nd, N. 41 45 to 15 40 E.
Moved S. 521/2 deg. W. one-third mile.
Furthest part of the main land, S. 49 5 W.
Inglis' Island, N. E. cliff, S. 53 30 W.
Bosanquet's I., N. W. extreme S. 69 5 W.

The Dutch chart contains an island of great extent, lying off this part
of the North Coast; it has no name in Thevenot, but in some authors bears
that of Wessel's or Wezel's Eylandt, probably from the vessel which
discovered Arnhem's Land in 1636; and from the south end of Cotton's
Island distant land was seen to the N. W, which I judged to be a part of
it; but no bearings could be taken at this time, from the heavy clouds
and rain by which it was obscured.

From the 19th to the 22nd, the weather was frequently rainy, with thunder
and lightning; and the wind blew strong in squalls, generally between the
north and west, and made it unsafe to move the ship. During these days,
the botanical gentlemen over-ran the two islands which form Malay Road;
and I made a boat excursion to Astell's, and another to the north end of
Cotton's Island, to sound and take bearings for the survey. In the latter
excursion [TUESDAY 22 FEBRUARY 1803], three black children were perceived
on the north-east beach; and on walking that way we saw two bark huts,
and an elderly man was sitting under a tree, near them. He smiled on
finding himself discovered, and went behind a bush, when a confused noise
was heard of women and children making off into the wood; the man also
retreated up the hill, and our friendly signs were ineffectual to stop
him. In one of the huts was a net bag, containing some pieces of gum,
bone, and a broken spike nail; and against a neighbouring bush were
standing three spears, one of which had a number of barbs, and had been
wrought with some ingenuity. This I took away; but the rest of the arms,
with the utensils and furniture of the huts, consisting of the aforesaid
net bag and a shell to drink out of, were left as we found them, with the
addition of a hatchet and pocket handkerchief.

Cotton's, Pobassoo's, and Astell's Islands, to which our examinations
were limited, are moderately high, woody land; they slope down nearly to
the water on their west sides, but on the east, and more especially the
south-east, they present steep cliffs; and the same conformation seemed
to prevail in the other islands. The stone of the upper parts is grit or
sandstone, of a close texture; but the lowe