round Low Head into the
bay to the eastward, is apt to drift vessels in that direction. Three
miles in the offing the flood-stream runs from one to two knots to the
West-North-West.

The position of the lighthouse on Low Head is as follows: latitude 41
degrees 03 minutes 26 seconds South, longitude 4 degrees 25 minutes 44
seconds West, of Sydney; or 146 degrees 50 minutes 16 seconds East of
Greenwich, variation 10 degrees 05 minutes easterly. The light is
elevated 140 feet above the sea-level, and may be seen, in clear weather,
sixteen miles from the decks of small vessels, revolving once in fifty
seconds.)

THE GLENNIE ISLES.

On December 19th both vessels left the Tamar; the Vansittart for Flinders
Island, to land the unfortunate natives; whilst the Beagle crossed the
strait to Wilson's Promontory, anchoring behind an island two miles long,
trending north and south, with a hollow in the centre, forming a saddle,
the highest part being 450 feet high. It is the northernmost of a group
called the Glennie Islands, fronting the south-western face of the
Promontory; and is strewn over with blocks of granite, which give it a
castellated appearance. We did not find this anchorage very good, the
depth being 20 fathoms, and the bottom sand over rock. Three small islets
lie close to the south-west point, and a reef extends a cable's length
off the northern. There is a passage nearly four miles wide, and 23
fathoms deep, between this part of Glennie's Group and the Promontory.
The singular break in the high land on the latter, bearing East 1/2 North
is a distant guide to the anchorage, in which the flood-tide sets to the
northward, and when aided by the current, attains a strength of a knot
and a half; the time of high-water, is a quarter of an hour later than at
Refuge Cove.

We found on this, the largest of the group, a small black dog, that had
been left behind by some visitor, recently I should say, from his anxiety
to be taken on board, which was done. It was, also, on this island that
the intrepid Bass met a number of runaway convicts, who had been
treacherously left by their companions one night when asleep, the party
being too large for the boat they had run away with from Sydney, with the
intention of plundering the wreck of the Sydney Cove, at Preservation
Island in Banks Strait. Thus they were actually the first to traverse
this part of the Strait, which has received its name from the
enterprising Mr. Bass.

CAP