DISCOVERIES IN AUSTRALIA;

WITH AN ACCOUNT OF THE

COASTS AND RIVERS

EXPLORED AND SURVEYED DURING THE

VOYAGE OF H. M. S. BEAGLE, IN THE YEARS 1837-38-39-40-41-42-43. 

BY

COMMAND OF THE LORDS COMMISSIONERS OF THE ADMIRALTY. 

ALSO

A NARRATIVE OF CAPTAIN OWEN STANLEY'S VISITS

TO THE

ISLANDS IN THE ARAFURA SEA. 

BY

J. LORT STOKES, COMMANDER, R. N. 

VOLUME 2. 

LONDON:T. AND W. BOONE, 29, NEW BOND STREET. 

1846. 

CONTENTS OF VOLUME 2. 

CHAPTER 2. 1. 

Leave Port Essington. Clarence Strait. Hope Inlet. Shoal Bay. Ian for Observations. Explore a new Opening. Talc Head. Port Darwin. Continue Exploration. Mosquitoes and Sandflies. Nature of the Country. Its parched appearance. Large ant's nest. Return to Shoal Bay. Visit from the Natives. Remarks. Their teeth perfect. Rite of Circumcision. Observations on the Migrations of the Natives. Theory of an Inland Sea. Central Desert. Salt water drunk by Natives. Modes of procuring water. Survey the harbour. Natives on a raft. Anecdote. Bynoe Harbour. Well. Brilliant Meteors. Natives on Point Emery. Their surprise at the well. Importance of water. Anecdote. Languages of Australia. Specimens. Remarks. Leave Port Darwin. Tides. Squall. Visit Port Patterson. Leave. Examine opening to the south-west. Table Hill. McAdam Range. Adventure with an Alligator. Exploring party. Discovery of the Victoria. Ascend the river. Appearance of the Country. Fitzmaurice River. Indian Hill. The Beagle taken up the river. 

CHAPTER 2. 2. 

Exploration of the Victoria. First appearance of Sea Range. Curiosity Peak. Appearance of Country from. Whirlwind Plains. Encounter with an Alligator. His capture and description. Cross Whirlwind Plains. White and black ducks. Kangaroos. Enter hilly country. Meet the boats. Thunderstorm. Carry boats over shoals. New birds. Reach Hopeless. Progress of boats arrested. Reconnoitre the river. Prospect from View Hill. Preparation for pedestrian excursion. Leave Reach Hopeless to explore the upper part of the river. Native village. Squall. Mussel Bend. Meet Natives. Successful fishing. Party distressed. Thirsty Flat. Tortoise Reach. Singular appearance of the ranges. Effect of the great heat. One man knocked up. Approach of natives. Preparation for defence. Appearance of the natives. Move further up the river. Emu Plains. Select position for night quarters. Upward course of the Victoria. Commence return. Kangaroo shot. Wickham Heights. New Tortoise. Lucky Valley. Race was with a native. Meet his tribe. They make off. Hard day's work. Quarters for the night. Return to Reach Hopeless. 

CHAPTER 2. 3. VICTORIA RIVER. 

Proceed down the river from Reach Hopeless. Meet watering party. One of the men deserts. Kangaroo shooting. The writer left to complete survey of river. Silk cotton-tree. Fertility of Whirlwind Plains. Attempt of one of the crew to jump overboard. Reach the Ship. Suffer from sore eyes. Lieutenant Emery finds water. Geological specimens. Bird's Playhouse. Tides. Strange weather. Range of Barometer. Accounted for by proximity of Port Essington. Hurricane. Effects of the latter. Dreary country behind Water Valley. Fruitless attempt to weigh ship's anchors. Obliged to slip from both of them. Proceed down the river. Complete survey of Main Channel. Visit south Entrance Point of river. Discover a number of dead turtles. Cross over to Point Pearce. Mr. Bynoe shoots a new finch. The Author speared. Pursued by natives. Escape. Flight of natives. Armed party pursue them. Night of suffering. General description of the Victoria. Gouty-stem tree and fruit. 

CHAPTER 2. 4. VICTORIA RIVER TO SWAN RIVER. 

Leave Point Pearce. Error in position of Cape Rulhieres. Obtain soundings on supposed Sahul Shoal. Discover a shoal patch on it. Ascertain extent of bank of soundings off the Australian shore. Strange winds in Monsoon. See Scott's Reef. Discover error in its position. Make Depuch Island. Prevalence of westerly winds near it. Sperm whales. Tedious passage. Death and burial of the ship's cook. Anecdotes of his life. Good landfall. Arrival at Swan River. Find Colony improved. Hospitality of Colonists. Lieutenant Roe's account of his rescuing Captain Grey's party. Burial of Mr. Smith. Hurricane at Shark's Bay. Observations on dry appearance of Upper Swan. Unsuccessful cruise of Champion. Visit Rottnest. Fix on a hill for the site of a Lighthouse. Aboriginal convicts. Protectors of natives. American whalers. Miago. Trees of Western Australia. On the safety of Gage Roads. 

CHAPTER 2. 5. 

Sail from Swan River. Search for the supposed Turtle-dove Shoal. Approach to Houtman's Abrolhos. Find an anchorage. View of the Lagoon. Guano. Remnants of the wreck of the Batavia. Pelsart Group. Visit the Main. Geelvink Channel. Enter Champion Bay. Appearance of the Country. Striking resemblance of various portions of the coast of Australia. Leave Champion Bay. Coast to the northward. Resume our examination of the Abrolhos. Easter Group. Good Friday Harbour. Lizards on Rat Island. Coral formation. Snapper Bank. Zeewyk Passage. Discoveries on Gun Island. The Mangrove Islets. Singular Sunset. Heavy gale. Wallaby Islands. Flag Hill. Slaughter Point. Observations of Mr. Bynoe on the Marsupiata. General character of the reefs. Tidal observations. Visit North Island. Leave Houtman's Abrolhos. General observations. Proceed to Depuch Island. Drawings on the rocks. Native youth. New bird and kangaroo. Effects of Mirage. Examine coast to the Turtle Isles. Geographe Shoals. Number of turtles. Bedout Island. Scott's Reef. Approach to Timor. Pulo Douw. Scene on entering Coepang Bay. Surprise of Swan River native. Visit to the Resident. His stories. Fort Concordia. Second visit to the Resident. The Timorees. Arrive at Pritie. Description of the country. Muster of the shooting party. Success of the excursion. The Javanese Commandant. Character of the Timorees. Dutch settlement in New Guinea. Leave Coepang. Island of Rottee. Tykal Inlet. Inhabitants of Polo Douw. 

CHAPTER 2. 6. 

Sail from Rottee. Search for shoal. Dampier's Archipelago. Examination of coast. Strange weather. Natives. Passage between Delambre and Huiy Islands. Proceed to Montebello Isles. Description of them. Barrow's Island. Tryal Rocks. New kangaroo. Abundance of turtle. New wallaby. Sail for Swan River. Find Ritchie's Reef. Islands between Barrow's and North-West Cape. Table of soundings. Swan River Native. Anchor under Rottnest. Vocabulary. Erect beacons. Bad weather. Habits of a native dog. Geological observations. Sail from Swan River. Error in position of Cape Naturaliste. King George's Sound. Appearance of Bald Head. Princess Royal Harbour. Origin of settlement. Town of Albany. Salubrity of climate. Excursion into interior. Course a kangaroo. Pitfalls. Herds of kangaroos. Rich country. The Hay River. Return to Albany. Departure for South Australia. Discover an Island. Death of a seaman. Position of Neptune Isles. Kangaroo, Althorp and Quoin Islands. Holdfast Road. Adelaide. Description of country. Governor Gawler's policy. Visit the Port. Mr. Eyre's expedition. Hardships of Overlanders. Cannibalism. Meet Captain Sturt. Native schools. System of education. Sail for Sydney. Squalls. Error in coast. Bass Strait. Arrive at Sydney. 

CHAPTER 2. 7. 

Land Sales. Unsettled boundaries. New Zealand. Hunter River. Midnight alarm. Ludicrous scene. Changes in Officers of ship. Leave Sydney. Port Stephens. Corrobory. Gale at Cape Upstart. Magnetical Island. Halifax Bay. Astonish a Native. Description of country. Correct chart. Restoration Island. Picturesque arrival. Interview with the Natives from Torres Strait. Their weapons. Shoal near Endeavour River. Discover good passage through Endeavour Strait. Booby Island. New birds. The Painted Quail. 

CHAPTER 2. 8. GULF OF CARPENTARIA. 

Leave Booby Island. Eastern shore of Gulf. Van Diemen's Inlet. Exploration of. Party of Natives. Level country. Tides. Visit Bountiful Islands. Description of them. Sail for Sweers Island. Investigator Road. Natives. Locusts. Record of the Investigator's visit. Dig a well. Boats explore island and coast to the westward. Sweers and Bentinck Islands. Tides. Take ship over to the main. Another boat expedition leaves. Ship proceeds to the head of the Gulf. Discovery and exploration of Disaster Inlet. Narrow escape. Description of Interior. Wild Fowl. Explore coast to the eastward. Inlets. Discover the Flinders. The Cuckoo. Ascent of the river. Night scene. Burial tree. Remarks. Return to the ship. Exploration of south-western part of Gulf. Large inlets discovered. 

CHAPTER 2. 9. GULF OF CARPENTARIA. 

Boat expedition. Explore an opening. Discovery of the Albert. Natives. Picturesque Scenery. Hope Reach. Birds and Fishes. Upper Branch. Beauty of the Landscape. Land excursion. The Plains of Promise. Halt the party and proceed alone. Description of the country. Return down the Albert. Mouth of River. Arrive at Van Diemen's Inlet. Find Mr. Fitzmaurice severely wounded. General result of the survey of the Gulf. Winds and Temperature. Booby Island. Endeavour Strait. Reach Port Essington. 

CHAPTER 2. 10. INDIAN ARCHIPELAGO. 

Leave Port Essington. Dobbo Island. Visit from the Schoolmaster. Church. Trade of the Arrou Islands. Their productions. Visit from Natives. The Banda Group. Penal Settlement. Adventures of a Javanese. Captain de Stuers. Native dance and sports. Nutmeg Plantations. Mode of preserving the fruit. Amboyna. Visit a natural grotto. Sail from Amboyna. Island of Kissa. Village of Wauriti. Missionary establishment. Serwatty Group. Return to Port Essington. 

CHAPTER 2. 11. PORT ESSINGTON AND THE NORTH-WEST COAST. 

Appearance of Settlement. Effects of climate. Native mother. Trade in teeth. Macassar Proas. Lieutenant Vallack visits the Alligator Rivers. Interview with Natives. Prospects of Port Essington. Lieutenant Stewart's Route. Climate. Remarks of Mr. Bynoe. Harbour of refuge. Sail from Port Essington. Sahul Shoal. Arrive at Coepang. Timorees. Sail for North-west Coast. Strong winds. Cape Bossut. Exploration of North-west Coast. View of Interior. Birds. Solitary Island. Visit the Shore. Amphinome Shoals. Bedout Island. Breaker Inlet. Exmouth Gulf. Arrive at Swan River. 

CHAPTER 2. 12. 

Reported Harbour. Set out for Australind. The Grass-tree. Correspondence with Mr. Clifton, etc. Sail from Gage Road. Examination of coast. Reach Champion Bay. Visit Mount Fairfax and Wizard Peak. Arid nature of country. Want of water. Native Grave. The Greenough river. Natives. Leave Champion Bay. Koombanah Bay. Naturaliste Reef. Reach South Australia. Port Adelaide. Proposed Railroad. Visit Mount Barker. Encounter Bay. Native fishing. Return to Adelaide. Sail from South Australia. Portland Bay. Squatters. Tour in the interior. Fertile country. View from the Sugarloaf. Visit Cape Bridgewater. Sail for Hobart. Liberality of Sir John Franklin. Atmospheric changes. Arrive at Sydney. 

CHAPTER 2. 13. 

Exploration of Interior. Twofold Bay. Survey of Bass Strait. Dangerous situation of the Beagle. Kent and Hogan Groups. Gipps Land. Wilson's Promontory. The Tamar. Eastern entrance of Strait. Steam communication between India and Australia. New Guinea. Straitsmen. North coast of Tasmania. Aborigines. Port Phillip. Directions for ships passing King Island. Complete survey of Bass Strait. Farewell to Sydney. Moreton Bay. The Comet. State of Tasmania, or Van Diemen's Land. Lighthouses in Bass Strait. 

CHAPTER 2. 14. AUSTRALIA TO ENGLAND. 

Sail from Tasmania. The South-west Cape. Monument to Flinders. Rottnest Island. Lighthouse. Penal Establishment. Longitude of Fremantle. Final departure from Western Australia. Rodrigue Island. Effects of a hurricane at Mauritius. The crew and passengers of a foundered vessel saved. Bourbon. Madagascar. Simon's Bay. Deep sea soundings. Arrival in England. Take leave of the Beagle. The Surveying service. 

. . . 

APPENDIX. WINDS AND WEATHER ON THE WESTERN AND NORTHERN COASTS OF AUSTRALIA. BY COMMANDER J. C. WICKHAM, R. N. 

LIST OF CHARTS. 

VOLUME 2. 

VICTORIA RIVER. 

GULF OF CARPENTARIA. 

ALBERT RIVER. 

PART OF WESTERN AUSTRALIA. 

PORT ADELAIDE AND HOLDFAST BAY. 

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. 

VOLUME 2. 

MESSRS. FITZMAURICE AND KEYS DANCING FOR THEIR LIVES. L. R. Fitzmaurice, del. London, Published by T. & W. Boone, 1846. 

FIRST APPEARANCE OF SEA RANGE. 

HEAD AND FEET OF ALLIGATOR. 

KILLING AN ALLIGATOR, VICTORIA RIVER. G. Gore, del. London, Published by T. & W. Boone, 1846. 

WICKHAM HEIGHTS FROM TORTOISE REACH. 

CAPTAIN STOKES SPEARED AT POINT PEARCE. C. Martens, del. London, Published by T. & W. Boone, 1846. 

GOUTY-STEM TREE. 

FRUIT OF GOUTY-STEM TREE. Section of fruit, showing the manner in which the seeds are disposed. 

VIEWS OF MORESBY'S RANGE, SEA RANGE, AND CAPE BEDFORD. Moresby's Range, West Coast, latitude 28 degrees 50 minutes South. Sea Range, Victoria River, North-west Coast, latitude 15 degrees 20 minutes South. Cape Bedford, North-east Coast, latitude 15 degrees 10 minutes South. 

ANCIENT DUTCH GUN. Dutch Four-pounder, with moveable chamber. 

NATIVE DRAWINGS. Lithographic impression of the copies made by Captain Wickham of the native drawings on Depuch Island. They have already appeared in the RoyalGeographical Journal Volume 12. The following list will convey to the reader what the drawings are intended to represent. 1. A goose or duck. 2. A bird; probably the leipoa. 6. A beetle. 11. A fish over a quarter-moon; which has been considered to have some reference to fishing by moonlight. 61. A native dog. 16. A native, armed with spear and wommera, or throwing stick, probably relating his adventures, which is usually done by song, and accompanied with great action and flourishing of weapons, particularly when boasting of his prowess. 20. A duck and a gull. 34. A corrobory, or native dance. 65. A crab. 30. A native in a hut, with portion of the matting with which they cover their habitations. 67. A kangaroo. 71. Appears to be a bird of prey, having seized upon a kangaroo-rat. 32. Shark and pilot-fish. 

COEPANG FROM THE ANCHORAGE. G. Gore, del. London, Published by T. & W. Boone, 1846. 

PASSING BETWEEN BALD HEAD AND VANCOUVER REEF. G. Gore, del. London, Published by T. & W. Boone, 1846. 

ENTRANCE OF VAN DIEMEN'S INLET. G. Gore, del. London, Published by T. & W. Boone, 1846. 

INTERESTING TREE. 

BURIAL REACH, FLINDERS RIVER. G. Gore, del. London, Published by T. & W. Boone, 1846. 

UPWARD VIEW OF HOPE REACH, ALBERT RIVER. G. Gore, del. London, Published by T. & W. Boone, 1846. 

FIRST VIEW OF THE PLAINS OF PROMISE, ALBERT RIVER. G. Gore, del. 

LAST VIEW OF THE PLAINS OF PROMISE, ALBERT RIVER. G. Gore, del. London, Published by T. & W. Boone, 1846. 

APPROACH TO PORTLAND BAY. Cape Nelson, Cape Grant, Lawrence Isles East-North-East nine miles. 

DANGEROUS SITUATION OF BEAGLE. A. J. Mason Sc. 

DEVIL'S TOWER. 350 feet high, West, two miles. 

KILLING A KANGAROO. A. J. Mason Sc. 

HUMMOCK ISLAND. Highest part 400 feet, bearing South-East 20 miles. 

. . . 

JOURNAL OF A VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY. 

CHAPTER 2. 1. 

Leave Port Essington. Clarence Strait. Hope Inlet. Shoal Bay. Land for Observations. Explore a new Opening. Talc Head. Port Darwin. Continue Exploration. Mosquitoes and Sandflies. Nature of the Country. Its parched appearance. Large ant's nest. Return to Shoal Bay. Visit from the Natives. Remarks. Their teeth perfect. Rite of Circumcision. Observations on the Migrations of the Natives. Theory of an Inland Sea. Central Desert. Salt water drunk by Natives. Modes of procuring water. Survey the harbour. Natives on a raft. Anecdote. Bynoe Harbour. Well. Brilliant Meteors. Natives on Point Emery. Their surprise at the well. Importance of water. Anecdote. Languages of Australia. Specimens. Remarks. Leave Port Darwin. Tides. Squall. Visit Port Patterson. Leave. Examine opening to the south-west. Table Hill. McAdam Range. Adventure with an Alligator. Exploring party. Discovery of the Victoria. Ascend the river. Appearance of the Country. Fitzmaurice River. Indian Hill. The Beagle taken up the river. 

LEAVE PORT ESSINGTON. 

Early on the morning of the 4th of September, 1839, the Beagle was oncemore slipping out of Port Essington before a light land wind. We hadtaken a hearty farewell of our friends at Victoria, in whose prosperitywe felt all the interest that is due to those who pioneer the way forothers in the formation of a new settlement. No doubt the hope that ourdiscoveries might open a new field for British enterprise, and contributeto extend still more widely the blessings of civilization, increased thesympathy we felt for the young colony at Victoria. There is always afeeling of pride and pleasure engendered by the thought that we are inany way instrumental to the extension of man's influence over the worldwhich has been given him to subdue. In the present instance, the successof our last cruise and the state of preparation in which we were now infor a longer one, caused us to take our departure from Port Essington infar higher spirits than on the former occasion. 

PASS THROUGH CLARENCE STRAIT. 

We again shaped our course for Clarence Strait, the western entrance ofwhich was still unexamined. The wind, however, being light, we passed thenight in Popham Bay; and on leaving next morning, had only six fathoms insome tide ripplings nearly two miles off its south point, Cape Don. Wepassed along the south side of Melville Island, where a large fire wasstill burning. Early in the evening we anchored in seven fathoms, to waitfor a boat that had been sent to examine a shoal bay on the North-Westside of Cape Keith. Green Ant Cliffs bore South-West two miles. 

September 7. 

Weighing at daylight we hauled up south, into the middle of the channel, crossing a ridge of 5 1/2 fathoms; Ant Cliffs bearing West-South-Westfive miles, and three or four from the shore. This ridge appears to bethrown up at the extremity of the flats fronting the shore. On deepeningthe water to 10 and 12 fathoms, the course was changed to West 1/2 South, passing midway between North Vernon Isle and Cape Gambier, where thewidth of the channel is seven miles, though the whole of it is notavailable for the purposes of navigation, a long detached reef lyingthree miles from the Cape, and a small one two miles from the NorthVernon Isle. * The tide hurried the Beagle past between these reefs withsome rapidity, the soundings at the time being 19 fathoms. 

(*Footnote. These isles, three in number, lying quite in the centre ofthe western entrance of the Strait, are fringed with extensive coralreefs. There are, however, deep passages between them. )

Having cleared Clarence Strait, and found it to be perfectly navigablewith common precaution (which in a slight degree enhanced the value ofthe discovery of the Adelaide) our course was directed for a bay to thesouthward, which Captain King had not examined. A very refreshing coolnorth-westerly seabreeze* had just succeeded a short calm. Passing fourmiles from the western extremity of the Vernon Isles, we had irregularsoundings of ten and seven fathoms. The ripplings and discoloured waterare a warning that they should be approached with caution on this side. 

(*Footnote. The seabreeze prevailing from the westward through ClarenceStrait, the passage to Port Essington from the westward, during theeasterly monsoon, might be more easily made by passing through it, instead of working along the north side of Melville Island. )

The mouth of a considerable inlet came in sight at the head of a bay aswe advanced towards it, steering South by East. This opening began toappear of consequence as we drew near, although the singularly gradualdecrease in the soundings, on a sandy bottom materially diminished theprobability of its being the mouth of a river. Still, when we anchored asnear as we could approach, there remained a hope of its being so. 

HOPE INLET. SHOAL BAY. 

September 8. 

Early in the morning Mr. Forsyth and myself started to explore theopening. We soon discovered that it was nothing more than a shallow creekat low-water. The tide here rising twenty feet, gave it the importantappearance it had yesterday evening. A tall clump of naked trees wasconspicuous at the east entrance point, towering above the insipidmangrove shore. We gave it the name of Hope Inlet, to commemorate thefeelings it excited on its first discovery. From the south point ofClarence Strait it is distant eleven miles, and the bay in which it lies, from the shallow-water at the head of it, was called Shoal Bay. 

The boat being provisioned for four days, we pushed on to explore anotheropening above fifteen miles to the westward. The seabreeze setting inearly, we did not reach it till after dark, when we landed forobservations at a cliffy projection near the eastern entrance point: thiswe found to be composed of a kind of pipeclay, mixed with calcareousmatter. We had some difficulty in landing, and then in scrambling up thecliffs by the light of a lantern. If any of the watchful natives happenedat the time to be on the lookout, they must have stood fixed withastonishment at beholding such strange persons, who at such a time ofnight, with no ostensible object were visiting their shores. 

EXPLORE A NEW OPENING. 

September 9. 

Before the veil of darkness was quite removed, we could faintlydistinguish the mouth of the opening; and the sight at daylight was mostcheering. A wide bay appearing between two white cliffy heads, andstretching away within to a great distance, presented itself to our view. Far to the southward, between the heads, rose a small table-topped hill. As we pulled in towards the eastern entrance point, the river-likeappearance began to wear off, more land making its appearance towards thehead of the opening. On reaching this point Mr. Forsyth and myselfclimbed up the cliff, whilst the breakfast was cooking. From the summitwe had a good view of the bay, and were delighted to find large openingsin the south-east and south-west corners of it. The table hill beforementioned, stood on the point between them. To see the eastern part ofit, however, it was necessary to cross to the opposite point, where sometalc slate, pieces of which measured four inches in length, was foundimbedded in quartz. The point was called in consequence, Talc Head. 

PORT DARWIN. 

The other rocks near it were of a fine-grained sandstone: a new featurein the geology of this part of the continent, which afforded us anappropriate opportunity of convincing an old shipmate and friend, that hestill lived in our memory; and we accordingly named this sheet of waterPort Darwin. A few small bamboos grew on this head; the other trees werechiefly white gums. I climbed to the top of one of them, and obtainedthence a view of another opening in the eastern part of the harbour. Itnow being low-water, an extensive shoal was discovered, reaching fromabreast of Talc Head to the point separating the South-East andSouth-West openings, an extent of nearly five miles. This somewhatdiminished the value of our discovery, as it limited the capabilities ofthe bay as a harbour. 

We now proceeded to explore the north-eastern and largest opening, distant six miles from our station. A large islet and a reef left theentrance only a mile wide. Expanding again, it formed two arms, onerunning south, the other East-South-East, between small groups ofsingular isolated haycock-shaped hills, about 250 feet high. Followingthe latter, being the largest, we found that it soon curved round, takinga southerly direction. A bank free from mangroves occurring in this bend, we availed ourselves of it, as the day was closing in, to secure someearly stars for latitude and longitude. The intense pleasure afforded bytraversing water that had never before been divided by any keel, in somemeasure compensated us for the annoyance from the mosquitoes andsandflies, that took the opportunity of assailing us while in thedefenceless state of quiet necessary in making observations. Pushing outinto the middle of the stream, and each wielding a beater, our tinyenemies were soon shaken off, and borne back to the shore by a refreshingNorth-West breeze. 

We found it necessary to keep a sharp lookout here for the alligators, asthey swarmed in dangerous numbers. 

The scarcity of fish, and the shallowness of the water did not hold outmuch hope that the arm we were tracing would prove of great extent; stillmany speculations were hazarded on the termination of it. The temperaturein the night was down to 78 degrees, and the dew sufficiently heavy towet the boat's awning through. 

CONTINUE EXPLORATION. 

Anxious to know how far this piece of water was to carry us into theuntrodden wilds of Australia, we moved off with the first streak of dawn. Ten miles in a South by East direction brought us to where the width anddepth was not sufficient to induce us to proceed further. Besides, as wewere then only fifteen miles from a bend of the upper part of theAdelaide, which must receive the drainage of all that part of thecountry, it seemed improbable that any other large river existed in theneighbourhood. Six miles from our furthest, which was about thirty milesfrom the entrance, we passed a small island. The banks on either side ofthe inlet were, as usual, a thick grove of mangroves, except in one spot, a mile lower down, where we landed on our return for observations. Thiswe found to be a low cliffy projection of slate formation, whilstscattered over the face of the few miles of country, which we are able toexplore, were small bits of quartz; large blocks also of which protrudedoccasionally through a light kind of mould. 

APPEARANCE OF THE COUNTRY. 

The country was a most thirsty-looking level, the low brushwood on whichcracked and snapped as we walked through it, with a brittle dryness thattestified how perfectly parched-up was everything. A single spark wouldinstantly have wrapped the whole face of the country in one sheet offire. Slight blasts of heated withering air, as if from an oven, wouldoccasionally strike the face as we walked along; sometimes they wereloaded with those peculiar and most agreeable odours that arise fromdifferent kinds of gums. Still the white eucalyptus and the palm, wore incomparison with the other vegetation, an extraordinary green appearance, derived probably from the nightly copious falls of dew, which is the onlymoisture this part of the continent receives during the present season. The birds we observed were common to other parts of the continent, beinga few screaming cockatoos, parrots, and quails, and near the water asmall white egret. There was nothing of interest to recall our memoriesto this first visit to a new part of Australia, save a very large ant'snest, measuring twenty feet in height. This object is always the firstthat presents itself whenever my thoughts wander to that locality. 

As the boat was not provisioned for the time it would take to explore allthe openings we had discovered, and as the capabilities of Port Darwinwere sufficiently great to require the presence of the ship, I determinedon returning immediately to Shoal Bay. 

VISIT FROM THE NATIVES. 

During the time we were absent, some of our people who had been on shore, received a visit from a party of natives, who evinced the most friendlydisposition. This verifies what I have before observed, as to theremarkable differences of character that exist between many Australiantribes, though living in the immediate neighbourhood of each other; for, it will be remembered, that at no great distance we had experienced avery different reception. 

Those people amounted in number, with their families, to twenty-seven, and came down to our party without any symptoms of hesitation. Both menand women were finer than those we had seen in Adam Bay. The tallest malemeasured five feet eleven, which is three inches less than a nativeFlinders measured in the Gulf of Carpentaria. The teeth of these peoplewere ALL PERFECT, an additional proof that the ceremony of knocking themout, like others practised in Australia, is very partially diffused. Therite of circumcision, for instance, is only performed at King's Sound, onthe west side of the Gulf of Carpentaria, and near the head of theAustralian bight on the south. Mr. Eyre, who discovered the existence ofthe rite on the last-mentioned part of the continent, infers that thenatives of the places I have mentioned must have had some communicationwith each other through the interior; but it is possible that at adistant period of time, circumcision may have been very generallypractised, and that having become gradually disused, the custom is nowonly preserved at two or three points, widely separated from each other. I do not advance this as a theory, but simply as a suggestion, as thereis some difficulty in supposing communication to have taken place acrossthe continent. 

MIGRATION OF THE NATIVES. 

Some light may be thrown on the migration of the aboriginal inhabitantsof Australia, by tracing the parts of the coast on which canoes are inuse. It has already been mentioned, that we had not seen any westward ofClarence Strait, neither were they in use in the bottom of the Gulf ofCarpentaria, nor on the south coast. * By the assistance of these andsimilar facts, we may hereafter be enabled to discover the exactdirection in which the streams of population have flowed over thecontinent. But I am not prepared to agree entirely with Mr. Eyre when heconcludes, as I have stated, from the fact of the rite of circumcisionhaving been found on the south and north-west coasts, and on the Gulf ofCarpentaria, that there exists any peculiar connection between the tribesinhabiting those several points. This enterprising traveller moreoverthinks that the idea he has started goes far towards refuting the theoryof an inland sea, another presumption against which he maintains to bethe hot winds that blow from the interior. 

(*Footnote. An inference may be drawn from the parts of the shore onwhich canoes are in use, to show that the migrations of the natives, sofar southwards, have been along the coast. The raft they use is preciselythe same in make and size on the whole extent of the North-west coast. )

THEORY OF AN INLAND SEA. 

I confess that the theory of an inland sea has long since vanished frommy mind, though I base my opinion on reasons different from those of Mr. Eyre. The intercourse between natives of opposite sides of the continent(though it is certainly possible) has never been established, and whileit remains hypothetical, cannot be adduced to overthrow anotherhypothesis. The existence of hot winds also blowing from the interior isnot conclusive, as we had, when in the Gulf of Carpentaria, very coldwinds coming from the same direction. We know, however, that thetemperature of winds depends much on the nature of the soil over whichthey sweep, for instance, in a cold clayey soil, the radiation of heat isvery rapid. 

Before quitting this subject it may be as well to mention that my ownimpression, which the most recent information bears out, is that insteadof an inland sea, there is in the centre of Australia a vast desert, thehead of which, near Lake Torrens, is not more than three hundred feetabove the level of the sea. The coast being surrounded by hilly ranges, the great falls of rain that must occasionally occur in the interior, mayconvert a vast extent of the central and lowest portion, towards thenorth side of the continent, into a great morass, or lake, which, fromthe northerly dip, must discharge its waters slowly into the Gulf ofCarpentaria, without possessing sufficient stability to mark either itsbed or boundaries. 

FRIENDLY NATIVES. 

To return to the party of natives which has given rise to thisdigression. They had clearly never seen a white person before; for theystepped up to one man of fair complexion, who had his trousers turned upover his knees, and began rubbing his skin to see whether it was painted. They came fearlessly to our party, as they were collecting shells at theextremity of a long flat. One of the officers, who happened to be verythirsty, placed such confidence in their friendly manner, that he allowedthem to conduct him alone to a small well near the beach, but the waterwas too salt to be drunk. The force of habit is astonishing: nativesdrink this brackish fluid and find it very refreshing. The small quantitythat suffices them is also surprising, though they will drink enormouslywhen they can get it. 

MODES OF PROCURING WATER. 

Their mode of procuring this necessary element is singular, and theyexhibit in this particular much ingenuity and great fertility ofresources. They are never harassed with the idea of being without any;which not only distresses but adds to the horror of thirst with theEuropean explorer, who has not experienced the constant watchfulness ofProvidence, and does not know that he may collect from the leaves, with asponge, on some mornings, as much as a pint of water. This has, however, been done, even on the south coast, where the dews are not so copious ason the north-west. The natives themselves are never at a loss for thatindeed precious article, water. They sometimes procure it by digging upthe lateral roots of the small gumtree, a dusty and fatiguing operation:they break them off in short bits, and set them up to drain into a pieceof bark or a large shell. By tapping also the knotty excrescences oftrees they find the fluid, which they suck out. Many of these modes ofobtaining water are of course known to experienced bushmen, like Mr. Eyre, whose deeply interesting narrative of his hardships and perils hasalready enlisted the sympathy of the public. 

September 12. 

We moved the ship into Port Darwin, anchoring just within the easterncliffy head which, to commemorate Lieutenant Emery's success in findingwater by digging, we named after him. 

SURVEY OF THE HARBOUR. 

All the surveying force was now put in instant requisition; CaptainWickham went to examine an opening in the coast mentioned by CaptainKing, lying about twelve miles further to the westward, whilst the otherboats explored the openings at the head of the harbour. 

That on the eastern part, Mr. Fitzmaurice traced ten miles in asouth-easterly direction, being the greatest distance it was navigablefor a boat. The remaining branch in the large opening, in thesouth-eastern corner of the harbour, Mr. Forsyth and myself exploredSouth-South-East three miles, and South-South-West five more, the extentto which it was possible to advance. Beyond, it was strewed with largeblocks of granite; a fact, for which we were in some degree prepared, asin the vicinity of the Adelaide River we had proof of the primaryformation of this part of the continent. As the boat lay scarcely afloatbetween two of these lumps of rock, numbers of white ibises, with blacknecks, kept flying over us from the southward, indicating that a swamplay in that direction. We also disturbed several alligators, who slid offquietly into the water at our approach. There was no variety in theshores of this inlet, composed like all the others, of an impenetrablenetwork of mangroves. A ridge of the same conical-shaped low hills beforealluded to, as existing in this neighbourhood, rose upon our right as wecame up, and bore from our furthest North by West two miles; from thehighest part up the inlet in the south-west corner, east two miles. 

The latter we found very tortuous, extending in a general direction southnine miles. No events occurred worthy of any remark during ourexamination, except one of a trifling character: the mosquitoes takingadvantage of the calm, between the high mangroves on the banks, attackedus most cruelly, a circumstance we mention as trifling, as far as thereader is concerned, but of great moment to us. 

After completing the survey of the southern and western portion of thisharbour, we returned to the ship, where soon afterwards Captain Wickhamalso arrived, having found Patterson Bay to be a good port. It trended insouth ten miles, and East-South-East the same distance, forming quite aninner haven, which was named after Mr. Bynoe. 

NATIVES ON A RAFT. 

At the turning leading from the outer to the inner harbour they camesuddenly in view of a raft making across, a distance of three miles, onwhich were two women with several children, whilst four or five men wereswimming alongside, towing it and supporting themselves by means of a logof wood across their chests. On perceiving the boat they instantly struckout for the land leaving the women on the raft. For some time the latterkept their position, waiting until the boat got quite near, when theygave utterance to a dreadful yell, and assuming at the same time a mostdemoniacal aspect, plunged into the water as if about to abandon thechildren to their fate. 

MATERNAL AFFECTION AND FEAR. 

Not so, however; despite the dreadful fear they appeared to entertain ofthe white man, maternal affection was strong within them, and risking allto save their offspring, they began to tow the raft with all theirstrength towards the shore. This devotion on the part of the women totheir little ones, was in strong contrast with the utter want of feelingshown by the men towards both mothers and children. 

Captain Wickham now, no doubt to their extreme consternation, pulledafter the men, and drove them back to the raft. Some dived and tried thusto escape the boat, while others grinned ferociously, and appeared tohope, by dint of hideous grimaces--such as are only suggested even to asavage by the last stage of fear--to terrify the white men fromapproaching. At length, however, they were all driven back to the raft, which was then towed across the harbour for them; a measure which theyonly were able to approve of when they had landed, and fear had quitesubsided. 

Doubtless, the forbearance of our party surprised them, for from theirterrified looks and manner, when swimming with all their strength fromthe raft, they must have apprehended a fate at least as terrible as thatof being eaten. 

The raft itself was quite a rude affair, being formed of small bundles ofwood lashed together, without any shape or form, quite different from anywe had seen before. 

Bynoe Harbour was found to terminate in three deep creeks branching offbetween North-East and South-East, the largest of which led into freshwater, but in small detached pools, which are separated from the salt, bya shelf of red porous sandstone, and which two miles further becameentirely lost in the rocks. The green appearance of the gumtrees and anoccasional clump of palms, which had pleasingly succeeded the mangroves, as they advanced, assured Captain Wickham that there was fresh waternear. Probably, if they had carried their researches further, they wouldhave found these signs reappear again, doubtless proceeding from a swamp, the presence of which the reader will recollect I inferred from seeingthe ibis flocking from the south-west up the south inlet in Port Darwin;the west inlet of which is only one mile distant from the north-eastcreek in the head of Bynoe Harbour. Doubtless when the country is not inits present parched and thirsty state, all these are fresh at theirheads. 

WELL AT PORT DARWIN. 

The slow progress made in watering, from the soft nature of the soil inthe bottom of the well, lengthened our stay considerably in Port Darwin. The water oozed through the sides, beginning to do so at a depth oftwenty-five feet. The strata cut through varied considerably, in partconsisting of ironstone mixed with a white kind of marl or pipeclay, foreight feet, then sandstone of a reddish colour and in a state ofdecomposition, with a darker kind of marl, in which were small bits ofmica, for a depth of sixteen feet, the remaining portion of two or threebeing a sandy mud, apparently of the consistency of clay and of a lightgrey colour. The position of this well is in a small valley at the eastend of the first sandy bay within Point Emery, in the centre of which theobservations were made, placing it in latitude 12 degrees 27 minutes 45seconds, longitude 1 degree 19 minutes 40 seconds, East of PortEssington. 

