After clearing the passage, I steered W. N. W. to avoid going near Murray’s Islands, lest the small size of the Cumberland should tempt the Indians to make an attack; this they were likely to do if the opportunity offered, and many were standing on the shore with their canoes seemingly in readiness.  At 8h 50’ the large island bore S. 6 deg.  E. to 13 deg.  W., three or four miles; and our position in longitude being very nearly the same with that of my former anchorage, altitudes were taken for the time keeper.  The result, when corrected, was 144 deg. 2’ 0” east, and in the Investigator it had been 144 deg. 2’ 58”, being a difference scarcely worth notice.  When it is considered that Wreck Reef, whence the Cumberland’s departure was taken, and Coepang in Timor, by which the longitude is corrected, are laid down from observations wholly distinct from those at Upper Head and Sweers’ Island, which regulated the Investigator’s longitude, this near coincidence will be thought remarkable; and it must also be allowed to show, that an equally accelerated rate and supplemental correction are improvements on the ordinary management of time keepers.

At this time, the large reef to the north of Murray’s Islands was distant one or two miles, and we steered westward along it, to get into my former track; but the man at the mast head saying that the water was discoloured, and that he did not think there was any passage in the direction we steered, I thought myself deceived in the distance of the island; and the schooner was hauled up two points to the southward, where the appearance was better.  It became evident, however, that the discoloured water was in the same ripplings of tide through which the Investigator had passed without finding bottom at 30 fathoms; and no doubt it was from these ripplings that the discolouring arose.

At ten o’clock, the top of the largest island bore S. 74 deg.  E. five or six miles, we had reefs at the distance of half a mile to a mile on each beam, and I then found that we were to the south of the Investigator’s track; but the channel being clear ahead, and taking a direction nearly straight for Cape York, I steered onward, being rather pleased than sorry at having thus got by accident into a new route.  Darnley’s Island was seen from the mast head before eleven; and when the top of Murray’s Island bore E. 1 deg.  S. it was set at N. N. W., the depth being then 52 fathoms on a bottom of small stones, coral, and shells.  The great line of reefs which had been kept on the larbord beam of the Investigator, was now on the starbord beam of the schooner; but we had also a great mass of reefs on the other side, forming between them a kind of channel from two to four miles broad, leading south-westward.  We ran on at the rate of five knots until noon, when the depth was 25 fathoms, soft sand, and our situation as under,

Latitude observed to the south, 9 deg. 581/2’
Longitude brought on, 143 45
Murray’s I., top of the largest, N. 78 E.
Murray’s I., south-westernmost, N. 82 E.