534 APPENDIX. 



tinued until the lOth. The wind during this time was 

 variable, between N.N.W. and W.S.W., the sympiesometer 

 between 29.81 and 30.16— falling with the N.W. wind?, and 

 risins" as the wind veered to west and W.S.W. 



This gale, which may be said to have been often days' con- 

 tinuance, caused a very heavy sea upon the coast ; the oldest 

 residenfs at Swan River said they had never experienced so 

 heavy a sea before. On the 10th the glass commenced to rise 

 steadily, and the weather was fine, with light variable winds, 

 until the Beagle sailed, (on the 20th). 



Owing to the security of Owen's anchorage, and the good 

 quality of the bottom, the Beagle rode out this bad weather, 

 "without causing the slightest apprehension to any one on 

 board ; but had a merchant vessel been in Gage Road, in all 

 probability, she would have added one more to the list of 

 •wrecks, that have already done too much in prejudicing 

 strangers against the Swan River settlement. 



The gale of May, 1840, at Houtman's Abrolhos, com- 

 menced in a similar manner with that already described, but 

 being in a lower latitude, was of shorter duration, and the 

 indications did not precede it such a length of time ', still they 

 were in every respect similar. 



This gale commenced on the 2nd of May, in the evening, 

 and lasted until the evening of the 4th. 



On April the 29th, the barometer stood at 30.17, (having 

 been some days steadily high) ; it then commenced to fall, and 

 on the evening of May the 2nd, was 29.86 ; during this in- 

 terval we daily experienced strong E.N.E. and N.E. winds; 

 they generally commenced after midnight, and lasted until 

 noon ; a bank of clouds was also collecting in the N.W. and 

 there was occasional lightning in that quarter; the early part 

 of May the 2iid was nearly calm, and there was a heavy bank 

 of clouds between N. and S.W. After noon a light breeze 

 sprang up from N.W. which gradually freshened ; and during 

 the night the barometer fell 17-hundredths. 



At sunrise on May the 3rd, there was a fresh breeze from 



