March 24.

The ensuing daylight discovered to us several islands in the
South-South-East, having previously shoaled our soundings from 31 to 10
fathoms; and during the morning we steered through them.

The group contains several low coral-formed islands; the
north-easternmost of which proved to be the New Year's Island of
Lieutenant McCluer of the Bombay Marine; they are covered with a shrubby
vegetation, and are severally surrounded by a coral reef: the principal
of them were named Oxley's, McCluer's, and Lawson's Islands, and a larger
and higher island in the South-South-West was named in compliment to my
friend Captain Charles Grant, C.B., of the Royal Navy, under whose
auspices I entered the naval service.

We steered on to the East-South-East through the first part of the night,
with every prospect of reaching Cape Arnhem, where our examination of the
coast westwardly was to commence.

March 26.

But at midnight the wind changed to the eastward, and at daylight (26th),
the land was visible from south to South-West. At ten o'clock we fetched
in close to a low sandy point, and then bore up to the westward along the
coast, which appeared, as it afterwards proved to be, a part of the main.
The low point which commenced our survey was called Point Braithwaite,
and one mile North-West from it is Point Hall: the shore then trends five
miles to the westward to Point Cuthbert, from which a shoal communication
extends towards a rock on which the sea broke: we passed within the rock,
carrying two and a quarter fathoms; and then hauled in for a point of
land, called after my friend Captain G.H. Guion, R.N.; but not succeeding
in finding anchorage under it, we bore away along the shore, and at night
anchored off Point Turner. Between Points Guion and Turner is a deep but
rocky bay, at the bottom of which is an appearance of an opening lined
with mangroves: to the westward of Point Turner is another bay, which
circumstances did not then allow of our examining. From our anchorage the
land was traced as far as North-West, and appeared to be an island
separated from the main by a strait.

March 27.

The next day we passed through it, and anchored in a bay on the
South-West side of the island, at about half a mile from the beach. The
Strait was named Macquarie Strait, after the late Major-General Lachlan
Macquarie, who administered the government of New South Wales for a
period of nearly twelve years.

As the shores of t