shore is rocky for two miles off and in many parts the sea broke.  At half-past three o’clock we were abreast of a low, sandy projection, supposed to be Captain Baudin’s Cape Leschenault.  The appearance of the coast to the northward on this cape differed from what we passed in the morning, in that the coast hillocks are more bare of vegetation; there appeared to be several ridges behind the coast dunes, but they were all equally unproductive of vegetation.  Lancelin Island was not distinctly made out but the two small rocky lumps on the bare sandhills that M. De Freycinet mentions, were seen and thought to be very remarkable.  At seven o’clock, having reached in my plan the latitude 31 degrees 0 minutes 30 seconds, and longitude 115 degrees 0 minutes 0 seconds, we hauled off shore for the night.

January 16.

And at six o’clock a.m. stood towards the land again.  At half-past ten o’clock we were so near to it as to see the beach:  at noon the latitude was observed to be 30 degrees 52 minutes 13 seconds, its longitude being 114 degrees 56 minutes 45 seconds, at which time we were on the parallel of the two rocky lumps seen the last evening.  Hence we steered north on a parallel direction with the coast and ran forty-five miles, passing the different projections of the beach at the distance of four or five miles, and sounding in between nineteen and twenty-five fathoms.  At four o’clock we were abreast of a bare sandy point which appeared to be the north head of Jurien Bay, in which two rocky islets were seen, fronted by reefs, on which the sea in many parts was breaking violently.  To the southward of the point the coast hills are rather high and principally formed of very white sand, bearing a strong resemblance, from the absence of vegetables, to hills covered with snow.  Here and there however a few shrubs partially concealed the sand, and gave a variety to the scene which was dismally triste.  The country to the northward bears a different character; the shore is very low and sandy and continues so for some distance in the interior towards the base of a range of tolerably-elevated hills, on which the French have placed three remarkable pitons, but these, perhaps from our being too close in shore, we did not discover.

(Footnote.  See De Freycinet page 175 et seq and Peron volume 1 page 178 et seq.)

This range extends in a North by West and South by East direction, and appears to be rocky.  In the middle ground some trees were noticed and vegetation appeared to be more abundant than in the space between the bare sandy point and Cape Leschenault.  In Jurien Bay towards its south part near the shore is a small hillock, on which some trees of a moderate size were seen; they are thus noticed because the existence of trees hereabout is so rare as to be deserving of record.  No native fires were seen between this part and Rottnest Island, nor was there any other indication of the coast being inhabited; it is however likely to be as populous as any other part, for the hills in the interior, which we occasionally got a glimpse of, seemed to be wooded, and would therefore furnish subsistence to natives from hunting, even if the seashore failed in supplying them with fish.  Between the bare sandy point and Island Point there is a deep bay, the shores of which are fronted by a reef partly dry, extending from the shore two miles.