Breakers:  four miles off, North-North-West North.

Another patch:  seven miles off, South-West.

And the small rock patch, half a mile off, West.

This last I did not see myself but two men perceived it distinctly from the masthead, and it is from their accounts that I am induced to give it a place upon the chart.  The position of the vessel when we saw the breakers was in latitude 28 degrees 53 minutes and in longitude 114 degrees 2 minutes, and from the short interval between our obtaining sights for the chronometer and the meridional observation at noon, the position may be considered to be tolerably correct.  After taking the bearings and before sail was made we sounded in twenty-five fathoms, fine shelly sand; but as we stood to the eastward the water gradually deepened to twenty-nine and thirty fathoms.

January 18.

The next morning at daylight the land was out of sight but at five o’clock was distinguished, forming a range of flat-topped land, probably about one thousand feet high.  At the northern end of the range were four or five hills standing apart from each other, of which, in the view we then had of them, the northernmost was flat-topped, and the others peaked; at the south end of the range were three other distinct hills, the centre being peaked and the other two flat-topped.  Near the centre of the main range was another summit that was remarkable for its form.

This range was seen by Captain Hamelin of the Naturaliste, and is thus noticed by M. De Freycinet in his account of the voyage.  “Entre les paralleles de 29 degres et 28 degres 20 minutes, la terre est tres haute; on y remarque deux montagnes bien reconnoisables par leur forme qui approche de celle de la Grange, sur la cote de Saint-Domingue, ou de la Montagne de la Table au Cap de Bonne-Esperance; une autre ressemble un peu au Pouce, de l’Ile-de-France.  La terre est aride, bordee de falaises rougeatres; on y voit peu de sable comparativement aux terres plus au sud."*

(Footnote.  De Freycinet page 181.)

We sought in vain for the resemblance to the Pouce, but as all the hills were flat-topped of course they were similar to the Table Land of the Cape of Good Hope, but probably inferior to it in point of height.

This range I called after Captain Moresby, R.N.  C.B., in grateful recognition of the prompt assistance rendered by him to the wants and repairs of our vessel, during her late visit to Mauritius.  The summit in the centre was called Mount Fairfax; the group of hills at the north end were named Menai Hills, and the three at the south end of the range were distinguished by the name of Wizard Hills; Mount Fairfax is in latitude 28 degrees 45 minutes 20 seconds, longitude 114 degrees 38 minutes 45 seconds.  The shore in front of these hills is sandy and there was an appearance of two openings in the beach that were probably the outlets of mountain-streams.  The country also appeared much better wooded than in other parts, and as large smokes were seen in the valleys the place most likely at the time of our passing frequented by natives.