TRANSCRIPTION
BY EARLY ON the 14th [4 January] we had finished our geographical work on the whole of Kangaroo Island. so that if the English have the advantage over us of having reached it a few days earlier, we also have the advantage over them of having circumnavigated it and determined its geographical position in a way that leaves nothing to be desired for the safety of navigation.
The whole southern portion of this island is nothing but sand-dunes and rocky plateaux. It is a dreary and unpleasant sight. Two fairly deep bays and an infinite number of more or less small inlets, all sandy or rocky, are all that we saw. But we did not find a single place where landing appears possible, so heavily does the sea break all along the shore. It is true the winds were from the South then and the swell was very considerable. This island has not allowed us the sight of even the smallest tree. There is nothing but heath or other very stumpy plants. It is possible that the landward slopes of the hills are timbered, but that is something we cannot know. The coast is high in certain parts and reasonably low in others.
