BEZOUT ISLAND.

The Beagle was consequently anchored under Bezout Island, one of the eastern isles of Dampier’s Archipelago, and boats were sent to examine the coast on the southward of Cape Lambert.

It may, perhaps, be worthy of remark, that should a vessel be brought by any chance to this dreary part of the world in May, June, or July, anchorages exposed to easterly winds should be left at or before daylight—­that being the time they set in; by noon all is again quiet.  Bezout Island is of the same formation as Depuch; and so are many of the broken ridges, with bare stony summits, of a dark brown hue, on the main near Cape Lambert, trending South-South-West.  A more dreary sterile country can scarcely be seen; yet it still maintains inhabitants.

August 26.

The weather has been truly strange for the last four days.  The winds, instead of being easterly have been from South-west to North-west, light with the former during the mornings, and moderate with the latter in the evenings.  On this day they were from all quarters, with distant thunder in the north-west, and several rain squalls.  In the night it settled at east, a fresh breeze bringing with it fine weather.  In connection with our former remarks on striking vicissitudes in the weather occurring near the change of the moon, we should mention that it was new moon the day following.

The material for the chart collected in this part consists of the main from below Picard Island to nearly twenty miles west of Cape Lambert, with the neighbouring islands, an extent of nearly forty-five miles.  The part near Picard Island was carefully examined by Mr. Forsyth.  He reported the main to the South-South-West of that island, forming the head of the bay between Cape Lambert and Depuch, to be extensive flats of mud and sand, over which the sea sometimes passed.  Between Picard and Cape Lambert the shore is cut up by mangrove creeks.  On a hill up one of these, several small kangaroos were seen.  Near the Cape Mr. Forsyth perceived twenty-seven natives, seven of whom were children, in one party.

DELAMBRE ISLAND.

On the 27th we crossed over to Delambre Island, on which a large party landed in the afternoon.  A few turtle were here taken, of a different kind from any we had seen before, and apparently a cross between the Hawk’s Bill and the Green Turtle; several nests were also found, in one of which were 138 eggs.  This island terminates, like Bezout Island, to the northward, in cliffs about 90 feet high, with deep water close to; on the east and west sides it is fronted by a reef nearly a mile in extent; but we could see no traces of those lying three miles to the North-North-West of the North-West point, laid down by Captain King.  The passage between Huiy Island and Delambre is five miles wide, though clear for two miles only, and in working out we found that it had a very uneven bottom, over which a two-knot tide causes heavy ripplings.  We noticed that a hill, lying nine miles to the south-west of Bezout Island, called in the chart Round-backed Hill, bearing between South 5 degrees East, and South 15 degrees East, clears the reefs on either side the channel; and that the same hill bearing South 24 degrees West leads between Bezout and Delambre, and South 8 degrees West clears the reef off the eastern side of the latter.