ROTTENEST ISLAND. 49 



bad weather behind. The sky more settled ; the 

 sea less high ; and the barometer rising: such in- 

 dications, however, cannot be implicitly trusted 

 in this boisterous climate ; and shortly after dark, 

 having shipped a very heavy sea, we rounded too 

 for the night. The constant set of the huge follow- 

 ing seas, carried our little vessel much faster to the 

 eastward than could be easily credited, till proved 

 by actual observation. During the last three or 

 four days, we had run upwards of 195 miles daily 

 by the observations, being from twenty to thirty 

 more each day than appeared from the reckoning. 



We made Rottenest Island on the morning of 

 Wednesday, Nov. 15th ; and in the afternoon of the 

 same day, anchored in Gage's Road, Swan River. 

 Our position at midnight, the night before, made 

 us about 30 miles from the main land, when we had 

 the wind from the eastward, getting round again 

 towards noon to south and by west. This may be 

 some guide to the limit of the land wind, and as 

 such I record the fact. During the three days pre- 

 vious to our making the land, we experienced a 

 northerly current of one knot per hour. We tried 

 during the same period for soundings, with nearly 

 200 fathoms, but in vain. 



We passed along the north shore of Rottenest 

 at the distance of a mile and a half, closing with 

 it as we got to the eastward, where it is not so 

 rocky. The north shore should not be approached 

 within a mile. As we were opening out the bay 



VOL. I. E 



