July 24.

Early on the morning of the 24th we left Margaret Bay; and steering to the northward passed close round the western side of the Bird Isles of Captain Cook.  Eight or ten natives were standing on the sandy point of the north-easternmost islet, attentively engaged in watching us as we passed by; and near them were two canoes hauled up on the beach.  The canoes appeared to be of similar construction to that seen at Endeavour River; but certainly were not more than sixteen or eighteen feet in length.  The late Admiral Bligh, in his account of the Bounty’s voyage, has described one that he saw and measured at Sunday Island, the place we had just left; it was thirty-three feet long and would hold twenty men; but from his account it must have been of bark, for he says, “the canoe was made of three pieces, the bottom entire, to which the sides were sewed in the common way."* The largest canoe that we have seen did not measure more than eighteen feet in length.

(Footnote.  Bligh’s Voyage to the South Seas page 210.)

After leaving this group we experienced a considerable swell from the South-East which would indicate this part of the coast to be less occupied by reefs than it is more to the southward; particularly between Cape Grenville and Cape Tribulation where the outer or barrier reefs are nearer to the coast than in any other part.

Our course was held outside of two groups of islets one of which was called Hannibal’s, and the other McArthur’s Group.  At eleven o’clock a larger islet was passed by; at half past twelve o’clock we were abreast of Captain Cook’s Orfordness, and of Captain Bligh’s Pudding-Pan Hill; continuing our course parallel to the coast we passed half a mile inside of Cairncross Island which is about half a mile in length; it has a reef extending for more than a mile off its south point, under which a vessel might securely anchor.  At 3 hours 30 minutes p.m.  Bligh’s Turtle Island was seen, for which we steered; but, attracted by the flattering appearance of an opening in Newcastle Bay, we hauled in to examine it.  As we stood towards it the soundings were very regular until we were within the projecting points of the coast, when the quality of the bottom changed from mud to sand; and with this the depth began to decrease.  The opening trended deeply in to the North-West and bore the character of a river with a good port at its embouchure; the heads of which were rocky and apparently bold, but the light colour of the water between them indicated that its entrance was shoal, and would prove both intricate and dangerous to pass.  Sooner however than was expected the water shoaled to three fathoms; and before it was possible to avoid it the vessel struck:  the helm was put up, but she continued to beat on a hard sandy bottom as her head paid off.  Some time elapsed, for it was blowing strong, before the main sheet could be hauled in to gybe the sail; during which the cutter was running along the shoal