water was too little to encourage me to venture where I should probably have less.  We had not stood to the northward above an hour, before we suddenly fell into three fathom; upon which I anchored, and sent away the master to sound the channel which lay to the leeward of us, between the northermost island and the main:  It appeared to be pretty broad, but I suspected that it was shallow, and so indeed it was found; for the master reported at his return that in many places he had only two fathom and a half, and where we lay at anchor we had only sixteen feet, which was not two feet more than the ship drew.  While the master was sounding the channel, Mr Banks tried to fish from the cabin windows with hook and line:  The water was too shallow for fish; but the ground was almost covered with crabs, which readily took the bait, and sometimes held it so fast in their claws, that they did not quit their hold till they were considerably above water.  These crabs were of two sorts, and both of them such as we had not seen before:  One of them was adorned with the finest blue that can be imagined, in every respect equal to the ultra-marine, with which all his claws and every joint was deeply tinged; the under part of him was white, and so exquisitely polished, that in colour and brightness it exactly resembled the white of old china:  The other was also marked with the ultra-marine upon his joints and his toes, but somewhat more sparingly; and his back was marked with three brown spots, which had a singular appearance.  The people who had been out with the boat to sound reported, that upon an island where we had observed two fires, they had seen several of the inhabitants, who called to them, and seemed very desirous that they should land.  In the evening, the wind veered to E.N.E. which gave us an opportunity to stretch three or four miles back by the way we came; after which the wind shifted to the south, and obliged us again to anchor in six fathom.

At five in the morning, I sent away the master to search for a passage between the islands, while we got the ship under sail; and as soon as it was light, we followed the boat, which made a signal that a passage had been found.  As soon as we had got again into deep water, we made sail to the northward, as the land lay, with soundings from nine fathom to fifteen, and some small islands still without us.  At noon we were about two leagues distant from the main, and by observation, in latitude 22 deg. 53’ S. The northermost point of land in sight now bore N.N.W. distant ten miles.  To this point I gave the name of Cape Manifold, from the number of high hills which appeared over it.  It lies in latitude 22 deg. 43’ S. and distant about seventeen leagues from Cape Capricorn, in the direction of N. 26 W. Between these capes the shore forms a large bay, which I called Keppel Bay; and I also distinguished the islands by the name of Keppel’s Islands.  In this bay there is good anchorage; but what refreshments it