Volume II Part 45 (1/2)
I have noticed, that when the seabreeze sets in from a point to the ard of South-West, it does not blow so strong, and generally lulls at sunset; but if more southerly, or from South-South-West, it is a fiery breeze, and often lasts untilseabreezes, coe Road and the shore is very inconvenient--particularly for laden boats
In March, the seabreezes are not nearly so strong, but are generallyin thickrain
Generally speaking, when the seabreezes are the strongest, the land winds are light, and vice versa
I cannot speak fro the month of April, at Swan River, but have been told that the seabreezes are er duration; calether seeht winds are occasionally felt froloomy appearance between that point and South-West
May is the month in which the winter weather fairly sets in, and it rarely happens that thecommenced This season see in--it is ushered in by bloeather, fro round to the ard, as it increases in strength The first of this weather usually lasts from a week to fourteen days; then coht's duration, and sometimes a month; after which the rains set in more constant, and the intervals of fine weather are shorter; this weather lasts until October, and at ti the intervals of fine weather the cli appearance; land and seabreezes are as regular as in summer, with the exception, that the latter are ales that occasionally occur during the winter months, on the southern parts of the west coast of Australia, are probably felt as far north as Shark's Bay They bloith great violence, and are accoloomy weather, and rain It is then unsafe to be near the land--as the gale that commences at North-North-East, invariably veers to the ard,a lee shore of the whole line of coast, and between West-North-West and West-South-West blows the hardest
Fortunately these gales give a; the baroins to fall three or four days before the coale--besides which, there are other never-failing indications of a northerly wind, such as, the change of the current, which (owing to the prevailing southerly winds) usually sets to the northward, but runs strong to the southward during northerly winds--frequently preceding theof the water is likewise a certain prognostic of a northerly wind; and has been invariably noticed, at Swan River, to precede all gales from that quarter--this, of course, can only be observed while at anchor on the coast
Another, and perhaps equally certain sign of approaching bad weather, during the winter season (and which is alth of the North-East winds--as it has been observed, that when the land winds blow strong, particularly fro baroale from the northill follow Perhaps these latter remarks, are only applicable to that distance from the shore, where a shi+p will be within the influence of the land and seabreezes; but as I conceive the limit of that distance to be full 30bad weather, ether useless I am of opinion, that land winds are at tis, which is not less than 30 enerally between that and 40
(In latitude 30 degrees 25 ot frole, with 185 fathoms of line, upon a coral bottos reater distance from the land, than off any other part of the west coast)
The North-West gales are of longer duration, in the latitude of Swan River, and south of that, than they are to the northward; they do not appear to be entirely confined to the winter months, as I am told that a very heavy one was experienced at Swan River, early in March, 1832, and on the 13th Dece breeze froe Road, in consequence of which, it was considered necessary to let go an extra anchor
As it ress of these gales, and the effect they have upon the baroive the details of two that were experienced in HMS Beagle, one at Swan River, in the beginning of June 1838, the other at Hout of May 1840; they th and duration of these gales, the latter having been experienced, probably, within 5 degrees of their northern limit, and the former near the southern extreme of the west coast
As our baroister of a syale of June in that year; but as this instrument had been found (by coly well, it will be sufficient for our purpose; the GENERAL use of a lass, for which purpose a syood, and ister of a baroh 02 too loill serve to show the effect upon the mercury
At Swan River, on the 24th of May, 1838, the as strong and squally fro the day the oil co slowly until the 30th, when it was 3016; during the greater part of this interval, the winds were light, generally fro round the cohts werebetween North-North-East and South-West and the whole western horizon had a gloo of the 30th, the water had risen considerably at the anchorage, and the stream ran to the southward; a fresh breeze also set in froradually veered to the northward, as it increased in strength On the 31st it blew hard all day, between North-North-East and North-North-West, with dark squally weather,in South-West and heavy rain, that continued all night On June the 1st, the gale was at its height, and at 8 AM (the syale, with heavy squalls and rain, from North-West; towards noon the wind veered to west, but still blew very hard; the sy the as West-South-West and had h heavy clouds still hung on the western horizon
The next(the 2nd) the sympiesometer had risen to 3026; but this was much too sudden a rise (033 in 24 hours) to allow us to suppose, that the favourable change in the weather was to be of long continuance; during the day the oil began to fall again, and the wind veered to West and North-West and on the 3rd blew harder than ever, with heavy rain, thunder, and lightning; and, with the exception of occasional intervals, when the wind moderated, this weather continued until the 10th The wind during this time was variable, between North-North-West and West-South-West, the sy with the North-West winds, and rising as the wind veered to west and West-South-West
This gale, which may be said to have been of ten days' continuance, caused a very heavy sea upon the coast; the oldest residents at Swan River said they had never experienced so heavy a sea before On the 10th the glass coht variable winds, until the Beagle sailed (on the 20th)
Owing to the security of Owen's anchorage, and the good quality of the botto the slightest apprehension to anyone on board; but had a e Road, in all probability, she would have added one more to the list of wrecks, that have already done too ainst the Swan River settleale of May, 1840, at Houtman's Abrolhos, commenced in a si in a lower latitude, was of shorter duration, and the indications did not precede it such a length of tiale co, and lasted until the evening of the 4th
on April the 29th, the baroh); it then co of May the 2nd, was 2986; during this interval we daily experienced strong East-North-East and North-East winds; they generally coht, and lasted until noon; a bank of clouds was also collecting in the North-West and there was occasional lightning in that quarter; the early part of May the 2nd was nearly calm, and there was a heavy bank of clouds between North and South-West After noon a light breeze sprang up froht the barometer fell 17-hundredths
At sunrise on May the 3rd, there was a fresh breeze froloo rapidly, and by noon it blew a heavy gale at West-North-West; the baroht, when the wind drew to the southward of west, and the ale continued unabated, with squalls and rain, until noon of the 4th, although the baroht; in the afternoon the wind moderated, and the weather becaives aale, as it had been falling nearly four days before the coht to be sufficient to put a uard if near the shore Between April the 29th (the first day of the fresh north-easterly winds) and May the 3rd (when the gale was at its height, and the wind began to draw to the southward of west) the e of current did not precede the wind, but changed with it; when the gale was strong from North-West and West-North-West the current ran a knot an hour to the South-East, and when the wind changed to South-West it ran with the same velocity to the North-East
The west coast of New Holland is at ti hurricanes I was told by the master of an American whaler, that in March 1839, when in company with several whalers off Sharks' Bay, he experienced soiven any previous warning, but it was not of long continuance; the gusts of ere very violent, shi+fting suddenly to all points of the coe, in loss of topmasts, etc others in sails, but all more or less I think the first squall was from North-East off the land
The American whalers that resort to the west coast of Australia, are upon different parts of it at all seasons of the year; their range is between the parallel of 10 and 50 degrees of south latitude In the summer they fish to the southward, and at that season visit Swan River and King George's Sound, for refresh the winter months they are rarely to the southward of Sharks' Bay; numbers are to be met off the North-West Cape