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The wind had been from the southward, but on closing in with the coast at Mount Alexander it came from N.W. by N., and edged us off a little from the land. At sunset the shore was three or four miles distant, and We steered on till eight o'clock, and then anchored in 21 fathoms, blue mud. At daylight, the shore was found to be distant four or five miles; the furthest part then seen was near the eastern extremity of Arnhem's Land, and this having no name in the Duch chart, is called.

From Mount Alexander to Cape Arnhem there is nine leagues of waving sandy coast; it affords only one small opening, which is on the south side of a cliffy point, with two islets lying off the entrance, and may probably afford shelter for boats.

At eight in the morning we passed Cape Arnhem, a smooth grassy projection which rises gently from the water's edge into the country, but is no where of much elevation; a broad rock lies near the south-eastern extremity, and its position was ascertained to be 12° 19′ south, and 137° 1′ east. Strong ripplings of a tide or current extended some distance off the cape, and in passing through them we had irregular soundings between 27 and 18 fathoms; beyond Cape Arnhem the shore trended N.W. by N., in rocky points and shallow bights, but the wind being from that direction, we could not follow it closely. The furthest land visible at noon was a flat-topped hill which I call Mount Saunders, and nearer to us was a higher and more woody hill, also flat-topped and steep at its north end, to which is given the name of Mount Dundas; their bearings, and our position at this time were as under: