The small bay in the Isle St. Francis, which I call Petrel Bay, affords excellent shelter for two or three ships; but no fresh water, not even to rinse our mouths, could be found at this time; and a few scattered bushes were the nearest approach to wood upon the island.  Petrels, penguins, and a few hair seals may be procured, and probably some geese in the wet season.

I had hitherto observed upon this coast that the south-east and east winds produced the same effect upon the barometer as at the Cape of Good Hope, in keeping the mercury high, commonly at or above 30 inches and the more fresh was the wind, the higher it stood; but within the last few days the barometer was much lower with the same winds, and at this time was at 29.74.  The dense haze which prevailed might possibly have caused the change, but I suspected another reason for it.  Winds coming off the land, I had remarked, had a tendency to depress the mercury, and sea winds to make it rise, though no change took place in the weather; and it therefore seemed probable, as the trending of the coast beyond these islands was unknown, that the south-east and east winds came off the land, and not from the sea, as before; in which case the unknown coast would be found trending to the southward, a conjecture which, it will be seen, was verified.  That there was no entrance to a strait, nor any large inlet near these islands, was almost demonstrated by the insignificance of the tides; for neither in Fowler’s Bay nor at this Isle St. Francis could any set be perceived; nor was there any rise by the shore worthy of notice.

At half-past one we left Petrel Bay; and having passed between the small isles to the north-east, steered for Evans’ Island, and toward the Isles of St. Peter, which were expected to lie beyond it.  At five o’clock, we passed between Evans’ Island and some rocks above water, with breakers round them, lying three miles to the eastward.  An island, equally high with that of St. Francis, was then seen to the north, and low land extended from it to N. 45 deg.  E., which had some appearance of being part of the main.  We steered for these lands; and seeing an opening between them at sunset, I attempted it in the hope of getting anchorage for the night; but the water shoaled suddenly, from 4 fathoms to sixteen feet upon rocks, and obliged me to veer on the instant.  We then stood back to the southward till eight o’clock, and nothing being perceived in the way of the ship’s drift, hove to for the night.

FRIDAY 5 FEBRUARY 1802