Many smokes were seen round Coffin’s Bay, and also two parties of natives, one on each side; these shores were therefore better inhabited than the more western parts of the South Coast; indeed it has usually been found in this country that the borders of shallow bays and lagoons, and at the entrances of rivers, are by far the most numerously peopled.  These natives were black and naked, differing in nothing that we could perceive from those of King George’s Sound before described.

In the evening the wind veered to the southward; and at sunset we passed Point Sir Isaac at the distance of half a mile.  Our course was then directed to the south-west, towards two high pieces of land which appeared in the offing, and obtained the name of Greenly’s Isles.  The ship was hove to at midnight; but on seeing the islands to leeward at two in the morning [WEDNESDAY 17 FEBRUARY 1802], we filled; and at three, tacked towards the main land.  At daylight a rocky point which lies ten or eleven miles to the south-south-west of Point Sir Isaac, and is called Point Whidbey, was distant two miles; and the peak upon the southernmost of Greenly’s Isles bore S. 66 deg.  W., four or five leagues.  At S. 18 deg.  E., seven or eight miles from Point Whidbey, lies an island one mile in length, the middlemost and largest of seven, which I named WHIDBEY’S ISLES, after my worthy friend the former master-attendant at Sheerness.  The basis of these isles appeared to be granitic, but the more elevated are covered with a thick crust of calcareous rock; and in the middlemost this upper stratum is perforated, admitting the light through the island.

The two easternmost of Whidbey’s Isles are close to a low projection of the main land which was named Point Avoid.  It lies eleven or twelve miles to the east-south-east of Point Whidbey; and the shore between them forms so deep a bight that the peninsula between it and Coffin’s Bay seems to be there not more than two or three miles broad.  At the head of this bight is a low, rocky island, and there are rocks and breakers on each side of the entrance; on which account, and from its being exposed to the dangerous southern winds, I named it AVOID BAY.

Having a wind at south-east-by-south, we beat up all the morning off the entrance of this bay, taking bearings of the different islands and points, and of Mount Greenly which was visible over the peninsula, to fix their relative positions.  At noon, our

Latitude, observed to the N. and S., was 34 deg. 43’ 32” Longitude by time keepers, 135 3 35 Greenly’s Isles, the peak, bore N. 74 W. Whidbey’s Isles, three westernmost, S. 36 deg. 60 W. ——­ middlemost, north end dist. 2 miles, N. 81 E. ——­ two near Point Avoid, N. 81 E. Mount Greenly, over the peninsula, Not distinct.  Point Whidbey, distant 7 miles, N. 2 E.

At dusk in the evening, having weathered Whidbey’s Isles, we tacked near Point Avoid and stretched off to sea; but on coming in with the land at daylight of the 18th [THURSDAY 18 FEBRUARY 1802], it appeared that nothing was gained, our situation being then in the same bight to the eastward of the point.