On attempting to steer close round Cape Hay we were obliged to desist and to pass round a reef that extended from it in a North 1/2 West direction to the distance of four leagues.
At sunset no land was in sight.
September 9.
But at eight o'clock the next morning (9th) the north end of the above reef bore East-South-East and the land about Cape Hay South-South-East.
The Barthelemy Hills were also seen from the masthead, and reported as islands; this mistake of ours therefore tends still more to excuse the error of the French charts.
During the day we had light winds and the coast was but indistinctly seen.

The sea was covered with a brown scum which Captain Cook's sailors called sea saw-dust, from its resemblance to that substance.* Very few fish were noticed, but they were generally more numerous nearer to the shore.
(*Footnote.

Hawkesworth volume 3 page 248.

Peron Voyage de Decouvertes aux Terres Australes volume 2 chapter 31.) September 10.
At midnight the land was seen from North-East to South-East and at daylight it was visible between Point Pearce, bearing South-South-East, and a point five or six miles south of Cape Hay which bore North-East by East.

The coast is sandy; behind it there appeared a good deal of small stunted timber, and beyond this the range of Mount Goodwin was visible.
Round Point Pearce the land trends in a South 59 1/2 degrees East direction and forms a very deep indenture: on approaching this point we observed an extensive dry reef and breakers projecting from it to a considerable distance.