ys ready, for
there was no doubt that we were narrowly watched and the first unguarded
moment would have been taken advantage of by them for our annoyance, if
not to our loss. This precaution prevented my improving my last year's
survey of the main coast; and as there did not exist any good reason to
attach much importance to the sinuosities of the coast hereabout we did
not remain at this anchorage after our wooding and watering were
completed, from an anxiety to reach those parts which we had not yet
seen, and where we might expect a better chance of finding something of
greater interest.

Mr. Cunningham was confined to the vessel during our stay by a serious
attack of jaundice brought on by the fatiguing examination of Liverpool
River.

The weather during our stay was throughout fine. A breeze usually sprung
up at daylight from South-East; and by noon veered to and blew fresh from
East, sometimes reaching North-East, from which quarter it was generally
strongest; as sunset approached the wind usually died away, and before
dark it was quite calm and continued so until the morning. The
temperature was much lower than we expected to find it, the thermometer
ranging only between 75 and 84 degrees; so that during the day, while the
sea breeze lasted, the heat was not at all oppressive.

August 18.

We left South-West Bay on the 18th at daybreak; but from light airs made
so little progress that it was not until the following afternoon that we
passed between McCluer's and New Year's Islands; between the latter and
Oxley's Island we passed over two coral banks, separated from each other
by a deep channel. On the easternmost bank were nine fathoms, but on the
other we found overfalls between five and seven fathoms. A native's fire
that was burning on Oxley's Island served to fix the position of this
last bank.

August 19.

The next morning we were off Cape Croker and at noon were passing Port
Essington; the projecting heads of which, at the distance of four or five
leagues, have the appearance of being two small islands, for the land at
the back and on either side is too low to be seen. Between Port Essington
and Cape Van Diemen we steered so as to see several parts of the coast of
Melville Island in order to compare their relative meridional distances
with those of last year's survey.

August 22.

The latter projection, which is the western limit of the north coast,
came in sight on the evening of the 22nd when it