On this beach several unsuccessful hauls were made with the seine, thougha few rare and curious fish were taken, which Lieutenant Emery added tohis collection of coloured drawings of Australian fish; some of them willbe found in the appendix to this volume. Mr. Bynoe also obtainedspecimens of one or two rare birds; the large red-necked vampire of theAdelaide River, and the cream-coloured pigeon before alluded to, werealso seen by him, being the farthest south the latter was met with by us. 

BRILLIANT METEORS. 

Some brilliant meteors were observed during our stay, one in particularon the evening of the 20th, in the West-North-West. It fell from thezenith at an angle of about twenty degrees from a vertical line. Thedescent was marked by a long train of light, visible ten seconds, whileothers of less brilliancy followed from the same place within an hour. Again on the 23rd, was the dark vault of heaven illumined about the sametime in a similar manner, as well as on the 28th; the number of meteorsbeing the same on each day. 

We were rather surprised on the 24th, to experience a squall from theeastward about midnight, a regular occurrence on the North-west coast inJanuary and February only. 

VISITED BY NATIVES. 

On the 24th a party of natives made their appearance on Point Emery. Their voices, shrill like those of all their fellows, were heard beforethey were seen. With these it was particularly so, though on alloccasions the speaking, and hallooing of the Aborigines can be heard at avery considerable distance. They were found, when on shore, to be of theparty we had before seen in Shoal Bay, with the addition of five strangemen. All appeared actuated by the same friendly disposition, a verystrong indication of which was their presenting themselves withoutspears. * Like most others on that coast, they had apiece of bamboo, eighteen inches long, run through the cartilage of the nose. Theirastonishment at the size of the wells was highly amusing; suddenexclamations of surprise and admiration burst from their lips, while thevaried expressions and play of countenance, showed how strongly theirfeelings were at work within. 

(*Footnote. Speaking of natives appearing without spears, reminds me tomention for the information of future explorers, that their arms arealways near at hand. They even trail them sometimes between their toes, afact which travellers should ever bear in mind. )

It is very singular, and not very susceptible of explanation, thatalthough they climb tall trees by merely resting their toes in a slightnotch cut as they ascend, the natives will hesitate in alarm beforelooking over the edge of a precipice or height; it was, therefore, sometime before this party could be induced to look down the well. At lengthby stretching their spare bodies and necks to the utmost, they caughtsight of the water in the bottom. 

SURPRISE OF NATIVES AT THE WELL. 

The effect upon them was magical, and they stood at first as ifelectrified. At length their feelings gained vent, and from their lipsproceeded an almost mad shout of delight. Nothing perhaps could have moredecisively shown the superiority of the white men to these savages, thanour being thus able to procure this necessary of life from so great adepth, there being moreover no outward appearance of any. Perhaps theirdelight may be considered a sign how scarce is water in this part of thecountry. I should certainly say from the immense quantity each man drank, which was two quarts, that this was the case. A further corroboration ofthe extreme importance of this element to the Western Australian is, thata native, in describing a fine country, always opens his narrative bystating the important fact--plenty water. 

The deep interest which in the natives always succeeds to the discoveryof this necessary article, must strongly impress the explorer, who willever afterwards look upon streams, even in other countries, with fardifferent feelings from any before experienced. In no land does thepresence of water more rapidly enrich the landscape, changing it from athirsty-looking plain to a rich green spot, than in Australia, and it isin journeying through such a country, when one suddenly meets with aluxuriant valley, that the eye naturally dwells with delight on thechanging scene, and the impression, not easily forgotten, clings to useven when far away. When gazing on the superabundant water that flows inalmost every corner of the earth, we cannot but reflect on the scantilysupplied Australian, nor fail to wish him a more plentiful supply. 

BLESSING OF WATER. 

Naturally we are disposed to reflect but little on the great blessings ofthe most ordinary things. In the eyes of the civilized man, fire andwater are matters scarcely worthy of thought; but it is the traveller wholearns to appreciate how great blessings they are in reality. 

An influenza appeared to be raging among the natives, all having theremnants of colds, coughing severely when we met them. Several attemptswere made to induce them to come on board, but they proved vain. Sometimes, just as the boat was leaving the shore, they would enter thebow of it, as if about to accompany us; no sooner, however, was the boatin motion, than out they jumped, laughing and apparently delighted todeceive us, acting, in fact, exactly the part of noisychildren. 

"IRRU, IRRU. "

Our friendly intercourse with these natives sustained a shock, which atfirst threatened to annihilate it, but which fortunately ended, as itbegan, in smoke. One of the officers used a common flint and steel, inorder to procure a light for his cigar; at this new mode of procuringfire all eyes were open--for doubtless they procure it only by means offriction--but when he proceeded to place the lighted cigar between hislips, and roll forth from thence a thick and perfumed cloud, fright tookfull possession of them, and exclaiming "irru, irru, " with the armextended, and a slight vertical motion of the hand, they darted off mostunceremoniously, clambering up the face of a precipitous cliff, withextraordinary agility. Their cry of "irru, irru, " and their manner ofdelivering it, were identical with those of King's Sound, under somewhatsimilar circumstances. In a few days they had forgotten their fright, andhad returned to renew the friendly relations this little incident hadinterrupted. 

During the short time we passed with this people in Port Darwin, somewords of their language were collected by many of us. Those that we allagreed in I have noted down, but the different names for things given bythe same person, here and at Shoal Bay, will at once impress the readerwith the conviction of how impossible it is for transient visitors toobtain a correct vocabulary. Those first made out at Port Essington, werefound to be half Malay words, and of any meaning rather than what theywere supposed to convey. The words given below are from Mr. Earl'svocabulary, the result of four years careful examination and experience. 

COLUMN 1: ENGLISH. COLUMN 2: SHOAL BAY. COLUMN 3: PORT DARWIN. COLUMN 4: PORT ESSINGTON. COLUMN 5: SWAN RIVER. 

Crab : Algaura : - : Meir : -. Dog : Melinga : - : Mugki : Dudah. Ear : Bangua : - : Alayjar : Zungah. Eye : Ummera : Mical : Ira : Mael. Hair : Brailma : Guarshiel : Angbal : Cutap. Hand : - : Guian : - : -. Stone : - : Lowheil : - : -. Tree : Urmingua : - : Ojalli : Boono. Teeth : Emburge : - : Aujije : Nalgo. Water : - : Kararback : - : Kaaby. 

DIFFICULTY OF UNDERSTANDING THE NATIVES. 

The great difference between the words at Shoal Bay and Port Darwin, mustnow be apparent to the reader; a more extended acquaintance with theaboriginal inhabitants of Australia, has shown that many words put downby us as meaning a certain thing, signify in reality, "What do you mean?""I do not understand"--which shows at once the great difficulty ofarriving at the truth. This must often be the case; for what is morenatural, than that when a savage is asked the meaning of a thing, andknows not, but that he should express his ignorance? How often thisexpression of ignorance has been registered as the denomination of someanimal or thing, we leave the reader to conjecture. Moreover, there aremany words totally obliterated from their dialects, which thus undergoconstant alteration. This in part arises from the circumstance of theirnever mentioning the name of a deceased person, who has perhaps beencalled after a tree, bird, or animal; which then receives anotherappellation, the old one passing away. From the few words given of therespective dialects of Port Essington and Swan River, they would appearessentially to differ, and from what has since come under my ownobservation, as well as from facts collected by others, I feel confidentthat there are many distinct dialects spoken in Australia. 

DIALECTS OF AUSTRALIA. 

It is easy enough for those who hold to the theory that Australiaproduces few dialects, to create for themselves a resemblance in words bymutilation and addition; but on careful examination, the similarity willnot be found to exist. The natives we took from Swan River, never couldunderstand any of those we met on the North-west coast, though certainlyMr. Moore recognized a few words spoken by the natives on the West coast, about 200 miles north of Swan River, as being identical with the languageused at the latter place. 

It may here be as well to quote Strzelecki on this subject, ere we pursueour narrative:

"The circumstance of the three natives who accompanied Captain Flindersand Captain P. P. King, in the survey of New Holland, and of those whoaccompanied me amongst the different tribes of New South Wales, beingunable to understand one word spoken by tribes of other districts, wouldlead to the belief that the dialects spoken in New Holland, are far frompossessing those affinities, still less those identities of language, from which a common root might be inferred. Those European visitors orexplorers who adduce, in support of a common root, some hundred wordsanalogous in sound, construction and meaning, as being spoken all overNew Holland, have jumped to the conclusion with, I fear, too much hasteand eagerness. Besides many other insuperable difficulties, which aninvestigation of such a nature presents, there was one quite sufficientto defeat all attempts to fathom the subject, namely, the syntacticignorance of the language to which the inquiry related. Indeed, to anyman who knows and speaks four European languages, it will be at onceapparent, that to seize upon, and note from the sound, a word belongingto one country, so as to compare its sound and accentuation with a wordbelonging to another country, needs a thorough knowledge of the genius ofthe two languages, and of their alphabet, through which alone thepronunciation can be discriminated. "

Though, however, we may not attain to a knowledge of the truth at once, yet should we never lose an opportunity of making a vocabulary of suchwords as we know to be correct. This should be the case from oneconsideration alone; for how gratifying it is, when visiting anuncivilized people, to find that you know a word or two of theirlanguage! The satisfaction is mutual--there is at once a sympathetic linkbetween you--you no longer appear as thorough strangers to each other, and this slight knowledge of their dialect may often be the means ofmaking useful acquaintances. 

To return, however, to the thread of our narrative. 

LEAVE PORT DARWIN. 

The opening to the westward, visited by Captain Wickham, requiringfurther examination, we left Port Darwin for that purpose, beating out onthe morning of the 26th. Before taking leave, however, of this place, itwill not be deemed irrelevant if we give some slight description of it. The entrance points, I have already said, are white cliffy projections, and distant from each other three miles. Just outside them lies a longfour fathom bank, which, together with a very extensive flat of one, andtwo fathoms, nearly joining it from the eastern side, and anotherfronting the north side of the west entrance point, comprise all thedangers on entering this port; which, although of considerable size, ismuch occupied by shoal water, particularly on the western side, commencing from abreast of Talc Head. The best anchorage is near PointEmery. The extreme of the latter, and a clump of peaked bushes on thesouth point of the eastern arm of the harbour, when in one, make a goodmark for leading out; passing on the west side of the four fathom bank, where the channel is a mile wide and 10 fathoms deep. 

IRREGULARITY OF THE TIDES. 

The tide is very irregular in Port Darwin, rising at springs 24 feet, andat neaps sometimes only two; its rate being from one and a half to threeknots. The time of high-water at the full and change of moon, washalf-past five, which being half an hour earlier than at Clarence Strait, fully bears out the opinion I have before expressed, that the flood-tidecomes from the westward. 

Having to beat out against the seabreeze, the flood-tide made before wecould get round the point on the coast lying midway between Ports Darwinand Patterson, and we were compelled to pass the night in theneighbourhood, a circumstance rendered disagreeable by the recurrence ofanother midnight squall from East-North-East, so severe as to require theuse of a second anchor. The rain was so bitterly cold and sudden, as wellas violent, acting also on our frames with more severity from thelightness of our clothing, that it had all the effect of a shower-bath, momentarily taking away the power of speech. It caused a rapid fall inthe thermometer of ten degrees, bringing it as low as 60 degrees. At PortDarwin it had been regularly 87 and 89 degrees in the day, and 80 degreesat night. 

MIDNIGHT SQUALL. 

The squall gave but slight warning of its approach, and four hoursafterwards the mutinous assemblage of clouds had wholly disappeared fromthe heavens, leaving nothing to stay the advent of light which camepouring itself in floods of molten glory over the cloudless sky, as themorning broke. This was the signal of our again moving towards PortPatterson, which we entered, passing on the eastern side of the reef inthe mouth, and anchoring close to the eastern shore of the outermost of achain of sandy islets, forming the west entrance point of the harbour, and extending eight miles in a North-North-East 1/2 East direction fromthe land. This group is based on a great coral ledge that dries in partat low-water, thus affording the natives the means of going over easilyto them, a circumstance of which they avail themselves, as we found themon the outer island. They would not, however, come near us, moving off aswe landed. Doubtless the terror of some of their party, in a greatmeasure arose from a vivid recollection of the raft interview, which waslikely to dwell long in their minds; at all events, if not of the sameparty, they had heard of us, and it will readily be believed, that we hadbeen painted in sufficiently terrible and exaggerated colours to render asecond interview, in their minds, very undesirable. 

QUAIL ISLAND. 

Our discovering them in this place, which we named Quail Island, fromthat bird being found in great abundance, quite destroyed the hope we hadpreviously entertained of procuring turtle there. It was the season fortheir incubation, and at that time the island swarmed with them; but oursable friends had abundantly availed themselves of this fact, as we sawthe remains of several of their turtle feasts. Although low, and composedentirely of sand, we found a native well of excellent water near themiddle of the island, which, having been enlarged, afforded an amplesupply, a circumstance that at once renders this a spot of importance andvalue. Both on this and others of the group there were a few small treesand a sprinkling of brushwood. 

We did not notice any of the singular detached hills seen at Port Darwin, and the greatest elevation any of the land in the neighbourhood attainedwas 200 feet; neither did we observe any primary rocks. 

The observations were made at the South-East point of Quail Island, whichby them is placed in latitude 12 degrees 30 9/10 minutes South, andlongitude 1 degree 42 1/4 minutes West of Port Essington. The almostinsulated character of this part of the coast, and the quantity ofsoundings the openings required detained us until the 6th of October, when we passed out on the western side of the large reef in the centre ofthe entrance, which is the proper one, and received the name of WestChannel. The western entrance point of Bynoe's Harbour, bearing South 15degrees East, leads through it. This guide is only, however, of serviceto a certain distance within the entrance, as it leads over a small patchthat dries at low-water, distant two and a half miles from theabove-mentioned point on the same bearing. To avoid this danger, it istherefore necessary to haul over towards Quail Island, when the highesthummock on it bears South-West 1/2 West. The tides follow the directionof the channel, varying in velocity from one to two knots. The ebb in theoffing set West-North-West. 

PORT PATTERSON. 

The reader will be able to have an idea of the large sheet of water theseunited harbours form, by knowing that Port Patterson is twelve miles longand seven wide at the entrance; though at the upper part, forming themouth of Bynoe Harbour, it is not half that width. The latter winds roundto the South-East for a distance of 15 miles, with an average width oftwo, and a depth of nine fathoms. Thus terminated our exploration in thisneighbourhood; the result having been to give this part of the coastquite an insulated character. The sheets of water creating this newfeature, although monotonous with their mangrove-lined shores, stillconveyed us many miles into various parts of the continent that had neverbefore been seen by a civilized being. 

Another opening of far greater magnitude, and promising in allprobability to lead far into the interior now lay before us, at adistance of 140 miles further on the coast to the south-west. By theevening we had lost sight of the land near Port Patterson, and weresteering towards the opening that promised so much. A gap in thecoastline, 28 miles wide, with a strong tide passing to and fro, failednot to give birth to endless speculation as we approached the spot. I hadalways looked forward to the examination of this unexplored portion ofthe North-west coast, as one of the most interesting parts of our survey. 

REACH POINT PEARCE. 

In consequence of light north-west and westerly winds, our approach wastantalizingly slow, and we did not enter the opening until the evening ofthe 9th, when we passed four miles from the north point, called byCaptain King, Point Pearce. His visit to this part of the coast was inSeptember 1819, and under very adverse circumstances; his vessel had butone anchor left, and the strong easterly winds then prevailing, withthick hazy weather, rendered his progress into the opening both difficultand hazardous: after a trial of two days, and having several narrowescapes from getting on shore, he bore away to examine the coast to thesouth-west, where he was repaid for his disappointment by the discoveryof Cambridge Gulf. 

Thus did the exploration of this wide and interesting opening fall to ourgood fortune; as we proceeded inwards, several beautiful medusae passedthe ship, and our hopes were roused to the highest pitch by the muddyappearance of the water. At sun set the anchor was dropped in fivefathoms; Point Pearce, a cliffy level projection, bearing North-West byNorth five miles, and about one and a half from a low rocky point. 

FOSSIL HEAD. 

A bluff projection, bearing South 65 degrees East seven miles, boundedour view to the southward, and a range of sugarloaf hills, the highestbeing 350 feet, rose about eight miles in the rear of it. 

October 10. 

We were naturally very anxious to proceed, and as soon as there wassufficient light to read the division of the bearing compass, the shipwas gently stealing onward in the direction of the bluff, and furthestland seen last evening to the South-East. We had not proceeded far beforewe discovered a distant level range, beginning to show itself to theright of this projection, adding still more to the zest with which wepursued our search. The tide, however, making against us, and the windgradually failing, we were compelled to anchor abreast, and distant threequarters of a mile from the north-west point of a bay two miles wide. 

The bluff headland, before alluded to, forms the south-east point of thisbay, and to which Captain Wickham and myself hastened instantly the shipwas secured. 

We found a few fossils on the side of this ridge, as we ascended, whichat once induced us to name it, Fossil Head. Our view was decisive of thefact, that all further progress eastward was at an end, but to the southsandbanks and patches of dark-coloured water bounding our view left stillgreat hope. The high land terminated abruptly to the southward, whilstlooking to the northward it appeared to subside in an East-North-Eastdirection. The base of this range was fronted by a low piece of land, stretching out on its north-west side, and forming a point which boreSouth 35 degrees East five miles from Fossil Head. 

TABLE HILL. 

But the most remarkable feature in the scene was an isolated flat-toppedhill, having all the appearance of a bastion or fortress, rising abruptlyfrom the surrounding plain, to an elevation of 650 feet, the upper partbeing a line of cliffs, greatly adds to the appearance it presents, thatof a complete fortification. It bore North 85 degrees East, fourteenmiles from Fossil Head; and the country between was very low, andintersected by a creek about midway. This remarkable piece of land iscalled in the chart Table Hill; an inlet trended in towards the foot ofit. 

We noticed several old traces of natives; the country in theneighbourhood was of a stony desolate character, yet appeared to affordnourishment for a small growth of white gums. After examining twomangrove creeks of no importance, in the north-west corner of the bayfronting the ship, we returned. 

Our hopes of finding a river of some magnitude were not in the leastdestroyed from what we had seen from Fossil Head, and the southerlydirection of the flood-stream fostered our belief. Independent of thesesigns, we felt that we were again entering upon a new part of thecontinent, and the thoughts thus engendered acted like a powerfulstimulant, so that we were not easily cast down. 

The tide serving badly, and the day being far advanced, it was decidedthat we should not move the ship till next morning, when after gettingabreast of Fossil Head, we steered from it on the bearing of thedeep-water channel we had seen yesterday. We proceeded cautiously, feeling our way with the boats ahead. After passing some distance alongthe eastern side of a long dry sandbank, we were obliged again to anchor, both boats signalizing a depth of only two fathoms. 

FIND A CHANNEL FOR THE SHIP. 

Table Hill bore North 46 degrees East, fifteen miles, and Fossil HeadNorth 15 degrees West. It was now necessary to find a channel for theship, which I succeeded in doing the next day, and on that following, the12th, Captain Wickham, Mr. Bynoe, and myself, went to visit the hightable range, while Messrs. Fitzmaurice and Keys were to examine the largeinlet running in towards the foot of Table Hill. 

By following a creek we almost reached the foot of the high level rangein the boat; a line of cliffs stretched along near the summit, beneathwhich it sloped down rapidly to the plain. We ascended by a slightvalley, communicating with a break in the cliffs, but found on reachingthe top that instead of being on a level, we were standing amidst aseries of undulations or low hills, forming the crest of a platform, butso blended together, and of so nearly the same height as to appear in thedistance one continuous plain. It was, therefore, with some difficultythat we could find the highest part, each, until we reached it, appearingto be so. Ultimately I was compelled to climb a tree, in order to obtainthe necessary angles. 

VIEW FROM TABLE HILL. 

The view was very extensive, a wide inlet separating the range we stoodon from other high land trending southward, with great irregularity, fromthe base of which stretched out a long plain, similar to that which layat our feet. The latter was intersected by creeks that could be traced bythe mangrove fringe which marked their course. Many parts of the lowlands were covered with a salt incrustation, and here and there werescattered trees deposited by the overflows of the water, that stillappeared to flow from the southward. The sight of this driftwood and manyminor appearances, was indeed most welcome, and added full confirmationto the opinion that we were now within the mouth of a large river. 

To the South-West, and distant thirteen miles, were two large islands, which from the remarkable shape of two patches of trees on their northernends, we named Quoin and Clump Islands. A small patch of low land wasdiscovered beyond them, between which and Quoin Island appeared theproper channel. That, however, lying between the islands seemedsufficiently large for the ship. Being moreover within our immediatereach, it was determined that we should proceed by it. 

MACADAM RANGE. 

A remarkable change here occurred in the character of the country, thehills being now composed of a white, and very compact kind of sandstone. In the cliffs the strata were very marked, dipping to the South-East atan angle of about thirty degrees with the horizon. The base and sides ofthese heights were thickly strewn with small fragments of sandstone. Theappearance presented was precisely similar to that of a new road, afterit had undergone the improving process invented by Mr. McAdam, in whosehonour, therefore, we named this McAdam Range. 

A large light-coloured kangaroo was the only living thing we saw. A shortgreen-looking grass was thinly sprinkled over the country, imparting afreshness to it, which, in contrast with the aridity that had of latesurrounded us, was quite delightful. 

Crossing the flat on returning to the boat, I was much struck by oneparticular spot on the border of a creek. I came suddenly upon a numberof flat stones placed in rows, one upon the other. Though altogethercovering about ten yards of ground, there was no appearance of any shapein their arrangement. I am still puzzled, to determine whether they weremerely the results of childish amusement, or had performed their part insome magical incantation or religious ceremony of the natives. I am themore inclined to think it was the latter, as there was a native gravenear, covered with the same kind of flat stones, to the height of aboutthree feet. We had not before observed anything like it, neither did weafterwards. Several flights of large curlews were seen passing over theboat, and resting on the flats in its neighbourhood. Whilst endeavouringto procure some of them, I was placed in a sufficiently awkward position, running the risk of becoming myself a fresh meal instead of procuringone. 

NARROW ESCAPE FROM AN ALLIGATOR. 

I had stripped to swim across a creek, and with gun in hand wasstealthily crawling to the outer edge of the flat where my intendedvictims were, when an alligator rose close by, bringing his unpleasantcountenance much nearer than was agreeable. My gun was charged with shot, and the primitive state of nudity to which I had just reduced myself, precluded the possibility of my having a second load. To fire thereforewas useless, and to retreat difficult, for I had wandered from the boatsome distance across the bank, on which the water was fast rising. Thought, there was no time for, and before my companions could havereached me, the tide would have flooded the place sufficiently to enablethe alligator to attack me at a disadvantage. My only chance of escapingthe monster was to hasten back to the boat, and to cross the last creekbefore the alligator, who appeared fully aware of my intentions. It wasnow, therefore, a mere matter of speed between us, and the race began. Istarted off with the utmost rapidity, the alligator keeping pace with mein the water. After a sharp and anxious race, I reached the last creek, which was now much swollen; while the difficulty of crossing wasaggravated by my desire to save my gun. Plunging in I reached theopposite shore just in time to see the huge jaws of the alligatorextended close above the spot where I had quitted the water. Mydeliverance was providential, and I could not refrain from shuddering asI sat gaining breath upon the bank after my escape, and watching thedisappointed alligator lurking about as if still in hopes of making hissupper upon me. Waiting till the monster came close, I took a deliberateaim at his eye, which had only the effect of frightening him a little. 

The wind, which was light, blew from the North-East from sunset lastevening until noon, being the first land-wind we had yet experienced. Thetemperature remained nearly the same as at Port Patterson, the maximumbeing here 86, and the minimum 81. 

October 13. 

We got on board about noon, and the next day Mr. Fitzmaurice returned. Hehad found Table Hill to be a perfect natural fortress, accessible only atthe South-East corner by a slight break in the line of cliffs surroundingit; the large inlet terminated in a creek passing close at the southernfoot of the hill, where it branched off in an east and north-eastdirection, and in the course of three miles, became lost at the westernextremity of some low thickly-wooded plains, which extended eastward asfar as the eye could reach. To the south lay McAdam Range, whichdeclining to the eastward, was at length blended with the plain, the eyefinding some difficulty in determining where the hills ended and theplain commenced. 

HOPES OF DISCOVERING A RIVER. 

All the soundings and other data for the chart, in the immediateneighbourhood, were collected by the 16th, when the ship was gotunderweigh, as soon as the tide, which here rose twenty feet, was highenough. After passing through a channel, six and seven fathoms deep, which the dry extreme of the sandbank fronting the flat, extending offMcAdam Range, bearing South-South-East led through, we hauled over to thewestward for a swash way in the sands, extending off the north-west endof Clump Island. In crossing the inlet, running under the south end ofMcAdam Range, we found as much as ten fathoms, a depth that led to thehope of its being of great importance, perhaps indeed the mouth of ariver. Passing between Clump and Quoin Islands, we anchored midwaybetween the latter and Driftwood Island, a proceeding which the approachof high-water rendered necessary, as from the great fall of the tide wewere obliged at that time to have at least seven fathoms. We were nowsurrounded on all sides by flat shores, and from the masthead, I couldtrace the low land forming the western side of the principal channel. Thehigh land south of McAdam Range, was found to terminate in a remarkablepeak, which in the certainty of our search proving successful, we namedRiver Peak. It was almost blended in one with a range beyond, yet thefact of the distance which really existed between them, did not escapeour anxious observation; and it was indeed in the different shade ofthese two ranges, one being less distinct than the other, that we foundample confirmation of our hopes. 

PREPARATIONS FOR EXPLORING. 

It was soon arranged that Captain Wickham and myself, should at oncedispel all doubts, and that next morning, Messrs. Fitzmaurice and Keysshould start to explore the river-like opening, under the south end ofMcAdam Range, to which we have above alluded. 

DISCOVERY OF THE VICTORIA. 

Our preparations were rapidly made, a few days provisions were stowedaway in the boat, and as the western sky glowed red in the expiring lightof day, the gig was running before a north-west breeze, for the chasm inthe distant high land, bearing South 20 degrees East, twelve miles fromthe ship. As we advanced, the separations in the range became more markedand distinct, as long as the light served us, but presently darknesswrapped all in impenetrable mystery. Still we ran on keeping close to theeastern low land, and just as we found that the course we held no longerappeared to follow the direction of the channel, out burst the moon abovethe hills in all its glory, shedding a silvery stream of light upon thewater, and revealing to our anxious eyes the long looked-for river, rippling and swelling, as it forced its way between high rocky ranges. Under any circumstances the discovery would have been delightful, but thetime, the previous darkness, the moon rising and spreading the wholebefore us like a panorama, made the scene so unusually exciting, that Iforbear any attempt to describe the mingled emotions of that moment oftriumph. As we ran in between the frowning heights, the lead gave a depthof eighteen and twenty fathoms, the velocity of the stream at the sametime clearly showing how large a body of water was pouring through. "Thisis indeed a noble river!" burst from several lips at the same moment;"and worthy, " continued I, "of being honoured with the name of her mostgracious majesty the Queen:" which Captain Wickham fully concurred in, byat once bestowing upon it the name of Victoria River. 

A glance at the map will show that we have not overrated its importance, or acted hastily in calling it the Victoria; and it must be admitted thatas the Murray is to South-eastern Australia, so in value and importanceis the great river Victoria, to the opposite side of the continent. 

Pursuing our course between the rocky heights, in a south-east direction, the outline of a high peaked hill, standing between two ranges, becamevisible, appearing, even at that time, so remarkable as to be namedEndeavour Hill. * The wind failing, we pushed into a small opening out ofthe stream, on the right hand, to pass the night. 

(*Footnote. Afterwards found to be 690 feet, the highest in theneighbourhood. )

VIEW FROM LEADING HILL. 

Anxious to trace further the course of the river, Captain Wickham andmyself ascended the top of a neighbouring hill before early dawn. Theview which presented itself when the day broke, was fraught with everycharm of novelty. A rapid stream passing between barren rocky heights, here stealing along in calm silence, there eddying and boiling as itswept past, lay at our feet. By a sudden bend two miles east of where westood, it was hid from our view; the ranges overlapping, however, stillpointed out the further course of the Victoria. The boat lay in the mouthof a creek, which communicating with another four miles further down, formed an island on the eastern side of the river, which we calledEntrance Isle. 

The formation of this part was a sandstone of a reddish hue, and in astate of decomposition. A wiry grass and the never-failing eucalyptuswere sparingly scattered over the face of the country, which round theentrance had a most unpromising and dreary appearance, showing at aglance its utterly sterile character. 

EXPLORATION OF THE RIVER. 

Taking a hasty breakfast, we pulled up the river; the tortuous nature ofthe first reaches, changing their directions suddenly from north toeast-south-east with a depth of seventeen and twenty fathoms, producesviolent eddies and whirlpools. Passing these, a splendid sheet of waterlay before us, trending south-east by south, as far as the eye couldreach from the boat, and more than a mile wide. In the first part of thiswe had a few shoal casts of the lead, but afterwards the depth was eightand ten fathoms, it being near low-water. In order to catch a glance atwhat was beyond, and to spell the oars, we landed at a point on the eastside, from which Endeavour Hill bore West 1/2 South three miles. Here theriver, by taking a slight turn more to the southward, was again lostsight of. We were sorry to perceive that it was much occupied by shoals, that showed themselves at this time of tide. The first began five milesbeyond our station, commencing from abreast of a rugged ridge, on thewest bank. The singular manner in which the blocks of sandstone werestrewed over this height, caused it to bear a strong resemblance to oldruins. The appearance of the country had not as yet improved, though thesandstone had lost that reddish hue we had noticed in the morning, whilepreserving the very marked dip to the south-east. 

Continuing we found the change in the direction of the river very slight, and at the end of sixteen miles it suddenly turned off to the eastward, which I was sorry to find, as its diverging from its originalsouth-easterly direction, appeared likely to disappoint our expectationthat the Victoria would prove a highroad to the interior of thecontinent. The width had hitherto been almost two miles, but there wasnot sufficient depth to give us any hope of bringing the ship up thusfar. 

APPEARANCE OF THE COUNTRY. 

The country now began to assume a more cheerful aspect. The hillsexhibited no longer the same rugged outline, and were better clothed withvegetation. From the top of one of a conical group, forming the northpoint of the river where it changes to the eastward, I could trace itsdirection but little further. 

On the opposite side the hills receded, forming an amphitheatre round alevel plain, through which ran a creek. On its banks, for the first time, we saw fires of the natives. Here, also for the first time, we noticedthe gouty-stem trees; whilst the slope of the hill we ascended wascovered with a tolerable sprinkling of grass. Kangaroos, likewise, wereobserved on every side springing along the turf; and a few greatalligators passed up the stream, after reconnoitering our boat at therisk of a shot or two. 

We were now nearly thirty miles from the ship; and a few stations werestill necessary to be made to complete the survey so far. Our proceedingfarther was therefore useless, especially as an exploring expedition mustpass up the river; and retracing our steps we reached the ship nearmidnight on the 20th. The intelligence of the success of our cruise wasreceived on board with an enthusiasm which explorers only can appreciate. Mr. Fitzmaurice had not returned, which favoured my surmises that hewould find a river. 

October 21. 

Mr. Forsyth having collected all the necessary material for the surveynear the ship, we shifted our berth this afternoon into deeper water, between the south end of Quoin Island and another small islet to thesouth-west, which from our operations on its south-eastern corner wecalled Observation Island. The weather was very remarkable in theevening--dark patches of clouds appearing in the western horizon, fromwhich vivid lightnings flashed, and loud peals of thunder roared. Thefrightened stream of the sea-birds evinced how seldom nature puts on suchan aspect in this place. 

CAPTAIN WICKHAM ASCENDS THE VICTORIA. 

Before proceeding further with the ship, it was necessary to feel our waywith the boats. Whilst this was going on, Captain Wickham determined onpushing up the river in the gig to ascertain if it was fresh sufficientlynear to water the ship from, when she had been taken as far up theVictoria as it was possible. He left next morning on this more thaninteresting trip. 

FITZMAURICE RIVER. 

The same afternoon Mr. Fitzmaurice returned, having, as we had suspected, discovered a river that carried his boat thirty miles in an eastdirection from the south end of McAdam Range. Towards the upper part itwas scarcely half a mile wide; but for an Australian stream wasremarkably free from bends, pursuing a straight course between rockyheights, with a depth varying from two to seven fathoms. Many shoalsoccurred towards the entrance, where in some places it was more than twomiles wide. This river was named Fitzmaurice River after its discoverer;and the mouth or inlet of it, after his companion, Keys Inlet. 

In sounding the channel, I found that when the hill Captain Wickham andmyself were first on, behind Entrance Isle, was in a line with the northend of the high land at the south side of the entrance, it formed a goodlead up. In consequence we named it Leading Hill, and the end of therange alluded to, Indian Hill, from our constantly seeing smoke near it. A flat of three or four fathoms at low-water extended across the channel, with River Peak bearing between North 35 East and North 64 East. Ivisited Indian Hill, but failed to meet with any of the natives, althoughI saw their fires not far off in the hills to the south-west. It is aridge covered with blocks of sandstone, with a few trees here and there. From its summit I had an extensive view of the low land stretching awayto the northward, and forming the western side of the channel. Itappeared so cut up with creeks as to form a mass of islands and mudflats, which appeared from the quantity of drift timber, to be frequentlyoverflowed, and partially so apparently at high spring tides. Thefarthest high land I saw bore west about twelve miles. 

MEMORIAL ON INDIAN HILL. 

I left here a paper in a bottle, giving an account of our proceedings, and should have been sorry to think, as Wallis did when he left a similardocument on a mountain in the Strait of Magellan, that I was leaving amemorial that would remain untouched as long as the world lasts. No, Iwould fain hope that ere the sand of my life-glass has run out, otherfeet than mine will have trod these distant banks; that colonizationwill, ere many years have passed, have extended itself in this quarter;that cities and hamlets will have risen on the banks of the new-foundriver, that commerce will have directed her track thither, and that smokemay rise from Christian hearths where now alone the prowling heathenlights his fire. There is an inevitable tendency in man to create; andthere is nothing which he contemplates with so much complacency as thework of his own hands. To civilize the world, to subdue the wilderness, is the proudest achievement to which he can look forward; and to share inthis great work by opening new fields of enterprise, and leading, as itwere, the van of civilisation, fills the heart with inexpressibledelight. It is natural, therefore, as I traced the record of our visitand deposited it on Indian Hill, that I should look forward in a moodvery far different from that of Wallis, to the speedy fruition of myhopes. 

October 27. 

The winds for the last few days had been from West-North-West toNorth-West, light after midnight to near noon, then moderate andsometimes fresh. The tides, as they approached the springs, increasedtheir velocity, occasionally coming down in bores at the rate of four andfive knots. 

RETURN OF CAPTAIN WICKHAM. 

Captain Wickham returned this morning, having discovered the river to befresh about seventy miles above the ship. For some distance it had notdecreased in size, which was very delightful news. I had been severaltimes on the point of inquiring on this subject; but fearing anunfavourable reply, hesitated. Now my hopes were at their highest pitch, and I was quite impatient to start on an expedition up the river. 

On the 29th the ship was taken under my guidance up the river, as far asthe commencement of the long southerly reach. As the shoals in that parthad not been sufficiently examined, we proceeded to do so in the evening, and two channels were discovered; one between a bank, dry at low-water, and a covered patch of one and a half and two fathoms, and the otherbetween the covered bank and the east shore; the latter, although thenarrower, I found to be the better. The tides set direct through it, andto keep close to the bank is a simple and sure guide. The least water isfour fathoms, half a fathom more than was found in the other, thedirection of which crossed the set of the tide when the bank on the westside became covered. 

THE BEAGLE TAKEN UP THE VICTORIA. 

Next morning we moved the ship three miles further up into a bight on theeast side from which Endeavour Hill bore West 13 South two miles and ahalf. 

The Beagle was now nearly fifty miles up the Victoria, and might havegone seven miles further, but a valley holding out a hope that we mightfind water by digging, and the distance at which the river was freshbeing too great for us to think of completing our stock from it, weanchored abreast of it. Whilst on shore getting observations for theerrors of the chronometers in the afternoon, I could not avoidsoliloquising as I gazed on the ship lying surrounded by lofty rockyheights, that towered above her masts till they appeared mere sticks. Thecontrast forcibly presented itself between the comparative insignificanceto which she was reduced by the elevation of the hills around, and themajestic appearance she was accustomed to bear when among the low landsof which we had seen so much. The sight reminded me of early years ofwandering within the narrow arms of the sea in Tierra del Fuego, save andexcept there were not the forests of ages to hide the nakedness of theland, which even there was clothed to the water's edge. 

My companion reporting the instruments in the boat broke the reverie Iwas indulging in; and on returning on board I found everyone busilypreparing for the expedition up the river. 

CHAPTER 2. 2. 

Exploration of the Victoria. First appearance of Sea Range. Curiosity Peak. Appearance of Country from. Whirlwind Plains. Encounter with an Alligator. His capture and description. Cross Whirlwind Plains. White and black ducks. Kangaroos. Enter hilly country. Meet the boats. Thunderstorm. Carry boats over shoals. New birds. Reach Hopeless. Progress of boats arrested. Reconnoitre the river. Prospect from View Hill. Preparation for pedestrian excursion. Leave Reach Hopeless to explore the upper part of the river. Native village. Squall. Muscle Bend. Meet Natives. Successful fishing. Party distressed. Thirsty Flat. Tortoise Reach. Singular appearance of the ranges. Effect of the great heat. One man knocked up. Approach of natives. Preparation for defence. Appearance of the natives. Move further up the river. Emu Plains. Select position for night quarters. Upward course of the Victoria. Commence return. Kangaroo shot. Wickham Heights. New Tortoise. Lucky Valley. Race was with a native. Meet his tribe. They make off. Hard day's work. Quarters for the night. Return to Reach Hopeless. 

