et and the outer Patriarch, whence the view was
commanding. A range of bare-topped hills lies to the west, whilst to the
south-west, through a mass of clouds, we occasionally caught glimpses of
some high peaks, which I named after my friend Count Strzelecki. A heathy
valley stretches across the island to the westward, through which I saw
the sea on the opposite side; on the northern part the hills are more
rounded and lower.

TO KENT GROUP.

From Babel Islet we proceeded towards Kent Group, passing, in 11 or 12
fathoms, along the eastern shore of Flinders Island, where we discovered
a dangerous sandy spit extending five miles off; from its extreme the
eastern part of the outer Sister bore North 64 degrees West, six miles
and a half. After rounding the latter the wind changed in a violent
squall to the westward, and gave us a long beat of a day to reach Kent
Group, during which we discovered a reef,* just awash at high-water, and
bearing East 8 degrees South, five miles and a half from Wright's Rock.**

(*Footnote. Beagle's Reef.)

(**Footnote. A pyramidal lump, three hundred feet high, resembling a
cutter under sail.)

This, Endeavour Reef, and a sunken rock, about a mile east of Craggy
Island, constitute the chief dangers between Kent Group and Flinders. The
extremes are marked to the north and south by Wright's Rock and Craggy
Island, between which ships should not pass, although there is a channel
close to the south side of the former. It should also be particularly
borne in mind that the tides, which here sometimes run two knots, set
rather across the channel South-West by South and North-East by North.
The north-easterly stream beginning a quarter before noon at the full and
change of the moon.

DANGEROUS SITUATION

The Beagle passed half a mile from the north-west side of Wright's Rock,
in 29 fathoms, in the evening; and having spent the night standing
to-and-fro between it and Kent Group, in the morning was abreast of the
opening between the islands called Murray Pass, when we steered towards
it. The weather, for the season, was fine; and the sun, although weak,
shone brightly from a clear wintry sky--it well-nigh happened for the
last time--upon the poor old Beagle!

The sea, still vexed and chafing from the breeze of yesterday, rolled in
with solemn grandeur on the storm-beaten sides of the islands; each
heaving swell carrying the ship nearer towards the almost fatal opening.
Her motions, however, as