After passing the extreme North-West point of the mainland, seen from the ship, we discovered a deep bay, which once reached, would afford safe anchorage for a fleet.  Near its northern point a large stream of water fell into the sea in glittering cascades; off this a ship may anchor in twelve fathoms within a quarter of a mile; close to the west is a small sandy beach.  Promising to refresh ourselves at this inviting stream, we continued our course to the northward.  After passing a deep narrow channel, trending North-West by West we met the first rush of the northerly, or ebb stream, which, running at the rate of six or seven knots, swept us through a very small, dangerous opening, between some rocky islets and the main.  A small bay fortunately afforded us the means of avoiding a treacherous ledge of sunken rocks, which had the boat touched, at the almost giddy rapidity we were hurried along, our destruction must have been inevitable.  Landing to cook our dinners, I went to the top of the highest neighbouring hill, to obtain a round of angles:  our journey was a perfect scramble, the face of the country being intersected by deep ravines, and covered with huge blocks of coarse sandstone; over these we observed several of the rock-kangaroo, bounding with their long, bushy tails swinging high in the air as if in defiance of pursuit.  The view of the archipelago, from this position, fully satisfied me, that without incurring great risk, it would be impossible for a ship to thread her way through the numerous islands, independent of shoals, tide-races, and shifting winds, which form the ordinary perils of such navigation.  I reckoned more than eighty islands in this portion of the archipelago alone.

CONE BAY.

After dinner we proceeded, steering North-North-East, and crossed two deep bays, the first 3 and the second 4 1/2 miles wide, both affording good anchorage, but utterly useless from the barrier of reefs and islets extending across their mouths.  These bays and the ranges of hills we passed, trended East-South-East.  To the second and deepest we gave the name of Cone Bay, from a singular hill of that form on its eastern shore.

The eastern entrance of a small tortuous channel afforded us a resting place for the night, having made good 17 miles in a North-North-East direction from the ship.  The observations were made for latitude on the south point, and gave a result of 16 degrees 24 1/2 minutes South.  It was nearly dark when we anchored, and therefore our intended attempt to gain the summit of the neighbouring heights, was necessarily postponed till this morning.

March 24.