Page:A Voyage to Terra Australis Volume 1.djvu/413

Kanguroo Island.]

seen without side of the opening, I stood in at nine o'clock, to look for anchorage at the east end of Kanguroo Island; and finding no shelter there, we ran a little to leeward into a small bay which I had observed before dark, and anchored at half past ten, in 4½ fathoms, on a bottom of hard sand. At daylight, the following bearings were taken. The bay is perfectly sheltered from all southern winds; and as there were several spots clear of wood near the beach, it is probable that the kanguroos, and perhaps cassowaries, might be numerous. We did not stop to land, but got under way so soon as the bearings were taken, to beat out of the strait against the south-east wind; so little was gained, however, after working all the day, that at eight in the evening the ship was still off the east end of Kanguroo Island.

This part of the Investigator's Strait is not more, in the narrowest part, than seven miles across. It forms a private entrance, as it were, to the two gulphs; and I named it Back-stairs Passage. The small bay where we had anchored, is called the Ante-chamber; and the cape which forms the eastern head of the bay and of Kanguroo Island, and lies in 35° 48′ south and 138° 13′ east, received the appellation of. Without side of the passage, and almost equidistant from both shores, there are three small, rocky islets near together, called the Pages, whose situation is in latitude 35° 46½′ south, and longitude 138° 21′ east; these are the sole dangers in Back-stairs Passage, and two of them are conspicuous. Our soundings in beating through, were from 8 to 23 fathoms; and in a strong rippling of tide like breakers, there was from 10 to 12, upon a bottom of stones and shells.

At eight in the evening we tacked from Cape Willoughby; and having passed to windward of the Pages, stretched on east and