During the ensuing night, having a fresh breeze, we stood first to the westward, and afterwards to the south-east.

July 17.

At seven o’clock the next morning no land was in sight, but breakers were seen extending from South by West to South-West by South, about five miles off; and two miles beyond them was another line of breakers, bearing from South-South-West to South-West by West.  As we steered obliquely towards them, they were noticed to extend still farther to the eastward, but apparently in detached patches; our soundings, as we stood on, shoaled to fifteen fathoms; and we were shortly within half a mile of an appearance of shoal-water, in thirteen fathoms on a rocky bottom.  The wind now began to lessen; and, for fear of being becalmed, I was anxious to get an offing.  By our observations, we found the breakers this morning were connected with those passed yesterday, and are a part of Baudin’s Holothurie Banks.  The French charts of this part are very vague and incorrect; for our situation at noon upon their plan (with respect to the position of Cassini Island) was in the centre of their reefs.

At noon we were in 13 degrees 38 minutes South, when a freshening breeze from South-East enabled us to make progress to the southward.  At two o’clock some of the Montalivet Islands were seen; and before three o’clock, an island was seen bearing South, which proved, as we stood towards it, to be the northernmost of a group lying off the north-west end of Bigge’s Island; they were seen last year from Cape Pond, and also from the summit of the hills over Careening Bay.

July 19 to 21.

At daylight (19th) having laid to all night, this group was about six leagues off, bearing from South 35 1/2 to 49 degrees East, but a continuation of calms and light winds detained us in sight of them until the 21st.

This group consists of eight or nine islands, and appears to be those called by the French the Maret Isles; they are from one quarter to a mile and a half in extent, and are rocky and flat-topped; the shores are composed of steep, rocky cliffs.  They are fronted on the west side by a rocky reef extending in a North-North-East and South-South-West direction.

During the calm weather, in the vicinity of this group, we had seen many fish and sea-snakes; one of the latter was shot and preserved; its length was four feet four inches; the head very small; it had neither fins nor gills, and respired like land-snakes; on each scale was a rough ridge:  it did not appear to be venomous.  A shark was also taken, eleven feet long; and many curious specimens of crustacea and medusa were obtained by the towing-net.  Some of the latter were so diaphanous as to be perfectly invisible when immersed in the water.  Among the former were a species of phyllosoma, and the Alima hyalina of Leach.*

(Footnote.  Cancer vitreus.  Banks and Solander manuscripts.  Lin.  Gmel. tome 1 page 2991.  Astacus vitreus.  Fabr.  Syst. ent. page 417 n. 8.)