EXPLORATION OF THE VICTORIA. 

The expedition, consisting of the two large boats and gig, with CaptainWickham, who was to show them the watering place, left the ship early onthe morning of the 31st of October. I was to follow in one of thewhaleboats, and explore the upper parts in company with Captain Wickham;and after completing the survey near the ship, I was at last fairly offto explore the Victoria with the first glimmer of light the morningfollowing, once more to revel in scenes where all was new. How amply isthe explorer repaid by such sights for all his toils! To ascend a hilland say you are the first civilized man that has ever trod on this spot;to gaze around from its summit and behold a prospect over which noEuropean eye has ever before wandered; to descry new mountains; to dartyour eager glance down unexplored valleys, and unvisited glens; to tracethe course of rivers whose waters no white man's boat has ever cleaved, and which tempt you onwards into the bosom of unknown lands: these arethe charms of an explorer's life. 

Mr. Forsyth accompanied me. We landed nearly opposite the rugged ridge Ihave before mentioned, for a few angles and bearings. Here we found twonative rafts of precisely the same construction as those we hadpreviously seen on the North-west coast, formed out of nine poles. Theshape the reader will remember from the sketch in that part of the work, and with the exception of only two instances, where they appeared merelytemporary affairs, we have noticed no other kind of rafts in use. Wherever this great similarity in their mode of water-conveyanceprevails, we may infer the natives have had communication with eachother. 

We passed the night in the end of a crooked reach, near the only rockyislet in the river, lying four miles East-South-East from the furthestpoint I had before attained. With the exception of a squall fromnorth-east in the afternoon, there was scarcely any wind, and the nightwas cloudy with some slight showers of rain. As the mosquitoes allowed uslittle rest, we were glad, when the day broke, to be again moving. We nowfound the river take a north-east direction for eight miles, averaging inwidth upwards of three-quarters of a mile, and in depth at low-water twofathoms. A sudden change in the trend of the reaches brought in sight thestrange appearance of the country represented in the woodcut annexed. 

CURIOSITY PEAK. 

The peak on the right bank we named, from the passion it assisted us ingratifying, Curiosity Peak. Landing at the foot we were not long reachingthe summit, although the thermometer was 90 degrees in the shade. Theriver formed a remarkable feature in the landscape before us, to thenorth-east; and behind it rose a high table-range of hills, from five tosix hundred feet in elevation. These were capped with lowreddish-coloured cliffs. 

WHIRLWIND PLAINS. 

At their feet stretched an extensive and seemingly boundless plain in anorth-east direction, whilst on the south-east side, and distant abouteighteen miles from where we stood, low ranges of hills were visible. Here and there over the plains were many small whirlwinds appearing inthe distance like streaks of smoke curling upwards through the air. These, though affording relief to the eye in the wide prospect thatopened before us, are fraught with danger when occurring on the river;for on one occasion they nearly upset the gig, and threatened to consignits crew to a watery grave. In the present instance they gave an impulseto our invention, suggesting the propriety of designating the level tractof country before us, Whirlwind Plains. The high land rising suddenly outof it, and bounding it very abruptly on the north-west side, we named SeaRange. We could trace the river passing along at its foot in anEast-North-East direction for nine miles, when it appeared to cross theplain; a large island lying midway changed its course for a shortdistance. 

I found a strange kind of fruit growing in a hollow, near the top ofCuriosity Peak; the tree was small and leafless, with the fruit hangingin bunches about the size of a damascene plum, of the colour of a peach, and containing a large stone. I afterwards had a pie made of this fruit, which proved to be by no means bad eating. 

Besides the sandstone of which the peak is composed, I found a kind ofslate on the north-west side. Several banks showed themselves, leaving atthat time of tide scarcely a boat channel, although the river was a milewide at high-water. A great part of the day was occupied in collectingmaterial for the chart of this part, and we passed the night near thefoot of Curiosity Peak. On the grassy flat opposite, I killed five whiteibises at a shot. 

At sunset, I noticed large flocks of a rather small brown pigeon, constantly flying from Whirlwind Plains to the north-west, and back againin the morning. The mosquitoes did not give us any peace again thisnight. 

ENCOUNTER AN ALLIGATOR. 

November 3. 

Starting early, we had just passed all the shoals in the neighbourhood ofCuriosity Peak, and entered a narrow part of the river, when the leadsmanin the bows of the boat reported, "A large alligator coming down thestream, sir. " Elated by the expectation of sport, we instantly groundedthe boat on the right bank to keep her steady, and waited anxiously forthe monster's approach. It will readily be believed, that every eye wasfixed upon him as he slowly advanced, scarcely disturbing the glassysurface of the water, and quite unconscious of the fate that impendedover him. At length he came abreast, and about eighty yards off, only theflat crown of his head, and the partly serrated ridge along his back, appearing in sight. It was a moment of deep excitement for us all, andeveryone held his breath in suspense as I pointed my gun at the brute'shead. 

EFFECT OF A SHOT. 

I felt confident of hitting my mark; but judging from the little effect Ihad produced on former occasions, scarcely dreamt of the execution myball actually did. It happened that to-day I was in excellent practice, and had just hit a large wild dog, a long shot, making him jump high offthe ground; but this beast is as tenacious of life as a cat, and insteadof falling dead, he limped off and escaped. But to resume: I fired, andnever heard a ball strike with more satisfaction in my life. It laid thealligator sprawling, feet uppermost. There was no time to be lost ingetting him on shore; two or three strokes with the oars brought usalongside of the monster, as he floated on the surface of the stream. Thebusiness was to attach a line to one of his legs; and as we knew that hewas not dead, but only stunned, this was rather a nervous operation. Inoticed indeed a hesitation among the men, as to who should venture, andfearing lest our prize should escape, I seized the line and made it fastto one of his fore-legs, when we proceeded to the shore, dragging himalongside. Before reaching it, however, our friend gave signs of revivinganimation, and as we could not foresee to what extent he might regain hisactivity, we dropped him astern, clear of the boat, fearing lest infloundering about he might stave in her broadside. In doing so, moreover, and by way of a sedative, I fired a charge of large shot at his head, themuzzle of the gun not being a yard from it; and yet the only effectproduced, was a slight stupor of the intellectual faculties, evinced by amomentary state of quiescence. 

THE ALLIGATOR ON SHORE. 

On reaching the shore, the men jumped out to haul the alligator up on thedry land, and began to pull away vigorously. It was a comic scene towitness. They expected to have some difficulty in performing their task;but suddenly they found the rope slacken, and looking round beheld thealligator walking up after them of his own accord, faster than waspleasant. In their haste, endeavouring to keep the rope taut, one fellowtripped up; and it was for a moment a question whether he would not besnapped in two; the feeling of alarm, however, soon gave way to a senseof the ludicrous, at beholding the manner in which he gathered himself upinto a ball and rolled out of the alligator's way. I thought it now hightime to take decisive measures, and with another shot altered theintentions of the monster, who endeavoured to back towards the water. Perhaps if he had been further away from it, I might have been tempted totry Waterton's experiment. 

It was not before he had received six balls in the head, that heconsented to be killed. During the operation he exhibited something ofhis savoir faire, by opening his mouth, that looked like a giganticman-trap, and suddenly shutting it with a loud snap, which made usshudder, and forcibly recalled to mind the escape I had had a few daysbefore, from having my body embraced by such a pair of jaws. 

The reader will gather a good idea of their size from the woodcut; andtheir power of holding will be shown in the description accompanying. Theview annexed represents the moment when the alligator received the firstshot on shore; the singular character of Sea Range is also shown, and thesmall whirlwinds I have alluded to, as having the appearance of smoke. 

DESCRIPTION OF THE ALLIGATOR. 

Length of Alligator, 15 feet. From base of head to extreme of nose 2 feet2 inches. Across the base of head, 2 feet. Length of lower jaw, 2 feet. Teeth in both jaws, vary in size, and are variously disposed, as will beseen above; in upper jaw on each side of maxillary bone, 18, 2 incisors. Ditto in lower jaw, 15, 2 incisors. The largest teeth are 1 1/2 inch inlength. The two lower incisors are stronger and longer than the upper, and project through two holes in front part of upper jaw. 

Breadth across the animal, from extreme of one fore foot, across theshoulders to the other side, 5 feet 2 inches. The fore feet have eachfive perfect toes; the three inner or first, have long horny nails, slightly curved; the two outer toes have no nails, nor are they webbed. The third and fourth toes are deeply webbed, allowing a wide spacebetween them, which is apparent even in their passive state. The hindfeet have four long toes; the first two are webbed as far as the firstjoint, and the others are strongly webbed to the apex of last joint, thelast or outer toe has no nail. 

From the apex of tail, a central highly notched ridge runs up aboutmidway of it, and there splits into two branches, which pass up on eachside of the spine over the back, as far as the shoulders, graduallydiminishing in height to their termination. 

A central ridge runs down from the nape of the neck over the spinousprocesses of the vertebrae (being firmly attached to them by strongligaments) as far down as the sacrum, diminishing to its terminationlikewise. 

CONTENTS OF ITS STOMACH. 

All the alligator's stomach contained was about fourteen pounds ofpebbles, some of them measuring four inches in diameter. We were sometime skinning the monster, and after securing a little of the best partof the flesh for eating, * proceeded on our way. 

(*Footnote. The writer supped off alligator steaks, and informs thereader that the meat is by no means bad, and has a white appearance likeveal. )

The river, as I have already said, ran along the base of Sea Range forsome distance, when it turned off across the plain in a south-eastdirection. 

BANKS OF THE VICTORIA. 

The high land quite overlooked the stream, and enhanced the picturesqueeffect of the trees that rose in rich green masses on the banks, whichwere here only about half a mile apart. The depth, however, was twofathoms, double what it had been for some distance before. We had nowfairly turned our backs on Sea Range, and were crossing the plains in asouth-east direction. On the part of the Victoria we had passed were afew white ducks, with black or very dark brown wings. I noticed that thebill and legs were of a very pale pink, and they had a pale yellow eye. They were evidently the same bird that I had seen at Port Essington. *They were scarce and not met with in other parts of the river. Kangarooswere numerous on the banks, as we entered the plain, and during the daywere to be seen in numbers under the bushes near the water's edge. Iadded one to our stock of fresh provisions, which with alligator steaksand ducks, gave us a good supply to share with the other boats. We namedthis part of the river Long Reach, from its carrying us nine miles in adirect course, with a general width of a quarter of a mile, and a depthof two and three fathoms. The banks were well defined, in many placesbeing a low line of cliffs six feet high, presenting to our view severalfeet of brown soil, resting on a compact clay. This is the generalcharacter of this extensive plain; and from the small size of the trees, chiefly white gums, that are thinly scattered over it, we may infer thatit is land of recent formation. Two miles from the end of Long Reach, wepassed a sandy head, where the tide rises from three to ten feet. 

(*Footnote. Figured by Mr. Gould, as Tadorna radjah. )

The river now took a south by west direction, for nearly two miles, alittle narrower, but three fathoms deep throughout. Towards the latterpart the banks were fringed with mangroves of a small and singularly evengrowth, resembling a clipped garden shrubbery. Our course again changedto south-east, entering the low range of hills bounding the south-easternside of Whirlwind Plains. It was long after dark when we reached so far. We had passed the watering boats some distance further down on their wayto the ship. Our sudden meeting in the dark on the lonely river, had asingular and romantic effect. Being anxious to join the gig, we pushedon, and at midnight were surprised by a loud call from Captain Wickham, who lay beneath the shadow of a high bank. It was a strange sound, thisEnglish hail, to hear echoed in these wild hills, where only the shrillcry of the savage had been borne on the blast before!

THUNDERSTORM. 

I was sorry to find, that the tide did not at present rise sufficient toadmit the large boats into the fresh water, so that getting a load wouldhave been a very long operation, had it not been for a tremendous fall ofrain that followed a thunderstorm, deluging every pool, and at onceaffording the means of filling the casks. This storm began at South-Eastand drew round by east to North-West, from which quarter it blew strongfor an hour. The torrents of rain lasted two hours, and cooled the air sorapidly, as in that time to reduce the thermometer from 92 to 82 degrees. This change was so sudden, that it made those who felt it shiver as if itwere the depth of winter, and RUSH INTO THE RIVER WATER TO KEEPTHEMSELVES WARM. 

November 4. 

Both boats proceeded up the river at daylight. We started from the end ofShort Reach, trending East-North-East, and about four miles within therange of hills, on the South-East side of the Plains. The first reach ledus a mile and a half in a South-East direction, and at the end of it aflat of large boulders extended; across this we dragged the boats easily. The river now took a turn from East-North-East to North, and at the endof a mile we came to another extensive flat, quite dry. There was a deeppool below it, with a precipitous hill, 350 feet high, on the easternside. This we called Steep Head, and its singular dark cliffy face, frowning over the placid waters, gave an air of grandeur to the scenery. Stretched out on the face of these cliffs, we left the skin of our friendthe alligator, to be taken to the ship by the watering boats when theyreturned. 

SHOALS IN THE RIVER. 

There was now heavy work before us, with the thermometer at 93 degrees inthe shade: we had to drag the boats over the large flat that impeded ourprogress. The way was made as smooth as possible, and plenty of rollerslaid, but an unlucky stone found its way through the thin plank of thegig. Captain Wickham acted as head carpenter in repairing the damage, which occupied so much time that it was dark before the boats werefloated in the deep water beyond. We dined on the bank, by the light of alantern hung on a tree. The tide at this place only rose two feet. 

SCENERY ON ITS BANKS. 

November 5. 

Taking advantage of the cool of the morning, we moved off with the earlydawn. A fine sheet of water lay before us, and everything promised well. The vegetation looked stronger and richer. Above the growth of acaciasand drooping gums, that leant over the banks kissing their reflection inthe limpid waters, rose on each side high broken ranges. Their heightshad round summits, just beneath which, in some, could be traced a lowline of cliffs, so singularly characteristic of Sea Range. The verymarked dip in the strata did not extend beyond the latter, and here Icould not detect any. Flights of large vampires, whistling ducks, many-coloured parakeets, and varieties of small birds, made the riverquite alive, and their continued cry of alarm gave vivacity to the scene, and disturbed the stillness that had reigned there for years. Everyliving thing is terrified at the sight of man. This reach of the Victoriaenabled Mr. Bynoe to add two new birds to his collection; one, a speciesof pigeon, but resembling a small quail in its habits and size; the ceraeof the nose, the beak and the feet, were a pigeon's, but the flight andthe manner of running along the ground, where it kept, were those of aquail. It was found in small families of eight or a dozen, very wild andscarce, and was only seen in this part of the river. The only one we wereable to get, had a very long pointed crest. The colour was a light red, with a white chin and a black band across the throat; the tips of thewings were slightly bronzed. It is figured in Mr. Gould's work, from thisspecimen, as Geophaps plumifera. 

SINGULAR BIRD. 

The other bird was of a species, that at first sight appeared to be ateal. It went in small flocks, and as it got on the wing made a longshrill plaintive kind of note. The deep glossy rifle-green colour oftheir back, and the transparent streak of white across the wing, gavethem a most beautiful appearance, as the sun's rays lit up their richplumage in their circuitous flight round the boat. Their number did notexceed twenty, and they too were only seen on this part of the river. They were also very wary, which is singular in the inhabitants of awilderness, almost totally unfrequented by man. We only got one specimen, by which we found that it had the head and bill of a goose. It was indeedquite a goose in miniature. Although we never before or afterwards metwith this bird, it was seen at Port Essington, though of inferiorplumage, some time in 1840, and a specimen was obtained, from which Mr. Gould has named it Nettapus pulchellas. The whistling duck of theAdelaide River, was also only seen on this part of the Victoria. 

After proceeding north-east one mile and a half, and east two miles, wecame to a pretty little islet covered with palms and acacias, and richlong grass. Numbers of large white waterlilies grew on its banks. Theriver was now only an eighth of a mile wide, and two fathoms deep. Thisstill promised well. Scarcely, however, had we indulged in the hope thatthe Victoria might yet convey the boats many miles into the interior, when a shoal appeared. 

PROGRESS OF THE BOATS ARRESTED. 

Over this we got tolerably well, but at the end of two miles in anEast-South-East direction from Palm Island, all hopes were at an end ofproceeding farther in the boats, as for a great extent the river wasimpassable for them. We found there was a large sheet of water beyond, and then another dry patch. It would therefore have been useless labourto attempt dragging the boats over any more of the dry parts. Twoconical-shaped hills, so much alike that we called them the Brothers, bore North by West 1/2 West one mile. 

The thermometer was 101 degrees at noon in the shade. I shot some verylarge dark-coloured ducks in the afternoon. Kangaroos were numerous. Thewater was fresh soon after passing Palm Island. 

That we were thus finally deterred from proceeding farther with theboats, was a source of deep mortification. Since the great flat we hadexperienced so much difficulty in getting over yesterday, all had gonewell. Each turn in the river appeared more beautiful, and broughtsomething new to increase our interest; and we fondly imagined that greatdiscoveries were in store for us. But the fates had decreed otherwise, and we were compelled to pause, after having ascended in the boats fromthe ship above 75 miles. We named this reach, in consequence, ReachHopeless. 

November 6. 

It being evidently impracticable to proceed higher up in the boats; asmall party of us landed at daylight, in order to ascend a neighbouringheight, and thence to trace as far as possible the upward course of theriver, preparatory to a pedestrian excursion along its banks. Beforesunrise we reached the summit of a narrow ridge, trending East-South-East1/2 a mile east, from where the boats were lying: in this singular ridgeI again noticed the dip to the south-east: it was composed of a varietyof rocks, jasper, a greyish kind of flinty indifferent limestone, andgreywacke. 

SINGULAR APPEARANCE OF THE RIVER. 

The view from it was very limited, the valley of the river turning shortto the northward, two miles east by south of our position, to which wegave the name of Station Hill. Before I had finished my round of angles, the heat had become so great that some of our party were compelled toreturn to the boats, whilst myself, with two of the men, pushed on fornearly two miles in an easterly direction, along the foot of sometable-topped hills, and were then gratified with another peep at theriver, which had a very singular appearance, in some places nearly dry, discovering a wide bed of large pebbles: long narrow islands, whose shapeattested the former rapidity of the currents, covered with reeds andacacias, and deep pools of standing water, were its most characteristicfeatures. Several kangaroos, alarmed by our approach, hastily quittedtheir cool hidingplaces, presenting beautiful shots; but as the traces ofnatives were both recent and numerous, we thought it most prudent toreserve our fire, and shortly after, upon finding a native fire stillalight, to keep the open ground as much as possible. We travelled for along mile over a level flat of good soil, though now quite destitute ofvegetation, save some beautiful specimens of the truly evergreen gumtree. 

PROSPECT FROM VIEW HILL. 

At length we reached the summit of View Hill, and no effervescing draughtcould have proved more really refreshing than the south-east breeze whichgreeted us there. It is separated from the ranges to the southward by adeep narrow valley. We noticed from it that the river evidently increasedin size, as traced upwards, and I was very glad to find that the delightI experienced in making this discovery, was shared by my companions. Wetraced it east for two long miles--a deep broad and picturesque stream:beyond that limit it took a more southerly direction, apparently behindsome high tableland (Table Hill) 200 feet high. Beyond, and on theeastern side of the valley of the river, rose a high peak, crowned by aremarkable block of stone, to which we gave the name of The Tower. I madea sketch of the scenery, and took a round of angles, and then we returnedto the boats. On our arrival we found the thermometer had been as high as110 degrees at one P. M. The afternoon was occupied in selecting a partyof five out of the boats' crews, for a pedestrian excursion; and atnight, jaded as we were, it was almost impossible to sleep, owing to thescreeching noise of the vampires, and the howling of the native dogs. 

PREPARATIONS FOR A PEDESTRIAN EXCURSION. 

November 7. 

Making slings and packing provisions for an early start to-morrow morningoccupied the greater part of the day. Mr. Bynoe, as he had doneyesterday, added to his valuable collection a few rare birds, and strangeplants; while I took several readings of the barometer, morning andevening, for the elevation of the bed of the river: the mean gave aresulting height of thirty feet. 

Our bivouac at Reach Hopeless, was under the shade of a cluster ofdrooping gumtrees, which secreted in their thick foliage, numbers of abird figured by Mr. Gould as Tripidorhynchus argenticeps. These kept up aconstant amusing chatter, in which we could frequently detect an exactimitation of the words Walk Up, when spoken sharply. A kangaroo Mr. Bynoehad shot, and hung on a tree, drew the attention of birds of prey, consisting of two kinds of hawks, one of a dark brown, almost black, andanother a lighter shade of the same colour, resembling copper, with agreat deal of white about the head; so that we were surrounded withfeathered companions. 

The wind as usual was East-North-East in the morning, and North-West inthe evening. The thermometer ranged from 97 to 112 degrees during theday, and fell to 90 degrees at night; during which we noticed severalmeteors in the north and north-west falling perpendicularly. 

November 8. 

Our little band left the boats before daylight, the morning beingagreeably cool (temperature 85 degrees). Captain Wickham had intendedheading this most interesting expedition himself, but feeling indisposed, the party was eventually placed under my command, and in addition tomyself, consisted of Mr. Bynoe, surgeon; Mr. Forsyth, mate; George Knox, Robert Gower, and William Willing, seamen; John Brown, and RichardMartin, marines. Besides provisions for six days, and arms, we had withus the following instruments: large sextant, small sextant, artificialhorizon, chronometer, two compasses, spyglass, watch, lantern, andmeasuring tape. 

Our route was that of yesterday to View Hill, and we reached the river amile to the eastward by half-past seven A. M. We halted here for tenminutes to skin a kangaroo, which I had shot as we crossed the plain; apiece of good fortune that induced me to determine upon leaving a part ofour provisions at the first convenient spot. We found the banks of theriver thickly clothed with tall reeds, through which with some difficultywe forced our way. To the north-west the high land receded from theriver, having an extensive, and apparently alluvial flat between its baseand the course of the stream. 

After a brief halt, we proceeded in an East 16 degrees South direction. Two miles good walking brought us to the head of a deep gully, the banksof which were covered with tall reeds; we followed its course nearly duenorth to the river, which it joined near the foot of the high land I havebefore spoken of. The bed of the stream was dry here in patches for halfa mile. As none of our party had been recently accustomed to muchpedestrian exercise, and we had been travelling for nearly five hoursover a broken country, and in a temperature varying from 87 to 100degrees in the shade, I thought it time to halt and dine. While dinnerwas being prepared, Mr. Bynoe and myself shot three brace of rare ducks, of a small light grey kind, in the pools near. I afterwards accompaniedMr. Forsyth to get some bearings from an elevation on the north side ofthe river. 

COURSE OF THE VICTORIA. 

Towards the south-east we perceived a very decided break in the hills, through which I hoped to trace the course of the Victoria, that being thedirection of the centre of this vast continent: in this however we weredisappointed, for the river turned short round to the north-east. Thebanks were so high, and so thickly covered with tall reeds, that it wasonly by the very green appearance of the trees about its banks that itscourse could be made out. The temperature at one P. M. In the sun was 127degrees. Knowing how impossible it was to avoid being tracked by thenatives, should they wish it, even upon the hardest ground, and that inthe event of their doing so any buried stores would be forthwithdiscovered, and yet anxious to disencumber the party of any superfluousload, I directed one of the men to take the 8-pound canister of preservedmeat and throw it into a thick cluster of reeds and palms, about thirtyyards distant; and after taking a set of sights for longitude, recommenced our journey to half-past three P. M. In a north-eastdirection; passing through a lightly timbered plain, that had beenevidently at no distant date exposed to the ravages of fire. At half-pastfour we came to a bend of the river, trending North 56 degrees East andSouth 22 degrees West. Passing several trees still on fire near theriver, after another short halt, which the state of the atmosphere noless than the nature of the ground rendered desirable, we resumed ournorth-east course, but were compelled to make a considerable westerlydetour, in order to clear the deep watercourses intersecting the banks atthis place, and which, extending nearly to the base of the hills, rendered the fatigues and labours of the march additionally andneedlessly heavy. 

NATIVE VILLAGE. 

Just before dark we came upon a native village, near the foot of a barerocky hill, having a northern aspect, and lying about one mile south-westof the river. It contained thirteen huts of paper-bark, standing in abare stony plain, and with no signs of being at this time inhabited. Wefound here considerable difficulty in forcing our way through the talland thickly growing reeds which lined the bank. The next reach in theriver trended North-West for about a mile, and then turned offNorth-North-East at the foot of a high rocky range. The next turn in thecourse brought us upon a yet burning native fire. Under ordinarycircumstances such an indication of the near presence of natives, ofwhose intentions, whether hostile or otherwise, I had no means ofjudging, would have induced me to take up open quarters for the night, which was now closing in upon us; but the threatening aspect of the skyto the south-east led me to prefer a spot sheltered by the luxuriantfoliage which here fringed the river's banks. 

VIOLENT SQUALL. 

The squall reached us at seven. The wind, which had been at south-east, veering to north, and the thermometer falling five degrees; it lasted forabout an hour, during which time the harsh screams of the affrightedbirds--the moaning of the wind--the awful roll of thunder, and thefearful brilliancy of the lightning, combined to supply all the terriblebeauty which invests such scenes; especially when they surprise thestartled adventurer upon his unknown path, and add their hostileinfluence to the unreckoned dangers that await his progress. The onlymeans we had of preserving our only suit of clothes dry from thedrenching showers of rain was by taking them off, and stuffing them intothe hollow of a tree, which in the darkness of the night we could do withpropriety. 

Within an hour the weather had cleared up, and was as fine as before thesquall. The change came just in time for me to secure a meridian altitudeof Achernar, which, with a set of sights for time, completed therequisite observations. We noticed a singular meteor in theEast-South-East about 8 o'clock this evening, darting perpendicularlyUPWARDS: it lasted for ten seconds: between the hour mentioned andmidnight, we saw a great many, passing chiefly from south-east tonorth-west. At nine, having set the watches for the night, we lay down tosleep, and passed a quiet night with a temperature of 85 degrees, and anorth-west wind. 

November 9. 

We started early the following morning, after having obtained a set ofbearings, and followed the bank of the river to the north-west for half amile, then forded it and took a north-easterly direction, passing closeto the foot of some hills forming the south side of the valley of theriver, which at this place is scarcely a mile wide. High tableland formedthe west side of it, and low broken ranges trending east, bounded it inthat direction. 

MUSSEL BEND. 

The bend above where we slept we called Mussel Bend, from our findingseveral there: they appeared similar to those found by Oxley in theMacquarie. The country over which we travelled the first part of the daywas exceedingly stony, and wore a most uninviting appearance. 

While the party halted to skin a kangaroo I had been so fortunate as toshoot; I ascended the top of a neighbouring hill to make a sketch, andget some bearings. From this elevation I traced the river in a north-westdirection for three miles, and I gazed with rapture, only known to thediscoverer, upon a clear and magnificent expanse of water, yet greatlydismayed at its northerly direction. To the north-east was an extensiveand apparently alluvial flat; while to the westward, the high landapproached the river. It is worthy of remark, that so far as ourobservation extended, wherever the hills approach the river on one sidethey recede from it on the other. 

DISCOVERED BY NATIVES. 

Continuing in a more easterly direction in order to avoid the deepwatercourses near the banks, we found the country wore a much less aridappearance, and changing our direction to North-North-West in order toascend some high ranges distant two miles and a half, overlooking theeast bank of the river, we came suddenly upon some native tracks, andpresently surprised two children, who scampered down the bank in verynatural alarm, and were soon lost among the tall reeds. A little furtheron we passed within 200 yards of three women carrying bundles of bark attheir backs; their anxiety for their children had allowed us to approachthus close unseen; but no sooner were we discovered, than they raised ashout which was answered from the heights on our right, and from thebanks of the river on our left, by parties evidently too numerous torender it prudent to attempt a nearer meeting. We therefore held on ourway without appearing to notice them. They were quite naked, with theexception of a slight covering of bark round their waists. We halted athalf-past ten A. M. In an open spot in the dry bed of the river, overlooked by a high table hill. Our party looked very much distressedfrom their half-day's work. The weather had been very close, and a gooddeal of the walking over broken ground; and these circumstances, coupledwith the fact that the thermometer stood at 107 degrees in the shade, andthat all had been for a long time cooped up in a small vessel, will fullyexplain and account for the general fatigue. 

SUCCESSFUL FISHING. 

In a pool of the river near our resting place, I caught, within an hour, some dozen good-sized fish: using a bait of kangaroo flesh. There weretwo sorts, one of the shape of a trout, and ten inches long; it had adirty orange-yellow belly, and a muddy bronze back; the lower hole of thenose had a raised margin. The other measured seven inches, and resembledin shape a small fish at home, known to all schoolboys as theprickle-back; it was curiously marked, having five spots nearly black oneach side, near the ridge of the back; the ground around them was a darkglossy brown; the belly was a slightly shining white, reaching as far upas the lower line of the eye and the margin of the spots. 

While Mr. Bynoe was occupied in making sketches of them, which have beentransmitted to Dr. Richardson, Mr. Forsyth and myself ascended aneighbouring hillock, and traced the river in a westerly direction fortwo miles; it then turned round to North-North-East: a deep narrow valleyseparated it from the higher land to the eastward. The bed of the riverat this place, though partly dry, was wider than we had hitherto seen it, and the trees upon its banks still showed evident signs of being washedby a mountain torrent. After making a set of observations for longitude, we started again at 3 o'clock P. M. Taking a north-west direction over aflat of tolerably fine light mould. Near here a party of natives crossedthe river, in the direction of those we had first seen: perhaps to effecta junction of forces and demand the meaning of our strange intrusion. Wetook an East 1/2 North direction across the flat, but finding the groundvery broken and stony, intersected by deep watercourses, and renderedadditionally impracticable by high grass and thick reeds, we werecompelled, after getting half across, to make the best of our way to theriver. 

FATIGUE OF THE PARTY. 

It was intensely hot, not a breath of air stirring, and to add to ourmisfortunes, we had inadvertently dined off the contents of a canister ofsalt meat. We reached the river at half-past five, being all of us prettywell knocked up with heat, fatigue, and thirst: one of our party, I heardafterwards, drank nearly TWO QUARTS of water at a draught. 

Further on in this reach, I determined to occupy quarters for the night;it was wide and deep, trending East by South, but shut in about a mileabove our present position by a dry patch of stones, with clear banks oneither side. As we were now in what appeared to be a rather thicklypopulated district of the country, it was requisite to choose a positionbeyond the reach of sudden attack. Having consulted our security as muchas possible in this particular, I took, before dark, the necessarybearings and angles for the survey, and was delighted to observe that thevalley of the river again trended away to the southward. We had a coolbreeze after dark from the north-west, and the thermometer went down to90 degrees. I had scarcely secured observations for latitude andlongitude, before a squall from the south-east, accompanied by heavyrain, recalled the scene of last night. 

CHARM OF DISCOVERY. 

The same screams from the same kind of birds, disturbed in their roostingplaces, and the same mournful howling of the wind, as it swept fitfullythrough the trees that overshadowed us, broke the silence that hadreigned around our solitary fire, and exercised their wondrous power overthe imagination. In a few moments my thoughts were borne on to the veryheart of this mysterious country, over many a dreary plain, where thirst, fatigue, and hunger were all forgotten. It is impossible to define theexact nature of the charm which particular minds find in the perils andadventures of discovery, whether on the shore or over the wave. Certain, however, it is, that scarce any motive of human exertion can compete withit in the powers of endurance it supplies to its votaries. 

The squall served to clear the air, and was succeeded by a cool breezefrom the north-west. The thermometer down to 87 degrees. 

THIRSTY FLAT. 

Yet cool, as comparatively speaking, the nights are here, still I couldnot but remark that the ground never became so; and this I imagine to beone of the principal causes of that fatigue from which some of our partysuffered so much: during my watches I invariably noticed some poor fellowor another vainly trying to secure the rest of which he stood so much inneed: rolling with restless anxiety from side to side, and sometimes inabsolute despair, starting up on his feet: neither could I fail to notethe wearying effect these broken slumbers produced, symptoms of whichshowed themselves more plainly each morning. 

Having provided myself with the means of calculating the latitude, Iworked the observations I had taken during the night. It placed the spotof our bivouac in 15 degrees 29 minutes South. We estimated our distancefrom the boats, having carefully timed ourselves each march, at 23 miles;10 in an east, general direction, and 13 North-East by North. 

November 10. 

We pushed onwards in the cool of the morning, taking a South 20 degreesWest direction, for three miles, crossing the eastern part of the flat towhich we yesterday gave the name of Thirsty Flat, and found the soil alight mould, covered with long dry grass. This brought us to a bend inthe river, trending in rather a tortuous manner east, and passing througha wide valley, with table ranges, varying from 5 to 600 feet on eitherside. Towards their summits there were perpendicular cliffs of some 30 or40 feet, similar to the high land of Sea Range. The country just here wasso thickly wooded that I was obliged to climb a tree in order to get thebearings. We noticed some very curious black horizontal streaks on thehills in our immediate vicinity. We crossed the river, or rather over itsbed--a patch of stones--and found some shells of the water-tortoise atthe remains of a native fire on the bank: we named the reach TortoiseReach, in consequence. Here too Mr. Bynoe added some rare and beautifulspecimens of finches to his collection. 

ENERVATING EFFECT OF THE GREAT HEAT. 

The cool north-west wind had now deserted us, and though yet scarcelynine o'clock A. M. The thermometer stood at 105 degrees. I had again thegood fortune to shoot a kangaroo: it was a long cross-shot, the animalgoing at speed. Our route now lay across a barren stony plain, of whichthe vegetation it might once have boasted had been burnt off: theblackened ground, heated by the fierce rays of the sun, seemed still tous on fire. In crossing a creek which lay in our path, and which wemanaged to do by means of a fallen tree, Mr. Forsyth showed symptoms ofbeing struck with the sun, but a little water, which I was happy enoughto get from the creek, revived him. Several others of the party alsocomplained of the trying effects of the great heat; after a short rest, Itherefore determined on making for the river, which we arrived at in halfan hour, near a bed of dry rocks, but with the reaches on either sidewide and deep, and shut in by steep banks. By this time one of the menwas seriously indisposed; all hopes, therefore, of proceeding muchfurther upon this most interesting expedition I was compelled, thoughvery reluctantly, to abandon. This was still the more a subject of deepregret, because the present width, and the south-easterly direction whichthe river now appeared to take, gave me just hopes that great progressmight be made in the desired direction in the course of another day:while I felt satisfied that we were abandoning the course of a riverwhose undiminished magnitude made each mile's journey along its banks ofincreased interest, and which I felt convinced would, if followed out, conduct us far towards the heart of this terra incognita. 

The weather continued calm and close; temperature at noon, in the shade110 degrees. I noticed a difference in the bed of the river at the placewhere we prepared dinner: hitherto the dry spots, which from time to timewe passed over, or halted upon, were strewn about with large boulders;here, however, we were encamping near a very remarkable rocky ledge, dipping to the south-east, and of the same character as the rocks on thesea coast, when seen at low-water. 

APPROACH OF NATIVES. 

Scarcely had we disposed of our invalid as comfortably as circumstanceswould admit, under a bank overshadowed by acacias and gumtrees, when weheard the shrill voices of an evidently large body of natives, concealedby the foliage on the opposite bank of the river, which was just herequite dry, and not more than eighty yards across. 

PREPARATIONS FOR DEFENCE. 

As I had no means of knowing either their number or intentions, it wasnecessary to make the best preparations that time and place would allowfor defence, should it unhappily become necessary: a contingency which, in the debilitated condition of all the party, now too deprivedaltogether of the aid of one of its members, I could not contemplatewithout some anxiety. I directed the men to occupy such situations in thelong grass as would give the most deceptive appearance to our numbers, and stationed Mr. Bynoe, Mr. Forsyth, and myself where, if required, wecould act most effectually. These preparations were hardly complete, whentwo natives, accompanied by a large cream-coloured dog that howledmournfully, came down suddenly, shouting "Ho! ho!" upon the oppositebank, as though more clearly to reconnoitre our position. They were finelooking men, with bushy hair and spare limbs, quite naked, and apparentlyunarmed--a usual indication among the aborigines of Australia that theirintentions are peaceful. They amused themselves for a time by making allsorts of gestures, shouting still "ho! ho!" to those of their body inconcealment, from whom they had probably been detached for observation. What they thought of us, strange intruders as we must have appeared tothem, it is not possible fully even to imagine; at any rate they seemedimpressed with some sort of respect either for our appearance, jaded aswe were, or our position, and forbore any nearer approach. I was ofcourse very glad that no appeal to force was necessary: in the firstplace I should very reluctantly have resorted to it against those to whomwe appeared in the character of invaders of a peaceful country, and inthe second, had one of our party been wounded, the consequent delay wouldhave rendered our return to the boats certainly a work of greatdifficulty, perhaps wholly impossible; for no considerations ofexpediency would in my mind have justified the abandonment of adefenceless comrade, wounded in the common cause, either to the naturaldangers and privations of the country, or the barbarous revenge of itsinhabitants. They continued in force, upon the opposite bank, for sometime, and then gradually withdrew. I may remark that the condition andappearance of the two who made themselves visible, indicated theirresidence in a country fitted to supply abundantly all natural wants. Ishould also state that I could not perceive that extraordinaryexaggeration of a certain Jewish ceremony, that prevailed in one part ofKing Sound. 

