I also found numerous fragments of quartzose rocks lying about and pieces of a kind of marble, of a brown colour, were abundant in the cavities, as well as upon the face of the mount." (Cunningham manuscripts.) August 10.
Upon leaving Cape Flinders we crossed Princess Charlotte's Bay and steered at half to three-quarters of a mile within the reefs: soon after noon it fell calm and we anchored under the lee of Pelican Island, and landed upon it to examine an appearance of turtle marks on the sand; they were however found to be of an old date.
This island, which does not measure more than two-thirds of a mile in circumference, is surrounded by a considerable reef and is remarkable for two clumps of trees upon it, that, standing separately, give the appearance at a distance of its being two distinct islets.

It is, like all the islets near it, little better than a sandy key.
While I was employed in levelling the theodolite the gentlemen directed their steps to a flight of pelicans that was seen collected upon the beach; at their approach the old birds took wing and left their unfledged young, to the number of eighteen or twenty, waddling about the sand, all of which were killed and skinned before we embarked for the sake of their white down.

On the islet three very neatly-constructed natives' huts were observed, that, from their appearance and the very recent state of the fish-bones and turtle-shells scattered about, had been lately occupied.
The reef is of circular shape; the surface is formed principally of a rotten, crumbling coral rock and was destitute of shells or any animal production except the beche de mer: of which the black sort (batoo) appeared the most abundant.
Among the bearings obtained from this station was that of the highest summit of Flinders' Group, which bore South 61 degrees 26 minutes East (magnetic) and, as a connecting bearing, was of considerable importance to the survey.
August 11.
The day was too far advanced to make further progress with any advantage; we, therefore, remained until the following morning when we steered North-North-West, but were soon impeded by a very extensive reef, m, that crossed our course, trending to the North-East.

Wishing to ascertain its extent to seaward, as well as to pass round its windward side, we steered along its south-eastern edge; and after proceeding for some time, first in a North-East, then a North, and afterwards in a North-North-West direction, found ourselves running through a narrow channel formed by another considerable reef, l, to the eastward, and lying in a parallel direction with m: the breadth of this pass, or channel, varied between one and two miles.

At nine o'clock, having run about ten miles, a break appeared in the innermost reef, m, through which we made an attempt to pass.