t high, near the
north end,* was selected by Sir John Franklin for the site of a
lighthouse, the foundation of which he laid, after resigning the reins of
government; it was the last benefit he was able to confer on the colony.

(*Footnote. In latitude 40 degrees 43 minutes 36 seconds South, longitude
3 degrees 5 minutes 50 seconds West of Sydney, and 148 degrees 10 minutes
10 seconds East of Greenwich; variation, 10 east.)

A well of indifferent water was found near the north-west end of the
island; and some sealers had recently turned loose a couple of pigs, to
which I added a third.

Two small islets lie one mile and a half West-North-West from Swan
Island, and a dangerous patch of rocks, one and a quarter North-West by
West from the summit; they are all connected with the large island by
shoal water.

TIDES.

We found the best anchorage to be a quarter of a mile off the south point
of a sandy bay, near the outer end of the island. During the time we lay
here for the purpose of obtaining a series of tidal observations,* and
verifying a few of the principal points of Messrs. Forsyth and Pasco's
survey, constant strong westerly gales prevailed; and from all the local
information obtained it appeared that such was generally the case.

(*Footnote. The result of these observations makes the time of high-water
at the full and change of the moon 9 hours 36 minutes when the rise of
the tide is six feet and three at neaps. The flood-stream comes from the
eastward; and both it and the ebb is of 6 hours 15 minutes duration at
springs; but during neaps the flood runs 7 hours 0 minutes and the ebb 5
hours 30 minutes. The interval of slack-water never exceeded a quarter of
an hour, and the western stream begins 0 hours 30 minutes after low-water
at springs, and 0 hours 50 minutes after it at neaps; whilst the eastern
begins 0 hours 40 minutes after high-water at springs, and 0 hours 10
minutes before it at neaps. The velocity of the stream was from one to
three knots, the strongest being the ebb, which at springs and with a
strong westerly breeze attains a strength in the middle of the strait of
nearly four knots, and causes, when opposed to the wind, a high-topping
sea, dangerous for small craft.

Whilst in other respects the tides are the same, the time of high-water
at Preservation Island, though only at the northern side of the strait,
is 1 hour 15 minutes later than at Swan Island. This great difference is
caused by t