June 13.

At eight o’clock the next morning we got underweigh; but the Dick in weighing her anchor found both flukes broken off.

June 14.

The next day, we rounded the north extremity of the Cumberland Islands.

June 15.

And at four o’clock a.m. the 15th, were abreast of Cape Gloucester.

Thick cloudy weather with rain and a fresh breeze from the southward, variable between South-South-East and South-South-West, now set in, and was unfavourable for our seeing the coast as we passed it:  Cape Bowling Green was not seen, but the gradual decrease of soundings from eighteen to fourteen fathoms, and the subsequent increase of depth, indicated our having passed this low and dangerous projection.

June 16.

At daylight of the 16th, we passed outside the Palm Islands at the distance of five miles.

The weather continued so thick and rainy, that Mount Hinchinbrook was quite concealed from our view; but a partial glimpse of the land enabled me to distinguish Point Hillock, and afterwards to see Cape Sandwich, Goold Island, and the group of the Family Isles.

June 17.

In passing the largest Frankland Island, the San Antonio was seen lying at anchor near it, with her fore topsail loose, firing guns:  seeing this, we hauled to the wind, and made sail to beat up towards her, under the idea of her being in distress; but as we approached, we observed a boat alongside, and her top-gallant yards across, which were proofs that she was not in such immediate danger, as to require our beating up, with the risk of losing some of our spars, for the Dick had already sprung her jib-boom; we, therefore, hove the vessels to, and soon afterwards the San Antonio joined and passed under our stern, when Mr. Hemmans informed me that the guns he had fired were intended as signals to his boat, and that they were not meant for us.  He had been aground, he said, on a reef near the Palm Islands, but had received no damage:  light, however, as he pretended to make of this accident, it was a sufficient lesson for him, and we soon found he had profited by it, for instead of preceding us, he quietly fell into our wake, a station which he never afterwards left, until all danger was over, and we had passed through Torres Strait.

I had now determined upon taking up an anchorage round Cape Grafton during the continuance of the bad weather, and for that purpose steered through the strait that separates the cape from Fitzroy Island; and anchored in six fathoms mud, at about half a mile from its northern extremity.

It is little remarkable that the day on which we anchored should be the anniversary of the discovery of the bay; for Captain Cook anchored here on the eve of Trinity Sunday, fifty-one years before, and named the bay between Capes Grafton and Tribulation, in reverence of the following day.  In passing between Cape Grafton and Fitzroy Island, eight or ten natives were observed seated on the rocks at the south end of the beach:  one of them waved his spear to us as we passed, but the distance was too great to take any notice of him.