“In crossing the northern part of Bathurst Bay, and nearly in mid-channel, between Cape Flinders and the low wooded island, there is a small patch of sunken rocks, lying north and south, not more than a cable’s length in extent, the least water being one fathom.  The Satellite grounded on them in two fathoms, in June, 1822.  I sent a boat to examine this shoal in making the same passage in August, 1823, and found it to be under the following bearings (by compass):  namely, Cape Flinders, South-West by West 3/4 West; the high peak on the south-east part of Flinders’ Group, South 1/4 West; the highest of Clack’s Islands, North-West 1/2 West, and Cape Melville East 1/2 South.  It is a dangerous shoal in running for Cape Flinders, but may be easily avoided by steering near the low wooded island, to the north-east of the cape, or by keeping the shore of Flinders’ Group on board, which is perhaps preferable.  The variation is 5 degrees 40 minutes East."*

(Footnote.  The shoal is in a line with, and half way between, the flat-topped hill on the north island of Flinders’ Group, and the centre of the low wooded island, and is nearly joined to some shoal-water that extends for two miles from the latter island.  Roe manuscript.)

PRINCESS CHARLOTTE’S BAY is an extensive bight in the coast, twenty-two miles deep, and thirty-one broad; its shores are low, and at the bottom in latitude 14 degrees 29 minutes there is a mangrove opening.

JANE’S TABLE LAND, in latitude 14 degrees 29 minutes 15 seconds and longitude 144 degrees 4 minutes 45 seconds, is a remarkable flat-topped hill at the bottom of the bay, rising abruptly from the surrounding low land:  it is about five miles from the coast; its summit, by the angle it subtended, is about a mile in length.  Excepting this hill, no other high land was seen at the bottom of the bay.

On the western side the land rises to a moderate height, and forms a bank of about ten miles in extent, but this was not visible for more than three or four leagues.  To the north of this no part of the interior can be seen until in latitude 13 degrees 55 minutes, when the south end of a ridge of hills commences at about seven miles behind the beach, which it gradually approaches until it reaches the coast in 13 degrees 35 minutes, and is terminated by a round hill; the coast then extends with a low sandy beach for eleven miles to Cape Sidmouth.

c is a covered reef of coral, extending North-East by East and South-West by West for seventeen miles:  its south-west end bears North 75 degrees West, twelve miles and a half, from Cape Flinders.

d, e, and f, are three coral banks, having dry sandy keys on each; they are of circular shape, and from a mile to a third of a mile in diameter:  d is the largest, and bears nearly due-west from Cape Flinders, from which it is distant twelve miles and a half.