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any where else, it seems very probable that the discolouring arises from the granite and granitic sand.

Two more womats were killed this morning; and a skull was picked up, which was thought to be of a small dog; but more probably was that of an opossum.

From the observations taken whilst beating up to the anchorage, the top of the highest hill at the north end of King's Island will be in latitude 39° 36½′ south, and longitude 143° 54′ east. The variation of the compass, taken on the binnacle with the ship's head at south, was 7° 59′ east; but ten leagues to the eastward it was 11° 52′, with the head west-south-west, or reduced to the meridian, 8° 43′ east. The tides set one mile and a half an hour past the ship, north-west-by-west and south-east-by-east, nearly as the coast lies; that from the eastward running nearly eight hours, and turning about two hours after the moon had passed the meridian; but which tide was the flood, or what the rise, we did not remain long enough to determine.

The time was fast approaching when it would be necessary to proceed to Port Jackson; both on account of the winter season, and from the want of some kinds of provisions. Before this took place, I wished to finish as much of the South Coast as possible, and would have recommenced at Cape Bridgewater had the wind been favourable; but it still blew fresh from the southward, and all that part remained a lee shore. I determined, however, to run over to the high land we had seen on the north side of Bass' Strait; and to trace as much of the coast from thence eastward, as the state of the weather and our remaining provisions could possibly allow.

In steering north-north-west from King's Island, two small isles were seen lying off the north-west side; the first opening from the northern extreme at S. 50°, and the second being clear of it at S. 36° W. These are the same which Mr. Black named New Year's Isles; and his Harbinger's Reefs were seen to extend, in patches, nearly two leagues from the north end of King's Island; but there is, as I