The next morning (the 2nd) the sympiesometer had risen to 30.26; but this was much too sudden a rise (0.33 in 24 hours) to allow us to suppose, that the favourable change in the weather was to be of long continuance; during the day the oil began to fall again, and the wind veered to West and North-West and on the 3rd blew harder than ever, with heavy rain, thunder, and lightning; and, with the exception of occasional intervals, when the wind moderated, this weather continued until the 10th.  The wind during this time was variable, between North-North-West and West-South-West, the sympiesometer between 29.81 and 30.16—­falling with the North-West winds, and rising as the wind veered to west and West-South-West.

This gale, which may be said to have been of ten days’ continuance, caused a very heavy sea upon the coast; the oldest residents at Swan River said they had never experienced so heavy a sea before.  On the 10th the glass commenced to rise steadily, and the weather was fine, with light variable winds, until the Beagle sailed (on the 20th).

Owing to the security of Owen’s anchorage, and the good quality of the bottom, the Beagle rode out this bad weather, without causing the slightest apprehension to anyone on board; but had a merchant vessel been in Gage Road, in all probability, she would have added one more to the list of wrecks, that have already done too much in prejudicing strangers against the Swan River settlement.

The gale of May, 1840, at Houtman’s Abrolhos, commenced in a similar manner with that already described, but being in a lower latitude, was of shorter duration, and the indications did not precede it such a length of time; still they were in every respect similar.

This gale commenced on the 2nd of May, in the evening, and lasted until the evening of the 4th. on April the 29th, the barometer stood at 30.17 (having been some days steadily high); it then commenced to fall, and on the evening of May the 2nd, was 29.86; during this interval we daily experienced strong East-North-East and North-East winds; they generally commenced after midnight, and lasted until noon; a bank of clouds was also collecting in the North-West and there was occasional lightning in that quarter; the early part of May the 2nd was nearly calm, and there was a heavy bank of clouds between North and South-West.  After noon a light breeze sprang up from North-West which gradually freshened; and during the night the barometer fell 17-hundredths.

At sunrise on May the 3rd, there was a fresh breeze from North-North-West and the weather had a very dull and gloomy appearance, the wind increasing rapidly, and by noon it blew a heavy gale at West-North-West; the barometer had fallen to 29.58, at which it continued until midnight, when the wind drew to the southward of west, and the mercury began to rise.  The gale continued unabated, with squalls and rain, until noon of the 4th, although the barometer had been rising since the previous midnight; in the afternoon the wind moderated, and the weather became fine.