1802.
October.
Thurs. 21.
if we must of necessity be again driven amongst them, to come in where we knew of an opening, rather than where their formation was totally unknown.
At four, tacked ship to the northward, and sounded with 100 fathoms, no bottom. At daylight, no reefs could be seen from the mast head, the wind had moderated its strength, and we made all possible sail to the N. by E.; keeping two points free, to make the ship go through the water. We now considered ourselves entirely clear of the reefs; but at noon high breakers were seen extending from West to N.N.W., at the distance of six or seven miles, and we hauled up a point more to the eastward. Our latitude was 17° 54′, longitude 148° 37′, and at the depth of 100 fathoms there was no ground; the variation observed in the morning, with three azimuth compasses, was 6° 8′ east, corrected to the meridian. Another reef was discovered at two o'clock, lying nearly three leagues to the northward of the former; but although there were many boobies, and tropic and man-of-war birds about, no more dangers had been descried at dusk; nor did we see any more until approaching Torres' Strait.
I shall conclude this chapter with some general remarks on the reefs, which form so extraordinary a barrier to this part of New South Wales; and amongst which we sought fourteen days, and sailed more than five hundred miles, before a passage could be found through them, out to sea.
The easternmost parts of the barrier seen in the Investigator, lie nearly in 21° south and 151° 10′ east; but there can be no doubt that they are connected with the reefs lying to the southward, discovered in 1797 by captain Campbell of the brig Deptford; and probably also with those further distant, which captain Swain of the Eliza fell in with in the following year. If so, the Barrier Reefs will commence as far south-eastward as the latitude 22° 50′ and longitude about 152° 40′, and possibly still further; Break-sea Spit is a coral reef, and a connexion under water, between it and the barrier, seems