At quarter past 4 A.M. breeze from north-east,
hazy weather and rain, stood in for Elephant Rock.
At half-past 5 A.M.
made sail down the coast of island to the southward, surveying it and
sounding every half-hour...From 10 to 11 A.M. standing in for land. The
weather at this time cleared a little and from the masthead a low point
seemed to form a kind of entrance...into a deep bight or bay, a reef of
rocks was also seen to the westward of it. Stood in pretty close along
the edge of the reef and sent Mr. Bowen in the gig to overhaul the place.
Observed the rocks of this reef to be full of seals, sea horses and
elephants. The appearance of this place being favourable...stood further
in and perceived it was a deep bay.
"Sunday, 17th January. At 1 P.M. came to anchor - the bottom coarse
sand - from where we lay East point of land bore east-north-east distant
10 miles, the Seal Reef south by east 3 or 4 miles...we sounded every
part of this place where a vessel would most likely anchor and found it
14 to 7 fathoms. At 2 P.M. Mr. Bowen came off, he brought on board 3
seals with hair of prime fur and told me there was a vast quantity on
shore. Elephants are also in abundance and the woods full of kangaroo,
emus, badgers, etc., some few shells were found, no water seen as yet.
After dinner I went on shore:
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