Page:Narrative of a survey of the intertropical and western coasts of Australia, Volume 1.djvu/183

 COASFf OF ALTS'FRA[.,IA. 123 . 'ituated in mid-channel of the Strait that 101 separates Melville Island from the main, which M, was namedin honour of His Royal Highness the Duke of Clarence. The group consists of four low islands; they are each surrounded by a belt of mangroves, and are probably connected by reefs to the south shore. The next morning, after a stormy night, we 81. steered to the northward, and made the south entrance of Apsley Strait, which was recognised by the peculiar shape of Buchanan's Islets lying off it, one of which hos a fiat-topped summit. The time had now arrived for our leayiug the coast: our provisions were drawing to an end, and we had only a sufficiency of bread to carry us back to Port Jackson, although we had been all the voyage upon a reduced allowance: our water had also failed, and several casks, which we had calculated upon being full, were found to be so bad, that the water was perfectly useless: these casks were made at Sydney, and proved, like our bread casks, to have been made from the staves of salt-provision casks: besides this de- falcation, several puncheons were found empty, and it was therefore doubly necessary that we should resort to Timer, without any more delay.