Visit to the Resident. 
His stories. 
Fort Concordia. 
Second visit to the Resident. 
The Timorees. 
Arrive at Pritie. 
Description of the country. 
Muster of the shooting party. 
Success of the excursion. 
The Javanese Commandant. 
Character of the Timorees. 
Dutch settlement in New Guinea. 
Leave Coepang. 
Island of Rottee. 
Tykal Inlet. 
Inhabitants of Polo Douw.

SAIL FROM SWAN RIVER.

The improved state of the colony enabling us to get supplies, it was resolved that we should return to the North-west coast, examining on the way, Houtman’s Abrolhos, a coral group that had very rarely been visited, since the Dutch ships were lost on them, one 120 and the other 220 years ago, and of which next to nothing was known.

Not being able to persuade Miago to accompany us, he being too much engaged with his new wife, we enlisted the services of a native youth who generally went by the name of Tom, and left Gage Roads on the afternoon of April 4th.

Off the west end of Rottnest a sail was seen, which we afterwards found, to our mortification, was H.M.S.  Britomart, from Port Essington.  We had another fruitless search for the bank reported to the northward of Rottnest.  Steering North-North-West from the west end of it, the soundings increased gradually to 35 fathoms, till passing Cape Leschenault at the distance of twenty-two miles; but afterwards, no bottom with 50 fathoms, till reaching the latitude of 31 degrees 7 minutes South, where the coast projecting, brought us again within twenty miles of it, and into a depth of 45 fathoms.  We continued in soundings till in latitude 30 degrees 36 minutes South, varying from 26 to 98 fathoms, seventeen miles from the land with the former, and twenty-five with the latter depth, which shows the extent and steepness of the bank of soundings fronting the coast, between the parallels I have mentioned.

THE ABROLHOS GROUP.

April 6.

There was unusual weather last night, overcast with a squally westerly wind.  Just laying our course North-North-West, at noon we were in latitude 29 degrees 11 minutes South, on the position assigned to a reef called the Turtle Dove.  From the masthead I could see nothing indicating a shoal.  Captain King passed near this position, and also remarks not seeing it.  The Colonial schooner Champion, in beating to the southward, has passed over and near its assigned position, and I think we may fairly infer that there is no such reef as the Turtle Dove, and that probably it originated from the south end of the Abrolhos reef, ten miles North-North-West of it, being seen.  We found 29 fathoms on this supposed shoal, with 35, twelve miles South by East of it, and 127, twenty-eight miles in the same direction.  Between it and the south end of the Abrolhos Group the water deepened to 35 fathoms.  In approaching the nearest island we passed close round the south-east end of a reef,