I ought to mention that when Captain Wickham and myself left the ship, in the hope of inducing the natives to return with us, Miago, hearing of the expected visit, immediately went below, and dressed himself to the best possible advantage.  No sooner did the boat come alongside, than he appeared at the gangway, inquiring with the utmost possible dignity, “where blackfellas?” and was evidently and deeply mortified that he had no opportunity of astonishing the natives.

There has been a marked change in the weather, since the sun crossed the equator:  we have had no repetitions of the easterly squalls, before so prevalent, and the winds have been almost regular in the following order.  From 3 P.M. to 1 A.M. a light breeze from South-South-West which freshening alters to South-East where it remains till 8 A.M., from that hour gradually decreasing, and at the same time changing to North-East and North.  The thermometer, for some days past has ranged from 72 to 89 degrees; a temperature which we thought a few months ago intolerable, was now quite agreeable.

We looked forward with the utmost anxiety to the result of our arrival at Port George the Fourth, as there, or at least in that neighbourhood, we hoped to hear some tidings of our friends Grey and Lushington, who, when we separated from them at the Cape, intended to land in Hanover Bay, establish a depot for stores, and from thence penetrate if possible into the interior.

THEIR PEACEABLE DISPOSITION.

I had no fear on the subject of any hostility from the natives, for in our own experience, we had as yet always found them inoffensive and peaceable; while should they prove otherwise, I was satisfied that a very slight acquaintance with the effects of gunpowder would be quite sufficient to quell their warlike propensities, but I did fear that they had chosen a very unfavourable point for debarkation, and that many causes would combine to arrest their progress into the interior.  How unhappily my anticipations were verified, will be seen hereafter.

Early on the morning of the 3rd, we left our anchorage under Point Cunningham, and by two o’clock P.M., had worked through Sunday Strait, where we encountered its usual heavy tide-races.  At four o’clock in the afternoon, Caffarelli Island bore East-South-East, 9 miles distant:  and about six, the wind, which through the day had been light and variable quite deserted us, when to avoid drifting back into the strait we anchored in 29 fathoms; Caffarelli Island bearing South-South-East 5 miles.  The tide here appeared to be one hour earlier than in Sunday Strait:  the flood set in a south-easterly, and the ebb in an opposite direction, at the rate of from half to one mile per hour.

The 24th saw us again underweigh, by the light of the stars, but the wind being variable and against us, we did not get beyond Adele Island, where we anchored in 14 fathoms:  the nearest part of it bearing North 75 degrees East 3 miles.