Page:A Voyage to Terra Australis Volume 1.djvu/221

East Coast, & V.D.'s Land.]

but towards the head of the bay, both on the shoals and in the deeper parts, the bottom is almost universally of mud. The land on the borders of Pumice-stone River is low; and is either sandy or rocky, with a slight superficies of vegetable soil; yet not ill clothed with grass and wood. On the west side of Glass-house Bay, the appearance of the land was much similar, but with a diminution of sand in the upper part. The long slip on the east side, which I have called Moreton Island, as supposing it would have received that name from captain Cook, had he known of its insularity, is little else than a ridge of rocky hills, with a sandy surface; but the peninsula further south had some appearance of fertility. I judged favourably of the country on the borders of what seemed to be a river falling into the head of the bay, both from its thick covering of wood, and from the good soil of the sixth island, which lies at the entrance. The other islands in the bay are very low, and so surrounded with forests of large mangrove, that it must be difficult to land upon them. It was high water in Pumice-stone River, nine hours and a half after the moon's passage over the meridian; and the rise of tide was from three to six feet, the night tide being much the highest.

July 31, we sailed out of Pumice-stone River; and by keeping near the shore of Point Skirmish had generally 6 fathoms; but two narrow shoals were passed upon which the depth was only twelve feet. At noon, when the east extreme of the point bore S. 40° W. one mile and a half, the observed latitude was 27° 4′, and depth 10 fathoms; but before one o'clock, it suddenly diminished to 3; and during five miles run to the N.N.E., varied from that to 6 fathoms. It then deepened to 9, and the outer edge of the shoals, a well-defined line of discoloured water, was seen stretching S. 60° E. for Cape Moreton. At five o'clock, the top of the highest Glass House, appearing like a small peak upon the mountainous ridge behind, bore S. 62° W., and Cape Moreton S. 11° E. twenty-two miles. The cape was then disappearing from the deck; whence its elevation should be between three and four hundred feet above the sea.