ellington,
I got an angle to the Crocodile Rock,* and with others from the
south-west end of the Promontory, and from the ship on passing, I
determined the position of this danger most satisfactorily.

(*Footnote. This rock, in latitude 39 degrees 21 minutes 30 seconds
South, and longitude 4 degrees 41 minutes 45 seconds West of Sydney, lies
in a line midway between the western extremities of Curtis and Rodondo
Islands, nearly nine miles from each. It is a smooth round-topped granite
boulder, just protruding above the surface; and in fine weather the sea
runs over it without breaking. The depth being 43 fathoms close to it, if
the waters of the Strait were drawn off the shape of it would be that of
a column nearly 260 feet high.)

As we had not, as I expected, met the Vansittart, I was anxious to learn
something of her, and crossing over to the south side of the Strait, for
the purpose, entered Port Dalrymple, where I found that Mr. Forsyth and
his party had preceded our arrival by a day or two. The Vansittart's
employment had been the examination of the north-east extreme of
Tasmania, some portions of which were found to be nine miles out in
latitude; the greater part was fronted with kelp and rocky patches. The
work, also, included a portion of Banks' Strait, and the southern part of
the western side of Flinders Island, among the islets fronting which were
discovered several good anchorages: the best in westerly winds being
under Goose or Western Chappell Island, where a lighthouse was in course
of construction.

YORK TOWN.

His Excellency, Sir John Franklin, requesting that I would send the
Vansittart round to Macquarie Harbour, on the west coast, after a party
of runaway convicts, we were for a time deprived of her services. As the
rise of the tide in the Tamar was sufficient for laying the ship ashore,
I took the opportunity of doing so on the west bank, just above Garden
Island, to examine her bottom, and found it so defective that 130 sheets
of copper were required to make good the damage; in some places the
two-inch sheathing was completely destroyed. The original settlement,
York Town, was at the head of a shoal bight just above us; I found it
almost quite in ruins, though there were one or two of the original
settlers there; the chief part of the inhabitants were a lawless set, who
were said to live, chiefly, by plunder.

LAUNCESTON.

Whilst the ship underwent these repairs, the triangulation was extend