Page:A Voyage to Terra Australis Volume 1.djvu/403

Gulph of St. Vincent.]

of the inlet. Azimuths with the surveying compass, taken when the ship's head was south-eastward, gave 2° 27′ east variation; but an amplitude taken at the same anchorage on the preceding evening when the head was south-by-west, showed 5° 22′ east. These corrected to the meridian, will be severally 4° 43′ and 4° 44′ east; or half a degree more than was observed near Kanguroo Head. The observations at this anchorage and the bearings taken were as follow: There being almost no wind in the morning, we remained at anchor until nine o'clock, to set up afresh the rigging of the new top masts; and I took a boat to sound upon a rippling near the ship, but found the same depth of 5 fathoms. Very little progress was made until noon; at which time shoal water obliged us to steer westward. At three, the soundings had increased from 3½ to 10 fathoms, which was the deepest water to be found; for it became shallower on approaching the western shore. After steering various northwardly courses, we anchored at sunset in 5 fathoms, sand, shells, and broken coral; the shores then appeared to close round, at the distance of seven or eight miles; and the absence of tide gave no prospect of finding any river at the head of the inlet. According to lieutenant Flinders' observations, the situation of the anchorage was in