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Recherche's Archipelago.]

tion of the southernmost, which has a hill at each end and some vegetation, are little better than low sterile rocks.

At seven in the evening, the water being smooth, we anchored in 8 fathoms, sandy bottom three or four miles from the shore; where our calculated situation, and the bearings of the land were as follow: From Cape Pasley to the northern extreme above set, the coast is sandy and low, presenting, with trifling exceptions, a continued beach. On the north side of Point Malcolm it stretches north, and then eastward, forming a bight five miles within the land; after which the general trending is north-north-east, with very little sinuosity. Four or five miles behind the shore, and running parallel with it, is a bank of moderately high and level land; over which the tops of some barren-looking mountains were occasionally seen. The most remarkable of these is Mount Ragged, lying N. 8° W. nine or ten leagues from Cape Pasley.

We had now altogether lost sight of the Archipelago of the Recherche. The chart which I have constructed of this extensive mass of dangers is much more full, and in many parts should be more accurate than that of D'Entrecasteaux; but I dare by no means assert, that the very great number of islands, rocks, and reefs therein contained, are the whole that exist; nor that every individual one is correctly placed, although the greatest care was taken to obtain correctness. All the islands seem to be more or less frequented by seals; but I think not in numbers sufficient to make a speculation from Europe advisable on their account; certainly not for the China market, the seals being mostly of the hair kind, and the fur of such others as were seen was red and coarse. There is, besides, a risk