay. This bay I called EDGECUMBE BAY, but without staying to look into it, we continued our course to the westward, for the farthest land we could see in that direction, which bore W. by N. ½ N. and appeared very high. At noon, we were about three leagues from the shore, by observation in latitude 19° 47ʹ S., and Cape Gloucester bore S. 63 E., distant seven leagues and a half. At six in the evening, we were abreast of the westermost point just mentioned, at about three miles distance; and because it rises abruptly from the low lands which surround it, I called it CAPE UPSTART. It lies in latitude 19° 39ʹ S., longitude 212° 32ʹ W., fourteen leagues W. N. W. from Cape Gloucester, and is of a height sufficient to be seen at the distance of twelve leagues: inland there are some high hills or mountains, which, like the Cape, afford but a barren prospect. Having passed this Cape, we continued standing to the W. N. W. as the land lay, under an easy sail, having from sixteen to ten fathom, till two o’clock in the morning, when we fell into seven fathom; upon which we hauled our wind to the northward, judging ourselves to be very near land: at day-break, we found our conjecture to be true, being within little more than two leagues of it. In this part of the coast, the land being very low, is nearer than it appears to be, though it is diversified with here and there a hill. At noon, we were about four leagues from the land, in fifteen fathom water, and our latitude, by observation, was 19° 12ʹ S., Cape Upstart bearing S. 32° 30ʹ E., distant twelve leagues. About this time some very large columns of smoke were seen rising from the low lands. At sun-set, the preceding night, when we were close under Cape Upstart, the variation was nearly 9° E., and at sun-rise this day, it was no more than 5° 35ʹ; I judged therefore that it had been influenced by iron ore, or other magnetical matter, contained under the surface of the earth.