t of the moon, reduced up from the morning, the
longitude was 147 deg. 37' east.* The beach was six or seven miles distant,
but after obtaining the noon's observation, we closed more in; and at two
or three miles off, found a sandy bottom with 11 fathoms fathoms of line.
Our course along the shore from two to four o'clock, was S. W. 3/4 S., with
a current in our favour. The beach then trended more to the west; but the
breeze having veered to E. by N. and become strong, with much sea, it was
considered too dangerous to follow it any longer. At five, the western
and most considerable of two shallow-looking openings bore north-west,
seven or eight miles; and at sunset, some high and remarkable land was
perceived bearing S. W. by W., which proved to be the same discovered by
Mr. Bass, and now bearing the name of _Wilson's Promontory_. It appeared,
from a partial view given by a break in the clouds, as if cut in two, and
the parts had been removed to some distance from each other: the gap was
probably Sealers Cove.

[* It was 147 deg. 10'; but as I afterwards found that observations of the
sun to the east gave 27' less, by this small five inch sextant, and those
to the west 27' greater than the mean of both, that correction is here
applied; but not any which might be required from errors in the solar or
lunar tables.]

The state of the weather, and the land to leeward, made it necessary to
haul up south-eastward, close upon a wind. At day-break of the 8th,
neither Wilson's Promontory nor any other land to the northward could be
seen; but between the bearings of N. 84 deg. and S. 63 deg. E., six or eight
miles distant, there was land rather high and irregular, with a cliffy
shore; and a separate cluster of rocky islets bore south to S. 16 deg. W.,
from three to five miles. We passed close to these last, at six o'clock,
and perceived that the tide, which before had set to leeward, was then
turned to the east: the moon had just before passed the meridian.

This small cluster consists of a steep island, near one mile in length,
of two smaller round islets, and two or three rocks; one of which
obtained the name of _Judgment Rock_, from its resemblance to an elevated
seat. The higher and more considerable land to the eastward was seen, as
we advanced, to divide itself also into several parts. This group is
principally composed of three islands; and between the largest on the
east and two others on the west, there appeared to be a