Leaving Rottee we passed, soon after dark, round the western end of Pulo Douw, and stood for the position of a shoal reported by Mr. Lewis of the Colonial schooner, Isabella, to be in latitude 14 degrees 43 minutes South, and longitude 119 degrees 20 minutes East. Our inducement to search for this shoal was the fact of its being supposed to lie in the direct route of vessels sailing between Timor and the West coast of Australia. But after searching from the 9th to the 14th, and sounding repeatedly without getting bottom, we came to the conclusion that it did not exist. Breakers could have been seen at least ten miles from the Beagle's masthead, as there was a considerable swell from the south-west.
LIGHT WINDS.
On the 15th we were in latitude 16 degrees 05 minutes South and longitude 118 degrees 16 minutes East. After one of those stagnant calms so frequently met with near the equator, we got a light westerly breeze on the morning of the 18th. Towards midnight it freshened, veering from South-West by South to West-South-West with some rather sharp rain squalls. It appears that the westerly winds had already set in, and that the calm we experienced on the 17th was an unoccupied space between the easterly and westerly winds. There are few parts of the globe where light winds prevail so much as on the North-west coast of New Holland, particularly between the latitudes of 13 and 17 degrees, and from one to two hundred miles from the land. They are, however, excepting in the months of January, February, and March, from the eastward, south-east in the morning and east in the afternoon. These winds prevented us from making the coast on the eastward of Depuch Island; and as we had failed in getting a supply of provisions at Timor, we were compelled to relinquish the plan of continuing the examination of that part of the coast between the Turtle Islands and Roebuck Bay.
BEZOUT ISLAND.
The Beagle was consequently anchored under Bezout Island, one of the eastern isles of Dampier's Archipelago, and boats were sent to examine the coast on the southward of Cape Lambert.
It may, perhaps, be worthy of remark, that should a vessel be brought by any chance to this dreary part of the world in May, June, or July, anchorages exposed to easterly winds should be left at or before daylight--that being the time they set in; by noon all is again quiet. Bezout Island is of the same formation as Depuch; and so are many of the broken ridges, with bare stony summits, of a dark brown hue, on the main near Cape Lambert, trending South-South-West. A more dreary sterile country can scarcely be seen; yet it still maintains inhabitants.
August 26.
The weather has been truly strange for the last four days. The winds, instead of being easterly have been from South-west to North-west, light with the former during the mornings, and moderate with the latter in the evenings. On this day they were from all quarters, with distant thunder in the north-west, and several rain squalls. In the night it settled at east, a fresh breeze bringing with it fine weather. In connection with our former remarks on striking vicissitudes in the weather occurring near the change of the moon, we should mention that it was new moon the day following.
The material for the chart collected in this part consists of the main from below Picard Island to nearly twenty miles west of Cape Lambert, with the neighbouring islands, an extent of nearly forty-five miles. The part near Picard Island was carefully examined by Mr. Forsyth. He reported the main to the South-South-West of that island, forming the head of the bay between Cape Lambert and Depuch, to be extensive flats of mud and sand, over which the sea sometimes passed. Between Picard and Cape Lambert the shore is cut up by mangrove creeks. On a hill up one of these, several small kangaroos were seen. Near the Cape Mr. Forsyth perceived twenty-seven natives, seven of whom were children, in one party.
DELAMBRE ISLAND.