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I should have mentioned that on our first landing we saw a large trunk of a tree, which had been smoothed to admit the following inscription being cut out on it:—

"H.M.C.S. Victoria,

Norman.

'In search for
'shipwrecked
'people,
'Oct. 13th,
'1865'"

And placed in a hollow of the tree was a bottle, enclosing a letter, of which the following is a copy:—

"H.M.C.S. Victoria,
October 17th, 1865.

"The above ship arrived in this harbor on the 18th October, 1865, having searched every bay from Adam’s Island to the Sandy Bay in Enderby’s Island, for shipwrecked people. She will leave here to-morrow, to continue the search round the western shores of the island to Carnley’s Harbor, and from thence to Campbell’s Island, Antipodes Island, and Bounty Island.

"On Enderby’s Island have been landed some goats and rabbits, for the purpose of increasing their numbers, to relieve shipwrecked people. Some goats have also been landed here, and vegetables and trees planted near the marked tree, for the same purposes; and this humane service has been performed by order of the Governments of Victoria, New South Wales, and Queensland. It is requested any visitors to these shores will give every aid in their power to secure this benevolent object, and not allow the animals and plants to be exterminated or destroyed.

(Signed) "W. H. Norman,
'Commander.'"

Before leaving the place, we planted about a cwt. of potatoes, and sowed some carrot and turnip seed, in ground which we dug up for that purpose, and at another place landed a dozen of domestic fowls. We left a memorandum of our visit cut out on a board, which we nailed to a tree near the Victoria’s, and deposited a bottle enclosing a letter stating the object of our visit, by whom it had been ordered, and the manner we intended to prosecute further our search. Wherever any of our party went fires were made, and the smoke of them might occasionally be seen rising from the tops of the adjacent hills; and on one occasion from the top of Mount Eden, 1365 feet above the sea level, so that before leaving we dispelled any remaining doubts we had that living persons might still be existing there.

Feeling that nothing of service could be effected by remaining longer at that place, we got under way on the morning of the 26th. The wind had just shifted round to N.W.—hazy and raining; barometer, 29.40—falling.

We passed between Rose Island and the main examining the shore as we went along, and the whaleboat keeping a quarter of a mile ahead with the mate sounding. In this way we passed inside of Briscoe Reef, or rather through a passage about a mile and a-half from the shore, and about a quarter of a mile wide. A long ground swell from S.E. breaking high on the reef on each side of us, I was obliged to keep considerable way on the vessel, and could only use ten fathoms of line in sounding, but at that depth found no bottom. We went into the first bay we came to, which lies about six miles south of Briscoe Reef. It forms three bays, which induced us to name it Treple Bay.

Seeing nothing in it, we went into the next inlet, three miles farther on. The entrance to it is about three-quarters of a mile wide, and the inlet runs up about three miles.

Seeing it was a safe anchoring place, I chose to remain there all night, as I apprehended a gale coming from S.E. After anchoring, the barometer fell to 28.90; and at 8 p.m. the wind blew a hurricane right up the inlet from S.E., but the vessel was moored with two anchors out in deep water, and two hawsers from the bow to the shore, so that she rode safely in smooth water.

The following day (27th) we examined all the shores of the bay, without meeting with what we looked for, the sea still running high outside. Wind, south; barometer, 29.30. This place we named Long Inlet. On Saturday, 28th, at daylight, got under way, blowing at the time a fresh gale from W.S.W., barometer, 29.40. This day we did not land with the boat, but stood into all the bays on the east coast till we came to Carnley’s Harbor. Each bay we came to we steamed up to the head of, and so near to the land that we could have easily discerned so small an object as an oar lying on the beach. These bays or inlets we named as we entered them, in the order as follows, beginning from Long Inlet, namely—Saddle Hill Bay, Seal Inlet, Cascade Inlet, Open Inlet, Basin Bay, and Smoke Bay.

At the head of Saddle Hill Bay and Cascade Inlet, a vessel could safely anchor in from 13 to 8 fathoms, and be entirely landlocked.

The place we named Smoke Bay was close to that on which the crew of the Flying Scud supposed they saw smoke. I was therefore more particular in examining its shores, and this I did with such minuteness that I could discern by the aid of my glass the individual pebbles on the beach, but saw not a broken branch, nor