very fortunate that, considering the frequency of illness on board and the violence of the diseases by which some of our people had been attacked, particularly in the cases of Mr. Bedwell and Mr. Cunningham, we had only lost one man; and this from a complaint which even medical assistance might not, perhaps, have cured; and by an accident which could not have been prevented, for our people were at the moment so busily employed in working the vessel through a dangerous navigation that the unfortunate man’s situation was not known until the vital spark was nearly extinct, and too far gone for any human means to save his life.  The thermometer now ranged between 80 and 87 degrees in the shade; and the fast approach of the sun (the declination of which was 3 degrees South) was daily felt.

CHAPTER 8. 
Examination of the coast between Cape Londonderry and Cape Voltaire,
containing the surveys of Sir Graham Moore’s Islands, Eclipse Islands,
Vansittart Bay, Admiralty Gulf, and Port Warrender. 
Encounter with the natives of Vansittart Bay. 
Leave the coast at Cassini Island for Coepang. 
Obliged to bear up for Savu. 
Anchor at Zeeba Bay, and interview with the rajah. 
Some account of the inhabitants. 
Disappointed in not finding water. 
Leave Zeeba Bay, and beat back against the monsoon to Coepang. 
Complete wood and water, and procure refreshments. 
Return to Port Jackson. 
Pass the latitude assigned to the Tryal Rocks. 
Arrival in Sydney Cove.

1819.  October 1.

We had now reached a part of the coast which, excepting a few of the islands that front it, the French expedition did not see:  we should therefore have commenced its examination with more pleasure had we been in a state better fitted for the purpose; for we were rapidly consuming our stock of water without any prospect of finding a supply at this season; and this, added to the loss of our anchors, considerably lessened the satisfaction we should otherwise have felt in viewing the prospect before us.

After a calm and sultry morning a breeze from the North-East carried us towards the land, the situation of which was pointed out by the smoke of natives’ fires.  A little before three o’clock it was seen from the deck and as we stood towards it we narrowly escaped striking on a part of the shoal that extends off Cape Londonderry:  our course was then directed towards some broken land in the South-West which proved to be a group of islands with a considerable sinuosity in the coast behind them; the eastern head of the bay was called Cape Talbot after the then Lord Lieutenant of Ireland.  Between this and Cape Londonderry the coast is very low and defended by an extensive reef, which in many parts was dry.

During the night we stood off shore.

October 2.

And at daylight were eight miles from the islands.  At nine o’clock, being calm, we anchored to the north of the group, which was named Sir Graham Moore’s, in compliment to the gallant admiral then holding a seat at the Admiralty Board.  The principal island is more elevated than the rest and has a flat tabular summit:  it bore from the anchorage South 19 degrees East three miles and a half.