Page:Narrative of a survey of the intertropical and western coasts of Australia, Volume 2.djvu/273

 APPENDIX. SECTION I. OF THE WINDS AND CURRENTS, AND DESCRIPTION OF THE PORTS, ISLANDS, AND COAST BETWEEN PORT JACKSON AND BREAKSEA SPIT. A. Ta south-east trade cannot be said to blow home upon Section L that part of the coast of New South Wales, which lies be- East twecu Breaksea Spit and Port Jackson, except during the summer months, when winds from that quarter prevail, and often blow very hard; they are then accompanied by heavy rains, and very thick weather: generally, however, from October to April, they assume the character of a sea-breeze, and, excepting during their suspension by south-easterly or westerly gales, are very regular. In the month of December strong south-easterly gales are not uncommon; and in Fe- bruary and March they are very frequent. In the month of December, hot winds from the N.W. will sometimes last for two or three days, and are almost always suddenly terminated by a gust of wind from the southward. The most prevailing winds, during all seasons, are from the south, and are probably oftcrier from the eastward of that .point s from the westward. The current always sets to the southward, and has been.found by us, on several occa= sions, to set the strongest during a S.E. gale. The general course of the current is in the direction of the coast, but .this is not constant ;ofor, between Port' Stevens and to the southward of Port Jackson, it sometimes sets in towards it. In n gale from the S.E., in the month of December, 1820, it must have been setting as much to the westward as S.W. This should be attended to, particularly in south-easterly gales, and an offing preserved to provide against the wiud's

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