COASTS OF AUSTRALIA. 
35 
thick gloomy weather, with the wind between i 82 i. 
South and E.S.E. ; and, after rounding the Cape Junes, 
had some heavy rain, in which the mercury, 
having previously fallen to 29.91, rose to 29.95 
inches. Lightning from the east and west ac- 
companied the rain, but the wind was steady, 
and did not freshen or lull during the showers. 
On the 5th, at daylight, Goulburn Islands were 5 . 
seen, and at nine o’clock we passed through the 
strait that divides them ; our track being half a 
mile more to the northward than that of last 
year, we had more regular soundings. 
As soon as we anchored in South-West Bay, 
I sent on shore to examine our former watering- 
place, but found that the stream had failed. 
The parched up appearance of the island shewed 
that the last had been an unusually dry season; 
every place that, even in the month of August, 
six weeks later, had before yielded large quan- 
tities, as well as the lagoon behind the beach, 
which, from the nature of the plants growing in 
it, was conjectured to be a never- failing supply, 
was now dried up. 
The next morning the brig’s boat went over 6— s. 
to Sims Island with Mr. Cunningham, and there 
found a small quantity of water, sufficient, ac- 
cording to Mr. Hemmans’s report, for all our 
wants. The next morning (7th), he moved the 
D 2 
