Page:Narrative of a survey of the intertropical and western coasts of Australia, Volume 2.djvu/104

 d/rection: in mid channel the sea was. breaking; ?..' and from the colour of the water it probable that a reef of rocks stretches' the. whole d/anee across the strait; but this appeamnce from the experience we afterwards had of the navigation of this part, might have been pro. duced by tide ripplings, occasioned by the ra, pidity of the stream, and by its be/g contracted in its passage through so narrow a p.ass; it was; however, too doubtful and dangerous .to at- tempt, without having s6me resbarceto'fly td in the event of accident. Being thus disappointed, we were under the necessity of steering round the above.mentioned range of /slands, and at nine o'clock were two miles N.E.b.E. from the small island 15, when our latitude by observation was 15 the depth being thirty.seven fathoms, and the bot- tom of coral, mixed with sand, mud, and shells. To the westward, and in a parallel direction with this line of islands, was another'range, towards which we steered; at sunset we hauled to the wind for the night, off the northernmost inland, which afterwards proved to be the carfa- reill Island of Captain Baudin. Between these two ranges of islands, we only obtained one cast of the lead, which gave us thirty-thre fathoms on a ooral bottom. Upon referring t6

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