1803.
February.
85° to 87°, nearly as it had been from first entering the Gulph of Carpentaria; and on shore it was probably 10° higher. Several of our people were ill of diarrhœas at this time, accompanied with some fever, which was attributed by the surgeon to the heat and the moist state of the atmosphere; for since December, when the north-west monsoon began, not many days had passed without rain, and thunder squalls were frequent. Exposing the head uncovered to the sun, more especially if engaged in strong exercise, was proved to be very dangerous here; I lost one man in Blue-mud Bay from a want of due precaution in this particular, and at this place two others very narrowly escaped. Musketoes were numerous and exceedingly troublesome on shore, as also the black flies; but no venemous reptiles were seen in our limited excursions round Caledon Bay. The mercury in the barometer stood between 29,90 and 29,95 inches, in the rainy weather with strong winds from the eastward; but with fine weather and variable winds, more especially from the south and westward, it descended to 29,80 inches.
