October 21.

We spent the day on Bedout, the centre of which we found to be in latitude 19 degrees 35 minutes 45 seconds South, longitude 119 degrees 08 minutes 45 seconds East. It is a circular sand islet twenty feet high, and half a mile in extent. Off its western side ripplings and rocks extend nearly three miles; in other parts it is fronted by a circular reef a mile in extent, and of a different kind from the Turtle Isle reefs, being composed of live corallines and fan-like leaves, which giving way readily to the feet, we suddenly found ourselves immersed almost up to our necks; within fifty yards of the island this became worse. The reefs and beaches abounded with turtles of two kinds, the Mydas and a species of the Imbricated. We were in time for the noddy's eggs; but the other birds had hatched theirs, and left for sea, returning only at night. From their great abundance and constant visits they had formed a kind of guano on the island. Among the varieties of the feathered tribe was the golden plover.

On the following afternoon we stood over, South-South-East for the main; but were again prevented by shoal water from approaching within twelve miles of the nearest part, which was the western point of the bay seen from Mount Blaze. Broken water and dry sands extended between south and east, and to the south-west the entrance of Breaker Inlet and other parts of the last year's survey were readily distinguished.

October 22.

During the forenoon the boats completed the soundings, and in the evening the ship was anchored under the North Turtle Isle. Thus terminated the examination of this hitherto unexplored part of the coast, which had been the field of many years' speculation. One of the most remarkable points, is the great rise of twenty-eight feet in the tide, which can only be accounted for by the fact of the water being heaped up in the concavity formed by the coast; on the first part of the bight the direction of the flood was from West, and on the latter from West-North-West. We had found that no river or other interesting feature existed; and that it was the most dull and uniform portion of the continent we had seen, or that could possibly be imagined.

BREAKER INLET.

While I have no reason to believe that an examination of Breaker Inlet, which, from the numerous sandbanks forming the Amphinome Shoals, has probably a considerable outlet, would lead to a discovery of any importance, nevertheless, I regret that the heavy surf which breaks across its entrance at this season of the year entirely prevented my exploring it.

The winds we had experienced on this part of the coast were light, from the eastward, during the night, and moderate from North-North-West to West-South-West towards the latter part of the day, the morning being frequently calm. On one or two occasions in the night we had slight squalls from South-East accompanied by lightning; but, commonly speaking, the weather was very fine, the temperature on board being generally 77, the maximum being 82 and the minimum 75 degrees. On shore it was about five degrees higher.

EXMOUTH GULF.

The necessary chronometric and magnetic observations were completed, and a supply of turtles taken on board by the evening of the 26th, when after leaving a paper in a bottle, recording our visit and describing the nature of the coast eastwards, we left with the intention of exploring Exmouth Gulf, which was the only remaining portion of the north-western shore of the continent that had not been visited by Captain King or ourselves. But as we were forced away from the land by southerly winds as we approached the North-West Cape, and as there was no certainty of procuring water, I have been obliged to content myself with the report of a whaler who went in there and found it to be the mouth of a large inlet conveying a vast body of water into the interior, occasionally, I imagine, even as far as the neighbourhood of the north-east shore of Shark's Bay, as Captain Grey speaks of finding there extensive plains of mud and sand, at times evidently flooded by the sea and presenting no limit in a north-east direction.