The next morning the land was again enveloped in haze, but at seven o’clock it cleared off a little, and the coast was observed to trend round Point Gantheaume to the south-east, but as we had last evening seen it as far to the westward as South-West by South, we steered in the latter direction under the idea of there being no opening to the southward of the point, since the flood-tide flowed from it instead of towards it, as it naturally would have done had there been any inlet of consequence thereabout.

As usual, we had been surrounded by whales, and large flights of boobies; one of the latter lighted upon the deck this afternoon, and was easily taken; it seemed to be the same bird (Pelecanus fiber) that frequents the reefs upon the north and north-eastern coasts.  Between sunrise and midday our progress was much retarded by light south-easterly winds.  At noon we were in 17 degrees 51 minutes 45 seconds South:  after which the sea-breeze set in from South-South-West and South-West, and we steered to the southward.  The land was now visible considerably to the southward of Point Gantheaume, but of a very low and sandy character; and as we proceeded it came in sight to the South-South-West.  At sunset we anchored about five or six miles to the north of Captain Baudin’s Cape Villaret; the extreme, which was in sight a little without it, was doubtless his Cape Latouche-Treville.  From Cape Villaret the land trended to the East-North-East, and was seen very nearly to join the shore at the back of Point Gantheaume.

The dew was precipitated as copiously this evening as the last, and the sun set in a very dense bank; but the night was throughout fine.  We now began to experience a more considerable set of tide than we had found since rounding Cape Leveque, for the rate was as much as a knot and a half; but as the tides were neaped it only rose nine feet.

At an anchorage near this spot, in the year 1699, Captain Dampier remarks that the tide rose and fell five fathoms, and ran so strong that his nun-buoy would not watch:  but the French expedition, at an anchorage a little to the southward, found the flood-tide to set South-South-East and to rise only nine feet, the moon being then three days past her full.  All these particulars have been mentioned, since it is from the nature of the tides that Captain Dampier formed his hypothesis of the existence of either a strait or an opening between this and the Rosemary Islands; but from our experience it would appear more probable that these great tides are occasioned by the numerous inlets that intersect the coast between this and Cape Voltaire; a further examination, however, can only prove the real cause.

August 26.