At 2 P.M. passed a cutter which was standing to the eastward. Towards midnight the weather became perfectly calm.

4th. This day set in with eastwardly winds, cloudy weather, and light rains at intervals: towards midnight the wind increased to a tolerably strong gale. At 8 A.M. the Sister Island at the entrance of Bass' Straits was in sight from the deck, bearing W.N.W. six or seven leagues. The wind was now fair, but the weather so cloudy as to endanger the safety of the ship if I attempted to run through the Straits; I therefore determined to hold to the wind on the starboard tack until the weather should

clear up.

10th. From the 4th instant we were employed working ship. to windward, having gales from the eastward, with thick cloudy weather. The first part of this morning the winds were light and variable from the south-westward: at 8 A.M. the breezes settled in the east quarter. Shortly after daylight we had the Sister Islands in sight, bearing S. by E. At 5A.M. Kent's Group was in sight from the deck, bearing W. by S. I had all sails set standing towards them. At 11 A.M. Kent's Group bore N. by W. two or three leagues: at noon, Judgment Rocks bore N.N.W. W. four miles.

At 4 P.M. Curtis's Islands bore N. W. six

miles, at which time one of the Port Jackson vessels hove in sight, which had been despatched from Sydney a few days before I sailed, to withdraw from Western Port a small number of troops and convicts, sent there early in 1827 to establish a settlement, which project was now abandoned, the soil having been found unproductive.

The islands we passed this day are visited in the summer months yearly by boats' crews from Port Dalrymple in Van Diemen's Land, for the purpose of procuring seal-skins and birds' feathers. When the straits were first discovered, those islands abounded with seals, but such numbers of them have been since killed that they are now so scarce as barely to cover the expense of procuring them.

12th.-First and middle parts of the day we had moderate breezes, with fine weather throughout the day, and heavy dews at night. Latitude observed at noon, 39° 16′ S; longitude by chronometers, 142° 16′ 30′′ E.

22d.-Nothing remarkable occurred since the 12th, until this morning at 1 A.M., at which time we crossed the equator. The latitude at noon was 0° 50′ N., longitude 87° 26′ E. Thermometer in the shade at noon stood at 87°. The wind for the last three days prevailed from the westward, with squally damp weather.

At 8 A.M. yesterday, there was a ship in sight to leeward, steering S.S.E., distance off four miles being to windward, I bore away, and made a signal to speak her, which was answered by the ship shewing French colours, but she did not shorten sail. This conduct was unkind, as I had altered my course ten points for the purpose of communicating with her. After an hour's lost time I resumed my course. to inform the commander of this ship, in case he were bound to Europe, of my safe arrival so near to Bengal, in the event of any accident happening to the Rescarch before she reached her port of destination, that her success so far might be known as early as possible.

I wished much

27th. At 10 A.M. the man stationed at the masthead having espied a ship to the north-eastward, we bore way to speak her. At noon we found her to be the Nandey of Liverpool, Captain Ramsey, homeward-bound from Calcutta. I sent a boat on board to report my arrival in the Bay of Bengal. On the boat's return I learnt that the late Governor-General of India, Lord Amherst, had sailed for England on the 11th instant from Saugor, on board the ship of war Herald.

Captain Ramsey reported having met with a strong gale from the eastward a few days after leaving the pilot, by which the greater part of his live stock were killed, and a cask of lamp oil spilled. I sent him ten gallons of lamp oil, two

pigs, and three geese. On the officer's return, he informed me that one of the Nandey's passengers stated that the people in Calcutta doubted the safety of the Research, and that their fears were increased by the malicious reports of Dr. Tytler, who had arrived there from New South Wales in October last. Captain Ramsey sent me a Bengal newspaper, containing an account of the late glorious battle of Navarino..

At 1 P.M. I pursued my course with all sail set to reach Calcutta as soon as possible, and dispel the erroneous conjectures of my friends. The weather throughout the day was rendered disagreeable by passing light squalls with rain at intervals.

April 3d.-At daylight the coast of Orissa was visible from the deck, bearing N.W.W., distance off three leagues, at which time we struck soundings in twenty-seven fathoms, mud bottom. The latitude observed at noon was 18° 25' N. The ship was then distant from the entrance of Chicacol river six leagues. We sounded and struck the bottom in thirty fathoms water. The wind throughout the forenoon was from the south-westward, blowing light unsteady breezes. The thermometer in the shade stood at 86°.

4th. At noon the latitude was 19° 39′ N., at which time the well-known Jaggernaut Pagoda was in sight from the deck, bearing N. by E. E. distance off ten miles. At two o'clock a brig

was observed at anchor off the landing-place near to the above pagoda. At midnight we had strong land breezes, with heavy dews.

5th.-At 5 A.M. we were near to Point Palmira, and observed one of the Bengal pilot brigs standing towards us. At 7 we got a pilot from the brig, and immediately after stood to the north-eastward, with all sails set for the mouth of the River Hooghly. At 6 P.M. we anchored in the eastern channel, the tide being against us, our distance from the floating light vessel was about two miles; here we set the anchor watch and retired to rest.

6th. We weighed anchor at 4 A.M., and at 6 P.M. dropt anchor off Fulta in six and a half fathoms.