Having spent several hours on shore, without finding anything very interesting or at all useful to us, we returned on board, when we found that we had been watched by three natives, who had walked along the beach, but on coming near us, had concealed themselves among the trees, from which they had, probably, observed all our movements whilst we were on shore.  They were perhaps deterred from approaching us from our numbers, and from the muskets which each of us carried; for our experience of the disposition of the natives at Goulburn Island had taught us prudence, and no boat was, after that affair, permitted to leave the vessel without taking a musket for each man.  It was, however, fortunate for us that we were not often obliged to resort to them for a defence, for the greater number of the twelve that we possessed were useless, notwithstanding they were the best that could be procured at Port Jackson when the vessel was equipped.

The rocks on the beach and the stones which are scattered about the surface of the ground are all of a ferruginous nature, and appear from their colour and weight to contain a large portion of iron; but the needle of the compass was in no way affected by being placed near them.  The soil is also highly coloured by the oxide of iron, and it is this that gives the cliffs of this part of the coast, particularly the upper portion of them, the red appearance that they almost universally possess.

April 15.

The next day we went to High Point, which was found to be the east head of a moderate-sized port, affording good anchorage and perfect security during either monsoon.  A sufficient inducement to bring the cutter thus far presented itself; and as it was near sunset, our remarks were merely confined to bearings from the point.

April 16.

On preparing to weigh the next morning, four Malay proas were observed steering across the bay out of an opening which trends round the south head of Palm Bay, and which proved to be a strait communicating with Mountnorris Bay.  It was named after my friend James Bowen, Esquire, one of the Commissioners of the Navy.  As soon as the proas had reached a sufficient distance to leeward, we got under sail; and on rounding the south point of the bay, and opening the strait, the remaining proas of the fleet that we had previously seen, were observed at anchor close to a sandy beach on the north shore, and their canoes to the number of twenty were fishing on the opposite side of the strait.  The latter, on observing us, hoisted their sails, and returned to their proas; but as it was not considered prudent to examine the port until they had passed by, its exploration was deferred, and we returned to our anchorage in Palm Bay.  We had not, however, to wait long, for the proas left Bowen’s Strait the next morning, and crossed the bay to the westward.  Our anchor was weighed immediately, and we steered towards their sternmost vessel, in order to communicate with her, and to show her a letter with which we had been kindly provided by Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles, written in the Malay language, and explanatory of our occupation.  On running alongside the proa, the letter was displayed, but they appeared frightened and unwilling to bring to, and repeatedly pointed towards the headmost proa in which their Rajah sailed.