The opinion of Captain Wickham, R.N. commanding H.M. ship Beagle, is perfectly in accordance with my own.  He was upon the coast at the same time that we were, and in a letter to me writes thus:  “Our cruise has been altogether a fortunate one, as we have been enabled to examine the whole coast from Cape Villaret to this place (Port George the Fourth) without any accident, and the climate is so good that we have had no sick.”

THERMOMETRICAL OBSERVATIONS.  RAIN AND TEMPERATURE.

I have annexed a short statement of the weather and range of the thermometer during some parts of the months of December, January, and February.  It will be seen from this that the heat was on some occasions great, even as high as to 136 degrees of Fahrenheit in the sun; yet, by not exposing ourselves to its influence in the heat of the day more than we could help, we suffered no inconvenience from this circumstance:  indeed in other tropical countries where the heat has not been so great I have suffered much more than I did in North-western Australia.

NUMBER OF DAYS IN WHICH RAIN FELL: 

December:  6 days. 
January:  19 days, namely, 12, to January 19th, 4 between 19th and 28th, 3
to end of month. 
February:  7 days. 
March:  12 days. 
To 12th April:  2 days.

In January the greatest quantity of rain fell between the 15th and 30th, accompanied by storms of thunder and lightning.

In February the greatest quantity of rain fell in the commencement of the month.  For several nights in the middle of February we had thunder, lightning, and strong gusts of wind, seldom accompanied by rain.

In March the greatest quantity of rain fell from the 17th to the 23rd.

The mean temperature of the different periods of the day for the month of December 1838 at Hanover Bay, determined by observations for only six successive days from the 26th to the 31st inclusive (thermometer in the shade) are as follows: 

6 A.M. 82.2. 9 A.M. 85.3. 12 m. 91.3. 3 P.M. 90.2. 6 P.M. 85.8. 9 P.M. 83.5.

The same for the month of January 1838, determined by observations made from the 1st to the 19th inclusive, was: 

6 A.M. 78.2. 9 A.M. 84.3. 12 M. 83.1. 3 P.M. 85.7. 6 P.M. 80.7. 9 P.M. 83.4.

I should observe that the mean temperature for 9 P.M. for this month is deduced from only seven days observation.

The same as the above for the month of February, taken twelve miles to the south of Hanover Bay, from the 19th to the 26th February inclusive, is as follows: 

6 A.M. 77.0. 9 A.M. 86.0. 12 A.M. 92.7. 3 P.M. 94.0. 6 P.M. 83.3.

ABORIGINES, THEIR HABITS AND MANNERS.

I was never fortunate enough to succeed in obtaining a friendly interview with the natives of these parts; but I have repeatedly seen them closely, was twice forced into dispute with them and, in one of these instances, into deadly conflict.  My knowledge of them is chiefly drawn from what I have observed of their haunts, their painted caves, and drawings.  I have moreover become acquainted with several of their weapons, some of their ordinary implements, and I took some pains to study their disposition and habits as far as I could.