The night was fine with light south-west winds; but we had lightning in the North-East, from which quarter at daylight the weather clouded in; and, from the increasing dampness of the atmosphere, indicated rain.
At noon we were in 15 degrees 12 minutes 15 seconds South and 7 minutes 1 second east of the anchorage in Cygnet Bay. The wind was from the southward with dull cloudy weather. Large flights of birds were about the vessel, preying upon small fish swimming among the seaweed, of which we passed a great quantity. As the evening approached the weather clouded in and threatened us with another squall from the eastward. The thermometer stood at 88 degrees, and the barometer at 29.81 inches: half an hour before sunset the clouds, which had collected in the eastern horizon, began to thicken and approach us with loud thunder and vivid lightning: all the sails, except the topsails which were lowered, were furled just in time to avoid any bad effects from the squall, which commenced with a strong gust from East-South-East and East; it lasted about an hour, during the latter part of which we had very heavy rain. At eight o'clock the wind fell to a calm and was afterwards baffling and light from north to east and south-east.
February 20.
At daylight (20th) the morning was dull and cloudy: a bank of heavy threatening clouds, rising from the eastward, induced my steering to the westward to await the issue of this weather, so unfavourable for our doing any good upon the coast, as well as increasing the danger of navigating among reefs and islands where the tides were so strong. The next morning at daylight we had a squall with rain and wind from the eastward after which a fresh breeze set in from the same quarter: as this weather appeared likely to last I very unwillingly determined upon leaving the coast and returning immediately to Port Jackson.
February 21 to 24.
From the 21st until the 24th we had moderate winds between north and south-east which gradually drew us out of the influence of the damp, unwholesome weather we so lately experienced. Our course was held to the northward of Rowley's Shoals which, upon passing, we found a strong current setting towards them at the rate of one mile an hour. This indraught increases the danger of navigating near this part but I do not recollect having experienced any when we passed them in June, 1818. The current, therefore, that we felt, may be only of temporary duration, and probably caused by the variable state of the wind.
1822. February 24 to March 3.
Between the 24th of February and the 3rd of March we had light and variable winds from all directions but, being more frequent from the eastward than from any other point of the compass, I became reconciled to the step I had taken of leaving the coast, since it would not have been possible to have reached Port George the Fourth to effect any good.
The thermometer now ranged between 87 and 89 degrees and the weather was consequently extremely oppressive and sultry.
March 3 to 11.