Upon the beaches to windward of the cape we found varieties of sponge and coral; and beche de mer were observed in the crevices of the rocks but were neither large nor plentiful.

Mr.Cunningham saw two land snakes, one of which was about four feet in length; the colour of its back was black and the belly yellow; the only quadruped seen was a small opossum.

A seal of the hair species, like those of Rottnest Island, was seen on the rocks, probably of the same description that Dampier found in the maw of the shark;* and also what was found by the French on Faure Island, which M.Peron supposed to be an herbivorous animal and described as a dugong.** (*Footnote.

Dampier volume 3 page 87.) (**Footnote.

Peron volume 2 page 227 et seq and De Freycinet page 201.) January 24.
On the 24th Mr.Roe visited the Cape to fix on the post a memorial of our visit; an inscription was carved upon a small piece of wood in the back of which was deposited another memorandum written upon vellum; the wood was of the size of the sheave-hole of the larger post, into which it was fixed, and near it Mr.Roe piled up a heap of stones.