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Towards Port Jackson.]

We passed within three miles of the round isle at dusk, and saw no other danger near it than the two rocks, which are very distinguishable; the weather was squally, but as I did not expect to meet with any more dangers, we kept on, steering seven points from the wind all night, with the precaution of having a warrant officer at the look-out. In the way to Bass' Strait I wished to have completed the examination of Kanguroo Island, and also to run along the space of main coast, from Cape Northumberland to Cape Otway, of which the bad weather had prevented a survey in the former year; but the sickly state of my people from dysentery and fever, as also of myself, did not admit of doing any thing to cause delay in our arrival at Port Jackson.

In the afternoon of the 23rd, being in latitude 35° 10′ and longitude 128° 54′, the variation was observed with three compasses to be 4° 58′ west, when the ship's head was at magnetic east; this corrected, will be 1° 46′ west, agreeing with the observations on each side of this longitude in sight of the coast. On the 26th, in 37° 53′ south and 135° 48′ east, with the head S.E. by E., the variation was 1° 33′ west, or 1° 17′ east corrected; and in the same longitude at the head of Port Lincoln, we had found 1° 39′ east. This day James Greenhalgh, serjeant of marines, died of the dysentery; a man whom I sincerely regretted, from the zeal and fidelity with which he had constantly fulfilled the duties of his situation.

The winds continued to blow strong, usually between South and W.S.W.; but the ship did not at any time leak more than five inches an hour. On the 29th, when approaching Bass' Strait, the breeze died away, and after some hours calm sprung up from the northward; next day at noon, our latitude was 40° 25⅓′, longitude 143° 8′ and we sounded with 98 fathoms, no ground, At two o'clock