152 NORTH-WEST MONSOON. 



lasted in each case several days. The heaviest gale 

 was in the beginning of March, and it was succeeded 

 by fair weather, and light north-westerly winds, 

 which on the 20th of that month* drew round to 

 the east and south-east, from which quarter they 

 continued to blow during the rest of our stay. 

 The S.E. trade blows lightly at first, during the 

 month of April, and increases in general strength 

 till June, during which month and July it often 

 blows very strongly, and then gradually fails again 

 in September, into a gentle breeze. At what time 

 the N.W. monsoon begins in Torres Strait is as yet 

 unknown, but probably from the end of October to 

 the middle of March, the weather is uncertain 

 and the winds variable, shifting from S.E. to N.W. 

 with much pleasant weather, but with occasional 

 tempests from the latter quarter. 



A detailed account of all the small islands scat- 

 tered through Torres Strait, would be too tedious ; 

 I shall therefore sketch out merely their principal 

 features, and then proceed to those which are the 

 most interesting, namely, those in the neighbour- 

 hood of Erroob or Darnley Island. 



If we take Endeavour Strait, Cape York, and 

 Mount Adolphus, as a base, all the islands which 

 stretch across the Strait to the northward of them 

 have one common character. They are all steep 



* Captain King, in his voyage, had the last of the N.W. mon- 

 soon on March 26th, between Cape Arnheim and Port Essington. 

 — King's Voyages, vol. I. p. 61. 



