In the night of Aug. 1, 1699, he struck soundings upon the northern part of the Abrolhos shoal, in latitude about 27 deg. 40’ south.  Next morning he saw the main coast, and ran northward along it; discovering, in 26. 10’, an opening two leagues wide, but full of rocks and foul ground.  Aug. 6, he anchored (in Dirk Hartog’s Road) at the entrance of a sound, which he named SHARK’s BAY, in latitude 25 deg. 5’ south.  He remained there eight days, examining the sound, cutting wood upon the islands, fishing, etc.; and gives a description of what was seen in his usually circumstantial manner.*

[* For the full account of Dampier’s proceedings and observations, with views of the land, see his Voyages, Vol.  III. page 81, et seq.]

An animal found upon one of the islands is described as “a sort of raccoon, different from that of the West Indies, chiefly as to the legs; for these have very short fore legs; but go jumping upon them” (not upon the short fore, but the long hind, legs, it is to be presumed), “as the others do; and like them are very good meat.”  This appears to have been the small kangaroo, since found upon the islands which form the road; and if so, this description is probably the first ever made of that singular animal.

Leaving Shark’s Bay on Aug. 14, captain Dampier steered northward, along the coast; but at too great a distance to make much observation upon it, until he got round the North-west Cape.  On the 22nd, he saw an extensive cluster of islands; and anchored, in latitude 20 deg. 21’, under one of the largest, which he called Rosemary Island.  This was near the southern part of De Witt’s Land; but, besides an error in latitude of 40’, he complains that, in Tasman’s chart, “the shore is laid down as all along joining in one body, or continent, with some openings like rivers; and not like islands, as really they are.”—­“By what we saw of them, they must have been a range of islands, of about twenty leagues in length, stretching from E. N. E. to W. S. W.; and for ought I know, as far as to those of Shark’s Bay; and to a considerable breadth also, for we could see nine or ten leagues in amongst them, towards the continent or main land of New Holland, if there be any such thing hereabouts:  And by the great tides I met with awhile afterwards, more to the north-east, I had a strong suspicion that here might be a kind of archipelago of islands; and a passage, possibly, to the to the south of New Holland and New Guinea, into the great South Sea, eastward.”

Not finding fresh water upon such of the islands as were visited that day, captain Dampier quitted his anchorage next morning, and “steered away E. N. E., coasting along as the land lies.”  He seems to have kept the land in sight, in the day time, at the distance of four to six leagues; but the shore being low, this was too far for him to be certain whether all was main land which he saw; and what might have been passed in the night was still more doubtful.