Upon Pobassoo’s Island, near the stream of water at the back of the beach, Mr. Good, the gardener, planted four of the cocoa nuts procured from the Malays; and also some remnants of potatoes which were found in the ship.

The latitude of Malay Road, from two not very satisfactory observations, was 11 deg. 533/4’ S.

Longitude by the survey from Caledon Bay 136 deg. 27’ E.

From observations made on shore in the artificial horizon, the time-keeper No. 520 was differing from its Caledon-Bay rate, 15.4” of longitude per day, to the east, but No. 543 only 9.8”; and when the longitude of this last is corrected by the proportion afterwards found necessary, it will agree with the survey to less than half a mile.

No observations were taken for the variation of the compass, but I judge it to have been about 1 deg. east, when not affected by any local attraction.  Near the north-east end of Cotton’s Island, and at the south-west point, the variation was 2 deg. more east than upon the south-east head; as if the south end of the island attracted the north point, and the north end the south point of the needle.

On the day of the new moon, a particular observation was made upon the tide in Malay Road; and it was high water at ten minutes past eight in the morning, or nearly eight hours and a quarter after the moon had passed the lower meridian; and the rise was ten feet two inches.  There were two tides in the day; but from the swinging of the ship in the road, it appeared that the last of the ebb, as well as the whole of the flood, came from the N. E.; an irregularity which might be caused by the shallow passage between the two islands.

WEDNESDAY 23 FEBRUARY 1803

The weather was still squally on the 23rd, but in the afternoon became finer; and at three o’clock we steered south-westward, between the islands and the main, with a flood-tide in our favour and the whale boat sounding ahead.  All the points of the main coast, like the western sides of the islands, are low and rocky, and they are bordered with reef; but we had tolerably good soundings, from 20 to 7 fathoms, in passing along them at the distance of a mile.  At dusk in the evening we came to, in 5 fathoms muddy ground, in a place much like Malay Road; it is formed by Inglis’ and Bosanquet’s Islands, and except in a space between them, of half a mile wide, we had land at various distances all round.

Inglis’ Island forms here a pretty looking cove, in which is a woody islet.  In the morning [THURSDAY 24 FEBRUARY 1803] I sounded the cove; and finding it to be shallow, went on, accompanied by the landscape painter, to take bearings from the steep north-east head of the island.  From thence the main coast was visible four leagues further, extending in the same south-western direction; at the end of it was an island of considerable elevation, which I named Mallison’s Island, and west of it another, with land running at the back.  The bearings which most served to prolong the survey, were these: