Page:Narrative of a survey of the intertropical and western coasts of Australia, Volume 1.djvu/67

 COASTS OF AUSTRALIA. ]3 have since beeu discovered by Dr. Clarke Abel, s near Simon's Town, at the Cape of Good Hope, Jan. so. and are described by him to be vegetables im- preat' with carbonate of lime; but �rom the' specimeus we obtained, it would appear that it is neither coral, nor a petrified vegetable sub- stance, but merely sand ugglutinated by ealca- reeus matter . The next morning we got under weigh, and tl. stood over to the entrance of Oyster Harbour, off which we anchored to examine the bar; after satisfying myself on thi. head, and choosing a spot within the entrance to anchor at, we got under-sail, and in crossing the bar had not less than thirteen feet and a half, being nearly about ihe time of high water; but between the heads of the harbour it deepened to five, seven, and eight fathoms. Our anchorage was about twenty- five yards from the eastern shore, and not more than fifty yards within the narrowest part of the entrance; it was convenient for our pur- poses, as the wood was abundantly procured cloe to our water-holes, which were dug at the edge of the sand, within thirty yards of the ves- sel; so that the people employed in these occupa- {ions could be protected against the natives by the ' Vi Appendix, C.

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