1802.
November.
Wednes. 17.
therefore desirable to find a place where the holds could be completed with water, and the botanists and myself find useful employment for a few days, whilst the deficiencies were repairing. Such a place, it was reasonable to expect, the opening to the westward would afford; and the carpenters having patched up the bad part by the evening of the 18th,Thursday 18. and another set of observations for the time keepers being obtained, we were then ready to proceed in the examination.
Friday 19. Next morning at sunrise, we steered up the opening with a land wind at S.S.E.; and until ten o'clock, when we had reached the furthest part of the western land seen from Inspection Hill, the soundings were between 6 and 3 fathoms, reduced to low water. This land proved to be an island of ten or eleven miles long, and I have given it the name of Bentinck, in honour of the Right Hon. Lord William Bentinck; of whose obliging attention, when governor of Madras, I shall hereafter have to speak in praise. To the north-west of Bentinck's Island, several small isles came in sight; but a northern sea breeze having set in, we kept on our western course for the low main land, which trended here north-westward. At one o'clock, the diminution of depth to 2½ fathoms, obliged us to tack; the main being four miles distant, and the eastern extreme of the nearest island bearing N. 3° W., two leagues: this was named Allen's Isle, after the practical miner of the expedition. In working to windward, the water was found to be shallow in almost every direction; and the deepest being at three or four miles from the south-west point of Bentinck's Island, the anchor was there dropped in 4½ fathoms, muddy bottom.
Saturday 20.In the morning we steered towards Allen's Isle, with the whale boat a-head; and anchored one mile and a half from its south-east end, in 3½ fathoms, mud. Our latitude here was 17° 5′, longitude 139° 26′; and azimuths taken with the surveying compass, when the head was N. by E., gave variation 2° 49′, or 3° 15′ east, corrected. I went on shore with the botanical gentlemen, in order to take bearings, and explore further up the opening.
