wish to estimate fully the advantages of his discoveries.
Such extracts only have been made here, as are necessary to throw light on the tract of country immediately under investigation.
Account of Soil, &c.—From the 132° of East long, to Coffin's Bay situated in 135° 15', nothing very important is known of the character of the shore or land. Some large inlets called Fowler's Bay, Denial Bay, Smoky Bay, and Streaky Bay, and a large lagoon seen by Captain Flinders from the mast-head near Point Weyland, are the only indications of valuable roadsteads or rivers.
These inlets have never been thoroughly examined, though Captain Flinders remarks he found in one part "much refuse from the shore, as well as sea-weed floating about, by which some hope of finding a river was entertained;" and subsequently, "besides quantities of grass and branches of trees or bushes floating in the water, there was a number of long gauze-winged insects topping about the surface, such as frequent freshwater lakes and swamps." He also saw smokes rising in various places. In proof of the insufficiency of his survey, Captain Flinders says, "my examination was tolerably minute to be done wholly in a ship, but much still remained which boats would best accomplish, to make the surveys complete, especially in the bays of the main land."
The only account given of Coffin's Bay is by Captain Flinders; we cannot therefore do better than quote the entire passage from his work, vol. i. p. 127.
"Coffin's Bay extends four or five leagues to the south-eastward from Point Sir Isaac; but I do not think that any stream more considerable than perhaps a small rill from the back land falls into it, since sandy cliffs and beach were seen nearly all round. On the east side of the entrance, the shore rises quickly from the beach to hills of considerable height, well covered with wood. The highest of these hills I called Mount
