June 1828. 



SEALING VESSELS— SCURVY. 



149 



faction. They went southward, landing for the night in Voces 

 Bay, and the following day went to the Adeona, in Bougain- 

 ville Harbour, v/here they remained some days. 



The day after the Indians left us, a boat came from the 

 Adeona, to acquaint us that, in a day or two, she and her 

 companions, the Uxbridge and Mercury, intended to leave the 

 Strait for the Falkland Islands ; upon which I prepared letters 

 for England, and a report of my proceedings for the Secretary 

 of the Admiralty. The ships passed by on the SOth, and took 

 my letters. 



This last month (June) set in with snow or rain, which con- 

 tinued until the 11th, when the weather assumed a very threa- 

 tening appearance. On the 14tli the barom_eter fell toSQ. 27, 

 and the wind blew a hard gale from N.E. ; but in the after- 

 noon it veered round to S. W., and the mercury rose rapidly. A 

 -gale from S.W. followed, and then to the end of the month we 

 had a series of moderate weather, but much snow. The mean tem- 

 perature for June was 32°,97 the range being between 19°, 2 

 and 48°, 7. 



J uly commenced with an unusually low temperature and a 

 high barometer; the former, on the 4tli was 12°,2, and the lat- 

 ter, at the same time, at 30,5 inches, having risen since the 

 14th of June 1.82 of an inch. After this we had a few mild and 

 fine days, but paid dearly for them ; a northerly gale set in, 

 bringing with it unwholesome damp weather, in which the 

 temperature rose to between S5° and 42°, and melted much 

 of the snow that had covered the ground, quite to the water"'s 

 edge, during the last two months. Our sick-list, particularly 

 of cases of scurvy, increased so much, during this damp, trying- 

 weather, that I determined upon sending the Adelaide to the 

 northward, to procure a supply of fresh meat from the Pata- 

 gonians ; and, at the same time, to survey that part of the Strait 

 lying between Cape Negro and the Second Narrow. 



Lieutenants Graves and Wickham, and Mr.Tarn,went upon 

 this service, the latter being most anxious to procure some 

 change of diet for the sick under his care, for some of whom 

 he was much alarmed. The appearance and severity of this dis- 



