1818.  March 6.

The south-east wind, which set in on the morning that we left our anchorage off Depuch Island, continued to blow with thick misty weather, and made us conjecture that the westerly monsoon was nearly expended; we, therefore, steered off the coast with the intention of proceeding to the eastward towards Cape Arnhem, after ascertaining the position of a shoal that was seen by Captain Rowley, in H.M.S.  Imperieuse, in 1800, and of two others that are described by Captain Horsburgh to be in its vicinity.  They are situated according to the above authorities as follows, namely: 

Imperieuse Shoal (south end):  latitude 17 degrees 35 minutes, longitude 118 degrees 37 minutes.

Shoal seen by the ship Good Hope (north end):  latitude 17 degrees 47 1/2 minutes, longitude 119 degrees 18 minutes.

Shoal seen by Captain Clerke (north part):  latitude 17 degrees 28 minutes, longitude 119 degrees 2 minutes.

The last is described by its discoverer, to be 230 miles North 49 1/2 degrees East (Magnetic) from the north part of Rosemary Island, which would assign to that island a situation in 20 degrees 6 minutes latitude, and 116 degrees 6 minutes longitude; but on this parallel there is no land to the westward of 118 degrees 40 minutes.  The shoal, according to Captain Horsburgh’s account, is 264 miles North, 49 degrees East (true) from Trimouille Island, the north-easternmost of the Montebello Group, which must be the one taken by Captain Clerke for Rosemary Island.

March 6 to 12.

After leaving the land, the weather was very dull and damp for six days, during which the wind being light and baffling prevented any progress.  Fortunately we were free from sickness, otherwise the heavy rains that fell would have caused a considerable inconvenience to the crew, by confining them to the same small cabin with the sick.  Happily, however, I heard of no complaints.

March 13.

And on the 13th at noon, the weather began to clear up with a freshening breeze from the South-East, and soon veered to a steady wind from South-South-West.

March 14.

We then steered East to make the shoal, and at sunset the next evening it was seen about three miles off, when we sounded with 170 fathoms of line without getting bottom.

March 15.

During the night we stood off to the westward, and early in the morning made the shoal again:  at noon, it was close to us, at which time our latitude was by observation 17 degrees 33 minutes 12 seconds, from which I deduce the situation of the north end of the shoal to be in: 

Latitude 17 degrees 31 minutes 24 seconds: 
Longitude 118 degrees 50 minutes 30 seconds: 

the longitude being ascertained by chronometers from Depuch Island, corrected afterwards for our arrival at the north coast.

On rounding the north end of the shoal, soundings were ineffectually tried for, with 120 fathoms:  soon afterwards, we bore up on an eastern course, and in the evening saw another extensive shoal; within two miles of the south end of which we sounded with 170 fathoms of line without reaching the bottom.