(Footnote.  These observations were made on the beach, midway between Point Casuarina and the mouth of the estuary, which spot they place in latitude 33 degrees 19 minutes 10 seconds South and longitude 0 degrees 7 minutes 00 seconds West of Swan River.  From a sandhill, 190 feet high, bearing South 11 degrees West, six-tenths of a mile from that spot, I found that the highest part of the Darling Range, Mount William, bore North 40 degrees 6 minutes East thirty-three miles, and was in height 1720 feet; and that Mount Leonard, another excrescence on this range bore South 81 degrees 44 minutes East distant thirteen miles and seven-tenths, and was of an elevation of 1270 feet; whilst the summit of Cape Naturaliste bore South 65 degrees West and the visible extreme South 66 degrees 50 minutes West which confirmed the error I had before remarked in the position assigned it in the chart, being four miles too far north.  All the above bearings are true.  The rise of the tide, and the time of high-water, are the same as at Swan River.

ARRIVE AT SOUTH AUSTRALIA.

Daylight, on the 29th, found us outside Koombanah Bay, running to the westward before a light land breeze.  From the offing, this part of the western shore of the continent was much more prepossessing than any we had before seen.  The outline of the Darling Range, here approaching within fourteen miles of the sea, and broken only by Mount Leonard and the gorge of the Harvey, was sharply pencilled against the eastern sky that glowed with the pure light of morning; whilst the country between was clothed with trees of such magnitude that their verdant summits could be seen, over the coast sandhills, stretching away in one sea of foliage as far as the eye could reach.

The course we held led us within five miles of the north side of Naturaliste Reef,* in 29 fathoms; the depth we found sixteen miles west of it was 60 fathoms, and half a mile south of it 26 fathoms.  It partakes of the error in latitude previously discovered in Cape Naturaliste, which is distant sixteen miles, and bears, when over the centre of it, South 2 1/2 degrees West (true).

(Footnote.  A circular patch of breakers half a mile in extent, with, according to report, six and nine feet water on it.)

Being desirous of confirming our meridian distances along the south coast, we visited for the purpose King George’s Sound and South Australia, at which latter place we arrived on the morning of January 26th, 1842.  Since our former visit, a change had taken place in the governorship of the colony; and though it was with great regret that we learnt Colonel Gawler had left for England, we were glad he had found a worthy successor in our brother explorer Captain Grey.

His Excellency and the merchants expressing a wish that the Beagle should visit the port, no man of war having yet done so; and being anxious myself to examine the capabilities of the place, as well as to complete our survey of twenty-three miles of the eastern shore of Spencer’s Gulf, on the afternoon of the 29th the Beagle was running into Port Adelaide.* The ladies of the Governor, the Surveyor-General, and others, honoured us with their presence on the passage round.**