APPEARANCE OF THE NATIVES. 

It is to be regretted that our position would not allow us to seek theacquaintance of these people. I could not help comparing the bold, fearless manner in which they came towards us--their fine manly bearing, head erect, no crouching or quailing of eye--with the miserable objects Ihad seen at Sydney. I now beheld man in his wild state; and, reader, restassured there is nothing can equal such a sight. Before me stood two ofthe aboriginal inhabitants of Australia who had never, until then, encountered the hitherto blighting look of a European. 

After a long rest, we were enabled to move on again slowly in the cool ofthe evening, along the south bank of the river, followed by one of thenative dogs, that differed only from those I had seen on other parts ofthe coast, in being rather larger. 

EMU PLAINS. 

Two miles further brought us into a fine open plain, over which two emuswere going best pace; we therefore named it in their honour: while thevalley to the southward was christened after the Beagle, and the rangeson either side bore the names of her former and present commander: thoseto the north-east and south-west were called, after the officers whoaccompanied me, Forsyth and Bynoe Ranges. The soil on Emu Plains was farsuperior to any we had seen since leaving the boat, and was lightly andpicturesquely timbered with the white gum. We were very cautious inchoosing our sleeping berth for the night, to avoid a surprise during thedark; we therefore selected a friendly hollow beneath the stem of astraggling and drooping old gumtree, large enough to conceal the wholeparty, near the centre of a great patch of pebbles, with the river, onone side, within a hundred yards of us, and on the other, distant aboutthree hundred. 

Those who are practically conversant with such positions as this, willreadily call to mind what a safeguard from any nightly approach wasafforded by the loose pebbles that surrounded us, upon which not even theunshod foot of a native could fall without so much of accompanying noiseas would serve to put the watch with his ear to the ground upon the quivive: this was proved to be the case during the night, when we distinctlyheard the footsteps of the prowling savages. We had no squall, and exceptthis interruption, the howling of native dogs, and the shrill peculiarwhistle of a flock of vampires constantly flying backwards and forwardsover our heads, we slept in peace in our comfortable little retreat. 

UPWARD COURSE OF THE VICTORIA. 

Our last regretful view of this part of the Victoria--for every member ofour little band seemed to feel an equal interest in the subject--wastaken from a position in latitude 15 degrees 36 minutes and longitude 130degrees 52 minutes East; 140 miles distant from the sea: but still 500miles from the centre of Australia. Its apparent direction continued mostinvitingly from the southward--the very line to the heart of this vastland, whose unknown interior has afforded so much scope for ingeniousspeculation, and which at one time I had hoped, that it was reserved forus to do yet more in reducing to certainty. And though from the pointupon which I stood to pay it my last lingering farewell, the nearestreach of water was itself invisible, yet far, far away I could perceivethe green and glistening valleys through which it wandered, or ratheramid which it slept; and the refreshing verdure of which assured me, justas convincingly as actual observation could have done, of the constantpresence of a large body of water; and left an indelible impression uponmy mind, which subsequent consideration has only served to deepen, thatthe Victoria will afford a certain pathway far into the centre of thatcountry, of which it is one of the largest known rivers. 

When I had at length most reluctantly made up my mind that all furtherprogress along the banks of the Victoria must be abandoned, I left thespot of our temporary encampment, and proceeded alone a short distance inthe direction of the interior; as though partly to atone, by that singleand solitary walk towards the object of my eager speculation, for thegrievous disappointment I experienced at being compelled to return. Itwas something, even by this short distance, to precede my companions inthe exciting work of discovery--to tread alone the solitary glades uponwhich, till now, no native of the civilized West had set his foot--and tomuse in solemn and unbroken silence upon the ultimate results of the workto which the last few days had been devoted--to mark the gradual butcertain progression of civilization and christianity--and to breatheforth, unwitnessed and uninterrupted, the scarce coherent words ofthankful adoration for the providential care which had hitherto sustainedand directed us. 

RETURN HOMEWARDS. 

November 12. 

I found our invalid so much recovered to-day, that I determined on makinga short march homewards in the cool of the early morning. We reachedTortoise Reach by 8 o'clock A. M. Where we passed the day. During ourmorning's walk I again had the luck to knock over a kangaroo. It was afemale, and had a very young one in its pouch. It is worthy of remarkthat most of those I killed were does, with young ones of different ages, which afforded Mr. Bynoe the means of making some interestingobservations on the manner in which they are brought forth, which will befound further on in the part of the work relating to Houtman's Abrolhos, where more opportunities occurred of arriving at a satisfactory result. Mr. Bynoe added here to his collection of birds, to which also, I was sofortunate as to be able to contribute a beautiful specimen of arifle-green glossy ibis, common in Europe. I tried the water with a veryroughly manufactured fly: the fish rose repeatedly at it, though therewas scarcely a ripple, and notwithstanding my own want of success underthese unpropitious circumstances, I feel perfectly satisfied that withproper tackle, and on a favourable day, this prince of sports might beenjoyed on the Victoria. 

WICKHAM HEIGHTS. 

I availed myself of the opportunity of our halt at this place to wash myonly suit, piece by piece, and afterwards made a sketch of thenorth-eastern part of Wickham Heights from the dry flat in the reach. Thewoodcut annexed will convey at once to the reader, those singularfeatures in the hills--the low line of cliffs resembling fortificationsnear their summit, and, still more remarkable, the horizontal blackstreaks near their base. 

NEW TORTOISE. 

We here found the back-shell of one of the largest of thewater-tortoises, from which the reach was named. It measured ten inches, was very narrow at the fore part, where the continuous line of the marginwas broken by an arch where the head protrudes, and was much expandedposteriorly. It resembled greatly the Chelidona oblonga, inhabitingWestern Australia, with the exception of the arch and its more ovalshape; and as in that kind, the last vertebral plate was divided by asuture. A shell of a Victoria River tortoise has been deposited in theBritish Museum. We here noticed many varieties of turbinated shells, andamong them a small buccinum; beside mussels. At a native fireplace I sawheaps of the latter, as well as the bones of young alligators; portionsof the jaws with teeth were picked up. 

The temperature during the day ranged from 90 to 105 degrees in theshade. A light breeze from north-west in the evening succeeded a longcalm. Before sunset I got a peep at the eastern side of a valley, beforenoticed, in the direction of our route back, and felt convinced that bycrossing it we should avoid Thirsty Flat, and shorten the route to theboats. 

LUCKY VALLEY. 

November 13. 

Our walk this morning fully realized all my expectations of the precedingevening, for by 8 o'clock A. M. We reached the dining place of the secondday. To record the satisfaction we felt in escaping a second journey overThirsty Flat, by following the valley we had seen yesterday evening, wenamed it Lucky Valley. After a brief halt, we pushed on, and by eleven, were at our old quarters in Mussel Bend. We heard the voices of nativesin all directions, far and near, and as I found the party stillastonishingly fresh, and eager to proceed, I thought it best to keepgoing. We therefore continued our journey, and just before dark reachedthe spot where we had dined the first day. Here, however, the cheerfulexcitement of our pleasant and shady walk through Lucky Valley havinggone off, the men felt the effects of their long day's march, and wereall more or less knocked up. 

RACE WITH A NATIVE. 

Near the river, as we were approaching our intended bivouac, we came upona native walking leisurely across the plain, and so intently occupied inpoising and straightening his spear, and fixing it in the throwing stick, that he allowed me, being in advance of the rest, to get within sixtyyards of him: I then loudly hailed him. He cast one look of utter andindescribable astonishment at the strange being who thus interrupted hispathway over his native soil, and was off at the top of his speed. Littleanticipating that I should soon have to test in earnest the fleetness ofthese people, I tried rates with him for a short distance, and remarked, with surprise, that he had not that superiority of speed which might havebeen expected. Perhaps fright deprived him of his full powers, for whatmust have been his sensations on finding himself almost cut off by aparty of beings whose very existence was till then unknown to him? I havesince half regretted that I did not see how much nearer I could haveapproached without discovery, but at the time I did not wish to frightenhim too far. To have got so near as I did will seem almost incredible tothose who recollect the wary character, and the peculiarly restless andvigilant eye of the savage: some strong emotion of love or hate had forthe time perhaps rendered him quite unconscious of all surroundingobjects!

We came on the river over a steep bank covered with high reeds, and as aparty of natives were distinctly audible below, myself, Mr. Forsyth, andMr. Bynoe led the way. The natives crossed immediately, and were visiblefor a few moments through the foliage on the other side: however, theyappeared but to wait in order to verify the astonishing report justbrought in by their breathless countryman; for as the foremost of ourparty emerged from the tall reeds, our opposite neighbours slowly drewoff, and were soon hid in the dense obscurity their position afforded. They had evidently examined our old fireplace very minutely, but theprecaution taken to preserve the meat canister had luckily beensuccessful. 

QUARTERS FOR THE NIGHT. 

I selected the quarters for the night not without some anxiety, for thenatives were evidently in force in our immediate neighbourhood, and theirshrill cries kept us all awake, though the day's march had been anarduous one. We had made good upwards of twenty miles: the ground, exceptin Lucky Valley, was of a most trying character: the thermometer at noon102 degrees, and with nearly 150 pounds weight among seven of us, for thesick hand was of course relieved as far as possible. I got the requisiteobservation for latitude during the night; and since necessity is everthe mother of invention, read off my sextant by a torch made for theoccasion from pieces of paperbark. It will easily be believed, that I didnot needlessly prolong the work; for the light of the torch rendered me aprominent mark for any prowling savage to hurl his spear at: however, HisEye, to whom the darkness and the light are both alike, watched over oursafety, and we spent the night in security if not in silence. 

November 14. 

The morning broke, and we found ourselves apparently alone in thesolitudes of the forest: no sound or sign indicated the presence of itsmore rightful proprietors. Did the savage so soon prepare to yield to theadvancing movement of that hitherto fatal civilization before which hisname, his race, nay, all traces of his rude existence may ere long passinto oblivion? or did the gathering of the night, and the apparentpeaceful aspect of the morn, denote that one gallant struggle would bemade ere a strange shout of triumph woke the silent echoes with theglorious name with which we had dignified our new discovery, and whichthroughout the world sounds as the appropriate title of the fairsovereign of its mightiest people?

RETURN TO REACH HOPELESS. 

A rapid walk brought us to our old bivouac by ten o'clock, withoutanything of particular interest having occurred upon the route. We foundonly one boat at Reach Hopeless, Captain Wickham having gone down theriver with the others in order to hasten the watering party. In anotherchapter will be found some more detailed remarks upon the peculiar anddistinctive character of the Victoria; they will not be uninteresting tothe reader who feels any of that curiosity which is in part an incitementto the discoverer. 

We learnt from the party at the boat that a large body of the natives hadbeen down watching their movements, and apparently intending if possibleto surprise them. Though they had approached very near, they would nothave been seen but for a shooting party, which got a view of them from anoverlooking height, crawling along the ground with evident caution. Theywere probably the same party we had encountered higher up, and had tracedour trail backwards, in order to see whence, and in what force we hadentered their territory. Little did they imagine, as they gazed upon oursmall party and its solitary boat, that they had seen the harbingers ofan approaching revolution in the fortunes of their country!

CHAPTER 2. 3. VICTORIA RIVER. 

Proceed down the river from Reach Hopeless. Meet watering party. One of the men deserts. Kangaroo shooting. The writer left to complete survey of river. Silk cotton-tree. Fertility of Whirlwind Plains. Attempt of one of the crew to jump overboard. Reach the Ship. Suffer from sore eyes. Lieutenant Emery finds water. Geological specimens. Bird's Playhouse. Tides. Strange weather. Range of Barometer. Accounted for by proximity of Port Essington. Hurricane. Effects of the latter. Dreary country behind Water Valley. Fruitless attempt to weigh ship's anchors. Obliged to slip from both of them. Proceed down the river. Complete survey of Main Channel. Visit south Entrance Point of river. Discover a number of dead turtles. Cross over to Point Pearce. Mr. Bynoe shoots a new finch. The Author speared. Pursued by natives. Escape. Flight of natives. Armed party pursue them. Night of suffering. General description of the Victoria. Gouty-stem tree and fruit. 

REUNION OF THE BOATS. 

November 13. 

The day was devoted to fixing the position of several of the surroundinghills; and in the afternoon we obtained observations for rating thechronometers: I found that one by French, which I had worn in my pocket, had gone most admirably. Captain Wickham joined us in the gig after dark. The evening was cloudy, and we had a sharp squall at midnight fromsouth-east. 

November 14. 

Both boats were moved off down the river at daylight, and ere it hadpassed away, the ford above Steep Head was left behind. We found that thewatering boats had not got over the shallow below, so that we spent thenight together; and a merry party we made. We talked over all we hadseen, and the hills that rose around echoed back for the first time thelaugh and the song of civilized man, and our strange language wasrepeated as glibly by the rocks of Australia as if they were those of ourown native land. So true is it that nature is ever ready to communefamiliarly with us, whereas by our very brethren we are looked upon asenemies to shun, and are incapable of making ourselves understood bythem. 

A DESERTER. 

When the morning of the 15th broke it was discovered that one of the menbelonging to the watering party had deserted during the night. He hadbeen guilty of this offence once before, in order to steal the spiritswhich had been buried for the use of my exploring party. What howevercould have induced him to take this step a second time--risking, withoutany apparent motive, the danger of being left on a strange, and almostuninhabited coast, it would be difficult even to suggest. Parties wereimmediately despatched in quest of him, and at length, after an arduoussearch, he was found behind a large sandstone rock on the side of a hill;having revisited the spot where the provisions had been concealed for theuse of my party, in the hope of obtaining possession of his god therum-keg. He had evidently prepared for desertion: clothing, biscuit, andfishing-tackle being among the stores with which he had made off. Thisdespicable wretch--for such must everyone consider the man who wouldsteal his shipmates' provisions, when each had only his bareallowance--had nothing to say, either in extenuation or explanation ofhis conduct. Most fortunate for him was it that our humane exertions todiscover his retreat were successful; he could not long have subsisted byhimself, and even had he been so happy as to fall in with, and receivehospitable welcome from the natives, he must of necessity have lingeredout a life of toilsome, cheerless hardship while a companion of theirwanderings, and when unfitted for this by old age, he would, according tothe custom of the country, have been left to die, unfriended and alone, upon the spot where his last weary efforts failed. The delay occasionedby this extraordinary and unlooked-for event, made it late by the timeall the boats were fairly on their way down the river. The wind was lightfrom the north-east, and the temperature about 90 degrees, at 9 o'clock. 

NEW KANGAROO. 

I pushed on to gain a station at the commencement of the hills on theeastern side of Whirlwind Plains, and also, if possible, to shoot akangaroo to send to the ship:* I was so fortunate as to secure two; oneof a new species, very small, and of a dark brown colour, with coarsehair, I found in rocky land, which it appears solely to inhabit, as itwas also found near the ship. As, however, like the generality ofkangaroos, this species only move of their own accord in the night time, they are rarely seen, and but one good specimen was obtained byLieutenant Emery, who brought it to England, and submitted it to Mr. Gould, who has described it as Petrogale concinna. It is now in theBritish Museum. 

(*Footnote. I had now become quite an adept in this kind of sport. Myplan was to direct a man to walk along near the river, where they aregenerally found, whilst I kept considerably above him and a little inadvance, so that all those that were started running up from the bank inthe curved direction, habitual with all kangaroos, passed within shot. )

The height we visited was of coarse sandstone formation, and attained anelevation of 150 feet. As I was left to examine some parts of the riverwhich had been passed in the night, I had a further opportunity ofdetermining the value, and estimating the fertility of Whirlwind Plains. My examination only confirmed my previous conjectures in favour of thecapabilities of the soil. From what I had seen at Port Essington, asground considered favourable for the growth of cotton, there can be nodoubt that on these plains it would thrive much better; but the soil onthe Victoria is of too fertile a character to bear any comparison withthat of Cobourg Peninsula. 

SILK COTTON-TREE. 

At Reach Hopeless, and at other points of the important stream I amdescribing we observed numerous specimens of a kind of silk cotton-tree(Bombax): the diameter was sometimes as great as twenty inches; and itnot unfrequently rose to the height of twenty or thirty feet, thoughgenerally shorter. The pods were of an oval shape, and about two inchesand a half in length; each pod was in three divisions and full of a silkycotton, with the seeds not imbedded but held at the extremity of thefibres. I brought home a specimen and presented it to Sir William Hooker, of the Royal Botanical Gardens at Kew, with whom I have since had somecorrespondence on the subject. He informs me that the plant is onehitherto undescribed; but that Sir Joseph Banks met with it in CaptainCook's voyage. 

November 17. 

We continued our descent of the river: stopping from time to time tocomplete the survey. In the end of Long Reach we noticed that the streamran up two hours after high-water. After securing some observations forlatitude under Station Peak in the early part of the night, we proceededfurther down the river, delighted to escape from that mosquito-hauntedneighbourhood. 

EFFECTS OF DRINKING SALT-WATER. 

November 18. 

At day-break I was very much distressed and astonished to see one of themen on a sudden start up under the influence of delirium, and attempt tothrow himself into the water, from which the combined strength of threeor four of the crew with difficulty restrained him. He was one of thebest men I had with me; his sudden and serious illness had doubtless beenproduced by the draughts of saltwater which he had swallowed during thenight. He had been accustomed to indulge in very liberal potations whilewe were up the river, and now, when from necessity the allowance wasrestricted to a gallon per day, he had most foolishly attempted in thedark to quench his thirst with the salt waters of the advancing tide. Inthe afternoon we rejoined the ship, and he was placed under the care ofMr. Bynoe; but it was some time before he fully recovered from theeffects of his rash experiment. The day was very oppressive, thethermometer being 105 degrees in the shade, and there was no wind. Wewere cordially greeted by our shipmates upon our return, and both Mr. Forsyth and myself enjoyed the luxury of a night's rest in our hammocks;a most agreeable change after the hot stones upon which we had generallybeen compelled to court repose during our exploration. We had bothsuffered much inconvenience from the attacks of flies upon our visualorgans, necessarily exposed and undefended as they had been when we wereoccupied during the observations and in viewing the strange scenes of thelast eighteen days. The irritation upon the lids produced a copiousdischarge, which fairly sealed them up at night; so that, at last, inorder to have them ready for immediate use, I found it requisite to sleepwith a wet linen cloth covering each eye. 

We heard with great satisfaction that Lieutenant Emery's search for waterhad been completely successful, and that two large wells had been dug inthe valley, abreast of which the ship was anchored. During our absencethe barometer had ranged between 30. 08 and 29. 97; the minimum heightbeing always at noon. There had been several sharp squalls from theeastward, beginning at south-east and ending at north-east, with a fewshowers of rain. North-west, or seabreezes, were regular near the changesof the moon, and of greater duration. No meteors were observed since the16th, but between the 7th and 11th they were very numerous. 

GEOLOGICAL SPECIMENS. 

November 20. 

I went ashore to collect a few geological specimens: the sandstone whichprevailed everywhere was in a decomposed state, but there was a verydecided dip in the strata to the south-east, of about 30 degrees. On theeast side of Water Valley, I found the same kind of slate, noticed beforeat Curiosity Peak: but what most interested me was a bituminous substancefound near the bottom of the wells recently dug, and 23 feet from thesurface of the ground. It was apparently of a clayey nature when firstbrought up, but became hard and dark upon exposure to the air, andignited quickly when put into the flame of a candle. The sides of WaterValley were very precipitous, and nearly 300 feet high: a growth of palmsmarked the spot, and served to indicate our wells. We here saw also thesame fruit I had noticed on Curiosity Peak. 

BIRD'S PLAYHOUSE. 

I found matter for conjecture in noticing a number of twigs with theirends stuck into the ground, which was strewed over with shells, and theirtops brought together so as to form a small bower; this was 2 1/2 feetlong, 1 1/2 foot wide at either end. It was not until my next visit toPort Essington that I thought this anything but some Australian mother'stoy to amuse her child: there I was asked, one day, to go and see thebird's playhouse, when I immediately recognised the same kind ofconstruction I had seen at the Victoria River: the bird* was amusingitself by flying backwards and forwards, taking a shell alternately fromeach side, and carrying it through the archway in its mouth. 

(*Footnote. Figured in Mr. Gould's work as Chlamydera nuchalis. )

November 22. 

The moon being full to-day we noticed that the tides were very strong:particularly the flood-stream, which came in bores, and sometimes sweptby the ship at the rate of 6 1/2 knots, while the ebb did not exceed 41/2: the greatest rise also to-day was 24 feet. 

SINGULAR CHANGE OF WINDS. 

November 25. 

My journal of this day begins with remarking a very extraordinary changethat took place in the winds. Instead of the usual fresh North-Westbreeze after ten A. M. , there was a moderate one from East-South-East. This drew round gradually by east to north. At sunset the weather wasvery gloomy; but the barometer indicated nothing, ranging as usual. Inthe early part of the night the wind was light from North-North-West, changing suddenly at midnight to a fresh breeze from South-East withrain. When the morning broke, it had veered to East-South-East withsqualls from East-North-East and heavy rain. Dense masses of cloudscovered the sky, enveloping everything in gloom; which, though so faragreeable as to reduce the temperature to 75 degrees, had a most singulareffect after the constant bright sunny days we had experienced. There wasstill no unusual change in the barometer, the maximum being 30. 06, andthe minimum 29. 98 at two P. M. The night was squally without rain. 

HURRICANE AT PORT ESSINGTON. 

November 27. 

The day broke with an appearance of fine weather; patches of blue skypeeped between the heavy masses of clouds, and expanding as the dayadvanced, left us at sunset with a cloudless vault of blue overhead. Thebarometer was lower throughout the whole of this day than it had been atall, being at two P. M. 29. 91. When this strange weather first began I wasdisposed to consider it to be of the same character as that which I hadbefore observed to occur within a few days of the change of the moon. Butits duration and occasional violence led me to think otherwise, and Iafterwards found my conclusions to be correct; as at this very time ahurricane visited Port Essington, distant 270 miles, in a North 30degrees East direction. *

(*Footnote. The following account of the effects of this hurricane atPort Essington is from the pen of Captain Stanley, and has been publishedin the Nautical Magazine for September 1841. 

Monday 25th. 

A strong breeze set in from the south-east with drizzling rain, but asthe barometer remained at 29. 90, its usual point, and similar weather hadbeen experienced at the change of the monsoon in 1838, nothing wasapprehended, more particularly as the wind moderated (as had beenexpected) at sunset. Between seven and eight o'clock the wind drew roundto the southward, and the barometer began to fall rapidly: at ten it blewfuriously from the same quarter, and the barometer was as low as 29. 10;many of the trees were blown down at this time. At midnight the wind drewround to the eastward, and blew a perfect hurricane, before which nearlyeverything gave way; the trees came down in every part of the settlement;the marines' houses were all blown down; the church, only finished aweek, shared the same fate: the barometer fell to 28. 52. 

About two A. M. The wind shifted suddenly to the northward, from whichpoint for about half-an-hour, its fury was tremendous; thegovernment-house, built on stone piers, was blown away from them to adistance of nine feet; the sea rose ten feet and a half, by measurementafterwards, above the usual high-water mark. H. M. S. Pelorus, havingparted her cables, was driven on shore, and thrown over on her beam ends, on the north-east point of the settlement, where heeling over 82 degrees, her starboard side was buried nine feet in the mud, leaving the keelthree feet clear of the ground. **

At daylight the barometer rose slowly to 29. 90, the gale moderated, andthe sea went down so fast, that between seven and eight we were able tosend a boat to the assistance of the Pelorus: after eight the breezecontinued to blow strong from the northward for two days, with heavyrain. 

The occurrence of such a hurricane must be very rare, as the natives wereas much astonished as ourselves, and came to beg for shelter: they haveno name for it, and no tradition of anything of the sort having happenedbefore: the state in which the very extensive fences at Raffles Bay werein shortly before, must prove that the trees had never been blown down inthe way they were on the 25th of November, since that settlement wasabandoned in 1829. 

The extent of the hurricane must have been very limited: at Coepang astrong gale from the south-west was experienced, and also between Javaand Timor on the 26th, but the wind did not change. Even 18 miles north, at Vashon Head, the change of wind must have been greater though equal inforce. There the first trees fell with the wind from West-South-West; afew fell when the wind was east, and most when the wind was north-west. The Malays have an idea that every fifth year the monsoon is strongerthan usual, but can give no reason for thinking so. According to themthis monsoon ought to have been a strong one. 

(**Footnote. The Pelorus was dug out of the mud, and once more got afloattowards the middle of February following. This immense undertaking wasaccomplished by the indefatigable exertion and mechanical skill of hercommander, Captain Kuper, C. B. , assisted by Captain Stanley. J. L. S. ))

COURSE OF THE STORM. 

The bad weather in the Victoria then would appear to have been caused bythe proximity of the southern edge of this storm as it passed to thewestward. The fact of the time when the weather was the worst, havingbeen the same at Port Essington, and in the Victoria; and of the Frenchdiscovery ships meeting it in Torres Strait first, shows the westerlycourse of the storm. Its northern edge did not reach Coepang, but astrong gale from the south-west on the 26th showed that it was passing. Most probably it took a more southerly course before reaching Timor. *

(*Footnote. We were informed at Timor that hurricanes were never feltthere, but occur once in four or five years to the southward of it. Itmay be added that a vessel lost her top-masts in the Port Essingtonhurricane, near Sandalwood Island, and that to the southward of Javahurricanes occur frequently. )

I passed the night on shore, making observations for latitude, and in thehope also of being able to obtain another specimen of the new smallkangaroo, that being the time when it is generally to be found on themove. But I did not succeed in this object; and failed also in myexpectation of knocking over one of a large kind seen in the interior. Ileft the observation spot for this purpose with the first grey of themorn, taking an East-North-East direction for about four miles. 

DREARY COUNTRY. 

The country was most dreary; vast ranges strewn over with huge blocks ofsandstone, rose in desolate grandeur around; chasms, ravines, and thirstystony valleys yawned on every side; all was broken, rugged, and arid, asif the curse of sterility had fallen on the land; in short, the contrastwas complete between this desert place and the country we had so latelytraversed up the river. I was able, accordingly, to procure nothing inthe shape of a fresh meal, save a few black cockatoos and some of thepigeons of a dark brown colour, with a white patch on the extremity ofthe wing, which I have alluded to in the earlier part of the workrelating to King's Sound, as always inhabiting rocky districts and makinga whirring sound, like a partridge, on the wing. 

LOSE TWO ANCHORS. 

November 29. 

This afternoon and the whole of the next day, when the tide suited, wewere endeavouring to weigh the ship's anchors; but they were togetherwith the cables so imbedded in the bottom, which must have been aquicksand, that this proved impossible. Had the ship been fitted withCaptain Charles Phillips', R. N. , capstan, there would have been a betterchance of succeeding. As it was, after heaving down the ship nineteeninches by the head, and splitting the hawse pipes, we were ultimatelyobliged to leave both behind, and thirty fathoms of cable with one andfifteen with the other. This circumstance suggested the appropriate nameof Holdfast Reach for this locality; and perhaps in some futuregenerations, when this part of the world has undergone the changes thatseems destined for it, the archaeologist of Victoria River may in vainpuzzle his wits with speculations concerning the Beagle's anchors. 

Whilst at this anchorage, just after dark, flocks of whistling ducks wereconstantly heard passing over our heads in a South-West by Westdirection, or towards the head of Cambridge Gulf, which led to thesupposition that there was a river in that neighbourhood. We placed thesouth point of Water Valley in latitude 15 degrees 13 3/4 minutes Southand longitude 2 degrees 22 minutes West of Port Essington, variation onedegree easterly. Our tidal observation made the time of high-water, atthe full and change of the moon, 9 o'clock, when the mean rise at springswas sixteen feet, and at neaps ten. The duration of the flood-stream wasseven hours, being two greater than the ebb. The former ran 50 minutesafter high-water, and the latter 30 minutes after low-water. Beforeleaving Holdfast Reach, Lieutenant Emery observed one or two natives, opposite Water Valley, being the only ones that had been seen from theship. He endeavoured to obtain an interview, by going up alone towardsthem, but they drew off when he got near. 

DROP DOWN THE RIVER. 

December 1. 

We slipped from our last anchor at daylight, and proceeded down theriver. After pirouetting through Whirlpool Reach, we got as far down asthe flats fronting River Peak, above which we anchored near noon. Afterhaving been shut up among rocky ranges for a month, the sight of the seahorizon was a novelty, and the cool, refreshing breeze, as it camesweeping over the unbroken expanse of waters, created in us very pleasingsensations. 

Next morning we beat down the main channel, which was called the Queen's, the deep water varying from five to nine fathoms being on the west side. Some shoal patches of a quarter and two fathoms, lying midway betweenObservation Island, and the end of the long sand extending off itsnorthern side, prevented our proceeding further. The boats completed thesurvey of the western side of the channel in the afternoon: the largestcreek examined by Mr. Forsyth received his name. 

REACH THE SEA. 

December 3. 

Dropping down the channel with a light air from the westward, and a boatin advance sounding, no impediment occurred after passing the sandsextending off Observation Island, as a fine deep channel of six and eightfathoms followed the western side of Quoin Island, and the long sandstretching off its north end. When we had cleared this the anchor wasdropped in eight fathoms, and the boats were again employed in sounding. 

That the Beagle was once more anchored outside all the banks--to havetouched on any of which, with the great strength of the tides thathurried us along would have been fatal--was a great relief to all of us, especially to me, in whom Captain Wickham had placed so much confidenceas to trust the ship to my guidance, whilst exposed to the dangers I havementioned. 

December 4. 

Moved the ship within three miles and a half of the south extreme pointof the river, the highest part bearing South 40 degrees West. A party ofus visited it, and, from a rather extraordinary sight we there beheld, itwas called Turtle Point. 

DEAD TURTLES ON THE SHORE. 

Behind some very low scattered sandhills that form it, fronting amangrove flat, we beheld great numbers of dead turtles, that seemed tohave repaired thither of their own accord to die. They were lying ontheir bellies, with their shells for the most part uninjured, though somewere turned over, and showed other signs of visits from the natives. Afew skeletons of a large bustard* were also seen there, so that the placehad quite the appearance of a cemetery, and reminded me of a spot on theRiver Gallegos in Patagonia, where the guanacos (a kind of llama)assemble to pay the debt of nature, and leave their bones to whiten thesurface of the plain. Never before, on any occasion, had we seen deadturtles in any similar position; how they could have got there was amystery, unless we suppose them to have been thrown up by some earthquakewave. They had evidently not been transported thither by the hand of man, though, as I have observed, some of the natives who thinly inhabit thisdistrict, finding them there, ready to their hand, had availed themselvesof the gifts of fortune. I could not help, as I gazed on this remarkablescene, calling to mind the marvellous elephant cemetery described bySinbad the Sailor. It is possible that the observation of some similarphenomenon may have suggested to the imagination of the authors of theThousand and One Nights their romantic fiction. At any rate an air ofmystery will always hang round Turtle Point until the facts I havementioned shall have been explained. 

(*Footnote. A specimen of one of them was brought away and deposited inthe Museum at Sydney. )

The nature of this part of the country I have before described on myvisit to Indian Hill. A ridge of breakers ran off north a couple of milesfrom our station; a low point, bearing West 16 degrees South about eightor nine miles, with an opening trending in south intervening, with someslightly elevated land bearing South 34 degrees West about four or fiveleagues, terminated our view to the westward. We found the tide muchweaker on this side of the entrance, not exceeding three miles an hour;the stream ran up three-quarters of an hour after high-water. The timesof high-water for the last three days had been most unaccountably thesame. 

December 5. 

Crossed over to Point Pearce at daylight, but the wind being light allthe morning did not reach an anchorage till the afternoon; the extreme ofthe point bearing North 41 degrees West three-quarters of a mile. A lineof ripplings extended a couple of miles off to the south-west of it, inwhich we found there was only four fathoms. In standing across theentrance we passed first a bank of three fathoms, with six and seven oneach side; Turtle Point bearing South 45 degrees West 11 miles; then twomore, one of seven and eight fathoms, with twelve and seventeen on eachside, the other of only two fathoms with twelve on the south, and twentyon the north side. 

MERMAID BANK. 

We subsequently found the latter to be a continuation of the bank onwhich Captain King had five fathoms, Point Pearce bearing North 22degrees East 5 miles; and in order to record his visit we named it, afterhis vessel, Mermaid Bank. 

VISIT THE SHORE FOR OBSERVATIONS. 

December 7. 

I left the ship in the morning to make some observations at Point Pearcefor the errors of the chronometers. I was accompanied to the shore by Mr. Bynoe, who was going on a shooting excursion. It being high-water, I wasobliged to select a spot near the cliffs forming the point, for carryingout my intention. That selected was about 60 yards from the wood-crownedcliff which rose behind; thinking such an intervening distance wouldsecure me from the spear of the treacherous native. This caution ratherresulted from what had before occurred at Escape Cliffs, where Messrs. Fitzmaurice and Keys so narrowly escaped, than from any idea that nativesmight be lurking about. Indeed, Mr. Bynoe had been shooting all over theground yesterday, and had neither seen nor heard anything to indicatetheir existence in this neighbourhood; though doubtless, from whatfollowed, they had been very busily watching him all the time, and wereprobably only deterred from making an attack, by the alarm with which hisdestructive gun, dealing death to the birds, must have filled them. Requiring equal altitudes, I was compelled to revisit the spot in theafternoon for the corresponding observations. The boat in which Mr. Bynoereturned to the ship, was to carry me on shore. We met at the gangway, and in answer to my inquiry, he informed me that he had seen no traces ofthe natives. He had shot a new and very beautiful bird of the finchtribe, in which the brilliant colours of verdigris green, lilac purple, and bright yellow, were admirably blended. * The time was short; half anhour would have sufficed for the observations, and we should have leftthe coast. As it was now low-water, and I had to traverse a coral reefhalf a mile in width, I resolved to lighten myself of my gun, which I hadtaken with me in the morning, that I might with greater safety carry thechronometer. On landing I directed Mr. Tarrant and one of the boat's crewto follow with the rest of the instruments. The walking was very bad, thereef being strewed with coral fragments, and interspersed with largepools. With my mind fully occupied by all we had seen of late, I hurriedon without waiting, and reached the observation spot, just glancingtowards the cliff, which presented nothing to the view except the silverystems of the never-failing gumtrees. 

(*Footnote. Figured by Mr. Gould from this specimen as Amadina gouldiae. )

THE AUTHOR SPEARED. 

I had just turned my head round to look after my followers when I wassuddenly staggered by a violent and piercing blow about the leftshoulder:* and ere the dart had ceased to quiver in its destined mark, aloud long yell, such as the savage only can produce, told me by whom Ihad been speared. 

(*Footnote. See the view annexed. )

PURSUED BY THE NATIVES. 

One glance sufficed to show me the cliffs, so lately the abode of silenceand solitude, swarming with the dusky forms of the natives, now indulgingin all the exuberant action with which the Australian testifies hisdelight. One tall bushy-headed fellow led the group, and was evidently mysuccessful assailant. I drew out the spear, which had entered the cavityof the chest, and retreated, with all the swiftness I could command, inthe hope of reaching those who were coming up from the boat, and werethen about halfway. I fully expected another spear while my back wasturned; but fortunately the savages seemed only to think of getting downto the beach to complete their work. Onward I hurried, carrying thespear, which I had drawn from the wound, and determined if, as Iexpected, overtaken, to sell my life dearly. Each step, less steady thanthe former one, reminded me that I was fast losing blood: but I hurriedon, still retaining the chronometer, and grasping my only weapon ofdefence. The savage cry behind soon told me that my pursuers had foundtheir way to the beach: while at every respiration, the air escapingthrough the orifice of the wound, warned me that the strength by which Iwas still enabled to struggle through the deep pools and various otherimpediments in my path, must fail me soon. I had fallen twice: eachdisaster being announced by a shout of vindictive triumph, from thebloodhounds behind. To add to my distress, I now saw, with utter dismay, that Mr. Tarrant, and the man with the instruments, unconscious of thefact that I had been speared, and therefore believing that I could makegood my escape, were moving off towards the boat. I gave up all hope, andwith that rapid glance at the past, which in such an hour crowds thewhole history of life upon the mind, and one brief mental act ofsupplication or rather submission to Him in whose hands are the issues oflife and death, I prepared for the last dread struggle. 

NARROW ESCAPE FROM DEATH. 

At that moment the attention of the retreating party was aroused by aboat approaching hastily from the ship; the first long, loud, wild shriekof the natives having most providentially apprised those on board of ourdanger. They turned and perceived that I was completely exhausted. Ispent the last struggling energy I possessed to join them. Supported oneach side I had just strength to direct them to turn towards our savageenemies: who were hurrying on in a long file, shouting and waving theirclubs, and were now only about thirty yards off. Our turning, momentarilychecked their advance, whilst their force increased. During these veryfew and awfully anxious moments, a party, headed by Lieutenant Emery, hastened over the reef to our support. Another moment, and ours wouldhave been the fate of so many other explorers; the hand of the savagealmost grasped our throats--we should have fallen a sacrifice in thecause of discovery, and our bones left to moulder on this distant shore, would have been trodden heedlessly underfoot by the wandering native. 

At the sight of Lieutenant Emery's party, the natives flew with theutmost rapidity, covering their flight, either from chance or skill, bymy party; in a moment the air, so lately echoing with their ferociousyells, was silent, and the scene of their intended massacre, as lonelyand deserted as before!

