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1798                 clear. When the south point of Clarkes Island bore north-east-by-east-half-
February           east one mile and a quarter, we sounded with sixteen fathoms but got no
Monday 12       ground; and in nearly the same situation, the suns altitude measuring from the south at noon, gave the latitude 40° 36' south. A breeze springing up from the westward, and having the tide in our favour soon after, we got to as much as the same evening in Hamilton Road, about a quarter of a mile from the sandy beach on the east end of Preservation Island, in four-and-half fathoms, sandy bottom.
Saturday 17     Until Saturday in the afternoon, the blowing weather and the repairing of the boat, prevented me from doing more than measuring a baseline round to the north east end of Preservation Island, and taking the bearings of the most conspicuous places from different parts of it; but the wind being then moderate, and the sea a good deal gone down, I went with the schooners boat and four people into the channel between Cape Barren and Clarkes Island, by which M^r Armstrong had before come to Preservation Island. The weather continuing very fine, we crossed occasionally from one side to the other, taking angles on the most projecting eminences; and on the north east low sandy point of Clarkes Island, with two miles horizon, found the latitude to be 40° 29' south. From thence we passed over to the shore under the high land of cape Barren, the peak of which I proposed to ascend, providing myself a fine view from