endeavoured to pass between them and Melville Island, but the ground was also so rocky and irregular that we desisted; and after an unsuccessful attempt to reach the southern pass, we steered off to the westward.  This group was called Vernon’s Islands.  They are situated in mid-channel of the Strait that separates Melville Island from the main, which was named in honour of His Royal Highness the Duke of Clarence.  The group consists of four low islands; they are each surrounded by a belt of mangroves, and are probably connected by reefs to the south shore.

May 31.

The next morning after a stormy night we steered to the northward, and made the south entrance of Apsley Strait, which was recognised by the peculiar shape of Buchanan’s Islets lying off it, one of which has a flat-topped summit.

The time had now arrived for our leaving the coast:  our provisions were drawing to an end, and we had only a sufficiency of bread to carry us back to Port Jackson, although we had been all the voyage upon a reduced allowance:  our water had also failed, and several casks which we had calculated upon being full were found to be so bad that the water was perfectly useless:  these casks were made at Sydney, and proved, like our bread casks, to have been made from the staves of salt-provision casks:  besides this defalcation, several puncheons were found empty, and it was therefore doubly necessary that we should resort to Timor, without any more delay.

We therefore bore up, and at four o’clock the coast was lost sight of from: 

Latitude:  11 degrees 43 minutes 45 seconds. 
Longitude:  129 degrees 47 minutes 0 seconds.

From this, having ran four miles and a half on a North-West course, we passed over a small coral bank in thirteen fathoms; at eight o’clock, we were in forty-two fathoms sandy mud.

1818.  June 1.

But between midnight and four a.m., we passed over another coral bank, on which the least water was eighteen fathoms.

June 2.

On the 2nd June, two small birds were caught; they proved to be the Java swallow (Hirundo esculenta), the nest of which is esteemed as a great delicacy, and is an article of trade between the Malays and Chinese.  Large quantities of pumice-stone were also seen floating on the water; on one piece was found a sea centipede (Amphinome sp.), about four inches long, covered with fine bristly hair; it was feeding upon two barnacles (Lepas anatifera) which had attached themselves to the stone.

June 3.

This morning the high land of Timor was seen from North-North-West to North-West 1/2 West; and at sunset the highest part bore North 70 degrees West, 30 leagues off.

June 4.

At daybreak the 4th we were off the South-West point of the island, and at nine o’clock entered the Strait of Samow; but, from light winds, we did not get through it until after noon:  at half past two o’clock we anchored off the Dutch settlement of Coepang, at one-third of a mile from Fort Concordia, the flag-staff of which bore South-South-East, in four fathoms and a quarter brown sand and mud.