I was soon got down to the boat, lifted over the ship's side, andstretched on the poop cabin table, under the care of Mr. Bynoe, who onprobing the wound gave me a cheering hope of its not proving fatal. Theanxiety with which I watched his countenance, and listened to the wordsof life or death, the reader may imagine, but I cannot attempt todescribe. The natives never throw a spear when the eye of the person theyaim at is turned towards them, supposing that everyone, like themselves, can avoid it. This was most fortunate, as, my side being towards them, the spear had to pass through the thick muscles of the breast beforereaching my lungs. Another circumstance in my favour was that I had beenvery much reduced by my late exertions. 

NIGHT OF SUFFERING. 

The sufferings of that night I will not fatigue my readers by describing;but I can never forget the anxiety with which Mr. Bynoe watched over meduring the whole of it. Neither can I forget my feelings of gratitude tothe Almighty when my sunken eyes the next morning once more caught thefirst rays of the sun. It seemed as though I could discover in these anassurance that my hour was not yet come, and that it would be my lot forsome time longer to gaze with grateful pleasure on their splendour. 

Several excursions were made during our stay in search of the natives, but without success. An encampment was found in the neighbourhood, near asmall freshwater swamp, and by the things that were left behind it wasevident that a hasty retreat had been made. It would have been as well ifwe could have punished these people in some way for their unprovokedattack; but to have followed them far into the bush would have been quiteuseless. A comparison of their conduct with that of the natives of ShoalBay, confirms what I have before stated of the extraordinary contrastpresented by the dispositions of the aboriginal inhabitants of Australia;for in both instances we were the first Europeans they had everencountered. 

TREACHERY BAY. 

The observations, which nearly cost me my life in endeavouring to obtain, placed Point Pearce in latitude 14 degrees 25 minutes 50 seconds, Southlongitude 2 degrees 49 minutes West of Port Essington. The time ofhigh-water, at the full and change, was seven o'clock, when the tidesrose from twenty to twenty-six feet. The cliffs forming it are of areddish hue, from the quantity of iron the rocks in the neighbourhoodcontain. To commemorate the accident which befell me, the bay withinPoint Pearce was called Treachery Bay, and a high hill over it ProvidenceHill. 

In the nights of the 10th and 11th we had sharp squalls from theeastward, being early in the season for their repeated appearance. Therewas the usual gathering of clouds, the hard edges of which were lit up bythe constant flashing of lightning. It is singular that all thesesqualls, wherever we have met them, should happen within five hours ofthe same time, between nine at night and two in the morning. 

COURSE OF THE VICTORIA. 

I have thus detailed the circumstances attending the discovery andpartial exploration of the Victoria, that new and important addition toour geographical knowledge of one of the least known and most interestingportions of the globe. Its peculiar characteristics--for, like allAustralian rivers, it has distinctive habits and scenery of its own--thenature of the country through which it flows--its present condition, itsfuture destiny, are all subjects, to which, though I may have cursorilyalluded before, I am under promise to the reader of returning. Of thatpromise, therefore, I now tender this in fulfilment. 

The Victoria falls into the Indian Ocean in latitude 14 degrees 40minutes South and longitude 129 degrees 21 minutes East, being at itsconfluence with the sea, between Turtle and Pearce Points, twenty-sixmiles wide. The land upon either side as you enter the river is bold andwell defined, but from the margin of the western shore, an extensive mudand mangrove flat, not entirely above the level of high-water, andreaching to the base of a range of hills, about seventeen miles from thewater's edge, seems to indicate that at one time the waters of theVictoria washed the high land on either side. 

For the first thirty miles of the upward course, the character of theriver undergoes but little change. The left side continues bold, with theexception of a few extensive flats, sometimes overflowed, and aremarkable rocky elevation, about twenty-five miles up, to which we gavethe name of The Fort, as suggested by its bastion-like appearance, thoughnow called Table Hill in the chart. To the right the shore remains low, studded with mangroves, and still, from appearance, subject to notunfrequent inundations: towards the mouth, indeed, it is partiallyflooded by each returning tide. Thirty-five miles from its mouth itswhole appearance undergoes the most striking alteration. We now enter thenarrow defile of a precipitous rocky range of compact sandstone, risingfrom 4 to 500 feet in height, and coming down to the river, in someplaces nearly two miles wide, in others not less than twenty fathomsdeep, and hurrying through, as if to force a passage, with a velocitysometimes not less than six miles an hour. 

NATURE OF THE COUNTRY. 

It continues a rapid stream during its passage through this defile, anextent of some thirty miles, and beyond it is found slowly winding itsway towards the sea across a rich alluvial plain, fifteen miles in width. Above this plain is found a second range of similar character andformation to that before mentioned; the stream, however, having of coursesomewhat less both of width and depth, and flowing with a decreasedrapidity. The elevation of the hills on either side was at first enteringconsiderably less than in the former range; they had also lost much oftheir steep and precipitous appearance; but as we gradually proceeded up, the former distinctive characteristics returned: the hills rose higherand more boldly, almost immediately from the water's edge, and continuedeach mile to present a loftier and more rugged front; never howeverattaining the extreme altitude of the former or Sea Range. Above ReachHopeless the width of the alluvial land, lying between the immediatemargin of the river and the hills which bound its valley, considerablyincreased; and just in proportion as the high bold land approached thechannel on one shore, it receded from it on the opposite, and left anextensive alluvial flat between that bank and the retreating hills; thewhole valley, too, widened out, so that, supposing the stream at one timeto have filled it from the bases of the high land on either side, it musthave had a breadth above Reach Hopeless of from three to five miles, andthis still increased when I last traced its presumed course beyond MountRegret. 

The extreme altitude of Sea Range is from 7 to 800 feet, and of the hillslast seen, near Mount Regret, from 4 to 500. The distinctive formationcommon to both consists in their level summits, within twenty feet ofwhich a precipitous wall of rock, of a reddish hue, runs along thehillside. 

VEGETABLE PRODUCTIONS. 

The upper portion of the valley through which the river passes varies inits nature from treeless, stony plains to rich alluvial flats, lightlytimbered with a white-stemmed gum. The banks are steep and high, thicklyclothed with the acacia, drooping eucalyptus, and tall reeds. The variouslake-like reaches had, of course, no perceptible stream, but their banks, no less than the dry patches in the bed of the river, satisfied us thatthe Victoria had recently been, and in all probability would soon againbecome, a large and rapid river. 

GOUTY-STEM TREE. 

Among the most curious vegetable productions along its banks are the silkcotton-tree and the gouty-stem tree. The latter has been alreadymentioned by Captains King and Grey, and here attains a great size: itbears a very fragrant white flower, not unlike the jasmine; the fruit isused by the natives, and found to be a very nutritious article of food, something similar to a coconut. Not having previously noticed it in thisneighbourhood I conclude this to be the northern limit of its growth. Thereader will remember my having before alluded to seeing it near the mouthof Fitzroy River, where I have also mentioned the extent of coast onwhich we found it, and given the limits of its indigenous empire, extending not quite over two degrees of latitude. The peculiar characterof the tree I leave the reader to learn from the woodcuts annexed. 

ITS FRUIT. 

That containing the fruit* is from a specimen obtained near the Fitzroy, as it was in flower when I saw it in the month of November on the banksof the Victoria. 

(*Footnote. For description of this fruit, see Volume 1. )

I may here remind the reader, that among the results of our explorationof the Victoria was the addition of a new species of kangaroo, afreshwater tortoise, some fish, and several beautiful birds to thedomains of natural history. 

CHAPTER 2. 4. VICTORIA RIVER TO SWAN RIVER. 

Leave Point Pearce. Error in position of Cape Rulhieres. Obtain soundings on supposed Sahul Shoal. Discover a shoal patch on it. Ascertain extent of bank of soundings off the Australian shore. Strange winds in Monsoon. See Scott's Reef. Discover error in its position. Make Depuch Island. Prevalence of westerly winds near it. Sperm whales. Tedious passage. Death and burial of the ship's cook. Anecdotes of his life. Good landfall. Arrival at Swan River. Find Colony improved. Hospitality of Colonists. Lieutenant Roe's account of his rescuing Captain Grey's party. Burial of Mr. Smith. Hurricane at Shark's Bay. Observations on dry appearance of Upper Swan. Unsuccessful cruise of Champion. Visit Rottnest. Fix on a hill for the site of a Lighthouse. Aboriginal convicts. Protectors of natives. American whalers. Miago. Trees of Western Australia. On the safety of Gage Roads. 

SAIL FOR SWAN RIVER. 

December 12. 

By this day Mr. Bynoe thought I was sufficiently recovered to be able tobear the motion of the ship at sea, and we accordingly sailed in themorning for Swan River. 

Standing out from Point Pearce we had a better view, than on our firstapproach, of the coast to the north of it; trending in a North 11 degreesEast direction. It had a sandy appearance and was fronted with a rockyledge at low-water, with one or two remarkable bare sand patches, four orfive miles from the Point. We had a shoal cast of nine fathoms (eight atlow-water) ten miles west from Point Pearce. In the afternoon we stood tothe westward, in very even soundings of 15 fathoms. 

On the 13th we saw the white cliffs of Cape Rulhieres, which, like PointPearce, we found to be four miles and a half west of its assignedposition. On the 14th and 15th we were beating to the westward with alight and variable wind. 

SAHUL SHOAL. 

Our progress was slow, the monsoon being light; we therefore stood to thenorthward, to find a more steady breeze, and in order, whilst making ourwesting, to get some soundings over a large dotted space in the chart, bearing the name of the Great Sahul Shoal. We desired also to ascertainthe extent of the bank of soundings extending off this part of theAustralian continent, which here approaches to within 245 miles of thesouth end of Timor. The soundings varied, according to the boards we madeover it, from 30 to 60 fathoms; the bottom in the lesser depth being akind of coral, with bits of ironstone mixed with sand; whilst in thegreater depth, it was a green sandy mud. 

On the 17th at 8 P. M. , whilst standing on the north-west, near the centreof the eastern part of the supposed Sahul Shoal, the water shoaledsuddenly to 16 fathoms, from 68, a mile to the south-east. The helm wasput down, and when in stays there were only 14 1/2. The position of thispatch is in latitude 11 degrees 8 1/2 minutes South, longitude 126degrees 33 minutes East. Standing off South by East, in two miles thewater deepened to 72 fathoms. It was not until we had gone about tenmiles, that we again got into 60 fathoms, on the outer edge of the bankof green sandy mud, fronting the Australian shore, and approaching withina hundred miles of the south end of Timor. This bank appears to beseparated from the collection of coral patches, forming the Sahul Shoalby a deep gap or gut, in which the depth generally was above 70 fathoms, with a rocky bottom; though in part of it, in latitude 11 degrees 36minutes South and longitude 124 degrees 53 minutes East, there was nobottom with 207 fathoms. 

Dr. Wilson, in his Voyage round the World, mentions that he crossedseveral parts of the Sahul Shoal on his passage from Timor to RafflesBay, and never found less than 14 fathoms. 

On the 20th, at noon, we had no bottom with 131 fathoms, latitude 11degrees 34 minutes and longitude 124 degrees 52 minutes East. Ourprogress now appeared to improve. Strange to say, though apparently inthe very heart of the monsoon, we were favoured with a light breeze fromthe south-east; and, to show how currents are governed by the wind, I mayremark that the current experienced this day had changed its directionfrom North-North-East to West. 

SCOTT'S REEF. 

On the 24th, several water-snakes were seen, and in the afternoon, with alight north-west wind, we passed about six miles from the north end ofScott's Reef, * which we placed a few miles to the westward of itsposition in the chart, and of which we shall take another opportunity ofspeaking. 

(*Footnote. One of the discoveries of Captain Peter Heywood, R. N. )

Through God's mercy I was now so far recovered as to be able to crawl onthe poop to see this reef, but soon found that I had overrated mystrength: my back became affected; all power appeared to have deserted mylimbs; and I suffered dreadfully. Even to this day I feel the weakness inmy back, particularly in cold weather, or when I attempt to lift anygreat weight suddenly. 

Westerly winds, that increased as we got to the southward, brought us insight of Depuch Island, a level lump of land, on the evening of NewYear's Day, and at 7 P. M. We tacked in 15 fathoms, about twelve milesNorth-West 1/2 North from it. We spent a couple of days beating towestward in the neighbourhood of the coast, from which the bank appearedto 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 milesof the north point of Sharks Bay, bearing South-East by South. On thesame evening we saw a herd of sperm whales. From that day we had asoutherly 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 Riverdescribed two sides of an acute-angled triangle; the 24th placing ussomewhat further than we were on the 14th, namely 700 miles west from ourdestination; 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 theship in the morning, in consequence of the rigid hand of death havingbeen laid on one of our men, the cook, by name Mitchell, worn out by oldage and bodily infirmities. He breathed his last at midnight, and at 10A. M. We committed his body to the deep. There is perhaps no place wherethe burial service has a more impressive effect than at sea; and in thepresent instance the grave demeanour of the whole crew attested that itwas so. The day too was gloomy, and in keeping with the solemn scene;while a fresh breeze gave the ship a steady keel. Occasionally thebeautiful prayers were interrupted by the roar of the foaming waters asthe ship plunged onwards; then swelling on the breeze and mingling withits wailings they were wafted, we would fain hope, to that peaceful hometo which we were sending our shipmate. A chilling plunge announced hispassage into the mighty deep, leaving no trace to mark the spot on thewave, which swept on as before. 

The wandering and strange life of the deceased became the theme ofconversation during the day, and many interesting anecdotes wererecalled. On one occasion he had passed a few days in a vessel that hadbeen turned bottom up in a squall, but which, luckily, having a light andshifting cargo, floated. His only companions were two negroes, who, withthe apathy of their race, spent the principal part of the time in sleep. It was by boring a small hole through the vessel's bottom, and pushing upa stick with a handkerchief attached, that they were enabled to attractthe attention of a passing ship, by whose people they were cut out. OldMitchell's propensity for fishing was very singular. Almost down to thelast, when in his hammock under the forecastle, he would have a linepassed to him whenever he heard fish playing about; and he would catch atit as it was drawn through his fingers, until exhausted nature failing hefell into a lethargic sleep. His situation latterly was peculiarlypitiable. Worldly affairs and a future state were so painfully mingled, that it was impossible to determine whether or not resignationpredominated. He evidently recoiled from the awful contemplation offuturity, and sought refuge in the things of this life. Even whilst inthe pangs of death he could not conceive why he should be so cold, andwhy his feet could not be kept up to a heat which nature, in obedience tothe dictates of infinite wisdom, was gradually resigning. 

We arrived at Swan River on the 31st, under circumstances which mustforcibly illustrate to a landsman the precision with which a ship may benavigated. We had not seen land for fifty-two days, and were steeringthrough a dense fog, which confined the circle of our vision to within avery short distance round the ship. Suddenly the vapour for a momentdispersed, and showed us, not more than a mile ahead, the shipping inGage's Road. 

We found a vast improvement in the colony of Western Australia since ourlast visit, and again experienced the greatest hospitality from thecolonists. To the assiduous attentions of my much valued friend, theSurveyor-General, Lieutenant Roe, R. N. , I in great measure ascribe myrapid recovery. He gave me a painfully interesting account of anexcursion he had made in search of the party left behind by Captain Greyduring his exploring expedition in the neighbourhood of Sharks Bay, withthe sufferings and disastrous termination of which the public havealready been made acquainted in the vivid language of the last-mentionedofficer. 

LIEUTENANT ROE'S ACCOUNT OF THE RESCUE OF CAPTAIN GREY'S PARTY. 

It was on one of those soft beautiful evenings, so common in Australia, that I received this narrative from my friend. We had strolled from hiscottage, at the western extremity of the town of Perth, and had justemerged from the patch of woodland, concealing it from the view of theSwan, which now lay at our feet. About a mile below, the broad shadow ofMount Eliza, nearly extended across the river; and in the darkness thusmade, the snow-white sails of a tiny pleasure-boat flitted to and fro. Beyond lay the beautiful lake-like reach of the river, Melville Water, just ruffled by a breeze that came sweeping over its surface with all thedelicious coolness of the sea. The beauty of the scene did not divert mefrom the events of my friend's story, serving rather to impress them themore vividly on my mind. I remember well the animated and affectingmanner in which he delivered his narrative, and how his hard featuresbecame lit up as he proceeded by an expression of honest pride, fullyjustified by the fact that he had on that occasion been the means ofsaving the lives of several of his fellow-creatures. When he found themthey were under a headland, which they had not sufficient strength leftto ascend, nor were they able to round the sea face of it. One of them, finding all hope of proceeding further at an end, went down on his kneesand prayed to the almighty for assistance; and just as another hadbitterly remarked on the uselessness of proffering such a request, Mr. Roe and his party, as if directed by the hand of Providence, appeared onthe ridge above them. It would be painful to describe minutely thecondition to which these poor fellows had been reduced; it will besufficient to state, that thirst had compelled them to resort to the mostoffensive substitute for pure and wholesome water. 

DEATH OF MR. FREDERIC SMITH. 

One of their party, Mr. Frederick Smith, had been left behind; and sobewildered were they in their despair, that they could give no definiteaccount of what had become of him. Mr. Roe immediately went in search, and not many miles in the rear, found the poor fellow quite dead in abush, with his blanket half rolled round him. It appeared that he hadtried to scramble up a sandhill and had fallen back into the bush anddied--a sad and melancholy fate for one so young. He had laboured undergreat disadvantages in walking, having cut his feet in very gallantlyswimming out to save one of the boats during a hurricane in Sharks Bay. He was reduced to a perfect skeleton; having, in fact, been starved todeath. The sight drew forth a tributary tear of affection even from thenative who accompanied the party. Mr. Roe consigned poor young Smith'sremains to the earth, and setting up a piece of board to mark the spot, smoothed down his lonely pillow, and moved with his companions inmournful silence towards the south. 

It must have been an impressive scene; the sun, as if conscious that hewas shining for the last time on the remains of the ill-fated youngexplorer, seemed to linger as if unwilling to descend into the westernhorizon; and his full red orb painted a number of light airy clouds thatfloated through the sky in the most brilliant colours, and shed a streamof fire over the water as it rolled with a mournful dirge-like sound onthe strand close by. The howl of a wild dog now and then fell on theirears as they performed their melancholy task, and alone broke thestillness that reigned around, as they retreated slowly along the beach. 

Whilst on this humane excursion, Mr. Roe witnessed a wondrous giftpossessed by the natives. The one that accompanied him, perceivingfootmarks on the sand, where some of his countrymen had been, was enabledby them to tell Mr. Roe, not only in what number they were, but THE NAMEOF EACH. This account was verified on their return to Perth, from whencethe natives had been sent during Mr. Roe's absence on the same errand. 

HURRICANE IN SHARKS' BAY. 

The hurricane I have mentioned, as encountered by Captain Grey in SharksBay, latitude 26 degrees South, occurred on February 28th, which, corresponding with the hurricane season of the Mauritius, leaves littledoubt that at the same time the shores of New Holland are occasionallyvisited by more easterly ones, moving in nearly the same direction. Theother two instances of hurricanes occurring in the neighbourhood arethose of the Ceres, in 1839, in latitude 21 degrees South, above 300miles North-North-West from Sharks Bay, and of the Maguashas towards theend of February, * 1843, in latitude 18 degrees South, about 400 milesnorth of the same place. Ships, therefore, passing along the North-westcoast of New Holland at the season we have mentioned, should be preparedfor bad weather. The hurricane experienced by Captain Grey began atSouth-east and ended at North-west. The lull in the centre of it showedthat the focus of the storm must have passed over that locality. CaptainGrey does not enter sufficiently into detail to enable us to trace theveering of the wind. 

(*Footnote. In volume 1 will be found mention of the bad weather met withby the Beagle in this month on the north-west coast. For furtherinformation on this subject see Mr. Thom's interesting Inquiry into theNature and Course of Storms London 1845. )

An observation I made on visiting this time the upper course of the Swan, is worth recording. Many parts were perfectly dry, more so than any I hadseen on the Victoria, and yet I was informed that last year those veryparts were running with a good stream. It seems reasonable to infer, therefore, that in certain seasons of the year the Victoria, though dryin some places when I visited it, is a full and rapid river. 

During our stay the Colonial schooner, Champion, returned from anunsuccessful search for the mouth of the Hutt River, discovered byCaptain Grey in the neighbourhood of Moresby's Flat-topped Range. Nearthe south end of it, however, they found a bay affording good anchorage. 

ROTTNEST ISLAND. 

March 25. 

We moved the ship to Rottnest Island, to collect a little material forthe chart, and select a hill for the site of a lighthouse. The one wechose lies towards the south-east end of the island, bearing North 76degrees West (true) twelve miles and a quarter from Fremantle gaol. TheGovernor and Mr. Roe accompanied us to Rottnest, where we found that apenal establishment of Aboriginal prisoners had been formed during ourabsence. 

ABORIGINAL CONVICTS. 

No one would say that the Australian natives cannot work, if they couldjust see the nice cottages of which this settlement is composed. TheSuperintendent merely gives the convicts a little instruction at first, and they follow his directions with astonishing precision. They takegreat pride in showing visitors their own work. It is an interestingthough sorrowful sight to see these poor fellows--some of them deprivedof their liberty for life, perhaps for crimes into which they have beendriven by the treatment they receive from those who have deprived themboth of their land and of their liberty. Many, if not most of them, arein some measure unconscious of guilt; and they are almost incapable ofappreciating the relation between what they have committed and thepunishment which has fallen on them. Their minds are plunged in thedarkest ignorance; or if they know anything beyond the means ofsatisfying their immediate wants, it is that they have been deprived oftheir rightful possessions by the men whose chains they wear. Surely thisreflection should now and then present itself to the white man who isaccustomed to treat them so harshly, and induce him to judge moreleniently of their acts, and instead of confining himself to coersivemeasures for protection, make him resort to the means which are withinhis reach of raising the despised and oppressed savage more nearly to alevel with himself in the scale of humanity. 

The native prisoners at Rottnest collect salt from the lagoons, cut wood, and at present almost grow sufficient grain to keep them, so that in ashort time they will be a source of profit rather than of loss to thecrown. Some of them pine away and die; others appear happy. Generally, however, when a fresh prisoner comes among them, great discontentprevails; they enquire eagerly about their friends and families; and whatthey hear in reply recalls vividly to their minds their wild roving life, their corrobories, the delights of their homes; and of these, too, theyare sometimes compelled to think when a blue streak of smoke stealingover the uplands, catches their restless eye, as it wanders instinctivelyforth in that direction from their island prison. They will often gaze onthese mementos of their former free life, until their eyes grow dim withtears and their breasts swell with those feelings which, however debasedthey may appear, they share in common with us all. On these occasionsthey naturally turn with loathing to their food. Those who suffer mostare the oldest; for they have ties to which the younger are strangers. 

The rapidity with which the young ones grow up and improve in appearance, in consequence of their regular food and the care taken of them, isastonishing. They are allowed to have a common kind of spear, thoughwithout any throwing stick; and sometimes receive permission to go to thewest end of the island to endeavour to kill wallaby, which are thererather numerous. 

We were happy to find that the attention of the public, and theGovernment at home, had been drawn to the wrongs and sufferings of theAborigines of Australia; and that a desire of preserving them fromdeterioration and ultimate destruction, had been evinced. Protectors hadbeen sent out for the purpose of attending especially to their interests, so that it was evident that what was wanted was not goodwill towardsthem. It was easy, however, to perceive that the system was a bad one, and to foretell its failure. The most prominent feature in the planadopted, was the gathering together of the natives in the neighbourhoodof settlers without previously providing them with any means ofsubsistence, so that they were in a manner compelled to have recourse todepredations. 

AMERICAN WHALERS. 

To show to what extent whaling is carried on in these seas by foreigners, I may mention that during our stay at Swan River, I at one time countedas many as thirteen American whalers at anchor. It was to be regrettedthat this department of industry had been abandoned by the colonists, whohowever derived considerable advantage from the barter trade they carriedon with the whale ships. 

At Perth we found our old shipmate Miago, and were sorry to observe thathe was as great a savage as ever. He had got into considerable disgraceamong his fellows on account of his having performed one of these featsof which he was so continually boasting on the North-west coast, namely, carrying away a woman. He was hiding about, in momentary fear of beingspeared by those whom he had injured. 

BOTANY OF WESTERN AUSTRALIA. 

Among the information obtained this time at Swan River, was the followingtable, relating to the vegetable kingdom of Western Australia. 

COLUMN 1: NAME COMMONLY GIVEN BY SETTLERS. COLUMN 2: NATIVE NAME. COLUMN 3: GENUS. COLUMN 4: REMARKS. 

Mahogany : Jarrail* : Eucalyptus : Grows on white sandy land. 

Red gum : Kardan : Eucalyptus : On loamy land. 

Bluegum : Co-lort : Eucalyptus : On river banks and flooded lands, a sureindication of vicinity of water. 

White gum : Wando : Eucalyptus : On stiff clay lands, sometimes tappedfor water contained in hollow trunk. 

York gum : To-art : Eucalyptus : Abundant in York--on good soil. 

Cable gum, these varieties all seen in the interior, not common at Perth: Gnardarup : Eucalyptus : Like several stems twisted together, abondantin interior. 

Cable gum, these varieties all seen in the interior, not common at Perth: Wooruc : Eucalyptus : Brown glossy stem, smooth. 

Cable gum, these varieties all seen in the interior, not common at Perth: Gnelarue : Eucalyptus : Nankeen-coloured stem. 

Cable gum, these varieties all seen in the interior, not common at Perth: Mallat : Eucalyptus : Tall, straight, rough bark. 

Cable gum, these varieties all seen in the interior, not common at Perth: Morrail : Eucalyptus : Nearly similar. 

Cable gum, these varieties all seen in the interior, not common at Perth: Balwungar : Eucalyptus : Glaucus-leaved. 

Honeysuckle : Mang-ghoyte : Banksia : Large flowering cones containinghoney. 

Honeysuckle : Be-al-wra : Banksia : Large flowering cones containinghoney. 

Black wattle : Kile-yung : Acacia : Indication of good soil--producesgum. 

Broom or Stinkwood : Cab-boor : - : Light sandy loam. 

Holly : Tool-gan : Hakea : Sandy soil--produces gum. 

Cabbage tree : Mote yar : Nuytsia floribella : Gum in abundance. 

Beef tree or the oak : - : Casuarina. 

Palm tree : Djir-jy or jirjy : Zamia media, gl. : Red fruit, nut, calledbaio, ripe in March, is considered a delicacy by the natives. 

Raspberry jam : Maug-art : Acacia : Sweet scented--grows on good gruund. 

Raspberry jam : Minnung : Acacia : Gum very abundant. 

Blackboy : Balga : Zantha hast : Gum on the spear--resin on the trunk. 

York nut : Madda : - : Smells like sandalwood. 

Red apple : Quonni : - : Affects salt grounds. 

Swamp oak : Yeymbac : - : Name applies rather to the paper-likebark--used to hold water, to cover houses, etc. 

Rough-topped blackboy : Barro : Zantha : Resin makes a powerful cement. 

Native yam : Werrang : - : Said to grow to a large size to the North. 

Native potato : Tubuc : Orchis. 

Native turnip : Canno. 

New Zealand flax : - : Phormium tenax : This grows pretty abnndantly, Iforget the native name. 

(*Footnote. The letter a is sounded broad and full as in Father. )

SAFETY OF GAGE ROADS. 

The result of our soundings between Rottnest Island and the main, showedthat a bank extended out to the north-east, from the foul ground off theStragglers, sufficiently to check, in some measure, the vast body ofwater rolling in from the north-west; and thereby adding to the safety ofGage Roads, provided vessels anchor in the proper berth, which is inseven or eight fathoms, on sandy mud, about a mile from the gaol, bearingEast by North. A quarter of a mile nearer the shore the bottom shoalsrapidly to four and three fathoms, on rocky ground slightly coated withsand. It is therefore not likely a ship, well found, can drag her anchorup a bank so steep as that inclination in the bottom forms. The wrecksthat have occurred in this anchorage may be traced to vessels notselecting a proper berth. From their desire to be near the shore they getinto the shoal rocky ground; a breeze comes on when they are in no wayprepared, in the midst of discharging cargo; and in some cases, before asecond anchor can be let go, the ship is driven on shore. Thus, throughthe want of judgment exhibited by a few individuals, has a wholecommunity suffered in the manner I have alluded to, when speaking of theloss of the Orontes at Port Essington. *

(*Footnote. See volume 1. )

CHAPTER 2. 5. 

Sail from Swan River. Search for the supposed Turtle-dove Shoal. Approach to Houtman's Abrolhos. Find an anchorage. View of the Lagoon. Guano. Remnants of the wreck of the Batavia. Pelsart Group. Visit the Main. Geelvink Channel. Enter Champion Bay. Appearance of the Country. Striking resemblance of various portions of the coast of Australia. Leave Champion Bay. Coast to the northward. Resume our examination of the Abrolhos. Easter Group. Good Friday Harbour. Lizards on Rat Island. Coral formation. Snapper Bank. Zeewyk Passage. Discoveries on Gun Island. The Mangrove Islets. Singular Sunset. Heavy gale. Wallaby Islands. Flag Hill. Slaughter Point. Observations of Mr. Bynoe on the Marsupiata. General character of the reefs. Tidal observations. Visit North Island. Leave Houtman's Abrolhos. General observations. Proceed to Depuch Island. Drawings on the rocks. Native youth. New bird and kangaroo. Effects of Mirage. Examine coast to the Turtle Isles. Geographe Shoals. Number of turtles. Bedout Island. Scott's Reef. Approach to Timor. Pulo Douw. Scene on entering Coepang Bay. Surprise of Swan River native. Visit to the Resident. His stories. Fort Concordia. Second visit to the Resident. The Timorees. Arrive at Pritie. Description of the country. Muster of the shooting party. Success of the excursion. The Javanese Commandant. Character of the Timorees. Dutch settlement in New Guinea. Leave Coepang. Island of Rottee. Tykal Inlet. Inhabitants of Polo Douw. 

SAIL FROM SWAN RIVER. 

The improved state of the colony enabling us to get supplies, it wasresolved that we should return to the North-west coast, examining on theway, Houtman's Abrolhos, a coral group that had very rarely been visited, since the Dutch ships were lost on them, one 120 and the other 220 yearsago, and of which next to nothing was known. 

Not being able to persuade Miago to accompany us, he being too muchengaged with his new wife, we enlisted the services of a native youth whogenerally went by the name of Tom, and left Gage Roads on the afternoonof April 4th. 

Off the west end of Rottnest a sail was seen, which we afterwards found, to our mortification, was H. M. S. Britomart, from Port Essington. We hadanother fruitless search for the bank reported to the northward ofRottnest. Steering North-North-West from the west end of it, thesoundings increased gradually to 35 fathoms, till passing CapeLeschenault at the distance of twenty-two miles; but afterwards, nobottom with 50 fathoms, till reaching the latitude of 31 degrees 7minutes South, where the coast projecting, brought us again within twentymiles of it, and into a depth of 45 fathoms. We continued in soundingstill in latitude 30 degrees 36 minutes South, varying from 26 to 98fathoms, seventeen miles from the land with the former, and twenty-fivewith the latter depth, which shows the extent and steepness of the bankof soundings fronting the coast, between the parallels I have mentioned. 

THE ABROLHOS GROUP. 

April 6. 

There was unusual weather last night, overcast with a squally westerlywind. Just laying our course North-North-West, at noon we were inlatitude 29 degrees 11 minutes South, on the position assigned to a reefcalled the Turtle Dove. From the masthead I could see nothing indicatinga shoal. Captain King passed near this position, and also remarks notseeing it. The Colonial schooner Champion, in beating to the southward, has passed over and near its assigned position, and I think we may fairlyinfer that there is no such reef as the Turtle Dove, and that probably itoriginated from the south end of the Abrolhos reef, ten milesNorth-North-West of it, being seen. We found 29 fathoms on this supposedshoal, with 35, twelve miles South by East of it, and 127, twenty-eightmiles in the same direction. Between it and the south end of the AbrolhosGroup the water deepened to 35 fathoms. In approaching the nearest islandwe passed close round the south-east end of a reef, running out about amile from the south point, and then trending away round in a North-westby North direction, so as to form one side of a lagoon, whilst the islandI have mentioned--a long narrow strip trending North-east by North--formsthe other. The weather looking unsettled, the wind being from thesouth-west, with slight rain squalls, we were glad to find shelter, sonear the commencement of our work, in a bight on the east side of theisland, three quarters of a mile from the south point, where we anchoredin 13 fathoms, scarcely a quarter of a mile from the shore. A coralpatch, of two and a half fathoms, with only two on its northern extreme, confines this anchorage, which affords shelter from South-South-Eastround by West to North-east by North. The tide rose here 32 inches. 

From the masthead I got a tolerably good view of the island, in someplaces scarcely a cable wide, and a number of islets scattered to thenorth-west. The lagoon at this place was not more than three milesacross, though marked twelve in the old charts; and I could trace thelong line of white breakers rolling in on the other side in solemngrandeur, contrasting strongly in their foaming turbulence with theplacid waters within the protection of the reef and island. I couldclearly distinguish the limit of the danger in this direction, and thatthere was nothing to break the swell beyond. The surface of the lagoonwas diversified by blue and grey patches, showing the alternations ofshoal and deep water; near the centre there appeared to be a channel, which we afterwards found to be ten fathoms deep. 

In the head of the bight where we were anchored, there was a narrow lowsandy neck, placed by our observations in latitude 28 degrees 58 minutes26 seconds South and longitude 1 degree 47 minutes 32 seconds west ofSwan River, * over which we hauled a boat to examine the opposite side ofthe lagoon. 

(*Footnote. As we shall refer all longitudes during this cruise toScott's Jetty, Swan River, I may here state that the approximatelongitude of that place is considered to be 115 degrees 47 minutes Eastof Greenwich. )

A few remarkable clumps of mangroves pointed out the position of somelagoons about a mile and a half from the south end of the island, whichis fronted by a line of low overhanging cliffs of recent, cream-colouredlimestone. Upon these rests a layer of a kind of soil, in some placeseighteen inches deep, in others four feet, in which the seabirds burrow, and which, from what I have since seen of the much sought after guano, Ibelieve to contain some of the valuable substance. In some of the islandsforming Houtman's Abrolhos which we subsequently examined, I foundsimilar signs of the presence of this manure, which I think worthy ofbeing made the subject of enquiry. 

On the south part of the island I found a block of scoria measuring threefeet by two; which, though not appearing to possess the power offloating, must have been brought by the current from the volcanic islandof St. Paul's. We saw a few hair-seals on the beach when we landed, and arich kind of rock oyster was found at low-water. 

PELSART GROUP. 

On the south west point of the island the beams of a large vessel werediscovered, and as the crew of the Zeewyk, lost in 1728, reported havingseen the wreck of a ship on this part, there is little doubt that theremains were those of the Batavia, Commodore Pelsart, lost in 1627. We inconsequence named our temporary anchorage Batavia Road, and the wholegroup Pelsart Group. It was the wreck of this Dutch ship that led to thediscovery of this part of the continent of Australia, Commodore Pelsarthimself having crossed over to it in a boat in search of water. 

VISIT TO THE MAIN. 

April 8. 

In the afternoon we got underweigh, with a fresh south wind. The low neckover which the boat was hauled, and which appeared like a gap from theoffing, bearing west, led clear to the northward of the two fathom patch. We steered across East by South 1/2 South for the main, losing sight ofthe island from the Beagle's poop (height 15 feet) at the distance offive miles and a half. Three miles further brought us in sight of theland, forming a high level range, with a knob or lump on its southextreme. Some five or six miles to the south-east were seen isolatedpeaks, which we rightly supposed to be the Wizard Hills of Captain King, whilst the lump above spoken of proved to be Mount Fairfax, the levelrange being Moresby's Flat-topped Range. As we neared them the MenaiHills began to show themselves. 

Our soundings, after leaving the island, deepened quickly to 30 and 35fathoms. Six miles from it the depth decreased to 23 fathoms. We stoodoff and on during the night, the current setting North-North-West a milean hour. The space between the Abrolhos and the main bears the name ofGeelvink Channel, after Vlaming's ship, the first that ever passedthrough (A. D. 1680). 

The chief object of the Beagle's visit to the main was to ascertain theposition of a good anchorage, before spoken of as reported at Swan Riverto be under the south-west end of Moresby's Flat-topped Range. Thefavourable account which Captain Grey had given of the country behind therange made the knowledge of a good anchorage in its neighbourhood of vastimportance. Captain King missed this portion of the coast by crossingover to the Abrolhos, which he places some five miles too much to thewestward, the lowness of the island deceiving him, as indeed it at firstdid us. The reef off the south-west end, however, he has rightly fixed. 

April 9. 

At daylight the ship was in 24 fathoms, fifteen miles from Wizard Hills, bearing South 70 degrees East. As we neared the shore, steeringNorth-East by North we saw a low point, running out west from the southend of Moresby's Range, fronted by heavy breakers, particularly to thenorth-west. Behind, the water was quite smooth, and promised a snuganchorage. We passed round the reef in 13 1/2 fathoms, at the distance ofa half, and three-quarters of a mile; but we did not haul into the bayuntil some suspicious spots had been sounded over by a boat. Finding notless than four and a half fathoms, we stood in, Mount Fairfax bearingeast. The small table hill forming the north-west extreme of the MenaiHills, bearing North 11 degrees East, leads clear to the westward of thereef. Between this and the north point of the bay the water occasionallylifts suspiciously. Inside the depth is regular, five and six fathoms, fine white sand. 

