rvation, the time of high water
was nearly the same as in Malay Road, or about _eight hours after_ the
moon's passage, and the rise seemed to be six or eight feet.

Before noon of the 5th we quitted Arnhem Bay, and steered northward along
the chain of islands extending out from the west side of the entrance. On
approaching the north end of Probable Island the soundings diminished to
4 fathoms, and a short tack was made to the S. E.; and the flood tide
becoming too strong to be stemmed with a light breeze, an anchor was
dropped in 17 fathoms, sand and stones. A dry reef had been set from
Mallison's Island, and should have lain about two miles S. E. from this
anchorage; but it was not seen from the ship, being probably covered by
the tide. There were two natives, with a canoe, under Probable Island,
and some others were standing on the beach; but no attempt was made to
approach the ship, nor did I send on shore to them.

SUNDAY 6 MARCH 1803

In the morning we had a moderate breeze at E. S. E., and pursued the line
of the main coast and islands to the northward at the distance of three
or four miles, with soundings from 10 to 17 fathoms. Both the coast and
islands are in general so low and near to each other, that it was
difficult to say whether some were not connected; at eleven, however, we
approached two which certainly were islands, and there being a clear
passage between the surrounding reefs of a mile and a half wide, we
steered through it with 12 to 17 fathoms. The north-easternmost most,
which I have named after captain _Cunningham_ of the navy, is four or
five miles in circumference, and of moderate elevation; and lies in 11 deg.
47' south and 136 deg. 6' east by the survey.

[NORTH COAST. WESSEL'S ISLANDS.]

A third chain of islands commences here, which, like Bromby's and the
English Company's Islands, extend out north-eastward from the coast. I
have frequently observed a great similarity both in the ground plans and
elevations of hills, and of islands in the vicinity of each other; but do
not recollect another instance of such a likeness in the arrangement of
clusters of islands. This third chain is doubtless what is marked in the
Dutch chart as one long island, and in some charts is called Wessel's
Eylandt; which name I retain with a slight modification, calling them
WESSEL'S ISLANDS. They had been seen from the north end of Cotton's
Island to reach as far as thirty miles out from the main coast; but this