As soon as the vessel was secured, our watering party commenced their operations, and had been employed for half an hour without interruption, when the natives suddenly appeared on the brink of the cliff that overhung the beach, and threw several large stones at our people, which slightly wounded three of them, before the muskets could be fired, upon which the Indians retreated into the woods.  The attack having been observed from the vessel, the jolly-boat was dispatched to the shore with assistance, and with orders to Mr. Bedwell to keep the whale-boat moored at about fifteen or twenty yards from the beach with muskets ready to fire, so that with this protection the watering-party were enabled to continue their task without molestation.  In the course of the day the natives collected again behind the trees, and were at one time advancing towards the cliffs, but being seen from the cutter a shot was fired over their heads, which deterred them from coming forward.  This hostile conduct of the natives induced me to give up our intention of wooding at this island; since the Indians might easily advance under cover of the thick underwood, and throw their spears before we could be aware of their approach.  As soon, therefore, as our watering was completed, I determined upon procuring our fuel from an island to the northward, which, during our visit, we had seen from the North-West point of the bay, and which, together with the one we were at, were called Goulburn Islands, in compliment to the then Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies.

1818.  April 1 to 4.

During our stay, Sims’ Island, named at the request of Mr. Cunningham after Dr. Sims, the eminent conductor of the Botanical Magazine, was twice visited.  It is situated in front of South-West Bay, is about two miles and a half in circumference, and formed of a large and coarse granular quartzose sandstone, large rounded masses of which cover the surface at its northern end, the summit of which was named Sansom’s Head.  Sims’ Island furnished a very large addition to Mr. Cunningham’s collection, and among the flowers which it produced was a very beautiful sweet-scented asclepias.  No snakes nor reptiles of any description were seen, but birds of various sorts were abundant, particularly the white cockatoo.  Of the sea-fowl, a species of tern was the most numerous.  An alligator, about fifteen feet long, swam about the vessel for some time, which made us afterwards rather cautious of walking through the high grass; but excepting a dog that followed the natives, no quadrupeds were seen.

Off the north point of the bay, at the distance of a furlong, and separated from it by a channel of from twelve to fifteen feet deep, are two rocks of the same formation as those on Sims’ Island; on the largest was deposited a bottle containing a record on parchment of our visit.  On this rock all our observations were taken, excepting a few at the south end of the sandy beach, before the natives showed themselves:  the longitude of Bottle Rock was subsequently determined to be 133 degrees 19 minutes 40 seconds.*