CHAMPION BAY. 

To this anchorage was given the name of Champion Bay; whilst theprojection sheltering it from the south-west was called Point Moore, after the Attorney-general at Swan River, who visited it in the Colonialschooner. We anchored early in the forenoon in four fathoms, MountFairfax bearing North 81 degrees East five miles and three-quarters;Point Moore South 49 degrees West one mile, the end of the reef North 60degrees West also one mile, and a bare-topped brown sandhill, South 33degrees East, three-quarters of a mile. Immediately under thelast-mentioned the observations were made, placing that spot in latitude28 degrees 47 minutes 8 seconds South and longitude 1 degree 9 minutes 20seconds West of Swan River. A most singular ridge of very white sandhillslay a quarter of a mile to the eastward. 

ELEVATION OF THE HILLS. 

A plan of the bay was made, and the elevation of the neighbouring heightstaken; Mount Fairfax proving to be 585 feet, and Wizard Peak 700 feet. 

I regretted there was not time to visit Moresby's Flat-topped Range, aswe might have got a glimpse of the good land reported by Captain Grey inthe neighbourhood. The sides of the high lands look fertile over thesandhills of the bay; but through a spy-glass I found that they had abrown arid appearance and were destitute of timber. 

I was forcibly struck with the resemblance between Moresby's Range, SeaRange on the Victoria, Cape Flattery on the north-east coast, and I mayadd, from Flinders' description, the cliffs forming the coast range atthe head of the Australian Bight. The great similarity in the elevation, all being between 500 and 700 feet, is still more remarkable. To bringthis great resemblance between opposite portions of the Australiancontinent before the reader, I have inserted sketches of those partswhich were seen in the Beagle. 

The beach in the south corner of Champion Bay, having the appearance ofbeing seldom visited by a surf, it is possible that a small vessel may besheltered by the reef in north-west gales, which the anchorage is exposedto, and which, therefore, can only be considered safe in the summerseason. Five miles to the southward of Point Moore there is another bay, which appeared much exposed to the prevailing winds. The shore between isrocky with outlying reefs. 

LEAVE CHAMPION BAY. 

April 10. 

We left Champion Bay at daylight, with a moderatE south wind and fineweather, and passed over some uneven ground south-west of the northpoint, soundings varying from five to seven fathoms, sand and rock, whichthough at a quiet time, almost formed breakers. 

APPEARANCE OF THE COAST. 

As we ran along to the northward, the coast was lined with sandhills verypartially dotted with vegetation. Behind these was a margin of brownarid-looking downs, receding to the foot of the uplands. Twenty miles ofthe coastline from Champion Bay trended North 29 degrees West. 

At noon we were in latitude 28 degrees 26 minutes South; the Menai Hills, a group lying just off the north end of Moresby's Flat-topped Range, bearing South 73 degrees East ten miles. A valley or ravine, throughwhich probably a rivulet* runs in the wet season, bore North 83 degreesEast two miles, and a singular large patch of sand, 270 feet above thesea, North 22 degrees East two miles and a half. North of this patch theland changes its appearance; the bare sandhills cease, and a steep-sideddown, 300 feet high, faces the coastline. Our track was from two to threemiles from the shore, in 19 and 22 fathoms, fine white sand; a heavy surfwashing the beach. South-east of the Menai Hills the country appearedmuch broken, with high table ranges of from 4 to 700 feet. 

(*Footnote. This (in latitude 28 degrees 25 minutes South) may have beenone of the rivers discovered by Captain Grey, but which it was impossiblefor us to determine, as no account of them had been left with theSurveyor-general, Mr. Roe. )

It was now necessary to resume our examination of the Abrolhos, andthirty-one miles on a West 1/4 South course, brought us between twogroups of them, where we anchored for the night in 23 fathoms. Thesoundings in standing across Geelvink Channel, were 22 and 26 fathoms, fine white sand; the current ran North-North-West, a mile an hour. 

April 11. 

At daylight we found that the summit of a large island, in the centre ofthe group to the northward, bore North 21 1/2 degrees West about ninemiles. 

GOOD FRIDAY HARBOUR. 

We now beat to the southward in search of a harbour, where the ship mightlie in safety whilst we went to work with the boats, and were fortunateenough to discover one close to the north-east point of a large islandlying in the centre of the group to the southward; which we named EasterGroup, and the harbour Good Friday Harbour, to commemorate the season ofthe Christian year, at which we visited it. Perhaps at some futureperiod, when the light of the gospel shall have penetrated to every partof the vast Australian continent, these sacred names, bestowed by us uponsome of its outworks, may be pronounced with pleasure, as commemorativeof the time when the darkness of ignorance and superstition was justbeginning to disperse. 

Good Friday Harbour, like all coral harbours, requires to be taken byeye, being full of coral knolls, which necessitate the utmost vigilance. In itself, however, it is an excellent port, capable of holding a largenumber of ships, and with a general depth, between the coral patches, offrom 15 to 17 fathoms, with a fine muddy sandy bottom. The easternextremity of the large island bearing South by East 1/2 East led into theharbour. As we threaded our way among the patches of coral, the view fromthe masthead of the submarine forests through the still pellucid waterwas very striking. The dark blue of the deep portions of the lagooncontrasted beautifully with the various patches of light coloursinterspersed. 

We found to our surprise that the group into which we had penetrated wasentirely distinct from that under which we had first anchored to thesouthward, so that we had already discovered the Abrolhos to form threeseparate groups. 

RAT ISLAND. 

The centre island we named Rat Island, from the quantity of that verminwith which it was infested. We also saw here a few seals, and numbers ofa very pretty lizard (figured in the appendix) with its tail covered withspines. Several of these were brought away alive. I had two myself fornine months on board, and afterwards presented them to Lady Gipps. Ofthose taken by Lieutenant Emery, he was so fortunate as to bring onealive to England, in 1841. It is still in his possession, and thrivesremarkably well. In one of his last letters he writes to me as follows onthe subject: "The Abrolhos lizard is very docile, and knows Mrs. Emeryquite well, and will eat and drink out of her hand; but is timid withstrangers. Its habits are rather torpid, but it becomes active when inthe sun or before the fire. It eats so very little that a piece of spongecake about the size of a small bean will satisfy it for three or fourweeks. It changes its skin twice a year. "

The formation of Rat Island resembles that already noticed in PelsartGroup; there were the same low overhanging cream-coloured limestonecliffs, to the height of half the island; the greatest elevation of whichwas 13 feet, with a similar soil, mixed with guano, and filled withburrows of the sooty petrel, or mutton bird. Surrounding it is a lowcoral reef, trending northward to the outer edge of the group. 

CORAL FORMATION. 

This reef afforded me an opportunity of examining the coral formation ofthe Abrolhos, which, with the exception of Bermuda, is the place farthestremoved from the equator where coral formation is found. The reef onwhich Rat Island rests extends off four hundred yards on the inner side, and has 12 fathoms just off it, on a grey sandy mud. The greater portionis composed of a variety of corals intermixed, and forming a consolidatedmass, with brain-stones scattered over. It is nearly dry at low-water;but a portion does not rise so high, projecting out so as to form anarrow shelf, from the edge of which a wall descends almost sheer to thedepth of 54 feet. The upper 20 feet are formed of a peculiar kind ofcoral, growing in the shape of huge fans, spreading out from stout stemsoverlapping each other in clusters, and having angular cavities between. The coral forming the lower 34 feet of the wall is of the common largebranch kind. 

Whilst in Good Friday Harbour the quarter-master reported smoke on one ofthe islands to the north-east. All eyes were instantly turned in thatdirection, in curiosity to find what could have caused it. And sureenough a long streak of smoke was curling upwards through the air. Itsoon however appeared that it rose from some fire on the main, distantabout thirty-five miles, and that its being visible by us was owing tothe extreme clearness of the atmosphere. 

The observation spot on Rat Island was on the north-east end, which weplaced in latitude 32 degrees 42 minutes 50 seconds South and longitude 1degree 57 minutes 50 seconds West of Swan River. Having completed ourwork in the harbour, we left, for the purpose of securing the requisitematerial for the north-east part of this group, which we found to be adetached cluster with deep-water between, and to be also similarlyseparated from the extreme of the group--a small isle about five feethigh, composed of sand and dead coral. The average depth surrounding theislands was 20 and 23 fathoms, being the same level as that of the greatflat or plain on which they rest, and which extends out from themainland, shelving off at the outer edge of the southern part of theAbrolhos almost precipitously to no bottom with 250 fathoms. We nowproceeded southward, to examine the opening between Easter and PelsartGroups, and to complete the extremity of the northern part of the latter. 

SNAPPER BANK. 

On our way we discovered a coral bank of 7 fathoms, a mile and a halflong, seven miles East-South-East from the north-east end of EasterGroup. We called it Snapper Bank, from the immense quantity of that fishwhich we found on it. In half an hour we caught more than we could cure, so that it became necessary to stop the sport. This shows what alucrative trade might be carried on by the people of Swan River with theMauritius; for the lake on the island of Rottnest affording a largesupply of salt, any quantity of fish might easily be caught and cured. The whole group is abundantly supplied, though nowhere so plentifully asat Snapper Bank. 

From near the south-east end of this bank the main was visible from theBeagle's poop. Here we anchored for the night in 24 fathoms, and nextmorning stood out to sea between Easter and Pelsart Groups to ascertainif there were any more reefs to the westward, though the long unbrokenswell was almost sufficient to convince us that there were none. 

SOUNDINGS BETWEEN THE GROUPS. 

In a line between the outer reefs of the two groups the depth was 36fathoms; a mile and a half further in we had 29; but outside it deepenedoff suddenly to no bottom with 70, and in two miles and a half to nonewith 170. Before returning we tried for bottom with 250; but, as has beenalready mentioned, without success. Outside the reef we felt a currentsetting a mile an hour North-North-West. In standing in again we passedclose round the north-west end of the reef encircling Pelsart Group, in31 fathoms, and anchored in 17, just without a line of discoloured water, which we found to have 5 fathoms in the outer part, extending across themouth of the lagoon; the largest island bearing South by West one mileand three-quarters. 

GUN ISLAND. DUTCH REMAINS. 

April 24. 

In the morning the boats were despatched on their ordinary work, andCaptain Wickham and myself landed on the largest island, a quarter of amile long, forming the north-western extreme of Pelsart Group, and whichwe named Gun Island, from our finding on it a small brass four-pounder ofsingular construction, now deposited in the United Service Museum (seethe cut annexed) with quantities of ornamental brasswork for harness, onwhich the gilding was in a wonderful state of preservation; a number ofglass bottles and pipes, and two Dutch doits, bearing date 1707 and 1720. This was a very interesting discovery, and left no doubt that we hadfound the island on which the crew of the Zeewyk were wrecked, in 1727, and where they remained so long, whilst building, from the fragments oftheir vessel, a sloop, in which they got to sea by the passage betweenEaster and Pelsart Groups, which has consequently been called ZeewykPassage. The scene of their disaster must have been on the outer reef, amile and three-quarters south-west from Gun Island, along which ran awhite ridge of high breakers. 

The glass bottles I have mentioned were of a short stout Dutch build, andwere placed in rows, as if for the purpose of collecting water; some ofthem were very large, being capable of holding five or six gallons; theywere in part buried in the sand, and the portion which was left exposedto the air presented a singular appearance, being covered with a whitesubstance that had eaten away the glaze. A number of seal bones werenoticed on this island; and I have no doubt they are the remains of thosethat were killed by the crew of the Zeewyk for their subsistence. On thenorth end of the island was a hole containing brackish water; when we dugit deeper the salt water poured in. The next small islet to theEast-South-East we discovered to be that on which the Dutchmen had builttheir sloop. On the west side of it was a spot free from coral reefs, thus offering them facilities, nowhere else afforded, for launching thebark which ultimately carried them in safety to Batavia. 

A mile and a half to the southward of Gun Island, opposite asingular-looking indentation in the outer side of the reefs, a smallcluster of cliffy islets approaches within half a mile of them. It israther singular that in another of the group--larger than Gun Island, lying in the centre of the lagoon, and the only one not visited by theBeagle's boats--water should have been found by a party who came fromSwan River to save the wreck of a ship lost in 1843, close to the spot onwhich the Batavia struck more than two hundred years ago. This island iscalled in the chart Middle Island. The well is on the south point, andthe water, which is very good, rises and falls with the tide. Doubtlessthis must have been the island on which the crew of Pelsart's ship foundwater, though for some time they were deterred from tasting it byobserving its ebb and flow, from which they inferred it would prove salt. The north point of Gun Island, which our observations placed in latitude28 degrees 53 minutes 10 seconds South, longitude 1 degree 53 minutes 35seconds West of Swan River, is fronted for half a mile by a reef. 

MANGROVE ISLETS. 

The ship was now moved to the north-east extreme of the lagoon, to whichwe crossed in 17 fathoms--the depth we anchored in, a mile north-westfrom a cluster of islets covered in places with mangroves, from whichthey receive their name. To the southward the depth in the lagoon, as faras a square-looking island, was 15 and 16 fathoms. The north extreme ofthe south island lay three miles to the south east of the MangroveIslets, by which we found that its length was nearly ten miles, with ageneral width of about a tenth of a mile. 

One of the eastern Mangrove Islets was a mere caY, formed of large flatpieces of dead coral, of the same kind as that of which I have beforespoken as resembling a fan, strewed over a limestone foundation one footabove the level of the sea, in the greatest possible confusion, to theheight of five feet. In walking over them they yielded a metallic sound. Pelsart, like Easter Group, is marked by a detached islet lying a mileoff its north-east extreme. 

May 3. 

We fetched in under the Lee of Easter Group as the north-west gale ofthis morning commenced. The barometer did not indicate the approach ofthe gale, falling with it, and acting as in those we had encountered atSwan River. 

SINGULAR SUNSET. 

The sunset of the two days preceding had presented a very luridappearance, and the most fantastically shaped clouds had been scatteredover the red western sky. It seemed as though nature had determined toentertain us with a series of dissolving views. Headlands and mountainswith cloud-capped pinnacles appeared and faded away; ships under sailfloated across the sky; towers and palaces reared their formsindistinctly amid the vapour, and then vanished, like the baseless fabricof a dream. 

The winds since the 29th had been very easterly; but early on the 1stbecame fresh from north-east; a stagnant suspicious calm then succeeded, during the forenoon of the 2nd. At noon the glassy surface of the waterbegan to darken here and there in patches with the first sighing of thebreeze, which soon became steady at north-west, and troubled the wholeexpanse as far as the eye could reach. 

HEAVY GALE. 

It was not, however, as I have said, before daylight of the 3rd that thegale commenced in earnest, continuing with great violence, accompaniedwith heavy squalls of rain, till noon next day, when the wind had veeredto South-South-West. During this time the whole aspect of the scene waschanged; immense dark banks of clouds rested on the contracted horizon;the coral islands by which we were surrounded loomed indistinctly throughthe driving mist; and the decks were drenched by heavy showers thatoccurred at intervals. The wind blew hardest from West-North-West, andbegan to moderate about nine on the morning of the 4th, when it had gotround to south-west. The current during this breeze set a mile and a halfEast-South-East, changing again to the northward as the wind veered roundto the southward. This clearly shows how certainly, in thisneighbourhood, the movements of the air influence those of the sea. 

WATER-SPOUTS. 

It was the evening of the 5th before all was again clear overhead. In themorning, however, we shifted our berth, which had been a mile from thesouth extreme of the detached cluster of islets forming the north-eastend of Easter Group. Several small water-spouts formed near the ship aswe were about to weigh, which induced us to wait a little until theypassed. 

On the 8th we bore away for the northern group in 26 and 27 fathoms; thespace between was named Middle Passage. 

WALLABY ISLANDS. 

Passing outside of a patch of breakers, lying two miles to the northwardof the eastern islet, we hauled up south-east, and by feeling our waywith the boats got the ship into a snug harbour on the south-east side ofthe highest island of the Abrolhos, which was afterwards named EastWallaby Island; another large one, named West Wallaby Island, lying twomiles to the West-South-West with three small flat islets just between. To these we gave the name of Pigeon Islands, the common bronze-wingedpigeon being found there in great numbers. The harbour we named RecruitHarbour, from its affording fresh supplies of the small kangaroo, inaddition to the fish found everywhere else. Like the other ports in theAbrolhos, it is full of coral patches; the south point of north PigeonIsland, in one with a bare sandhill on the South-East point of WestWallaby Island, bearing South 50 degrees West, leads into the harbourclear of the spit on the north-west side and some coral patches on theeast. In entering we had 7 and 8 fathoms, but the depth inside is 11 and12; it is perfectly sheltered on all sides. 

These islands, after the others, of which the greatest height is 12 feet, appear of considerable altitude; though the loftiest point rising on thenorth-east extreme of East Wallaby Island, measures no more than 50 feet. This island is upwards of a mile each way; whilst the west one is twomiles and a half long, and one broad. In the centre of the eastern is alow flat, with hills rising all around, with the exception of the southside. 

FLAG HILL. 

The loftiest, which is called Flag Hill, is, as I have mentioned, on thenorth-eastern extreme, and has a long finger-shaped point running outfrom its foot in a north-east direction, to which we gave the name ofFish Point, from the number of snappers we caught there. They were sovoracious that they even allowed themselves to be taken with a small bitof paper for a bait. Flag Hill is a rock formed of sand and comminutedshells; while the flat which stretches to the south-west from its foot isof limestone formation. In it we found a kind of cavern, about 15 feetdeep, with a sloping entrance, in which was some slightly brackish water, that in percolating through the roof had formed a number of stalactites. 

A reef, which dries in patches at low-water, connects the east and westWallaby Islands. On the south-west point of the latter are some sandhills30 feet high; and on that side also is a dense scrub, in which the muttonbirds burrow, so that it forms rather troublesome walking. 

SLAUGHTER POINT. NEW SPECIES OF WALLABY. 

The northern end is a level, stony flat, terminating towards the sea inprojecting cliffs six or eight feet high; with patches of bushes largeenough to serve as fuel here and there, all full of a new species ofwallaby, which, being plentiful on both the large islands, suggestedtheir name. The reader will obtain a good idea of the numbers in whichthese animals were found, when I state that on one day, within fourhours, I shot 36, and that between three guns we killed 76, averaging inweight about seven pounds each; which gave rise to the name of SlaughterPoint for the eastern extreme of the island. 

As there is no record of the Dutch having visited the northern group, itis impossible to say whether wallaby were then found on it or not. Howthey could have got there is a mystery, as there were no large floatingmasses likely to have carried them from the main. The species has beendescribed from a specimen we obtained, as Halmaturus houtmannii; it isdistinct from Halmaturus derbyanis, found on most of the islands on thesouthern parts of the continent. 

We shall now fulfil our promise to the reader by laying before him theresult of Mr. Bynoe's interesting observations on the Marsupiata, whichthe number of wallaby killed at Houtman's Abrolhos afforded him the meansof perfecting. I may preface his remarks by stating, that all theinformation I could gain from the colonists on the subject was, that theyoung of the kangaroo were born on the nipple, which my own experienceappears to corroborate. 

MR. BYNOE'S OBSERVATIONS ON THE MARSUPIATA. 

"My first examination, " says Mr. Bynoe, "of the kangaroo tribe, to anyextent, occurred at the Abrolhos; there I had an extensive field forascertaining the exact state of the uteri of the wallaby of thoseislands. I opened between two and three hundred, and never found even therudiments of an embryo; but in the pouch I have seen the young adheringto the nipple from the weight of half a dram to eight ounces and upwards. On examination, the only substance found in the womb when the animal wasyoung and full grown, was a cheese-like substance of a straw colour: Ilikewise found a similar substance in the pouch around the nipples, andin many instances where the nipples were much retracted, it completelycovered them, but it was of a darker hue than that in the uterus, and ofa saponaceous or greasy feel; the aperture of the pouch so muchcontracted as scarcely to admit two fingers; wombs with their cornuaremarkably small, and nipples in the pouch scarcely pointing, and in manyinstances retracted. 

"Animals with these appearances, I concluded, had never borne young. Examinations frequently took place immediately after they were shot. Inthose that had recently discarded their young from the pouch, one nippleand frequently two were found much lengthened, and very often one morethan the other. I have seen them in the wallaby frequently two inches inlength, and with pouches so large, that you could with ease thrust yourhand into them; the uteri with their appendages enlarged and apparentlyvery vascular, as well as thickened; but in no one instance at theAbrolhos could I detect a gravid uterus; but I have seen the youngadhering to the nipples less than half an inch in length, and in aperfectly helpless state. It is generally supposed that the uterus in theadult animal is not supplied with much arterial blood, merely sufficientto nourish that viscus. If such be the case, can it have the power ofretaining the germ in the womb, when on the most minute examination ofthe young, I could not detect, by cicatrice or line of abrasion on anypart of the abdomen, that they ever possessed umbilical vessels, or hadbeen in any way nourished by a placenta? Let us take into considerationthe small size of the animal found in the pouch, its utter helplessness, its slight power of motion, and its firm attachment to the nipple. Themore it is in the embryonic state the firmer is its attachment to themother; to separate it from the nipple requires some force; thesurrounding parts of the opening of the mouth, after separation, bleedprofusely, and the animal has no power to close it; the opening remainsgaping and circular, the animal lies on its side, and if very young, soondies. On each side of the opening is a line showing the extent of themouth. When arrived at greater maturity it can make no noise until themouth is fully developed, and then a faint hissing note; it has no powerto stand until very large, and the hair is about to shoot out from theskin. An animal in so helpless a situation could not possibly, with allthe aids and contrivances of the mother, attach itself to the nipple andproduce adhesion of the oral aperture, when even at a later period it hasno motion of life or power to close that opening. The retention in theuterus must be of short duration. I have been led to these conclusionsfrom examinations on the banks of the Victoria River. A flying doe, inhabiting the grass flats, of more than ordinary size, was killed. Inthrusting my fingers into the pouch, I found that the mammary glands wereremarkably enlarged, pressing forcibly into that cavity. I questioned theseaman who took up the animal, immediately after being shot, whether hehad taken the young out, and received a negative answer. Finding themammary glands so extremely enlarged, I was induced (although pressed fortime) to examine the uterus, and posterior and internal parts of thoseglands--the cornua as well as the other parts of the uterus were muchthickened, and apparently highly injected with blood. On opening thecavity I found it throughout thickly coated with slimy or mucal secretion(the only uterus found by me in this state. ) I now extended myexamination in front of the womb to the posterior part of the mammae, andin doing so discovered a small gelatinous mass, about twice the size of apea. On a closer inspection, it appeared to be retained in a thintransparent tube. I watched the substance narrowly and could distinctlyperceive the rudiments of an animal. The feet were not developed, butpulsation and motion were not only observed by me, but by two of the menwith me, both exclaiming "look at the little animal!" although I feelconvinced that they did not know what I was searching for. There was nottime to examine further into its state. I carefully removed the uterus, the apparent embryo and the mammae, and put it in a wide-mouthed bottlewith some spirits, and gave it in charge of the seaman who was to carry aportion of the animal for the dinner of that day. It was placed in acanvas bag, but on crossing a Deep watercourse he had the misfortune tobreak the bottle, which he never mentioned until the following day. Thecontents soon dried up and became an uniform mass. The intense heat hadrendered it so firm that nothing could be made of it; all the gelatinousparts had adhered so firmly to the bag, that I was compelled to abandonit. My object was to ascertain if there was a communication in a greaterstate of development between the womb and posterior part of the mammae, during the period of gestation; and I was fancying I had arrived at someconclusion, but all my hopes were destroyed by one fatal smash! So manytheories have been formed on that point--that to advance this as a fact, would be treading too firmly on tender ground. At the first view of thegelatinous mass I seriously considered whether it could have been agland, and whether the pulsation might have been communicated frommuscular twitchings; I took my eye off the substance for some time, andon again looking at it, felt more confident than ever, that it was not aglandular substance. Its peculiar configuration and want of solidityproved it indeed not to be gland; its motion, on touching it with thepoint of the finger, was so much that of an embryonic animal, that I atonce, without further investigation, pronounced it a kangaroo. 

"Might not the tube I discovered convey the animal to the posterior partof the mammae, where it might become attached to the nipple in aninverted state? At any rate it was not in the body of the uterus. Had themass been saved I should have taken one more look of inquiry withoutattempting to alter its structure, and left the matter for the judiciousdecision of some of the professors of comparative anatomy at home. "

It may here be remarked that the birds met with on Houtman's Abrolhos, with the exception of one, resembling in shape and colour a small quail, *were known and common on the mainland. The aquatic species were alsofamiliar to us; but the habit of one kind, of a sooty-black colour, generally called noddies, was quite new--that of building their nests, which are constructed of seaweed and contain only one egg, in trees. There were not many varieties of fish, the most abundant being snappers;of those that were rare Lieutenant Emery made faithful sketches. 

(*Footnote. Haemapodicus scintilans, Gould. )

Half a mile west from Slaughter Point we found two caverns similar tothat on East Wallaby Island, from which we got three tons of excellentwater. 

APPEARANCE OF THE REEFS. 

The reefs surrounding this group appeared very much broken; and even atEaster Group we had found them to be not so regular as at Pelsart's. Thissuggests the idea, which appears to be borne out by all we saw, that thereefs are compact in proportion to the exposed position of the islands;the shelter afforded by Pelsart Group, in fact, did not require the reefsto be so united round the other islands to the north. 

From the highest part of East Wallaby Island we discovered a patch ofland bearing North-West 1/2 North eleven miles. The outer reef extendedin that direction from the south-west point of West Wallaby Island, though it could only be traced by detached patches of breakers. To thesouth-east of its commencement lies Evening Reef. The observations weremade on the north end of the north-east Pigeon Island, bearing West bySouth half a mile from our anchorage, in latitude 32 degrees 27 minutes21 seconds South and longitude 2 degrees 1 minute 10 seconds West of SwanRiver, variation 4 degrees 10 minutes westerly. The temperature ofHoutman's Abrolhos is rendered equable by the fact that they lie at thelimit of the land breezes; during the month we were there the thermometeraveraged 71 degrees. 

Our protracted stay enabled us to get a tolerable series of tidalobservations, which present some singular results. The time of high-waterat the full and change was six o'clock when the tide rose 30 inches. Itappeared that during the night there was a short flood of six hours witha rise of seven inches, and an ebb of two hours with a fall of only fiveinches; but that during the day the flow and ebb were nearly equal, theformer being eight hours and twenty minutes, the latter eight hours andfive minutes, and the rise and fall in each being 25 and 26 inchesrespectively. 

TIDAL OBSERVATIONS. 

A difference was also noticed between the day and night tides at RatIsland, where the time of high-water at the full and change of the moonwas ten o'clock, and the rise varied from 8 to 32 inches, from the resultof twenty-five observations; by which I found, moreover, that the tidesebbed five hours and a half in the night, and six hours and a half duringthe day, and the water fell 9 inches with the night, and 18 with the dayebb. The difference between the length of the night and the day floodswas an hour; the duration of the former being six hours, whilst that ofthe latter was seven; whilst the difference in the rise was 7 inches, thegreatest general height, which was during the night tides, being 20inches. 

We were detained in Recruit Harbour until May 21st, determining theposition of the number of small islands and detached reefs to thesouth-east of Wallaby Islands; but at length, after completing thesoundings on the north-east and north side and ascertaining the extent ofthe reef to the north-west, we proceeded to the isolated patch of landbefore mentioned as seen from Flag Hill, and which, from its relativeposition to the remainder of Houtman's Abrolhos, we called North Island. 

An anchorage was found in 12 fathoms, three quarters of a mile from a bayon the north-east side, and half a mile from the reef extending to thenorthward. The island was about a mile across, and nearly circular. Itwas surrounded by a range of hills, with a flat in the centre, coveredwith coarse grass, where a great many quails were flushed, affording goodsport, but not a single wallaby. 

RECORD HILL. 

The highest hill on the south-west point, measuring 42 feet, received thename of Record Hill, from our leaving a paper in a bottle, giving anaccount of our cruise. A contiguous reef stretched out from the west sideof the island for the distance of a mile, beyond which was the open sea. This reef extended two miles and a half to the North-North-West and fourmiles and a half to the southward. Our observations were made on asandhill 36 feet high, immediately over the bay, which they placed inlatitude 32 degrees 18 minutes 5 seconds South longitude 2 degrees 9minutes West from Swan River. 

LEAVE HOUTMAN'S ABROLHOS. 

May 23. 

From Record Hill we had perceived that the sea was quite clear to thenorth and west beyond the reef, and being satisfied that we had reachedthe extremity of Houtman's Abrolhos, * we weighed in the morning, andpassed about a mile and a half from the reef to the north of the islandin 26 fathoms; and hauling up South-South-West, along the western side ofthe reefs, gradually deepened the water to 42 fathoms over a rockyground, Record Hill bearing North 70 degrees East six miles and a half. We then had no bottom with 50 and 60 fathoms until noon, when we had 122fathoms, sand and coral; Record Hill then bearing North 52 degrees Easteleven miles and a half, just barely visible from the poop. It issingular that we should have had bottom at that distance from the group, whereas, when we had not proceeded half so far from the southern portionwe had no bottom with 200 fathoms. 

(*Footnote. Their extent in latitude therefore nearly corresponded withthe old chart; and the apparent confusion in the shape given them, nodoubt arose from their extremes only having been seen and then extendedtowards each other. )

To ascertain if there were any more reefs to the westward, we now steeredWest-South-West, sounding occasionally with 200 and 220 fathomsunsuccessfully. 

After running thirty-two miles without seeing any indication of furtherdangers, of which, moreover, the long ocean swell rolling in convincedus, we steered to the northward. 

GENERAL OBSERVATIONS. 

It may be proper to conclude our account of Houtman's Abrolhos with a fewgeneral remarks. They form three groups instead of one, as was formerlysupposed; Pelsart Group being separated from Easter Group by a channel, the least width of which is four miles, whilst the middle passage betweenthe latter and the Northern Group is six miles wide. The Abrolhos extendin a North-North-West direction forty-eight miles, diminishing in breadthtowards the north; the greatest width of Easter and Pelsart Groups beingtwelve miles in a West-South-West direction. In Easter Group the outerreefs are most distant from the islands, being there four miles from thenearest, which is Rat Island. In the Northern Group the islands are moredetached than in the others, and North Island is separated from them by adistance of ten miles. 

We have already alluded to the regularity and sameness in the soundingsin these groups, and between them and the main, clearly showing that theyare not connected with each other, but rest on the outer extremity of alevel or bank, stretching out from the main, and having a slightsoutherly inclination, the depth (29 fathoms) between the southern groupand the coast being greater by four fathoms than between the coast andthe northern group. On either side of the Abrolhos, at the same distancefrom land, the depth is more than 100 fathoms. The general nature of thebottom, in the quiet places between the reefs, is a fine grey sandy mudor marl, but in more exposed situations this is not so compact, whilstbroken shells are more abundant. This bottom bears a striking resemblanceto that within the Great Barrier Reefs. 

After leaving the Abrolhos, as I have narrated, our progress to thenorthward was unusually slow, and between the parallels of 26 degrees 50minutes South and 25 degrees 40 minutes South we again got into soundingsvarying from 187 to 81 fathoms, fine grey sand. At the greatest depth theship was forty miles from the land, and twenty miles at the least, whichwas off Dirk Hartog's Island, at the south point of Sharks Bay. Inpassing round the north-west extremity of the continent we delayed, againendeavouring to get sight of Ritchie's Reef; but, on this occasion, as onour passage from the Victoria to Swan River, it was not seen, and as nobottom was obtained with 200 and 240 fathoms in its assigned position onthe chart, it must either have a very different one or does not exist. 

PROCEED TO THE COAST. 

The part of the North-west coast that had not been seen by Captain King, commencing a short distance to the east of Depuch Island, it was resolvedthat our survey of that part should begin there, and on the 9th of Junethe Beagle reached an anchorage off a sandy bay on the north-east side ofthat island. As we drew near our progress was impeded by a fiercesouth-east breeze during the forenoons, which we found to prevail duringour stay, being stronger at the full and change of the moon. Althoughcoming directly from the land they quite made us shiver, reducing thetemperature on one occasion to 59 degrees. These winds began aboutdaylight at south, gradually veering and drawing round to the eastward asthe day advanced, and subsiding again as rapidly after noon, leaving theevening and night generally calm. 

SEARCH FOR WATER. 

A search was immediately made for the stream of fresh water reported tohave been found by the French, in Freycinet's voyage, on Depuch Island. As our stock was now very much reduced, and as our stay on the coastdepended on the supply we could procure here, we were greatly concernedto find that our examination was in vain. Everything appeared parched up;wells were forthwith commenced, and we dug as many as eight, but at thedepth of twenty-one feet the water that poured into them was salt. Fortunately Mr. Bynoe found a reservoir of water in the main valleyleading up from the north end of the sandy beach, and about a mile fromthe sea. From this we got about six tons of tolerable water, although thelabour of carrying it on the men's shoulders in seven-gallon barecas wasvery great, the only road lying through the valley, which, as may beinferred from the rounded stones it is strewed with, sometimes conveys atorrent to the sea. Large columnar blocks of the greenstone of which theisland is composed, present, as the sun falls on their iron rustysurface, an appearance as if the sides of the valley were lined with redwarriors. The section presented to our view, by the deepest well we sankat the mouth of this valley, consisted of a light kind of mould for sixfeet, then a layer of sand and shells of the same depth, resting on acoarse soft kind of reddish sandstone. 

FORESTIER GROUP. 

Depuch is the centre of a string of islands which bears the name ofForestier Group, fronting the coast at the distance of from one to threemiles. It is much larger than the others, being about eight miles incircumference, and reaching an elevation of 514 feet; whereas the smallerislands, some of which are thickly covered with brushwood and coarsegrass, are none of them above 50 feet high. They are of a formationtotally different, being of a very coarse gritty yellow sandstone, inmany places quite honeycombed, with some low sandhills superimposed. 

DEPUCH ISLAND. 

Although Depuch Island is one vast pile of reddish-coloured blocks, scattered about in the greatest possible confusion, sometimes resemblingbasaltic columns, its outline from seaward appears even. In the valleys, and on some of the more level spots near the summit, there areoccasionally slight layers of soil, affording nourishment to a coarsegrass, a few bushes, and several stunted eucalypti; but on the whole thevegetation of the island is extremely scanty. From the highest point wehad a view over the main, extending inland for a great distance. Itappeared to be flat, with the exception of some isolated rocky hills, ofa formation similar to that of Depuch, from 200 to 500 feet in height, and about six miles from the shore. We could also see at a distance oftwenty-eight miles a very remarkable pyramidal hill, surmounted by atower-like piece of rock, bearing from our position South 30 degreesWest. From the white appearance of many large patches of the levelcountry, we inferred that they were covered with a salt efflorescence;and it is probable that a very great portion of it is occasionallyflooded, being cut up by a number of creeks, which must overflow atspring tides, especially when they occur simultaneously with thenorth-west winds that prevail on this coast during the monsoon. 

This group of islands is so connected with the main by extensivesandbanks, that at low-water it is possible to walk across to them; andof this facility the natives no doubt avail themselves to procure turtle. It appears indeed to be only on such occasions that they can visitForestier Group, as we saw no traces of rafts on this portion of thecoast. Depuch Island would seem to be their favourite resort; and wefound several of their huts still standing. They were constructed ofboughs and twigs fixed in the ground, and joined overhead in a circularshape. Over this was thrown a loose matting of twisted grass. 

NATIVE DRAWINGS. 

The natives are doubtless attracted to the place partly by the reservoirsof water they find among the rocks after rain, partly that they may enjoythe pleasure of delineating the various objects that attract theirattention, on the smooth surface of the rocks. This they do by removingthe hard red outer coating, and baring to view the natural colour of thegreenstone, according to the outline they have traced. Much ability isdisplayed in many of these representations, the subjects of which couldbe discovered at a glance. The number of specimens was immense, so thatthe natives must have been in the habit of amusing themselves in thisinnocent manner for a long period of time. I could not help reflecting, as I examined with interest the various objects represented*--the humanfigures, the animals, the birds, the weapons, the domestic implements, the scenes of savage life--on the curious frame of mind that could inducethese uncultivated people to repair, perhaps at stated seasons of theyear, to this lonely picture gallery, surrounded by the ocean-wave, toadmire and add to the productions of their forefathers. No doubt theyexpended on their works of art as much patience and labour and enthusiasmas ever was exhibited by a Raphael or a Michael Angelo in adorning thewalls of St. Peter or the Vatican; and perhaps the admiration andapplause of their fellow countrymen imparted as much pleasure to theirminds as the patronage of popes and princes, and the laudation of thecivilized world, to the great masters of Italy. There is in the humanmind an irresistible tendency to indulge in a sort of minor creation--totread humbly in the footsteps of the Maker--to reproduce the images thatrevolve within it, and to form, from its own ideas, a mimicrepresentation of the actual world. This is the source of all art and allpoetry; of every thing, in fact, which tends to adorn and refine ournature. It is this uncontrollable desire to work on and fashion the roughmaterials that lie under our hands that gives the first impulse tocivilization, and impels us onward in the progress of improvement. Andwherever we discern the faintest indication that such a principle is atwork, there we may securely hope that development will ultimately takeplace. Until we find a nation which has never attempted to emerge fromthe circle of its mere animal wants--which has never exhibited the leastinclination to develop the most ordinary arts--which not only rejectsclothing, but is absolutely indifferent to ornament--which leaves itsweapons uncarved, its skin unpainted, free from tattoo, we must notdespair of the general efficacy of civilization. These savages ofAustralia, as we call them, who have adorned the rocks of Depuch Islandwith their drawings, have in one thing proved themselves superior to theEgyptian and the Etruscan, whose works have elicited so much admirationand afforded food to so many speculations--namely, there is not in themto be observed the slightest trace of indecency. 

