Mr. Flinders's Observations 
254 
see any other reason, than that the wind, which blew from 
the sea upon one coast, came from off the land in the other. 
Although the height of the mercury upon the south coast 
of Australia was, upon the average, considerably above the 
medium standard 29,50, it was still greater upon the east 
coast: I cannot fix it at less than 30,08 or 30,10, whereas 
upon the south coast, I should take it at 30 inches; both 
subject to the probable error of one or two-tenths of an inch 
in excess. This superiority seems attributable to the greater 
prevalence of sea winds upon the east coast, and particularly 
of those from SE, which, when all other circumstances are equal , 
I have observed to raise the mercury higher than any other 
on this side of the equator, analogous to the effect of north- 
east winds in the northern hemisphere ; and perhaps also, the 
superiority may be in part owing to the east coast having a 
more regular chain of higher mountains running at the back 
of, and parallel to it, which presents a greater obstruction to 
the passage of the wind over the land, than it meets on the 
south coast. 
The greatest range of the mercury observed upon the east 
coast, was from 29,60 to 30,36 at Port Jackson ; and within 
the tropic from 29,88 to 30,30; whilst upon the south coast, 
the range was from 29,42 to 30,51, in the western part, 
where the latitude very little exceeds that of Port Jackson. 
It is to be observed, however, that these extremes are taken 
for very short intervals of time. 
My observations upon the north coast of Australia are but 
little satisfactory, both because the changes in the barometer 
were very small in so low a latitude, and that very little more 
than the shores of the gulph of Carpentaria could be examined. 
