the other hemisphere, and there is nothing else in view than to make a good passage; not only from the winds there being often stronger than desired, but because they will not blow so steadily from the westward.  In the latitude of 42 deg., I have experienced heavy gales from the north, and from the south, and even from the eastward, in the months of June and July; allowances for lee way were also frequent in that passage, and light winds or calms not uncommon.  The parallel of 42 deg. seems to be a very proper one, when the sun is in his highest south declination, and from that time until the middle of February; but in the opposite months of the year, I should prefer to run down my easting two or three degrees even to the northward of what was now chosen for the Investigator.

It may not be improper to anticipate upon the voyage so far as to state what was the result of keeping in the parallel of 37 deg., in the month of November.  From the Cape of Good Hope to the island Amsterdam, the winds were never so strong as to reduce the Investigator to close-reefed top sails; and on the other hand, the calms amounted to no more than seven hours in nineteen days.  The average distance on the log board upon direct courses, for we had no foul winds, was a hundred and forty miles per day; and the Investigator was not a frigate, but a collier-built ship, and deeply laden.  In the following twelve days run, from Amsterdam to the south-west cape of New Holland, the same winds attended us; and a hundred and fifty eight miles per day was the average distance, without lee way or calm.

THURSDAY 12 NOVEMBER 1801

On the 12th, I took the opportunity of light winds to send down a bucket, fitted with valves to bring up water from a depth; but having no thermometer of a proper size to go into the bucket, I could only immerse one after the water was brought up.  In this imperfect way, the temperature at 150 fathoms depth was found to be 63 deg.,1, differing very little from that of the water at the surface, which was 63 deg.,8.  In the air, the thermometer stood at 63 deg.,6.  The specific gravity of the water brought up was afterwards tried at King George’s Sound, and proved, at the temperature of 69 deg., to be 1,026, taking that of the crystal-glass bulb, with which the experiment was made, at 3,150; and the specific gravity of the surface water, taken up at the same time, was exactly the same.  The latitude of our situation was 36 deg. 36’ south, and longitude 38 deg. 23’ east.  The mean inclination of the dipping needle, placed upon the cabin table, was 58 deg. 4’ of the south end; and the variation, by mean of azimuths on the preceding evening and amplitude this morning, taken on the binnacle when the ships head was S. E. by E., magnetic, was 31 deg. 47’; but the true variation, or such as would have been obtained with the head at north, or south, I consider to have been 29 deg. 22’ west.