(*Footnote. See the accompanying lithographic impression of the copiesmade by Captain Wickham of the native drawings on Depuch Island. )

During our stay we did not see any of the natives on the island; but onthe main several of them were observed, though they would not allow us tocommunicate, moving off as soon as any attempt was made to get near themin the boats. On one occasion, when Mr. Fitzmaurice, in a whaleboat, wasexamining a part of the coast to the eastward of Depuch Island, heentered a creek, which soon, however, became too confined by themud-banks for them to use the oars. 

HOSTILITY OP THE NATIVES. 

While in this position a shout attracted his attention, and he perceiveda party of natives, armed with spears approaching the boat, with evidenthostile designs. They of course naturally looked upon us as intruders;and as the point was not worth contesting, the creek being of noimportance, Mr. Fitzmaurice thought it better to withdraw, rather thanrun the risk of a collision that could have led to no beneficial results. 

TOM'S TERROR OF THEM. 

The native youth we had brought with us from Swan River did not at allapprove of these excursions. He was generally taken, with a view ofgiving confidence to any of his wild countrymen who might be encountered;but he exhibited the greatest possible repugnance to this service. Histerror for the northern men fully equalled that of Miago, from whomdoubtless he had received the most terrific accounts. It was only bygiving him a gun that he could be at all induced to go. He evidently felthimself more secure with European arms than with his own rude ones; andappeared to have learnt their superiority by experience, for he was avery fair shot. When I first asked him why he did not prefer his spear, his simple reply was, "Can't look out;" meaning that the northern mencould not see the contents of a gun coming, whereas if a spear werehurled at them they could avoid it. His bravery was of much the samecomplexion as that of Miago; and he threatened magnanimously to inflictthe most condign punishment on the fellows who opposed Mr. Fitzmaurice'slanding. He had a strong impression that these northern people were ofgigantic stature; and in the midst of the silent and gaping interest withwhich he listened to Mr. Fitzmaurice's account of his adventure, thewords big fella often escaped from his lips; and he appeared quitesatisfied when assured that his opinion was correct. 

The agility this native exhibited in spearing fish was astonishing. Inshallow water he would actually course the fish till he got them withinspearing depth, when, although his prey darted past, he struck it withthe most surprising precision. The quiet, splashless manner in which heran through the water was really singular. When his spear required newpointing, the sole of his foot was turned up and the spear's head pareddown upon it with a knife. When the latter was not to be procured theteeth were made use of; and I may here remark that the constant use whichsome savages make of their teeth may have much to do in producing theprojecting jaw. It seems almost evident to common sense that the constantemployment of the teeth must have a material effect in causing a changein the facial angle. 

ANCHORAGE AT DEPUCH ISLAND. 

We found the anchorage at Depuch Island to form a tolerable port, beingprotected from the north-east by one of the group, distant about threemiles, from which a reef extends to the West-North-West, leaving themouth of the harbour exposed only between North-West by North andWest-North-West. Our observations placed the centre of the sandy beach onthe north-east side of the island in latitude 20 degrees 37 minutes 47seconds South and longitude 2 degrees 0 minutes 20 seconds West of SwanRiver, variation 2 degrees westerly; and the time of high-water, at thefull and change, at half past ten, when the tide rose 15 feet, but only 5during neaps. 

NEW BIRD AND KANGAROO. 

Although Depuch Island had been visited before, there still remainedsomething quite new to reward the diligent search that was made afterobjects of natural history: namely, a small kind of kangaroo, a landbird, and a shell, a species of Helix. The bird was shot by Mr. Bynoe; itwas a finch, * and beautifully marked with stripes of crimson down thebreast, on a black ground with white spots; the throat, and a patch roundthe stump of the tail, were crimson. It is remarkable that all the beautyand brilliancy of colour in this bird is underneath, the back being of acommon earthy brown. 

(*Footnote. Named by Mr. Gould from this specimen, Emblema picta. )

The kangaroo I had myself the good fortune to knock over on the summit ofthe island; it was the only one shot during many an excursion made overthat dreary heap of desolation, the metallic sound the rocks yielded toour step giving ample warning of our approach to their quick ears. Thecolours of this specimen, the prettiest we had seen, were a dark grey, with a large angular patch of white down the side, extending from the topof the shoulders nearly to the hips. Down the centre of the back, ran astreak of black, which was also the colour of the extremity of itsslightly bushy tail. The face and belly were likewise darker than otherparts of the body, and the feet were black and well cushioned, giving ita firm hold of the rocks over which it bounded with surprising agility, through it never ran very far, always popping into the cavities caused bythe loose manner in which the blocks forming the island are throwntogether. *

(*Footnote. Mr. Gould has figured an animal very like this I havedescribed, as Petrogale lateralis, or the Stripe-Sided Rock Wallaby, froma specimen he some time afterwards got from Western Australia; but he hasnot noticed the beautiful kangaroo of Depuch Island. )

The specimen of the species of Helix I have above mentioned was found byMr. Dring, one of our most successful collectors in that department. Inthe Appendix are figured some of the new shells discovered during thevoyage. 

Leaving Depuch Island, we examined the coast to the eastward as far asthe Turtle Isles, a distance of eighty-five miles, the first twenty-sevenof which trended North 55 degrees East, and the remainder North 67degrees East curving slightly inwards. As the French had obtained adistant view of this coast, it did not possess to us the interest ofbeing a new portion of the continent. 

EFFECTS OF MIRAGE. 

Still the effect of the treacherous mirage, which has often deluded theway-worn thirsty traveller with the false appearance of water, raisedmany parts of the interior that had not before met the eye of anEuropean. These presented a very level outline. The interior was, for agreat distance, a vast plain, so low that we could scarcely see it fromthe ship's masthead over the sandhills, which did not exceed the heightof 40 feet. Six or seven miles from the Turtle Isles this extensive levelwas interrupted by the presence of a group of hills, from 200 to 300 feetin elevation, apparently of the same character as the heights behindDepuch Island. As seen through the medium of mirage, they often had amost curious appearance: high continuous ranges, changing again to loftyislands, danced in the tremulous air. I should remark that when the landwas subject to this distortion, it was always during the forenoon, and onthose days the winds were invariably light. 

APPEARANCE OF THE COAST. 

The shore, for nearly fifteen miles from Depuch Island is very low, linedwith mangroves, and intersected by creeks, which at high-water, when thetide rises sometimes 18 feet, are of some magnitude, and inundate much ofthe low land, leaving large portions of it whitened by a saltincrustation. Beyond, as far as the Turtle Isles, the coast is frontedwith a ridge of sandhills, scantily covered with vegetation (the highest, as I have already said, rarely exceeding an elevation of 40 feet) forminga barrier between the sea and the low lands behind, which, from themasthead, appeared to be thickly covered with small trees, and slightlyraised from three to seven miles from the coast. Several of the nativesshowed themselves at a distance, and from the numerous fires, it appearedto be a well inhabited part of the continent. Still we saw no appearanceof a stream of fresh water; and, though there were several creeks, theonly opening of any consequence was forty-three miles from Depuch Island. From its abounding with oysters we named it Oyster Inlet. Across themouth of it lies an islet, just within the north-eastern end of whichthere was a sufficient depth for the Beagle. The formation of the islandwas a reddish porous sandstone. At a native fire-place I found a piece ofquartz and a large pearl oyster-shell. The tide rose here 15 feet nearfull moon. 

THE GEOGRAPHE SHOALS. 

The only outlying dangers on this extent of coast were the GeographeShoals, two rocky patches some distance from each other. The outer onewas thirteen miles from the main, and bore North 22 degrees Easttwenty-three miles from Depuch Island. 

TURTLE ISLANDS. 

The shore fronting the north Turtle Island projects, leaving a space ofonly ten miles between, of which, on account of the shoals, only a smallportion lying near the island is navigable. Nearly opposite the latter isanother opening, of some extent at high-water; but from the impedimentsthat offered to our examining it, we named it Breaker Inlet. Duringspring tides it must carry a large body of water over the very low landit intersects. 

The South Turtle Isle is a mere bank of sand and white coral; thenorthern is about half a mile across, of the same formation precisely asthe low isles of Forestier Group. It is fronted on all sides with a coralreef extending off from a mile to a mile and a half, which dries atlow-water, leaving an abrupt wall of from two to three feet at the outeredge, with pools between it and the island, in which several lucklessturtles, who had deferred leaving until too late, were found. Though weonly took what was required for our own consumption, the number thatcould have been here obtained was enormous. 

In the course of four hours thirty green turtles were brought on board, one of which, and not the largest, weighed 385 pounds. A small hawk'sbill, the first and only one seen, was also taken. On this part of thecoast grows a peculiar small kind of weed, on which they feed; it wasfirst seen near Depuch Island. I have been informed that the turtles atAscension Island, when fresh caught, have a large ball of a curious kindof weed in their stomach, and that as soon as it is consumed, they becomewatery and lose their flavour. Though many diligent inquiries have beenmade after this weed, it appears to be still unknown. 

A sandhill on the south-east end of the North Isle our observationsplaced in latitude 19 degrees 53 minutes 48 seconds South, and longitude3 degrees 09 minutes 10 seconds East of Swan River; variation 1 degree 0minutes westerly. The tide ran between the island and the shore nearlytwo knots an hour; the flood stream came from the north-west; and therise at springs was 18 feet, the time of high-water being 11 o'clock. 

SEARCH FOR WATER. 

A fruitless attempt was made to procure water on this island, by digging;and as we were now reduced to a supply for only ten days, it becamenecessary that we should immediately proceed to Timor in search of some. This was much to be regretted at the present moment, as the coast to theeast had never been seen, and therefore possessed the charm of being anew part of the continent. We consoled ourselves for not being able tovisit it by the reflection that it would hold out some inducement for usto return to this land of sterility. 

On Turtle Island was found a broken jar, probably left by some of theMacassar people, who are occasionally blown in upon this part of thecoast. 

July 14. 

The unusual fogs that had prevailed for three days dispersing, allowed usto leave our anchorage under the south-east side of North Turtle Isle, and soon after dark we occupied another near Bedout Island, havingcrossed some rocky ledges of seven fathoms on the way. When the Beaglewas midway between these islands, they were both visible from themasthead. In the night, and during the early part of next day, it blewstrong from south-east, causing a high-topping sea. Time being precious, we could not wait for a quiet day to land on Bedout; its position wastherefore determined by observations with the sea horizon, and differsvery materially from that given by the French. 

We weighed early in the afternoon of the 15th, and passed round thenorth-west end of Bedout, where there is much uneven ground withripplings. We carried soundings until abreast of the north end of RowleyShoals and twenty-five miles from their inner side, in from 45 to 154fathoms. These shoals, like the Abrolhos, appear to stand on the outeredge of a bank projecting off this portion of the coast, as we did notget bottom after leaving their parallel. 

On the 20th, in the afternoon, we passed, having no soundings with 200fathoms, along the western side of Scott's Reef, at the distance of threemiles, and determined its position. It forms a large lagoon, with anopening, not appearing to be a ship passage, midway on its western side;marked by a dry bank just within it, in latitude 14 degrees 3 minutes 30seconds South and longitude 6 degrees 4 minutes 45 seconds East of SwanRiver. The eastern extreme of the reef was not seen; the southern limitis in latitude 14 degrees 15 minutes South; and the north-west extremebeing in 13 degrees 55 minutes South, and longitude 6 degrees 2 minutesEast of Swan River, gives it an extent of twenty miles in a north andsouth direction. 

SCOTT'S REEF. 

Captain Owen Stanley, in March, 1840, discovered a shoal about sixteenmiles to the North-North-East of Scott's Reef; he considered its extentfrom east to west to be about five miles; but from the masthead the southend of it could not be seen. It did not appear to have more than two orthree feet water on it. The north point, Captain Stanley places inlatitude 13 degrees 39 minutes South, longitude 121 degrees 56 minutesEast; or 6 degrees 11 minutes East of Swan River. *

(*Footnote. This reef was seen by the Seringapatam merchant ship in1842. )

We now began to feel a westerly current, which increased to a knot and ahalf as we got near Rottee; the winds being moderate, between East andEast-South-East. 

PULO DOUW. 

July 23. 

The weather was hazy: the high land of Rottee was seen in the forenoon, the highest part of the island, a rather pointed hill, bearing North 60degrees East. At 1 P. M. We saw Pulo Douw, which we endeavoured toweather, but the current prevented us. It is a remarkable island, with agap in the centre and a clump of trees, that looks like a sail when firstseen, on the north-west end, which terminates in a low sandy point. Thisis also the case with the south-east extreme, off which a reef extendsfor about half a mile; indeed, there appeared to be no ship passagebetween the sandy islets that lie to the east of Pulo Douw and Rottee. Werounded the north-west end of the former at the distance of a mile and ahalf, passing through some heavy ripplings, apparently an eddy setting tothe north-east round the island. Pulo Douw appeared to be thicklyinhabited, and was encircled by a reef, except at its North-North-Westpoint, where there is a cliffy projection. Angles were taken for fixingthe position of the islets between Pulo Douw and Rottee, which we foundto be wrongly placed. The Scotch Bonnet, a remarkable rocky lump, seenover the south-west end of Rottee, and in line with the south side ofPulo Douw, bore South 60 degrees East. During the night we had a freshwind from East-South-East and sailed through several ripplings, our firstentering suddenly upon which caused some anxiety, though the lead gave nobottom with 60 and 70 fathoms. We passed some distance from the westernend of Samow Island in the morning; but the high peaks of Timor were notseen till near noon. The eager eyes of the native whom we had broughtwith us from Swan River were the first to descry them; and he exclaimedin tones of rapturous astonishment, "Land! big fella! all the samecloud!" I shall not easily forget the amazement of this savage, accustomed as he was to behold the level plains of his native land, whenhe saw, towering in alpine grandeur to the sky, the pinnacled heights ofTimor. He seemed scarcely able to conceive, even when assured by theevidence of his own senses, that it was possible for mountains to be sohigh and ranges so vast as those that now developed themselves beforehim. 

REACH TIMOR. 

In crossing the mouth of Coepang Bay towards Samow, in the evening, theappearance was truly grand. A vast heap of vapour was slowly movingacross the mountains, disclosing at intervals their jagged summitstowering towards the sky, and occasionally allowing the eye to penetratefor a moment into the depths of mysterious valleys that seemed to stretchfor unknown distances into the recesses of the great Timoree Range. Somewild flying clouds that rapidly traversed the heavens imparted a curiousalternation of light and shadow to the lowlands that presented themselvesto our view--chequering the whole with gloomy patches and light spots, and revealing or hiding in rapid succession the extensive woods and thepatches of cultivation that lay within the bosom of the Bay. The dazzlingwhite sand beaches, too, strongly marked by the dark blue sea, heightenedthe beauty of the scene; which to us, who had for some months seennothing but the monotonous north-west coast of Australia, appeared trulyenchanting. 

During the first watch we beat up the bay, and at midnight anchored; thebarking of dogs, the crowing of cocks, and the tolling of bells assuringus that we were once again in the vicinity of civilization. In themorning we found ourselves off the town of Coepang, when we shifted ourberth farther in; the flagstaff of Fort Concordia bearing south a quarterof a mile. 

SWAN RIVER NATIVE. 

Our Swan River native came up to me after we had anchored, dressed in hisbest, shoes polished, and buttoned up to the chin in an old uniformjacket. "Look, " said he, pointing to some Malay lads alongside in acanoe, "trousers no got 'um. " A toss of the head supplied what waswanting to the completeness of this speech, and said as plainly as wordscould have done, "poor wretches!" I tried in vain to point out theirsuperiority, by saying, "Malay boy, work, have house; Swan River boy, nowork, bush walk. " I then drew his attention to the country, the deliciousfruits and other good things to eat (knowing that the surest road to anAustralian's heart is through his mouth) but all was in vain! my simplefriend shook his head, saying, "No good, stone, rock big fella, too much, can't walk. " Home, after all, is home all the world over, and the dullarid shores of Australia were more beautiful in the eyes of this savagethan the romantic scenery of Timor, which excited in him wonder notdelight. It was amusing to see how frightened he was on going ashore thefirst time. With difficulty could he be kept from treading on our heels, always, I suppose, being in the habit, in his own country, of findingstrangers to be enemies. He was instantly recognised by the Malays, whohad occasionally seen natives of Australia returning with the Macassarproas from the north coast, as a marega, * much to his annoyance. 

(*Footnote. I have never been able to learn the meaning of this word. They told us at Coepang it signified man-eater; which explains thenative's annoyance; and may serve as a clue to the discovery that theaborigines of the northern part of the continent occasionally eat humanbodies as they do in the south. )

LAND AT COEPANG. 

Being anxious to make the acquaintance of the Resident, who bore thereputation of being a most intelligent person, a party of us paid him avisit the second day after our arrival. The narrow streets, lined withChinese shops and pedlars of every description, from the long-tailedChinaman to the thick, crisp-haired, athletic Timoree, were soon passed. We then entered a rich green valley, with some fine houses on the left:the sight was strange and new to us in every way. What we most enjoyedwas the vegetation--a feast for our eyes, after the dull arid shores ofNorth-western Australia: and we gazed with intense pleasure on the richgreen spreading leaf of the banana and other tropical fruit-trees, abovewhich towered, the graceful coconut. Is it possible, thought I, thatTimor and Australia, so different in the character of their scenery, canbe such near neighbours, that these luxuriant valleys, nestling among theroots of these gigantic hills, are only separated by a narrow expanse ofsea from those shores over which nature has strewed, with so niggard ahand, a soil capable of bearing the productions characteristic of thelatitudes within which they lie?

A meagre-looking apology for a soldier, leaning against a tree, suggestedto us that we must be near the Resident's dwelling: we were so. It soonappeared that it was the last of the large houses before mentioned, andthat the soldier was the sentinel. 

VISIT THE RESIDENT. 

We were speedily ushered into the presence of D. T. Vanden DungenGronovius. What sort of person, reader, do you picture to yourself withsuch a name? Great of course; and in truth such was he, not only inheight and bulk, but as he soon informed us, in deeds likewise; he talkedfast, and smoked faster, and possessed a general knowledge of all therecent discoveries. We learned from him that the Zelee and Astrolabe werelaid on their beam ends for twenty-four hours in the hurricane of lastNovember, when the Pelorus was lost at Port Essington. After listening tosome strange and amusing stories about Borneo, where the Resident hadbeen Superintendent for twelve years, we took our leave. I was glad tofind that Mr. Gronovius entertained views more liberal than Dutchmengenerally do. He had, as he told me, written to the Governor-General atBatavia, requesting that Coepang might be made a free port, andemigration allowed. He most kindly offered us horses and guides forriding or shooting. 

FORT CONCORDIA. 

The observations for latitude, longitude, etc. Were made in FortConcordia, * near the flagstaff. I was surprised to find this fort so muchout of repair; the only guns fit to be fired out of were two brasssix-pounders, the carriages indeed of which were not trustworthy. Onthese guns I noticed the same mark as on that we found at Houtman'sAbrolhos, namely, two sides of a triangle bisecting two small circles. Inever see an old fort without thinking of the anecdote of a party fromthe Beagle visiting one at Valdivia on the west coast of South America. The guns were very much out of repair, and when the remark was made tothe old Spaniard who showed the fort, that they would not bear to befired out of ONCE, with a shrug of his shoulders he replied that hethought they would bear it TWICE! But to return to Fort Concordia: itstands on a madreporic rocky eminence, about 60 feet in elevation, commanding the straggling town of Coepang, which, certainly, from theanchorage** does not impress the stranger with a favourable opinion ofthe industry of its inhabitants, though it improves in proportion as youretreat from the beach. The foot of the height on which the fort standsis washed by a small rapid stream that skirts the south side of the town. Its course from the eastward is marked by a deep gorge, on the sides ofwhich a stranger might feast his eyes on the riches of tropical scenery. Here and there above the mass of humbler vegetation, a lofty taperingcoconut tree would rear its graceful form, bowing gently in the passingbreeze. On every hill was presented the contrast of redundant naturalverdure, clothing its sides and summit, and of cultivated fields alongthe lower slopes. These by irrigation are turned into paddy plantations, the winds blowing over which give rise to those insidious fevers, intermittent, I am told, in their character, which are so prevalent atCoepang, as well as dysentery, from which indeed the crew of the Beagleafterwards suffered. 

(*Footnote. Latitude 10 degrees 10 minutes 11 seconds South, andlongitude 9 degrees 50 minutes 00 seconds West of Swan River. )

(**Footnote. See the view annexed. )

DUTCH MILITARY FORCE. 

The whole force the Dutch have at Coepang is sixty soldiers, half ofwhom, too, are Javanese. Yet the subjection in which this small forcekeeps the natives, is beyond belief. A sergeant is the commandant atRottee, and such power has he over the inhabitants, that he can at anytime raise a thousand armed men in the course of a few hours. Many of thelargest ponies used at Coepang, are brought from Rottee. Their origin noone could give me any information about; all agree in saying they werefound with the island, and the natives have no traditions. 

THE RESIDENT'S TALES. 

My second visit to the Resident was for the purpose of accepting hisoffer of a guide, and of making arrangements for a day's shooting. Ifound him as usual, sitting smoking in a large cool room. We were soon inthe interior of Borneo, the scene of his former exploits. Some of thesewere of so sanguinary a character, that they do him very little credit;and many of his tales partook of the marvellous. Among the Dyaks, nativesof the interior, it is a custom, he said, that when a man wishes tomarry, he must produce a certain number of human heads. He related thathe had once seen a very handsome young woman, to whom a number of headshad been delivered, swimming about in some water, and playing with them. At another time he averred that he saw a woman mix human brains withwater and drink it! Mr. Gronovius also informed me that the land on thewestern sides both of Timor and Borneo was gaining on the sea, particularly at the latter place; and a report prevailed that on some ofthe elevated parts of the former chama shells had been found. In answerto my inquiries about earthquakes, I was told that, only the last monththe island of Ternate in 0 degrees 50 minutes North had been visited byone, which had thrown down all the houses, and that in 1690, the town ofCoepang had also been destroyed. From the Resident also, I receivedaccounts of three ports in Rottee, one on the north-west side, another onthe south-east, and a third, on the north-east, opening into RotteeStrait. 

THE TIMOREES. 

Among the fresh information gained from Mr. Gronovius during this visit, was an account of the natives of Timor called Timorees. They are verysuperstitious, and when a person of consequence dies, a number ofkarabows (buffaloes) pigs, and ponies are killed and placed over hisgrave, as an offering to the evil spirit. Some, in case of sickness, imagine, that by eating a whole buffalo, even the horns and hoofs, bydegrees, they can appease the anger of the demon to whom they attributeall their misfortunes. 

Many of the Timorees have really handsome features, strikingly differentfrom the Malays. Their hair, which is neither woolly nor straight, butcrisp, and full of small waves, is worn long behind, and kept together bya curiously formed comb. There is altogether a degree of wildness intheir appearance that ill accords with their situation; for nearly allthe Timorees in Coepang are slaves sold by the Rajahs of the differentdistricts, the value of a young man being fifty pounds. 

A powerful Rajah, commonly called the Emperor of Timor, visited Coepangduring our stay there. Unfortunately we all missed seeing him. He wasattended by a large and well-armed guard, and appeared to be on very goodterms with the merchants of the place, who made him several presents, nodoubt through interested motives; probably he supplies them with slaves. His character is notoriously bad; it was only the other day that he hadone of his wives cut to pieces, for some very trifling offence. 

A SHOOTING EXCURSION. 

On taking my leave of the Resident, I fixed the day for our shootingexcursion. We were to go to a place called Pritie, on the northern shoreof Babao Bay, and distant some fifteen miles from the ship, whichrendered it necessary therefore to make an early start. 

Daylight on Monday morning accordingly found us on the northern shore ofthe bay, but we soon ascertained that our guide knew very little aboutthe matter; and what was still worse, there was no getting near theshore, a bank of soft mud fronting it for some distance, at this time oftide, and particularly in the vague direction our guide gave us ofPritie. The day was fast advancing; so we made our way back to a cliffyprojection we had passed before light, where, after some difficulty, wegot on shore. Whilst the breakfast was cooking, I made a sketch of thebay, and took a round of angles, all the charts and plans I had seenbeing very erroneous. 

Our guide appeared to take our not going to Pritie greatly to heart; butwe made the best of our way to some clear spots on the side of the highland seen from the boat. We met a few natives, who all agreed there wereplenty of deer close by, which we believed, for we saw numbers of veryrecent tracks. But the jungle was impenetrable; so, after rambling for anhour or two, at the expense of nearly tearing the clothes off our backs, and emulating the folly of the wise man of Thessaly, we again determinedto make for Pritie, or at least to try and find it. The tide too nowserved, and after a pull of some hours, carefully examining every creekand bight, we spied at length two canoes hauled up among a patch ofmangroves. Landing, we soon found some houses, and a person to show usthe road to Pritie; for we had still a walk of three miles across a wellwatered flat piece of country. We were highly pleased with this, to us, novel sight; and our enjoyment was heightened by beholding the tricks andgrimaces of some impudent monkeys perched on the tops of the lofty trees, out of shot range, and too nimble to be hit with a ball. 

VALE OF PRITIE. 

We at last reached our destination, on the eastern side of a beautifulstream. Immediately to the northward some lofty peaks reared their ruggedsummits in an amphitheatre round the rich and picturesque vale of Pritie, which lay at the feet of their varied slopes, one mass of tropicalvegetation. Trees of enormous height shot up by the waterside, andbetween them, as we approached, the little sharp-roofed houses of thevillage of Pritie could be seen scattered here and there amidst theirgardens. 

Our old guide, who had by this time recovered his serenity of mind, ledus direct to the Commandant, a mild and very civil old Javanese, to whomorders had been sent by the Resident at Coepang to show us everyattention. His room was adorned by a magnificent pair of antlers which, we were rejoiced to hear, had been lately taken from a deer shot within ahundred yards of the house. After a repast of young coconuts, and gula, akind of honey; it was arranged that a party should be collected to gowith us on the morrow to shoot deer and pigs. 

Our host now took us to see the village, and then conducted us to thehouse we were to occupy during our sojourn at Pritie, which was a largehomely-built edifice erected for the Resident's use when he visits thisneighbourhood. We spent the dusk of the evening in pigeon-shooting, butdid not meet with much success; for the birds perched for the most parton the summits of trees so lofty that they were quite out of shot-range. Many of these giants of the forest must have attained the height of atleast two hundred feet. They formed a grand element in the landscape, especially when their huge trunks rose by the side of the limpid water ofthe stream that intersects the vale of Pritie. Between their topmostboughs, to the north, the amphitheatre of hills which I have mentionedlifted up their indistinct forms, round which the shades of night weregathering, towards the heavens, that soon began to glisten with amultitude of faint stars. 

EVENING REPAST. 

By the time we got within doors, after our unsuccessful stroll, we werequite tired, and well prepared to enjoy our dinner. The dignified airassumed by our guide, evidently for the purpose of showing off, and theostentatious liberality with which he proffered the goodly viands sent bythe commandant, amused us highly. An account of our fare may beacceptable to the gastronomic reader, who will thus be enabled todetermine whether he should envy or pity the voyager to the distantshores of Timor. First came tea and coffee; then, in the course of anhour, followed fowls, cooked in all sorts of ways, with a proportion ofrice. The good things were brought in by a train of domestics some fiftyyards long, headed by a paunchy, elderly man, who greatly reminded us ofCaleb Balderston. If there was a word said by any of the lookers-on--formany came to have a gaze at the lions--he was out in a moment, andbrought the offender to account. In short, by his officious attention heafforded us much amusement, and greatly contributed to our properenjoyment of the dinner. Our candles were original ones--a few threads ofcotton drawn through a roll of bees' wax. 

Dinner being over, we retired to pass as cold a night as we had felt forsome time, having only a few coarse mats to cover us; so that long beforedaylight we were obliged to get up and walk about for the purpose ofwarming ourselves. The first of the morning we spent againpigeon-shooting; the birds were large and wild, yet we managed to get afew. 

THE HILLS IN A MIST. 

This excursion gave us an opportunity of beholding the mountains of Timorunder a remarkable aspect. From various openings in the woody plain wecould perceive their sides, clothed in grey mist, above which sometimeswe caught a glimpse of a pinnacle rising through the clear air, and justtouched by the rays of the morning sun. Here and there the slopes of thehills were dimly seen through the vapour, which in other places, however, rolled along in thick masses, completely hiding the uplands from view. Nearly every gorge and valley was filled with heavy volumes of fog, whilst in some, a slight steam only rising, allowed the trees to befaintly discovered. There is nothing more grand than the aspect of loftypeaks and crags and precipices imperfectly revealed through a morningmist. It seems as though the darkness of night, unwilling to depart, lingers still fondly around them. Their hollows and recesses are stillwrapt in gloom, when all else around is beaming with light. Within thetropics the contrast thus afforded has a startling effect; but theinfluence of the sun is not long to be resisted; the mist soon begins todisperse; valley after valley opens its depths to the view; the outlineof each rocky peak becomes more and more defined against the deep bluesky, and presently the whole scene appears before you clear and bright, with every line sharply drawn, every patch of colour properlydiscriminated, a splendid panorama of towering hills and waving forests. 

Whilst I was gazing at this picture, the report of a fowling piece behindme drew my attention, and on turning I was surprised to see the oldcommandant out shooting likewise, and with him no less a person thanCaleb Balderston, as we had christened his faithful domestic. In theircompany we returned to Pritie. 

MUSTER OF THE PARTY. 

Soon after breakfast our party began to muster, each man armed with along-condemned Tower musket. On one of them I was surprised to recognizethe name of a marine who had belonged to the Beagle in 1827. The powderthey used was of the coarsest kind, carried in small pieces of bamboo, each containing a charge, and fitted in a case of skin, something likeour cartouch boxes. As a substitute for balls they used BOLTS OF STONE, from two to three inches long. Besides a musket, each had a huge knife orchopper, stuck in his belt. I was much struck with the simple contrivancethey had for shoes: a piece of the fan palm plaited together and tiedunder the foot. The number of uses to which this tree is applied isastonishing--for making water-buckets, for thatching houses, filling upthe panel-work of doors, and a variety of others I could mention. 

It was late before we could muster all our force; but we at length gotaway, commandant and all. I was much pleased with the respect everyonepaid him, especially as he was one of those mild kind persons who requirevery little. Soon after leaving the village we halted in a shady spot, near a stream of water, some of our party being still missing. This gaveme a good opportunity of comparing the features of the Malay and Timoree, for some of both were in attendance. The Malay has a much more opencountenance than the Timoree, but is not so handsome, the latter having amore aquiline nose. 

THE SHOOTING ARRANGEMENTS. 

When they all arrived I counted fifty armed men. There were some whosegrey hairs proclaimed their lengthened years; though there was a keennessin their eyes that revealed that the principle of vitality was strongwithin them yet; in others all the dash and vigour of youth wasperceptible; many had a truly wild appearance, with their long bushy hairand ever restless eye. It was a picturesque sight to behold fifty suchfine fellows scattered about in small groups in the deep shade of thesesolitudes. 

All the necessary arrangements being made, we once more started. Anhour's walk brought us to a rather large plain, where I and my companionswere stationed, about a hundred yards asunder, whilst the rest of theparty formed a circle, driving all the game in our direction. Unfortunately those on the left commenced hallooing before those on theright, in which latter direction the only three deer in the circle ranfrom the noise, instead of towards us. Two of them were shot, and by thestone bolts above mentioned. We now went to fresh ground, when, provokingto say, the same thing happened again, not without our suspicions beingraised that this was purposely contrived; so that after all we wereobliged to leave without a single shot. Each deer, the largest of which, a doe, must have weighed a hundred pounds, was shot STANDING, for thenatives have a peculiar cry, which arrests the animal's progress for amoment, while they fire. 

THE JAVANESE COMMANDANT. 

The deer were all brought up to the commandant, who begged our acceptanceof them. We thanked him, and took the two smallest. By the time wereached Pritie they were skinned and hung up, ready to be put into theboats. The persons who had shot them had received their stone bolts againvery little injured; the hole they make is enormous. We rewarded thesepeople; but to the commandant we were really at a loss how to express ourobligations. At length we thought of giving him some powder and shot, which was a present he seemed right glad to receive. I afterwards learntthe history of this excellent old Javanese, and was surprised and grievedto hear that a person so universally esteemed had been banished from Javaand his family for some trifling political offence. His property was soldto purchase his freedom, and the proceeds were entrusted to the captainof a ship, who ran off with the whole, thus at once ruining a most worthyfamily, and reducing my good friend the commandant to the necessity ofremaining in exile. I was glad to hear, on my second visit to Timor, thathe was still alive and well, though without any prospect of analleviation to his condition. 

Wishing him farewell, we left Pritie with some regret. By dark we hadcrossed Babao Bay, and reached the ship at half-past eight. It may be aswell to mention that, looking from Coepang, the valley of Pritie issituated immediately under Timor Peak, the highest over the northernshore of Babao Bay. A small hut, on a projecting shingle point, close tothe westward, marks the landing place, where several canoes are generallyto be seen hauled up. At high tide a boat can get in; but, as we havealready said, there is a long mud flat at low-water. 

THE TIMOREES. 

The Timorees do not bear the character of being very industrious; thesmall portion of land they cultivate is turned up in the followingmanner: a slight fence is placed round the part required for the purposesof agriculture and a drove of bullocks is driven furiously backwards andforwards over it; which very much resembles the mode adopted forthrashing corn in some parts of South America. 

The Rajahs of the western portion of Timor receive their appointment fromthe Resident at Coepang; and their installation I am told is rather agrand affair. Nearly all the Timorees speak Malay, a softpleasant-sounding tongue, apparently easy to be acquired; but there werefew of the Coepang people that spoke the native language. Some of theTimor customs are singular: if a woman, for example, dies in childbirth, she is buried on the spot where she breathes her last. 

DUTCH SETTLEMENT IN NEW GUINEA. 

During our stay at Coepang I met the doctor of the Dutch settlement atTriton Bay, on the west coast of New Guinea. He gave me a very pooraccount of the inhabitants. The Dutch settlers, he says, can scarcelyventure out of the fort; as the natives have bows and arrows, as well asmuskets, with which they are excellent marksmen. Their firearms theyobtain in exchange for birds of paradise, tortoise-shell and birds-nests, from vessels from the Arru, and other islands in the Eastern Archipelago. When a vessel arrives on the coast they flock down from the interior totrade, which cannot be done without an interpreter. It is even thenattended with great risk, owing to the extreme treachery of the natives. Knives, stained blue, and cotton goods are in great request; but, although they of aware of the superiority of Europeans, they will not onany account allow them to live in their country. The inhabitants, however, are better disposed on the shores of Great Bay, a deepindentation on the north-east side of the island, where great quantitiesof nutmeg grow. 

On the 5th the Mangles arrived from Sydney by the outer route throughTorres Strait, having lost all her anchors, and been nearly wrecked in asouth-east gale near Halfway Island. She was commanded by the samemaster, Mr. Carr, to whom I have before alluded as having given the firstinformation concerning the survivors of the crew of the Charles Eaton. 

ISLAND OF ROTTEE. 

The next afternoon we weighed, and the following morning anchored, thewater being deep, close in near Tykale Inlet, on the south-west side ofRottee, for observations, * and for the purpose of better determining theposition of Pulo Douw, and the other islands in its neighbourhood. 

(*Footnote. They placed the south point of the inlet in latitude 10degrees 46 minutes 18 seconds South and longitude 0 degrees 43 minutes 50seconds West of Coepang. )

An extensive coral flat fronts this part of Rottee, connecting it withthe small islands lying off it. 

We got from the natives some shells of a kind of small green mussel of avery peculiar shape. The old men from whom I got them was making a mealfrom some rare shell-fish. He did not understand the value of money; and, strange to say, not a word of the Malay language. The same was the casewith all his companions. At the part of Samow I visited the people allunderstood it, which is very remarkable, as only a narrow straitseparates the islands. In this state of ignorance they may perhaps bepurposely kept. 

I here recognised several Australian shrubs and palms. The rock of whichthis port of Rottee is formed appeared of a madreporic nature, scatteredabout in huge blocks. At a little distance from the water it formed lowbroken cliffs from twenty to thirty feet in length; these were everywhereundermined by the sea, from which the land here was evidently emerging. Inoticed several deserted huts and broken walls or fences, which bore theappearance of having had much labour bestowed on them at some time orother. They added much to the lonely appearance of the place, for thereis nothing that imparts so great an air of desolation to a scene as thesigns that it has once been inhabited by man. Tracts which have neverbefore been trodden by human foot may be gazed on with pleasurableemotions; but there are always melancholy associations connected with aspot which our fellow-creatures have once inhabited and abandoned. 

The natives we saw belonged to the southern side of Tykale Inlet. Theywere occupied in looking after some weirs, from the size and number ofwhich it would appear that they chiefly live on fish. 

JEWELLERS OF PULO DOUW. 

