by observation was 21 deg. 29’ S., a point of land which forms the north-west entrance into Broad Sound, and which I named Cape Palmerston, lying in latitude 21 deg. 30’, longitude 210 deg. 54’ W. bore W. by N. distant three leagues.  Our latitude was 21 deg. 27’, our longitude 210 deg. 57’.  Between this Cape and Cape Townshend lies the bay which I called the Bay of Inlets.  We continued to stand to the N.W. and N.W. by N. as the land lay, under an easy sail, having a boat a-head to sound:  At first the soundings were very irregular, from nine to four fathom; but afterwards they were regular, from nine to eleven.  At eight in the evening, being about two leagues from the main land, we anchored in eleven fathom, with a sandy bottom, and soon after we found the tide setting with a slow motion to the westward.  At one o’clock it was slack, or low water; and at half an hour after two the ship tended to the eastward, and rode so till six in the morning, when the tide had risen eleven feet.  We now got under sail, and stood away in the direction of the coast, N.N.W.  From what we had observed of the tide during the night, it is plain that the flood came from the N.W., whereas the preceding day, and several days before, it came from the S.E.; nor was this the first or even second time that we had remarked the same thing.  At sun-rise this morning, we found the variation to be 6 deg. 45’ E.; and in steering along the shore, between the island and the main, at the distance of about two leagues from the main, and three or four from the island, our soundings were regular from twelve to nine fathom; but about eleven o’clock in the forenoon we were again embarrassed with shoal water, having at one time not more than three fathom, yet we got clear without casting anchor.  At noon we were about two leagues from the main, and four from the islands without us.  Our latitude by observation was 20 deg. 56’, and a high promontory, which I named Cape Hillsborough, bore W. 1/2 N., distant seven miles.  The land here is diversified by mountains, hills, plains, and valleys, and seems to be well clothed with herbage and wood:  The islands which lie parallel to the coast, and from five to eight or ten miles distant, are of various height and extent; scarcely any of them are more than five leagues in circumference, and many are not four miles:  Besides this chain of islands, which lies at a distance from the coast, there are others much less, which lie under the land, from which we saw smoke rising in different places.  We continued to steer along the shore at the distance of about two leagues, with regular soundings from nine to ten fathom.  At sun-set, the farthest point of the main bore N. 48 W. and to the northward of this lay some high land, which I took to be an island, and of which the north-west point bore 41 W.; but not being sure of a passage, I came to an anchor about eight o’clock in the evening, in ten fathom water, with a muddy bottom.  About ten we had a