than 10 deg.; and as both wood and water are procurable here, though neither
very good, a ship proposing to stay only a few days is under no necessity
of having recourse to the harbours.

MONDAY 4 JANUARY 1802

On the 4th a fresh gale blew from the westward and prevented me from
moving the ship. A bottle, containing a parchment to inform future
visitors of our arrival and intention to sail on the morrow, was left
upon the top of Seal Island; and the wind having moderated next day, and
the weather become finer, though still squally, we then made sail out of
King George's Sound to prosecute the further examination of the coast.

TUESDAY 5 JANUARY 1802

The refreshments we had procured were fish and oysters. The seine was
frequently hauled upon the different beaches; but although it was done in
the evening, round fires which had been previously kindled, little
success was obtained in this way. With hook and line we were more
fortunate, both alongside and from boats stationed off the rocky points;
and the whole ship's company had generally a fresh meal once in three or
four days. Of oysters, as many were taken from the shoals in both
harbours as we chose to spare time for gathering. Our fire wood was
procured from the north point of entrance to Princess-Royal Harbour, at
the inner end of the long middle beach; but the trees best calculated for
sawing into planks were obtained at the easternmost of the two woody
projections on the south side of the harbour. A good number of planks and
logs were taken on board for making garden boxes to contain the most
curious plants collected by the naturalist, and for a variety of other
purposes. The fresh water, procured by digging near the tents, was a
little discoloured, but good; and it was sufficiently abundant for every
purpose: its specific gravity was 1.003 at the temperature of 69 deg..

Captain Vancouver has described the country in the neighbourhood of King
George's Sound, and therefore a few observations upon it will suffice.
The basis stone is granite, which frequently shows itself at the surface
in the form of smooth, bare rock; but upon the seacoast hills, and the
shores on the south sides of the Sound and Princess-Royal Harbour, the
granite is generally covered with a crust of calcareous stone; as it is,
also, upon Michaelmas Island. Captain Vancouver mentions (Vol. I. p. 49)
having found upon the top of Bald Head, branches of coral protruding
through the sand, exactly