In the afternoon, the soundings became irregular between 4 and 7 fathoms, and the whale boat was sent ahead; but a fresh wind setting in at N. E., the boat was called back, and in being veered astern, got filled with water, broke adrift, and the two men were thrown out.  Another boat was lowered down to save them and I ran the ship to leeward and came to an anchor.  The whale boat was picked up, as also one of the men; but the other, William Murray, captain of the fore top, being unable to swim, was unfortunately lost.

The weather remained squally, and wind unsettled during the night.  In the morning [TUESDAY 4 JANUARY 1803] our course was continued to the northward, leaving extensive land, which I supposed to be the Groote Eylandt of the old charts, six or eight leagues on the starbord hand.  Before commencing the investigation of that island, I wished to trace the main coast further on, and if possible, give the botanists an opportunity of examining its productions; for it was upon the main that they usually made the most interesting discoveries, and only once, since entering the Gulph of Carpentaria, had we been able to land there.  At seven o’clock we edged in for the coast; and on coming into 31/2 fathoms, dropped the anchor on a bottom of blue mud, within a mile of the shore.  No part of Groote Eylandt was in sight; but an island of considerable extent and elevation, not noticed in the old chart, lay six or seven miles to the E. N. E.; and I have called it BICKERTON’S ISLAND, in compliment to admiral Sir Richard Bickerton.  Between it and the main coast is an open space, from four to six or seven miles wide, through which, to all appearance from this side, a ship might safely pass.

Whilst the botanical gentlemen landed abreast of the ship, I took the whale boat to a woody islet, five miles off, close to Bickerton’s Island, the soundings across the opening in going to it, being from 3 to 7 fathoms.  A meridian observation to the north and south, placed the islet in latitude 13 deg. 48’ 30”, and the points of the opening to the northward bore N. 18 deg.  E. and N. 21/2 deg.  W.; this last was the furthest visible part of the main land; and proving afterwards to be a projecting cape, I named it Cape Barrow, after John Barrow.  Esq., author of the interesting travels at the Cape of Good Hope.  The islet is about half a mile long, and though many bushes and some trees grew upon it, is little more than a bed of sand.  There were holes in the beach, made by turtle; and besides other proofs of the islet being sometimes visited by the Indians, I found four human skulls lying at the back of the shore.