This projection in the coast brought it within thirteen miles of the east end of Bentinck Island.  Allen’s Isle lay between at the distance of three miles and a half; on some ironstone cliffs at the south-east end of it, Mr. Forsyth, after leaving, saw some natives; he speaks of this island as being more fertile than any other part visited, being clothed with rich grass, and with small trees and shrubs of a very green appearance.

APPEARANCE OF THE NATIVES.

It was on a little island, two miles to the eastward of it, that Flinders succeeded in obtaining an interview with a party of natives; two of whom, he says, were of the great height of six feet three inches, but with features similar to those on the south and east coasts.  They were deficient in two front teeth of the upper jaw; their hair was short but not curly; and with the exception of a fillet of network worn round the head of one of them, they had not a vestige of clothing.  Two of the older men of the party, Flinders was surprised to find had undergone the rite of circumcision; they had rafts of precisely the same construction as those in use on the North-west coast.

On the 17th, very unusual gloomy weather was experienced, quite what we should have expected from the opposite monsoon; indeed the wind was light from the westward for a short time.  The morning broke, however, with a moderate South-South-East breeze, accompanied by constant heavy rain; the temperature, before daylight, was 61 degrees.

(Footnote.  Our observations place Point Inscription in latitude 17 degrees 6 minutes 50 seconds South and longitude 7 degrees 28 minutes 30 seconds East of Port Essington; variation, 4 degrees 35 minutes easterly:  the time of high-water at the full and change, was 8 A.M., when the tide rose 9 feet; the stream changes to the northward two hours before high-water.  At other times the change takes place about one hour before.  The direction of the flood is South by West and that of the ebb North; the strength of the former is from half a knot to one knot an hour, and of the latter, three quarters of a knot to one and a half.  Near the full and change days there is no slack water; the northerly stream is then longer by two hours:  during the neaps they are more equal, each being of twelve hours duration.)

Our operations were completed by the 19th, but in consequence of strong winds from the South-South-East we did not leave before the 21st; when, beating out against a fresh breeze,* we stood over towards the main to the south-west of Bentinck Island, but found the water so shallow that we could not approach within eight miles.

(Footnote.  The west point of Sweers Island, bearing North 10 degrees East and the east point of Bentinck Island, North 8 degrees East mark the limits of each board.  The north-west part of Sweers Island just shut in with Point Inscription leads in, and the dry part of the reef off the south-east end of Sweers Island, bearing South 85 degrees East, clears the reef off the south end of Sweers and Fowler Islands.  A white patch of cliff to the northward of Point Inscription, in one with it, leads over the extreme of the shoal off the south-east end of Fowler Island.)