At seven in the evening, the water being smotth, we anchored in 8 fathoms, sandy bottom, three or four miles from the shore; where our calculated situation and the bearings of the land were as follows: 

Latitude, 33 deg. 17’ S.
Longitude, 124 deg. 6’ E.
Northern extreme of the coast, N. 27 E.
Southern extreme, S. 36 W.
A point in the interior country, S. 68 W.

From Cape Pasley to the northern extreme the coast is sandy and low, presenting, with trifling exceptions, a continued beach.  On the north side of Point Malcolm it stretches north, and then eastward, forming a bight five miles within the land; after which the general trending is north-north-east, with very little sinuosity.  Four or five miles behind the shore, and running parallel with it, is a bank of moderately high and level land, over which the tops of some barren-looking mountains were occasionally seen.  The most remarkable of these is Mount Ragged, lying N. 8 deg.  W. nine or ten leagues from Cape Pasley.

[SOUTH COAST. BETWEEN THE ARCHIPELAGOS.]

We had now altogether lost sight of the Archipelago of the Recherche.  The chart which I have constructed of this extensive mass of dangers is much more full, and in many parts should be more accurate than that of D’Entrecasteaux; but I dare by no means assert that the very great number of islands, rocks, and reefs therein contained are the whole that exist; nor that every individual one is correctly placed, although the greatest care was taken to obtain correctness.  All the islands seem to be more or less frequented by seals; but I think not in numbers sufficient to make a speculation from Europe advisable on their account; certainly not for the China market, the seals being mostly of the hair kind, and the fur of such others as were seen was red and coarse.  There is, besides, a risk of being caught in the archipelago with strong south or western winds, in which case destruction would be almost inevitable, for I know of no place where a ship might take refuge in a gale.  The shelter in Thistle’s Cove is, indeed, complete, when a vessel is once placed; but the cove is too small to be entered except under favourable circumstances, and the shelter in the western corner could not be attained with winds blowing strong out of it.  The archipelago should not, therefore, be entered without the assurance of carrying fine weather to the proposed anchorage.

During the night of the 17th there was no current or set of tide past the ship.  Every thing was kept prepared for getting under way at a moment’s notice; but the wind blew gently off the land, and the people of the watch occupied themselves successfully in catching dog-fish.  At daybreak [MONDAY 18 JANUARY 1802] we made all sail to the north-eastward, along the same low and, if possible, more sandy coast.  The wind was light, and at nine it fell calm.  This was succeeded by a sea breeze at east-south-east, and we trimmed close to it, keeping on our former course until four in the afternoon; when the land being one mile and a half distant, we tacked in 12 fathoms, and stretched to the southward.