538 APPENDIX. 



twelve miles within the entrance to Victoria River, and sixty- 

 five from Point Pearce, on tlie sea coast. For the first three 

 weeks of this time, the sea breeze was regular from N. W. or 

 W. N. AV., generally setting in about noon, and lasting the 

 greater part of the night ; in the mornings, and until noon, 

 it was mostly calm, or very light winds from the northward. 

 In the last week of this month the weather was very unsettled 

 and squally, with much thunder and lightning, and rain, the 

 wind mostly between S. E. and N. E. ; after which, the 

 westerly breezes set in again, and continued until we left the 

 coast in the middle of December. 



During the whole of this period the westerly winds did not 

 appear to come from any distance, but to be merely local sea 

 breezes, as they did not cause any sea upon the coast, nor did 

 they reach far in shore ; as we frequently observed smoke at 

 no great distance from the coast, rising perpendicularly, or in- 

 fluenced by a light south-easterly wind, and this at times when 

 the sea breeze was strong. From this it would appear, that 

 the westerly monsoon had not reached so far to the southward, 

 nor did we find, after sailing from Point Pearce, that the 

 winds were at all steady from the westward, until we had 

 reached to the northward of Cape Londonderry, which is in 

 latitude 13" 45' S. To the northward of this, the winds were 

 from the westward, accompanied by fine weather during the 

 day to the southward of that point — sometimes as far as S.W. 

 — and at niglit inclining to the northward of west, but 

 generally speaking, we found the wind to the southward of 

 west, and the current running from half a mile to a mile an 

 hour to the N. or N.N.E. 



The currents between New Holland and Timor, are said to 

 run to the westward, during the easterly monsoon— and in the 

 opposite direction with the westerly ; but they seem to be in- 

 fluenced by every trifling change of wind — as on the 20th, 

 21st, 22nd, and 23rd of December, (when the westerly mon- 

 soon might be supposed at its height,) we experienced light, 

 variable winds, between S.E. and E.N. E., — during which 



