ealed the sand, and gave a variety to the scene which was dismally
triste. The country to the northward bears a different character; the
shore is very low and sandy and continues so for some distance in the
interior towards the base of a range of tolerably-elevated hills, on
which the French have placed three remarkable pitons, but these, perhaps
from our being too close in shore, we did not discover.

(*Footnote. See De Freycinet page 175 et seq and Peron volume 1 page 178
et seq.)

This range extends in a North by West and South by East direction, and
appears to be rocky. In the middle ground some trees were noticed and
vegetation appeared to be more abundant than in the space between the
bare sandy point and Cape Leschenault. In Jurien Bay towards its south
part near the shore is a small hillock, on which some trees of a moderate
size were seen; they are thus noticed because the existence of trees
hereabout is so rare as to be deserving of record. No native fires were
seen between this part and Rottnest Island, nor was there any other
indication of the coast being inhabited; it is however likely to be as
populous as any other part, for the hills in the interior, which we
occasionally got a glimpse of, seemed to be wooded, and would therefore
furnish subsistence to natives from hunting, even if the seashore failed
in supplying them with fish. Between the bare sandy point and Island
Point there is a deep bay, the shores of which are fronted by a reef
partly dry, extending from the shore two miles.

At seven o'clock we were about a mile and a half from a reef that nearly
crossed our course; and as it was time to haul off for the night we
shortened sail and brought to the wind, then blowing a strong squally
breeze from south; but notwithstanding this succession of bad weather,
the mercury in the barometer had ranged steadily between 29.90 and 29.92
inches.

January 17.

At daybreak we steered in for the land but ran twenty-two miles before it
was seen. At nine o'clock it bore between North-East and South-East, and
at a quarter after nine heavy breakers were seen in the South-East at the
distance of five miles. The weather was now fine and the wind
South-South-East, but still blew strong; the horizon was so enveloped by
haze that the land, although not more than seven miles from our track,
was very indistinctly seen: it seemed to be formed of sandhills, from one
hundred to one hundred and fifty feet high, slightly st