vered with grass and small
brush wood, but the general appearance was that of great sterility.

About four miles to the south of this land we had passed a rocky islet,
and observed a circular reef which seemed to connect the two together.
The stormy appearance of the night induced me to stretch in, under this
reef; and finding there was shelter from the east winds, we came to an
anchor in 5 fathoms, coarse sand: the Nautilus followed; but not liking
the place, captain Bishop preferred keeping the sea. On sounding round
the sloop, I found the bottom every where foul, and that there were no
means of escape in case of a shift of wind; therefore, after killing a
few seals upon the granitic rocks, we weighed the anchor, ran two leagues
to the southward, and then hauled the wind under storm sails for the
night.

Oct. 19, the wind was at north-east; and we bore away to pass between
Mount Chappell and the low islands lying to the westward. The passage is
about two miles wide, and the water much discoloured; but 10 fathoms of
line did not reach the bottom. A similar appearance in the water had been
observed several leagues to the westward of the low islands, where there
was 23 to 25 fathoms, on a bottom of sand and broken shells.

This small group, to which the name of _Chappell Isles_ is affixed in the
chart, consists of three, or perhaps four islands, for the mount seemed
to stand detached from the land on the east side of the passage. The
basis of the whole is probably of granite, and they seemed nothing
superior in fertility to the worst of Furneaux's Islands; but in a
distant view, a slight covering of small herbage upon their sloping, even
surfaces, gave them a prepossessing appearance. Mount Chappell is five or
six hundred feet above the water, a very conspicuous object until, by the
clearing away of the haze the high mountains of the great island behind
it became visible: their white, towering peaks, bathed in the late
showers, reflected the gleaming sunshine with great splendour, and
presented a spectacle so magnificent, that the circular, gently sloping
Mount Chappell no longer attracted attention.

We joined the Nautilus off the south side of the islands and, after
passing several rocks in our course eastward, anchored at the east end of
Preservation Island about noon. Mr Hamilton had left his house standing,
with some fowls and pigeons in it, when we had quitted the island nine
months before. The house remained in