Even to this day I feel the weakness in my back, particularly in cold weather, or when I attempt to lift any great weight suddenly.
Westerly winds, that increased as we got to the southward, brought us in sight of Depuch Island, a level lump of land, on the evening of New Year's Day, and at 7 P.M.we tacked in 15 fathoms, about twelve miles North-West 1/2 North from it.

We spent a couple of days beating to westward in the neighbourhood of the coast, from which the bank appeared to extend sixty miles, with an equal number of fathoms on its edge.
January 14, 1840.
At noon, the same prevailing westerly winds brought us within fifty miles of the north point of Sharks Bay, bearing South-East by South.

On the same evening we saw a herd of sperm whales.

From that day we had a southerly wind, which drawing round to the east as we got to the south, forced us away from the land, so that from there our track to Swan River described two sides of an acute-angled triangle; the 24th placing us somewhat further than we were on the 14th, namely 700 miles west from our destination; but at length we got a favourable wind to take us in.
DEATH AND BURIAL OF THE COOK.
January 21.
I must refer back to this date to record that a gloom was cast over the ship in the morning, in consequence of the rigid hand of death having been laid on one of our men, the cook, by name Mitchell, worn out by old age and bodily infirmities.

He breathed his last at midnight, and at 10 A.M.we committed his body to the deep.