The character of the country is here entirely changed: irregular ranges of detached rocky hills of sandstone formation, very slightly clothed with small shrubs and rising abruptly from extensive plains of low level land seem to have superseded the low wooded coast that almost uninterruptedly prevails between this and Cape Wessel; a distance of more than six hundred miles.

The present change, although more dreary and less inviting, was hailed by us with pleasure; for the broken appearance of the hills inspired us with the hope of finding some fresh stream from which we might complete our water, and thereby prevent our premeditated visit to Timor, whither it would soon be time to resort.
The fires which had been lighted in the course of the day by the natives had rapidly spread over the summit of the hills, and at night the whole island was illuminated and presented a most grand and imposing appearance.

After dusk Mr.Roe went with a party on shore in order to take turtle and at eight o'clock returned with one of the hawk's-bill species (Testudo imbricata ?) the meat of which weighed seventy-one pounds; about fifty eggs were also procured.
September 18.
The boat was sent again at four o'clock in the morning, as it was then high water, but returned at daylight without success.
Lacrosse Island, so named by Commodore Baudin, is about nine miles in circumference and about six hundred feet high; it is of a rugged character and intersected by numerous deep ravines and gullies; which, in the wet season, doubtless contain water.
The seaward or northern face of the island is formed of a fine-grained sandstone, dipping in strata, with a slight inclination to the South-East: large blocks of the same stone were also found scattered over the hills.

The soil with which it is but slightly covered is little better than a thin layer of sandy earth; but notwithstanding its sterile quality it produces a variety of small plants, among which a shrubby acacia* was predominant and sufficiently abundant to tint the sides of the hills where it grew with the sea-green colour of its foliage.

At last quarter ebb we got underweigh and proceeded to examine the opening by steering South-South-West towards the deepest part; at twenty-three miles from Lacrosse Island the gulf is divided by Adolphus Island into two arms; one of which trended to the South-South-East and the other to the South-South-West.** (*Footnote.