SATURDAY 16 JANUARY 1802
On Saturday morning a part of the people were employed cutting a boat load of fire wood, and the master was again sent to sound the passage out to the eastward, and amongst the rocks lying beyond it. The shallowest depth he found was 3 fathoms, after which the water deepened to 7 and 10, past the north-east point and out to sea. He landed upon some of the rocky islets, and brought from thence twenty-seven more geese, some of them alive. The botanical gentlemen employed the day in going round Middle Island, but they found very little to reward their labour. A piece of fir plank, with nails in it, which seemed to have been part of a ship's deck, was picked up on the shore; but no trace of the island having been visited, either by Europeans or the natives of the main land, was any where seen.
The basis stone of this, as it appears to be of all the islands as well as of the coast of the archipelago, is granitic; but at the south side of Middle Island there is a thick crust of calcareous rock over it, as there is at the south end of Goose Island. It was also on the south side of King George's Sound that the calcareous rock covered the granite; a coincidence which may perhaps afford some light to the geologist.
The latitude of Goose Island Bay, for so this anchorage was named, is 34° 5' 23" south, and longitude by the two best time keepers corrected 123° 9' 30",5 east; the observations being made on the middlemost of the three southern beaches.
The variation from azimuth, observed on the binnacle when the ship's head was west-south-west, was 0° 54' west, and in the following year similar observations taken at anchor one mile to the eastward, with the head east, gave 6° 10' west; whence I deduce the variation which would have been obtained with the head at north or south, to be 3° 25' west. From the bearings on shore, compared with the latitudes and longitudes, it appeared to be 5¼° on the centre of Goose Island; and 4° upon the granitic mount of Middle Island.
No run of tide was observed, notwithstanding the narrowness of the channel, where the ship lay.
Goose-Island Bay may be useful as a place of refreshment, but the geese were not found to be so numerous at a different season of the year: a few hair seals may be procured, probably at all times. The wood is a species of eucalyptus, neither abundant nor large; but two or three ships may be supplied with fuel. Fresh water was not to be obtained upon either of the islands; but upon the opposite Cape Arid, five miles to the north, I judged there might be small streams running down from the hills. The lake of salt will be the greatest inducement for vessels to stop in this bay; they must not, however, come to it in the winter season, as there will be occasion to show hereafter.
SUNDAY 17 JANUARY 1802
On the 17th in the morning, the anchor was weighed and we steered out eastward. The shallowest water was seventeen feet, between the south-east point of Goose Island and the opposite west point of the middle beach; after which it deepened; and abreast of the middle rock there was 7 fathoms. Having cleared the islets lying off the north-east point of Middle Island, we steered for Cape Pasley, leaving the South-East Isles of the archipelago far distant on the starbord hand. A low islet and some rocks lie three miles to the south of the Cape, and the soundings we had in passing between them were 28 and 34 fathoms.
The wind at this time was moderate at south-west, with fine weather. Middle Island and Cape Arid were still visible at noon, and the Eastern Group, which, according to D'Entrecasteaux, terminated the archipelago, was coming in sight. Our situation and most material bearings were then as under: