containing an account of the Investigator's visit; my intention, in
looking for this document, was not of course to remove it, but to
ascertain its existence, and to add a few lines to the memorandum it
contained.

Iguanas, geese, penguins, gulls, and seals of the hairy species, were the
sole inhabitants of this rock. After leaving Seal Island, we landed on
the sandy beach abreast of the anchorage; in doing this the boat filled,
and the instruments were so wetted, that they were left on the beach to
dry during our absence. Our ascent, from the hill being steep, and
composed of a very loose drift sand, was difficult and fatiguing; but the
beautiful flowers and plants, with which the surface of the hill was
strewed, repaid us for our toil. These being all new to Mr. Cunningham
fully occupied his attention, whilst I remained upon the summit, from
whence a good view was obtained of the Eclipse Isles, and Vancouver's
breakers, both of which are well laid down by Captain Flinders, whose
correctness I had already many occasions to admire. An abundance of
shells of the helix tribe (Helix bulimus) was found on the top and sides
of the hill; and a calcareous substance was observed protruding from the
ground in every part, as noticed both by Vancouver and Flinders;* the
former also found it on the bare sandy summit of Bald Head, and supposed
it to be coral, a circumstance from which he inferred that the level of
the ocean must have sunk. Similar substances have since been discovered
by Dr. Clarke Abel, near Simon's Town, at the Cape of Good Hope, and are
described by him to be vegetables impregnated with carbonate of lime; but
from the specimens we obtained, it would appear that it is neither coral,
nor a petrified vegetable substance, but merely sand agglutinated by
calcareous matter**.

(*Footnote. Vancouver volume 1 page 49. Flinders volume 1 page 63.)