ey said he watched everything, aye, every
bush, with the most scrutinizing gaze: his head appeared to turn upon a
pivot, so constantly was it in motion, with all that restless
watchfulness for which the savage is ever remarkable. The heat to-day
either exceeded an average, or else perhaps, as an invalid, I noticed it
more closely:

On shore, it was 98 degrees in the shade.
On board, it was 90 degrees in the shade.
Pulling off in the boats 118.
During the day, it fluctuated, between 88 and 94.

A breeze from seaward blew the greater part of each night from
West-South-West, hauling round to south in the morning.

January 20.

Our noon observation to-day enabled us to fix the latitude of Cape
Villaret 18 degrees 18 minutes 50 seconds, which precisely agrees with
that assigned to it by Captain King.

MR. USBORNE WOUNDED.

In the afternoon the boats returned with Mr. Usborne, who had been
unfortunately very severely wounded by the accidental discharge of a
musket. It appeared that after a careful examination of the bay, which
ended as I had anticipated, in proving that no opening to the interior
would be found in it, the party were returning to the boats, when, from
the accidental explosion of a musket in the hand of one of the party, a
ball entered Mr. Usborne's right side, near the spine, between the lower
rib and hip bone, making an exit in a line with the navel. This truly
unfortunate circumstance--which for some weeks deprived the expedition of
the services of a most valuable officer--occurred about 10 o'clock A.M.,
but the time and trouble of carrying the sufferer through the mud to the
boats, and then pulling some 15 miles, made it near 6 o'clock before he
was on board and under the charge of Mr. Bynoe: we were all shocked to
see our companion lifted apparently lifeless into the vessel he had so
recently quitted full of health, and animated by an anxious desire to do
all in his power to conduce to the general success; but were ere long
assured by Mr. Bynoe, whose personal or professional merits need no
eulogium from me--and who immediately and most carefully attended our
wounded messmate--that the best results might be reasonably hoped for: a
prediction shortly afterwards happily verified. At the time this unlucky
accident occurred, some twenty natives rushed from the concealment whence
they had been doubtless watching all the proceedings of the party, as
though they designed to bear a part in what probably se