a bluff. The depth of water at noon was 19
fathoms, and our situation and principal bearings were as under.

Latitude, observed to the north and south, 14 deg. 5' 31"
Longitude by time keeper and survey, 137 3
Groote Eylandt, low eastern point, dist. 4 miles, S. 1 W.
Groote Eylandt, woody hills, the north-east bluff, N. 64 W.
Groote Eylandt, furthest visible extreme, N. 6 W.

We were then steering across the bight before a south-east wind; but the
depth of water becoming less, and the wind more dead on the shore, we
hauled up N. by E. for the furthest land in sight. At three o'clock, a
small opening was seen under the north-east bluff, but our distance of
three leagues was too great to distinguish it accurately. Towards
evening, when three miles from the shore, the sounding jumped from 9 to 4
fathoms, and we tacked to the south-east; and the night promising to be
fine, anchored at dusk in 19 fathoms, mud and sand, with the north-east
point of Groote Eylandt bearing N. 33 deg. W., about seven miles (Atlas,
Plate XV.); further out lay two small islands, and a hill upon the
outermost was set at N. 10 deg. W. The latitude of this anchorage was
ascertained, from altitudes of two stars and the moon, to be 13 deg. 53 1/3'
south; and an amplitude with the ship's head N. E. by N., gave variation
2 deg. 57', or 4 deg. 4' east, corrected to the meridian.

TUESDAY 11 JANUARY 1803

We had the wind at N. W. in the morning, and steered close to it on the
larbord tack, until noon; when the hill on the outer north-east island,
bore S. 891/2 deg. W., nine or ten miles. The latitude of the hill is 13 deg. 381/4',
and from six sets of distances of stars east and west of the moon, its
longitude would be 136 deg. 36'; but from the survey and more numerous
observations, it is 137 deg. 01/2' east.* After a calm the sea breeze came in,
and our course was directed for the north-east point of Groote Eylandt;
at sunset we approached a rocky islet three or four miles from the point,
and anchored under it in 61/2 fathoms, sandy ground, with the point bearing
S. 5 deg. E., and the furthest visible part, very low and sandy, S. 63 deg. W.
five or six miles. On the other side, the north-east islands extended
from N. 32 deg. E. to 39 deg. W., with many small rocks scattered along them; the
nearest of which, a split rock, was distant a short mile.

[* The apparent error of 241/2' in the first longit