The schooner was ready to sail on Feb. 25; and the wind from the westward being fresh and favourable, we left Hamilton’s Road to return to Port Jackson.  It was still a matter of doubt whether the land to the south of the islands were, or were not, a part of Van Diemen’s Land; and I therefore requested of Mr. Reed to make a stretch that way.  At noon our latitude was 40 deg. 44 2/3’, and the peak of Cape Barren bore N. 13 deg.  E.; an island which had been visited by the Sydney-Cove’s people, and was represented to be a breeding place for swans, bore from N. 68 deg.  W. to west, five or six miles, and there were some smaller islets behind it.  The land lying two or three miles more to the south is sandy and low in front, but ascends in gently rising hills as it retreats into the country.  Its general appearance was very different from that of Furneaux’s Islands, the lower hills being covered with green grass, interspersed with clumps of wood, and the back land well clothed with timber trees.

We stretched on until the land was seen beyond 40 deg. 50’; and then veered to the northward.  In this latitude, captain Furneaux says, “the land trenches away to the westward;” * and as he traced the coast from the south end of the country to this part, there could no longer be a doubt that it was joined to the land discovered by Tasman in 1642.  The smokes which had constantly been seen rising from it showed that there were inhabitants; and this, combined with the circumstance of there being none upon the islands, seemed to argue a junction of Van Diemen’s Land with New South Wales; for it was difficult to suppose, that men should have reached the more distant land, and not have attained the islands intermediately situated; nor was it admissible that, having reached them, they had perished for want of food.  On the other hand, the great strength of the tides setting westward, past the islands, could only be caused by some exceedingly deep inlet, or by a passage through to the southern Indian Ocean.  These contradictory circumstances were very embarrassing; and the schooner not being placed at my disposal, I was obliged, to my great regret, to leave this important geographical question undecided.

[* Cook’s Second Voyage, Vol.  I. page 114.]

At the time we veered to the northward, the coast of Van Diemen’s Land was about three miles distant, and the furthest extreme, a low point, bore S. 15 deg.  E. two or three leagues.  On repassing Cape-Barren Point at four o’clock.  I obtained two sets of distances of the sun west of the moon, to pair with others of the sun on the east side, taken on the 10th, also within sight of the Cape.  The mean result, freed from the errors of the tables, gave its longitude 148 deg. 20’ E; being 14’ more than is assigned to it by captain Furneaux, but 51/2’ less than what appears to be its real situation.

Nothing worthy of notice occurred in our passage back to Port Jackson:  we made Hat Hill on March 7, and on the 9th, anchored in Sydney Cove.