The temperature was much lower than we expected to find it, the thermometer ranging only between 75 and 84 degrees; so that during the day, while the sea breeze lasted, the heat was not at all oppressive.
August 18.
We left South-West Bay on the 18th at daybreak; but from light airs made so little progress that it was not until the following afternoon that we passed between McCluer's and New Year's Islands; between the latter and Oxley's Island we passed over two coral banks, separated from each other by a deep channel.

On the easternmost bank were nine fathoms, but on the other we found overfalls between five and seven fathoms.

A native's fire that was burning on Oxley's Island served to fix the position of this last bank.
August 19.
The next morning we were off Cape Croker and at noon were passing Port Essington; the projecting heads of which, at the distance of four or five leagues, have the appearance of being two small islands, for the land at the back and on either side is too low to be seen.

Between Port Essington and Cape Van Diemen we steered so as to see several parts of the coast of Melville Island in order to compare their relative meridional distances with those of last year's survey.
August 22.
The latter projection, which is the western limit of the north coast, came in sight on the evening of the 22nd when its longitude was found to be 130 degrees 19 minutes 33 seconds, which is 1 minute 2 seconds to the westward of last year's observation; the mean therefore may be considered as its true longitude, which is 130 degrees 20 minutes 30 seconds.
At sunset we were eleven miles from the Cape, bearing South 67 1/2 degrees West.
August 23.
And the next morning it was seen in the South-South-East.

After rounding it a course was steered down the western side of Bathurst Island.
August 26.
But it took us until the 26th before we passed Cape Fourcroy.
August 27.
On the following evening we made the land on the south side of Clarence Strait in the vicinity of Vernon's Islands: this was the last land seen by us on leaving the coast in May, 1818.
Between Goulburn Island and this part we had a succession of light baffling winds, with sultry, damp, and hazy weather, which proved very unfavourable for our sick, the number of whom was increasing.