French charts of this part are very vague and
incorrect; for our situation at noon upon their plan (with respect to the
position of Cassini Island) was in the centre of their reefs.

At noon we were in 13 degrees 38 minutes South, when a freshening breeze
from South-East enabled us to make progress to the southward. At two
o'clock some of the Montalivet Islands were seen; and before three
o'clock, an island was seen bearing South, which proved, as we stood
towards it, to be the northernmost of a group lying off the north-west
end of Bigge's Island; they were seen last year from Cape Pond, and also
from the summit of the hills over Careening Bay.

July 19 to 21.

At daylight (19th) having laid to all night, this group was about six
leagues off, bearing from South 35 1/2 to 49 degrees East, but a
continuation of calms and light winds detained us in sight of them until
the 21st.

This group consists of eight or nine islands, and appears to be those
called by the French the Maret Isles; they are from one quarter to a mile
and a half in extent, and are rocky and flat-topped; the shores are
composed of steep, rocky cliffs. They are fronted on the west side by a
rocky reef extending in a North-North-East and South-South-West
direction.

During the calm weather, in the vicinity of this group, we had seen many
fish and sea-snakes; one of the latter was shot and preserved; its length
was four feet four inches; the head very small; it had neither fins nor
gills, and respired like land-snakes; on each scale was a rough ridge: it
did not appear to be venomous. A shark was also taken, eleven feet long;
and many curious specimens of crustacea and medusa were obtained by the
towing-net. Some of the latter were so diaphanous as to be perfectly
invisible when immersed in the water. Among the former were a species of
phyllosoma, and the Alima hyalina of Leach.*

(*Footnote. Cancer vitreus. Banks and Solander manuscripts. Lin. Gmel.
tome 1 page 2991. Astacus vitreus. Fabr. Syst. ent. page 417 n. 8.)

At daylight we were about four leagues to the West-North-West of Captain
Baudin's Colbert Island; at the back of which were seen some patches of
the Coronation Islands. The night was passed at anchor off the
northernmost Coronation Island.

July 23.

And the following afternoon we anchored at about half a mile from the
sandy beach of Careening Bay.

As soon as the vessel was secured, we visited the shore, and recognised
the site o