se being N. W., close to a N. N. E.
wind, and the soundings remarkably regular, between 3 and 31/2 fathoms. Two
leagues from the place where the natives had been seen, was a projecting
part where the country again became woody; but the coast there, and
onward, was as low as before. At noon, the observed latitude was 17 deg. 21'
15", and the longitude by time keeper 139 deg. 54' east; the furthest
continuation of the land seen from the mast head, bore W. 1/2 S., but there
was a small lump bearing N. 35 deg. W., towards which we kept up as much as
possible. At two o'clock the wind headed, and on coming into 21/2 fathoms,
we tacked; being then five miles from the low southern land, and three or
four leagues from the northern hill, which bore N. 18 deg. W. Not much was
gained in working to windward from that time till dusk; and the anchor
was then dropped in 41/2 fathoms, blue mud, no other land than the small
hill being in sight.

There being no island marked in the Dutch chart so near to the head of
the Gulph as this hill, made me conclude that it was upon the main land;
and to hope that the space of four leagues, between it and the southern
coast, was an opening of some importance. In the morning [WEDNESDAY 17
NOVEMBER 1802], a fresh land wind at south-east favoured our course, the
water deepened to 10 fathoms, and at eight o'clock to no ground with 13,
near the south end of a reef extending out from the hill. On coming into
5 fathoms behind the reef, the anchor was dropped on a muddy bottom, with
the hill bearing N. 15 deg. E., one mile and a quarter, and the dry extremity
of the reef S. E. 1/2 E. The coast to the southward was scarcely visible
from the mast head, but land was seen to extend westward from the hill,
as far as nine or ten miles; and in order to gain a better knowledge of
what this land might be, I went on shore, taking instruments with me to
observe for the rates of the time keepers.

The hill proved to be a mass of calcareous rock, whose surface was cut
and honeycombed as if it had been exposed to the washing of a surf. It
was the highest land we had seen in Carpentaria, after having followed
one hundred and seventy-five leagues of coast; nor was any land to be
distinguished from the top of the hill which had an equal degree of
elevation; yet it did not much exceed the height of the ship's mast head!
The land round it proved to be an island of five miles long; separated
from other land to the west by a c