June 24 to 26.

For a few days we had light south-westerly winds, but they soon gave place to the South-East trade, which carried us quickly to the South-West.  The situation assigned by the Dutch sloop to the Tryal Rocks was passed, without our noticing any indication of their existence.

June 30.

On the 30th we crossed the Tropic of Capricorn, between the 106th and 107th degree of east longitude; the South-East trade then died away, and was succeeded by light baffling winds, between South-West and South, and from that to East, attended with very cloudy damp weather, and frequent squalls of heavy rain.  This unwholesome state of the air increased the number of our sick, for soon after leaving Timor the crew were attacked by dysentery brought on by change of diet; and at one time the disease wore a very alarming appearance.

1818.  July 7.

Having reached with difficulty the latitude of 27 degrees 37 minutes and longitude 104 degrees 51 minutes, a breeze freshened up, and gradually veered from South-South-East to East, and East-North-East.

July 9 to 13.

Between the 9th and 13th (on which day we passed the meridian of Cape Leeuwin) we had variable winds between North-East and North-West:  on the 9th the wind blew a heavy gale, in which our jolly-boat was washed away, and obliging us to bear up to the South-East prevented our seeing the land about Cape Chatham, as had been intended.

July 14 to 23.

Between this and King’s Island we had strong gales from the westward, veering, at times, between north and south, with thick and sometimes rainy weather.  During the southerly winds the air was very cold, and lowered the mercury to 47 and 49 degrees; but when the wind veered to the north it rose to 55 degrees, and gave us considerable relief.

On the 23rd soundings were struck off King’s Island

July 24.

And the next morning we entered Bass Strait by passing round the south end of the island.  Here George Speed, one of our seamen, breathed his last; his death was occasioned by an excessive indulgence in the vegetables and fruits obtained at Timor, and he had been sick ever since we left that place; first with dysentery, and then with an intestinal inflammation.

The weather was so bad when we passed through the south entrance to the Strait that we could make no very particular observation upon Reid’s Rocks, but they appear to be correctly placed by Captain Flinders.

July 26.

We did not get through the Strait until the 26th.  In passing the Pyramid it was found to be placed five miles too much to the northward in Captain Flinders’ chart.

The weather was now thick with heavy rain, and the wind blowing a gale from West-South-West.  I became very anxious to arrive at Port Jackson; for we had but five men who could keep watch.  The damp weather had attended us with little intermission since our passing Cape Leeuwin, and our people had been constantly wet with the continued breaking over of the sea:  indeed the decks had only been twice dry, and that even for a few hours, since we left that meridian.