hout causing delay.

TUESDAY 31 MAY 1803

At day break, land was seen from the mast head bearing S. W. by S.,
probably Three-hummock Island; and at noon our

Latitude observed was 39 deg. 5 1/3'
Wilson's Promontory, the S. W. part, bore N. 16 1/2 E.
Curtis' largest Isle, the top, N. 51 E.

Kent's Group came in sight in the evening; and a little before nine
o'clock the centre of the larger isles was set at N. by E, when the
Pyramid was distant four miles bearing S. 1/2 W. At eleven, we passed
sufficiently near to the new rock, lying four leagues to the E. S. E. of
the group, to hear the growling of the seals; and land, apparently the
Sisters, was distinguished soon afterward in the S. E., but too
imperfectly to be known. A set of bearings here would have been
essentially useful in fixing the relative positions of these lands, which
remained in some degree doubtful; but I dared not lose an hour's fair
wind to obtain them.

THURSDAY 2 JUNE 1803

On the 2nd of June we lost John Draper, quarter master, one of the most
orderly men in the ship; and it seemed to be a fatality, that the
dysentery should fall heaviest on the most valuable part of the crew. The
wind had then veered against us, to the N. E., as it had done the year
before in nearly the same situation; and it should seem that the
direction of the coast influences it to blow either from N. E. or S. W.
The weather was so hazy, that the hills at the back of the Long Beach
were not seen till the evening of the 3rd; and on the 4th [SATURDAY 4
JUNE 1803] they were still visible, about twenty leagues to the N. 31 deg. W.
A fair breeze sprung up in the night; and at noon next day, the land from
Cape Howe northward extended from S. 65 deg. to N. 72 deg. W., and a hill which
appeared to be the highest of those behind Two-fold Bay, bore W. 1 deg. S.;
our latitude was then 37 deg. 13', and longitude by time keepers 150 deg. 44'
east.

We steered a due north course, closing a little in with the land; at
sunset [MONDAY 6 JUNE 1803] Mount Dromedary bore N. 45 deg. W., and at eight
next morning it was seen bearing S. 30 deg. W., at the distance of twenty
leagues, although the weather was hazy (Atlas, Plate VIII). The shore was
five miles off at noon, when the observed latitude was 35 deg. 17'; the outer
part of Cape George bearing N. 32 deg. E., about eight miles, and the Pigeon
House S. 77 deg. W. We passed the cape at the dis