work round the island to the south-east entrance and to find a channel
into the harbour. Accordingly weighed, by 7 P.M. passed the Investigator.
At daylight made all sail to gain the entrance and by 9 A.M. nearly
fetched it, from the masthead at the time I saw a long range of breakers
from the entrance stretching away south-east to east-south-east which
made me to be in some doubts as to an entrance existing, however I sent
Mr. Hacking in the boat to sound and almost immediately we struck on a
sandbank. Immediately hove up our keels and she luckily veered round in 6
feet of water and went off although we still had no more water for some
time, it then gradually deepened into 6 fathoms. Fired a gun for the boat
who got on board by noon and informed me that a good channel did exist,
and from where we were it lay about south-south-east and may be 3/4 of a
mile broad--out sweep and sent the boat ahead to tow.

"Saturday, August 7th. Fine weather. Standing into the entrance
south-south-west. On putting our helm to starboard we immediately had
from 1 1/2 3, steering west-north-west, the Investigator on our beam
bearing about north-north-east distant 8 miles, and finding our water
suddenly to shoal came to in 2 fathoms and observed that a little way
ahead lay a long sand sheet almost dry. Tripped our anchor and run into 5
fathoms water and there came to.* (* Off South-trees Point.) Fired a gun
as a signal to the Commodore; observed a boat under sail a considerable
distance from us in a westerly direction which I fancied was Captain
Flinders in his whaleboat examining the harbour. At sunrise had out our
launch and sent the First Mate in her with an armed party in search of
water.

"Sunday, August 8th. After dinner I went in the small boat to examine an
opening on the South shore of the harbour and to look for water of which
I found some, on proceeding about a mile and a half up the opening