The inhabitants of Pulo Douw are a small wandering tribe from Savu, chiefly jewellers, as the Resident at Coepang informed me. It is astrange place for them to take up their abode in; perhaps they do notlike the idea of living under a Rajah. They are, I believe, beautifulworkmen; but with them all is not gold that glitters. There are plenty ofcoconuts in the island, but little water; the landing at all times isbad. 

When at Coepang we saw some specimens of the gold, collected after heavyrains from the washings of the hills, and brought down for barter to themerchants in grains enclosed in small lengths of bamboo, containing eachfrom six to eighteen drams. Thirty miles south-west of Diely, also, aresome mines of virgin copper. 

CHAPTER 2. 6. 

Sail from Rottee. Search for shoal. Dampier's Archipelago. Examination of coast. Strange weather. Natives. Passage between Delambre and Huiy Islands. Proceed to Montebello Isles. Description of them. Barrow's Island. Tryal Rocks. New kangaroo. Abundance of turtle. New wallaby. Sail for Swan River. Find Ritchie's Reef. Islands between Barrow's and North-West Cape. Table of soundings. Swan River Native. Anchor under Rottnest. Vocabulary. Erect beacons. Bad weather. Habits of a native dog. Geological observations. Sail from Swan River. Error in position of Cape Naturaliste. King George's Sound. Appearance of Bald Head. Princess Royal Harbour. Origin of settlement. Town of Albany. Salubrity of climate. Excursion into interior. Course a kangaroo. Pitfalls. Herds of kangaroos. Rich country. The Hay River. Return to Albany. Departure for South Australia. Discover an Island. Death of a seaman. Position of Neptune Isles. Kangaroo, Althorp and Quoin Islands. Holdfast Road. Adelaide. Description of country. Governor Gawler's policy. Visit the Port. Mr. Eyre's expedition. Hardships of Overlanders. Cannibalism. Meet Captain Sturt. Native schools. System of education. Sail for Sydney. Squalls. Error in coast. Bass Strait. Arrive at Sydney. 

Leaving Rottee we passed, soon after dark, round the western end of PuloDouw, and stood for the position of a shoal reported by Mr. Lewis of theColonial schooner, Isabella, to be in latitude 14 degrees 43 minutesSouth, and longitude 119 degrees 20 minutes East. Our inducement tosearch for this shoal was the fact of its being supposed to lie in thedirect route of vessels sailing between Timor and the West coast ofAustralia. But after searching from the 9th to the 14th, and soundingrepeatedly without getting bottom, we came to the conclusion that it didnot exist. Breakers could have been seen at least ten miles from theBeagle's masthead, as there was a considerable swell from the south-west. 

LIGHT WINDS. 

On the 15th we were in latitude 16 degrees 05 minutes South and longitude118 degrees 16 minutes East. After one of those stagnant calms sofrequently met with near the equator, we got a light westerly breeze onthe morning of the 18th. Towards midnight it freshened, veering fromSouth-West by South to West-South-West with some rather sharp rainsqualls. It appears that the westerly winds had already set in, and thatthe calm we experienced on the 17th was an unoccupied space between theeasterly and westerly winds. There are few parts of the globe where lightwinds prevail so much as on the North-west coast of New Holland, particularly between the latitudes of 13 and 17 degrees, and from one totwo hundred miles from the land. They are, however, excepting in themonths of January, February, and March, from the eastward, south-east inthe morning and east in the afternoon. These winds prevented us frommaking the coast on the eastward of Depuch Island; and as we had failedin getting a supply of provisions at Timor, we were compelled torelinquish the plan of continuing the examination of that part of thecoast between the Turtle Islands and Roebuck Bay. 

BEZOUT ISLAND. 

The Beagle was consequently anchored under Bezout Island, one of theeastern isles of Dampier's Archipelago, and boats were sent to examinethe coast on the southward of Cape Lambert. 

It may, perhaps, be worthy of remark, that should a vessel be brought byany chance to this dreary part of the world in May, June, or July, anchorages exposed to easterly winds should be left at or beforedaylight--that being the time they set in; by noon all is again quiet. Bezout Island is of the same formation as Depuch; and so are many of thebroken ridges, with bare stony summits, of a dark brown hue, on the mainnear Cape Lambert, trending South-South-West. A more dreary sterilecountry can scarcely be seen; yet it still maintains inhabitants. 

August 26. 

The weather has been truly strange for the last four days. The winds, instead of being easterly have been from South-west to North-west, lightwith the former during the mornings, and moderate with the latter in theevenings. On this day they were from all quarters, with distant thunderin the north-west, and several rain squalls. In the night it settled ateast, a fresh breeze bringing with it fine weather. In connection withour former remarks on striking vicissitudes in the weather occurring nearthe change of the moon, we should mention that it was new moon the dayfollowing. 

The material for the chart collected in this part consists of the mainfrom below Picard Island to nearly twenty miles west of Cape Lambert, with the neighbouring islands, an extent of nearly forty-five miles. Thepart near Picard Island was carefully examined by Mr. Forsyth. Hereported the main to the South-South-West of that island, forming thehead of the bay between Cape Lambert and Depuch, to be extensive flats ofmud and sand, over which the sea sometimes passed. Between Picard andCape Lambert the shore is cut up by mangrove creeks. On a hill up one ofthese, several small kangaroos were seen. Near the Cape Mr. Forsythperceived twenty-seven natives, seven of whom were children, in oneparty. 

DELAMBRE ISLAND. 

On the 27th we crossed over to Delambre Island, on which a large partylanded in the afternoon. A few turtle were here taken, of a differentkind from any we had seen before, and apparently a cross between theHawk's Bill and the Green Turtle; several nests were also found, in oneof which were 138 eggs. This island terminates, like Bezout Island, tothe northward, in cliffs about 90 feet high, with deep water close to; onthe east and west sides it is fronted by a reef nearly a mile in extent;but we could see no traces of those lying three miles to theNorth-North-West of the North-West point, laid down by Captain King. Thepassage between Huiy Island and Delambre is five miles wide, though clearfor two miles only, and in working out we found that it had a very unevenbottom, over which a two-knot tide causes heavy ripplings. We noticedthat a hill, lying nine miles to the south-west of Bezout Island, calledin the chart Round-backed Hill, bearing between South 5 degrees East, andSouth 15 degrees East, clears the reefs on either side the channel; andthat the same hill bearing South 24 degrees West leads between Bezout andDelambre, and South 8 degrees West clears the reef off the eastern sideof the latter. 

THE MONTEBELLO GROUP. 

From Delambre we proceeded to the Montebello Islands, principally inorder to set at rest two points of great interest, namely, the positionof Ritchie's Reef, and of the long lost Tryal Rocks. On the 31st, in theafternoon, we anchored in 6 fathoms on the eastern side of TremouilleIsland, a cliffy islet off the south-east end of which bore South 42degrees East two miles. The tide was ebbing and setting to theNorth-North-East two knots an hour. We found the Montebello Group to beconfined by a coral reef encircling it. The two principal islands areTremouille and Hermite Islands. The fact that these and their neighboursare not separated in the charts fully evinced the necessity of our visit. Leaving a boat to examine them, the ship proceeded towards the northernend of Barrow's Island, being anxious to avoid the southerly winds towhich the anchorage off Tremouille is exposed. These usually commenced atmidnight, blowing from south-west, freshening and veering to south by 8A. M. , and by about 10 moderating at South-South-East. On our way toBarrow's Island they were so violent as to cause the ship to drive withtwo anchors ahead, there appearing to be no holding ground, but simply acoating of sand over a rocky ledge. During the prevalence of these windsthe temperature varied from 66 to 76 degrees. 

Near Barrow's Island, on our passage, I shot (from the quarter-boat) thelargest sea-snake ever killed. It is figured and described in theAppendix, by Mr. J. E. Gray, as Hydrus major, and measured eight feet oneinch in length, by three inches broad; the colour was a dark yellow:several smaller ones striped brown and white were also seen. 

BARROW'S ISLAND. 

We found that from the Montebello Group a long series of reefs and smallislands, the largest and most central of which is called Lowendal, extends towards Barrow's Island, leaving a winding channel* along thenorth side of the latter. Near the centre of the western side of the reefis a cluster which proved to be the long-lost Tryal Rocks; the middle andlargest of which is in latitude 20 degrees 35 minutes South and longitude0 degrees 17 minutes West of Swan River. ** The reef continues along theeastern side of Barrow's Island, extending off three miles; our anchoragewas consequently little more than that distance from the shore. Weexamined the northern and eastern sides; the former is composed of redsandstone cliffy projections, separated by sandy bays, fronted for nearlytwo miles by a coral reef, partly dry at low-water; but the south part ofthe eastern side becomes very low; and where the cliffs end there is aremarkable valley trending westwards. There were recent marks of the seamany feet above the ordinary reach of the tides, bespeaking occasionalstrong south-east winds. A number of stony-topped hills, from 150 to 200feet in height, were scattered over the northern parts of the island. Inthe valleys was a little sandy soil, nourishing the spinifex, and astunted kind of wood sufficiently large for fuel. 

(*Footnote. Lowendal Island, bearing east, leads into it. )

(**Footnote. We recognised them from a sketch furnished by the Admiralty, and made in 1719 by a Dutch sloop sent in search of them from Batavia. They placed them eight degrees west from the coast of New Holland. If wetake leagues instead of degrees it would bring them near their actualdistance from the shore. Van Keulen says they were seen in the shipVaderland Getrouw, and found to be in 20 degrees 30 seconds south. In1777 they were seen by Captain Joss, of the Danish ship FrederisbergCastel, who places them in 20 degrees 40 minutes South. It was by hisdescription that I recognised them beyond a doubt, although his longitudewould place them thirteen degrees more to the westward, and near theposition they have occupied for years in the charts. The centre of thembears North by East five miles and a quarter from Cape Dupuis, thenorth-west point of Barrow's Island. )

NEW KANGAROO. 

We found a new kind of kangaroo and wallaby on Barrow's Island; but theonly specimen obtained of the former was destroyed through the neglect ofthe person in whose charge it was left. It was a buck, weighing fiftypounds, of a cinnamon colour on the back and a dirty white on the belly;the hair was fine and long; the head of a peculiar shape, resembling adog's, with a very blunt nose; the forearms were very short; the hindfeet cushioned like those inhabiting rocky ground. The does appeared tobe much lighter; but all were very wary and scarce. From the number ofred sandhills, too, scattered over the island, they were difficult to beseen at a distance. From our description of this specimen it has beennamed Osphranter isabellinus. With the wallaby we were more fortunate, Mr. Bynoe and myself succeeding in knocking over four, weighing from fiveto eight pounds; they also had blunt noses, and were of a light browncolour, quite different from those on the Abrolhos. 

Two iguanas, measuring seven feet in length, and nearly black, stripedslightly with white, were also killed here. 

We did not find any surface water; everything wore a dry parchedappearance. No traces of natives were discovered, except some charredpieces of wood. Indeed I may remark that we saw signs of fire on everypart of the continent we visited. From the south extremity of the islanda long reef trended in the direction of the mainland, where Captain Kingtraced it extending off some distance, thus connecting with the shore thewhole of these islands, which seem to lie in a line with each other, likethe various parts of a submerged piece of land. The small isles, especially between the Montebello Group and Barrow's Island, have all thesame direction; so that it seems fair to conclude that they were once apart of the main, being in fact fragments of a promontory, forming a gulfsimilar to Exmouth Gulf, lying on the south-west of it. I had been led toexpect this from the fact of our finding the flood-stream coming from thenorth-east, whereas the direction of it in the offing isNorth-North-West. 

SUPPLY OF TURTLES. 

Barrow's Island, being about twelve miles broad and twenty long, would, in the event of a penal settlement being formed in this neighbourhood, make a good second Norfolk Island. On leaving we brought away with usseven tons of turtles from the abundant supplies its shores afforded. Many of them we gave to our friends at Swan River on our arrival. Wecannot quit this island without reminding our readers that it was namedafter the distinguished Secretary to the Admiralty, who has just retiredfrom office after a period of service of nearly half a century, duringwhich time he was the promoter of all geographical research, and mainlyinstrumental in founding a society which is of growing importance toGreat Britain, and who has established a lasting reputation both by histravels and his literary productions. 

On our return to Tremouille Island Mr. Fitzmaurice joined us, havingcompleted the examination of the Montebello Group, a large proportion ofchart material, in a very short space of time, considering the number ofsmall islands, which would render it an endless labour to attempt anydescription, further than that they lie something in the shape of ascythe. 

RITCHIE'S REEF. 

A hill 145 feet high, the loftiest point of the group, rises near thecentre of Tremouille, the north-east island, off the north-west end ofwhich a ledge extends in the direction of an out-lying reef, bearingNorth 55 degrees West (magnetic) nine miles and a half, which places itin latitude 20 degrees 17 minutes South and longitude 0 degrees 26minutes West of Swan River; or 115 degrees 21 minutes East. This could beno other than that which we had so often looked for as Ritchie's Reef, asour former tracks to the westward had assured us that it did not lie inthat direction. In latitude it agreed with the position given to it onthe charts, but in longitude it differed considerably, lying full half adegree to the eastward. It therefore appeared not to be a discovery ofLieutenant Ritchie's, as it had been not only seen previously by theFrench, who had considered it as a reef extending off Tremouille Island, but many years before by Captain Clerke, who placed it in latitude 20degrees 18 minutes South, nine or ten miles North-West (magnetic) fromwhat he thought to be Rosemary Island, but which it is very evident wasTremouille. The name then of Clerke's Reef should be given it instead ofRitchie's. 

WALLABY SHOOTING. 

Mr. Fitzmaurice having seen plenty of wallaby on the larger islands, aparty of us went on shore in the evening, after securing observations forthe rates of the chronometers on a small islet called Flag Islet, nearthe centre of the rocky cluster fronting the eastern side of HermiteIsland. This can be recognised by it alone having a sandy point on thesouth-west end, which we placed in latitude 20 degrees 27 minutes 47seconds South and longitude 0 degrees 8 minutes 20 seconds west of SwanRiver. The time of high-water here at full and change, was about 10o'clock, when the tide rose fourteen feet; the flood-stream came from thenorthward. 

We found that Tremouille was as scantily supplied with vegetation asBarrow's Island; in one or two places was growing a stunted kind of wood, sufficient for fuel for a small-sized ship; but there was no sign ofwater. The wallaby, which were very numerous, must have got their supplyof moisture from the copious dews. They were found lying very close inthe wiry prickly grass, allowing us to kick them out, when they went offat speed, affording excellent sport, quite equal to any rabbit shooting;among three guns we managed, in a couple of hours, to bag nearly twenty. It was quite a new kind of wallaby, and has been classed, from a specimenwe brought away, as Lagorchester conspicillata. It had a blunt nose, similar to those at Barrow's Island, and was about the same size, thoughits colour was lighter, and it had a back exactly like a European hare. The tail tapered away like a rat's, and the flesh was by no means good toeat, tasting very strong; this was the only instance in which we foundwallaby at all unpalatable. 

Although our exploration in this neighbourhood did not lead to ourfinding any of the land fertile, yet from the new feature our chart willgive to this part of the coast, the necessity of the Beagle's visit willbe evident. Our object had been satisfactorily attained, inasmuch as wehad cleared up the doubts respecting Ritchie's Reef, and the long-lostTryal Rocks. We had also been so fortunate as to add to the stores ofnatural history a new kangaroo and two kinds of wallaby, besides a largewater-snake. 

RITCHIE'S REEF. 

September 9. 

We left Tremouille Island in the morning, and passing round the northside, soon came in sight of Clerke's, alias Ritchie's Reef. It was ourintention to have gone round the northern end of it, but the tide settingtwo knots an hour forced us to the southward. In a line midway between itand Tremouille the depth was 17 and 20 fathoms. The reef was nearly threemiles long, in a north-east and south-west direction, and one mile and ahalf wide; the centre being partly dry. Two miles and a half South-Westby West of it we crossed a patch of 13 fathoms, with 22 and 25 fathoms oneach side, the northern part of Hermite Island bearing South 62 degreesEast fourteen miles, soon after which it was lost sight of from the poop. 

The next afternoon a westerly wind brought us again in with the land; andin the evening we tacked in six fathoms, three miles and a half to thenorthward of Thevenard Island, which we found to be connected with a reefwe discovered in the morning, lying eleven miles North by East from it;inside this reef the water looked deep and smooth. The island is a narrowstrip lying east and west, about three miles; the west end we made inlatitude 21 degrees 26 minutes South and longitude 114 degrees 54 minutesEast. From the number of islands I saw to the south of Thevenard, I thinkthe reef continues to Maison Island, near the North-west Cape. The outerone, seen from the Beagle, is in latitude 21 degrees 31 minutes South andlongitude 114 degrees 42 minutes East. I myself believe the whole extentfrom Maison to Barrow's Island is occupied by islets and reefs, probablyall connected. We know, in fact, from Captain King, that a reef extendssixteen miles off the south end of Barrow's Island. 

RESULT OF SOUNDINGS. 

Seventeen miles in a North-West by North direction from Thevenard Islandwe had 65 fathoms, fine white sand, having deepened gradually from sixfathoms three miles north of it. In June of this year, working to theNorth-East we had 68 fathoms three miles West by South of that position, and 111 fathoms six miles North-West of it; beyond this no bottom wasfound with 120 and 150 fathoms. *

(*Footnote. The following table is the result of other outer soundingsobtained in the Beagle, showing how far the bank of soundings extends offthe Western coast of Australia. 

COLUMN 1: LATITUDE SOUTH (DEGREES, MINUTES). COLUMN 2: DEPTH IN FATHOMS. COLUMN 3: QUALITY OF BOTTOM. COLUMN 4: DISTANCE FROM NEAREST LAND. 

32 02 : 70 : Fine white sand and rock : Rottnest or Garden Island 20miles. 30 55 : 86 : Fine grey sand : Main abreast 34 miles. 29 38 : 127 : Fine grey sand : Main abreast 39 miles. 26 42 : 187 : Fine grey sand : South point of Shark's Bay 37 miles. 21 14 : 111 : Fine white sand : Thevenard Island 25 miles. 20 00 : 150 : Fine white sand : Tremouille Island 35 miles. 

It would thus appear that a ship in less than 110 fathoms off the westshore of the continent would be within forty miles of the land; andnearly the same distance from the islands fronting it, when in about 200fathoms between the latitudes of 19 degrees 50 minutes South and 20degrees 10 minutes South. The bank of soundings extends further off theNorth-west coast, as eighty-five miles north of Depuch Island we had only75 fathoms, fine white sand. In a south direction from that position thewater shoaled rapidly to 40 fathoms in fifteen miles; but very graduallyafterwards to 15 fathoms in fifty miles. This slope of the bank wasdetermined by several boards in working to the westward. )

RETURN TO SWAN RIVER. 

The glimpse we got of the string of islands lying between Barrow's Islandand the North-west Cape, was quite unexpected, as the next land we hadintended seeing was Swan River. After rounding the North-west Cape, wehad the usual southerly winds, but a strong breeze from the north-westovertook us in latitude 30 degrees 40 minutes South and longitude 112degrees 25 minutes East, and shortened the passage, bringing us on the27th to an anchorage under the east end of Rottnest Island, where wefound a current sweeping round to the southward, at the rate of nearly aknot an hour. There had not been any previously felt; but in latitude 30degrees South and longitude 110 degrees East, two days before thenorth-wester, it set two knots to the northward; another instance of howentirely the currents are governed by the winds off this coast. 

NATIVE TALENT. 

Our Swan River native had not obtained so much information of his wildcountrymen to the northward as Miago. Still he had made the most of whathe saw; and his visit to Timor crowned all. The facility and rapiditywith which he could make a song about anyone whom he might choose as thesubject of his poetical fancy, was very amusing; he must have equalledmany of the Italian improvisatori. He had also got a very good idea ofwhere the ship had been since leaving Swan River, in his head. Thedrawings of his countrymen on Depuch Island had greatly hurt his vanity, whilst they excited his emulation; and always afterwards, whenever hecould get hold of paper or pencil, he was trying to excel them, which, from the improvement he made, I have no doubt he would have shortly done. 

During the time he and his townsman Miago were with us, the followingvocabulary was made; the words from Port Essington have been furnished byMr. Earl. 

COLUMN 1: ENGLISH. COLUMN 2: PORT ESSINGTON. COLUMN 3: SWAN RIVER. 

Crow : - : Woordang. Emu : Angorok : Wadye. Eggs : Olajuk : Noorago. Shags : - : Mere. Kangaroo : Abbugi : Yewart. Female Kangaroo : - : Waroo. Wallaby: - : Wallyo. Bandicoot or rat : - : Condee. Very small kangaroo, larger than a wallaby : - : Goora. Ringtail possum : - : Gnoorah. Large possum : - : Goomal. --tailed possum : - : Mooroo. Native dog : Nukakoin : Dudah. The tail : - : Diar. Black swan : - : Coolecha. Duck : Cormoro : Oonanah. Mountain duck : - : Kooracha. Wombat : - : Koolemah. Magpie : - : Gooraba. Brown Chatterer : - : TelahoFishhawk : - : Undoorah. Eagle : - : Mulurah. Pigeon : - : Woodah. Quail : Windalo : Barrabberry. Tortoise : - : Booye, or Boorje. Mullett : - : Kalkurrie. Cobler : - : Corallia. Small blue bird : - : Deldillia. Snake : Ambeetj : Waggile. Sun : Muree : Murgah. Moon : Allee : Magee. Stars : Argadba : Nungarah. Clouds : - : Marah. Wind : Mailo : Curajahl. A bird : Aluk-aluk : Walta. Sand : Onak : Coo-yah. Head : Wokbok : Cuttah. Eyes : Ira : Mael. Nose : Anjinmul : Moolyah. Ears : Alaijar : Tungah. Mouth : Angaikbirig : Dah. Chin : - : Nungah. Face : Anmarura : Yoodah. Hair : Angbal : Cutap. Eyebrows : - : Mingart. Eyelashes : - : Cunbah. Teeth : Anjigi : Nalgo. Tongue : - : Dalang. Neck : - : Wardo. Throat : - : Daragert. Shoulders : - : Wundardah. Arms : - : Wango. Armpit : - : Nulyar. Collar bone : - : Chelee wundardah. Arm, upper : - : Maraga. Arm, lower : - : Aye yung. Wrist : - : Mardalliah. Thumb : Gamar : Marang-unga. First finger : - : Mara-mamal. Second finger : - : Mara-cudejip. Third finger : - : Mara-cudejip. Little finger : - : Mara-colun. Nails : - : Bere. Back : - : Goon goh. Loins : - : Moondo. Hips : - : Corlge. Buttocks : - : Mooro. Hip joint : - : -. Thigh : - : Dahwool. Knee : - : Bonnet. Leg : Adjirt-adjirt : Mattah. Hams : - : Yallee. Ankle : - : BilgahHeel : - : Geenang hooran. Foot : Ingalmulbil : Geenang coongoh. Instep : - : Geenang guerack. Toes : Rujut-bullal : Chenang ungah. Breast : - : Undoo. Belly : Angonidjark : Cabollo. Breast (woman) : - : Bebe. Navel : - : Bilye. Woman : Wari-comomo : Babelyah. Man : Iwala : Medah. 

. . . 

To run, stoop, hide, crouch, when about to rain : Kiddi kit mya warra. To go a long distance : Maran dugon bordeneuk. To cut up an animal of any kind for roasting : Dedayah killa, kuirderkan, ki ti kit. To cover up, to keep warm : Borga koorejalah kunah. For roasting : Ki ti kit. To cut up : Kurerkna. Give me some water : Yahago cabe. I'm very thirsty : Gangah. To carry the pickaninee : Colanganee wandung. Here carry the pickaninee (strong expression) : Colang maranga barangwandung. Give me some money : Anyah (or ana) yunagh, uddah. No money, go away : Neundoh barang gerangah. You have money : Anyah yungagah uddah. I go to sleep : Unyah begang undagah. To sneeze : Neyetta. A tree : Boono. Vegetation generally : Jibbah. Grass : Bobo. Long grass : Bobo wal-yur-deg. 

NAMES OF SNAKES OF SWAN RIVER. 

Waggile. Noo no. Si Dubat. Wang go. Bije modo. Cocongorun. Beara. Poolyar. Uur-nah. Iguana. Aunderah. 

LIZARDS OF ABROLHOS, AS WELL AS SWAN RIVER. 

Uundung. Jinerarah. Jeregarah. 

. . . 

When the weather became fine, we ran over to Gage Road. 

ERECT BEACONS AT ROTTNEST. 

October 11. 

We again visited Rottnest in the ship (Lieutenant Roe theSurveyor-General, accompanying us) for the purpose of erecting beacons onthe rocks lying off the points of Thomson's Bay, as marks for leadingclear to the eastward of the Champion Rock. We were happy to have anopportunity of rendering this important service to the colonists, whoacknowledged it in a very handsome manner. 

Another object in crossing over to Rottnest was to avoid a north-westbreeze which came on the next day; on the 15th we again returned to GageRoad. 

ANECDOTES OF A WILD DOG. 

Whilst we were at Swan River this time, a wish I had long entertained ofprocuring a pup of the wild breed of dogs* of the country, was gratified. It was a bitch, and left in the hollow of a tree by her mother who hadjust escaped. Knowing that they hunt kangaroos in packs, and haveexcellent noses, I was anxious to try if something useful might not bemade out of a cross with the fox-hound; and with this view on my arrivalin England, I gave her to my cousin, Mr. G. Lort Phillips; but she diedin a fit soon after coming into his possession. Whilst with me she hadtwo litters of pups by a pointer, three each time, the first at twoyears, and the second after an interval of ten months. At these times shewas particularly savage, and would take the opportunity of paying off anyold grudge she might have against those who had ill-used her--for shenever forgot an injury--by stealing after them and snapping at theirheels. She was very much attached to her young; one day I took her onshore and she kept catching birds to bring to them, supplying them, as anover-fond mother will do, with a superfluity of good things. 

(*Footnote. I am informed by Colonel Owen Phillips, 56th B. N. I. , formerlyAssistant-Resident at Macassar, that he saw four wild dogs brought to SirStamford Raffles at Java, which bore a very strong resemblance to theanimals mentioned in the text. )

I was very much interested in this animal, and took a great deal of painsto tame her, though I never fully succeeded. Her nose, as I have said, was excellent; and though quite mute she could hunt very well, as I foundby repeated trials when out rabbit shooting. She would never leave ahole, working at it with her feet and teeth until she got at the inmate. These qualities confirmed me in my opinion that a cross with thefox-hound would produce a good result. As an illustration of her keennessof smell, I may mention that one day when we were lying in the Tamarriver, she winded some sheep on the bank, and was instantly overboard andafter them, swimming so rapidly that she had reached the land, and, though herself only the size of a large dog-fox, had pulled down a fineram before a party could get on shore to prevent her. When they landed, instead of trying to make her escape, she slunk into the boat. This freakof hers cost me five pounds. 

PECULIARITIES OF THE WILD DOG. 

In cold weather her coat was always best, and the brush on her tail mostperfect. She was of a light tan colour, with a little white on the tip ofthe tail, and a few black hairs sprinkled in the brush; there was alittle black also about her face. Her step was light and stealthy; and inher eye meekness and cunning were curiously blended. Though very shy ofman, when once taken up in the arms she lay as quiet as a cat; but withall dogs she was very quarrelsome, fighting savagely with a greyhoundbitch I had on board, and several times nearly killing a small dog. Itwas always difficult to catch her, as she would generally manage toescape either between the legs or by springing over the shoulders, exceptwhen we were going on shore; then she would allow herself very quietly tobe put into the boat; but on our return the difficulty was how to get heroff, and it became necessary to pounce upon her suddenly. She was neverheard to bark, the only noise she ever made being the dismal howlpeculiar to her breed, and this only when tied up, which consequently, for the sake of peace, was but of short duration, and always had to bedone with a chain, as she would instantly bite through a rope. Hermischievous propensity was remarkable, as she often stole into theofficers' cabin and pulled books down from the shelves, tearing the backsoff and then destroying the leaves. As an instance of her sure-footednessand activity I may mention that I have seen her leap twice her own heightfrom the stem of the midship boat, in endeavouring to seize fowls or meatthat was hung on the mainstay, always alighting on the point she sprangfrom. At other times she would attempt to crawl up it like a cat, inorder to steal what was there. Her proneness to thieving was very great;I have frequently seen her eating stolen things when she would refusewhat was offered her; it was never safe to take her near poultry. 

GEOLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS. 

Whilst in this locality I may take the opportunity of introducing a fewnotes on the geological formation of the country in the neighbourhood ofSwan River, furnished by Mr. Bynoe:

The most remarkable feature is the absence or scantiness of the secondaryand transition rocks; all the tertiary appears to be of the newest kind, and to lie in juxtaposition with the primary. This character forms thesandy margin from the Darling Range, or chain of granite hills, nearly2000 feet high to the sea, in the immediate vicinity of which the sand isbounded by a calcareous form of limestone, and, where jutting into thesea and forming perpendicular or overhanging cliffs, the faces are throwninto a beautiful kind of fretwork (See volume 1) of more compactness thanthe surrounding mass. In most places about the neighbourhood ofFremantle, shells are found of the existing species along the coast, firmly impacted in its substance, particularly a large species ofbuccinum, as well as the strombus. This calcareous formation has beentraced as far north as Shark's Bay; it crosses over to the AbrolhosGroup, there frequently lying over a coral formation, and forming in manyplaces cavities of a cylindrical figure, of some few feet in depth. Bedsof clays, varying in quality and colour, are to be met with on sandymargins, containing particles of gypsum. 

On the Darling Range is found a red cellular structure capping thegranite, assuming all the appearance of having been subjected to fire; itextends also in the low country about thatneighbourhood. 

Slate of a primitive character is found on the Canning River. Themountain chain or Darling Range runs nearly in the direction of north andsouth. On the eastern side of it, close to the base, are several groupsof isolated conical hills, from a half to one mile apart, extending fromthe William River to the Tugee District, a distance of about one hundredand twenty miles, bearing on their summits strong evidences of ignition. The country farther on to the eastward falls into sandy plains, similarto those on the western side, and intersected by watercourses; during thesummer, pools remain, and at that time become remarkably salt. On themountains, as well as on the plains, scattered pebbles in patches are tobe met with; they appear to contain iron, being highly magnetic. 

SAIL FROM SWAN RIVER. 

From the very debilitated state of some of the crew, from dysentericaffections contracted at Timor, we were not able to leave Swan Riverbefore the 25th of October. At noon on the 28th, Cape Naturaliste boreSouth 80 degrees East three miles; according to our observations it wasin latitude 33 degrees 31 minutes 45 seconds South four miles furthersouth than it is placed in the charts, though in longitude (0 degrees 47minutes 30 seconds West of Swan River) it appeared pretty correct. Somereefs have been reported three or four miles off the north-east side ofit: but we could see nothing of them, and had a depth of 25 and 26fathoms. We got soundings of 23 and 25 fathoms in passing along a fewmiles from the coast towards Cape Leeuwin, in the neighbourhood of whichwe looked in vain for a rock called the Rambler, that had been supposedto be about twelve miles south-west of a remarkable white patch close tothe northward of the Cape, the locality of which it always serves toshow. Twenty miles west of Cape Leeuwin the depth was 47 fathoms. 

Passing along the south coast we found the white-topped rocks near CapeChatham to be in longitude 0 degrees 29 minutes 30 seconds East of SwanRiver. They are not only remarkable in themselves, but like the EclipseIslands, are admirably situated for showing a ship's position when inwith the coast. 

PEAKED HILL. 

We entered King George's Sound on November 2nd. I should here observethat Bald Head is connected with the main by a low piece of land, in thecentre of which stands a small peak; this gives the head, from the offingto the southward, the appearance of an island. In the view annexed thereader will perceive a representation of the conspicuous headland calledPeaked Hill, with its peculiar profile outline, lying about five milessouth-west of Bald Head. 

Proceeding up the Sound we anchored in Princess Royal Harbour, MountClarence bearing North-North-East, and the south end of Michaelmas Islandjust open of Point Possession. The entrance to this great basin is by anarrow channel in the north-east corner; a long spit extending off theinner western entrance-point forms the chief impediment. Few vesselsescape touching it; but although the passage is thus contracted theBeagle was worked through both ways. Inside, there is water sufficientfor the largest ship in the navy; but only for a limited space, a shortdistance within the entrance--merely a hollow scooped out towards thenorth-west corner of the harbour. 

ALBANY. 

Here, just above a dazzling white sandy beach, a straggling villagepoints out the township of Albany. Mounts Clarence and Melville rearedtheir bare granitic heads on either side, and huge fantastically-shapedboulders were strewn over their slopes. The origin of this settlement maynot be generally known: it was first planned, in consequence of a reportthat the French were about to establish themselves there; which turnedout to be the truth, for they had actually formed and abandoned asettlement before Major Lockyer arrived from Sydney, in 1825. The gang ofconvicts he brought with him was withdrawn, when Albany became part ofthe government of Western Australia. 

Among the few improvements that had taken place since our visit in 1836, were a jetty and a government storehouse. The latter was close to thespot where the observations were made, and where I noticed some trappeandykes intersecting the granite in a North-North-West direction. Iobserved the same circumstance at Simon's Bay, Cape of Good Hope. 

I was sorry to see that the infant town of Albany had made so littleprogress, especially as it possesses by far the finest harbour in WesternAustralia. There is no doubt that ultimately its great natural advantageswill be developed; but it is somewhat surprising that they have notalready been turned to better account. Though there is not a very greatextent of good land in the neighbourhood, there is amply sufficient tohold out encouragement to the settler; especially when we consider thatthis is one of the most healthy portions of the continent, that it isnever visited by hot winds, and that the thermometer is rarely below 60or above 85 degrees. This evenness of temperature at all times of theyear is very remarkable, and renders the spot particularly suitable forinvalids, many persons coming even from Swan River to renovatethemselves. If our East Indians were aware of what a salubrious climatethey might enjoy at King George's Sound, they would soon be seen flockingthither to repair the constitutions they have injured on the banks of theGanges and the Indus. 

Our object in visiting this place was to obtain a meridian distance; andbetween the observations for rating the chronometers I availed myself ofan offer of Lieutenant Warburton, commanding the detachment of the 51stRegiment, doing duty there, to accompany him on a visit to theout-stations. We were joined by a person from the settlement, who ownedsome kangaroo dogs, and by three or four natives. 

Leaving Albany, we reached the foot of a large clear piece of land calledthe Great Plain, about fifteen miles distant, and a little off the SwanRiver road. 

BURNING THE BUSH. 

On our way we met a party of natives engaged in burning the bush, whichthey do in sections every year. The dexterity with which they manage soproverbially a dangerous agent as fire is indeed astonishing. Those towhom this duty is especially entrusted, and who guide or stop the runningflame, are armed with large green boughs, with which, if it moves in awrong direction, they beat it out. Their only object in these periodicalconflagrations seems to be the destruction of the various snakes, lizards, and small kangaroos, called wallaby, which with shouts and yellsthey thus force from their covert, to be despatched by the spears orthrowing-sticks of the hunting division. The whole scene is a mostanimated one, and the eager savage, every muscle in action and everyfaculty called forth, then appears to the utmost advantage, and is indeedalmost another being. I can conceive no finer subject for a picture thana party of these swarthy beings engaged in kindling, moderating, anddirecting the destructive element, which under their care seems almost tochange its nature, acquiring, as it were, complete docility, instead ofthe ungovernable fury we are accustomed to ascribe to it. Dashing throughthe thick underwood, amidst volumes of smoke--their dark active limbs andexcited features burnished by the fierce glow of the fire--they present aspectacle which it rarely falls to our lot to behold, and of which it isimpossible to convey any adequate idea by words. 

COURSE A KANGAROO. 

After tethering out our horses and making our breakwind for the night, wewent out in the evening to look for a kangaroo. I had never as yet seenone put fairly at his speed on open ground before a dog, but this eveningI was fully gratified; for we soon found a couple lying out on our sideof the plain, and by crawling up through the wood we managed to slip thedogs about five hundred yards from them. Away they went, leaving a streamof dust in their wake. Their habitual curving direction soon gave us abroadside view; and a splendid course it was. They ran horizontally, noleap or hop being perceptible. At first the dogs closed rapidly, but forsome time afterwards no change in their relative positions took place, each doing his best. The kangaroos held their own well, until they hadreached nearly the other side of the plain, a distance of about twomiles, when the dogs began gradually to draw on them, and at length, after a turn or two, the smaller was run into just before entering thewood. It was a fine young buck, weighing about 60 pounds, and made acapital supper for our party. The natives cooked the tail for us in theirown way, roasting it with the hair on, the best mode of dressing it, except in soup. 

Next morning we found that our sable friends had eaten so much of thekangaroo that there was great difficulty in getting them to move. However, they at length consented to accompany us, and we proceeded fiveor six miles further on the Swan River road, to a place where a party ofsoldiers were stationed. Here the temptation of a fresh supply ofkangaroo proved irresistible, and with the exception of one, who wasLieutenant Warburton's servant, the natives all left us to resume thepleasant occupation of eating. The gastronomic feats performed by thesepersons are really surprising; and in the work recently published by Mr. Eyre the reader will find some curious details on the subject. 

We now took a westerly direction, for a tract of good country lying aboutthirty-five miles from the Sound, a little to the westward of the road toSwan River. 

PITFALLS FOR KANGAROOS. 

On our way we crossed several short trenches, cut by the natives forpitfalling kangaroos, which were here very numerous. They were dug acrossthe runs of the animal, and covered with a slight layer of brush orgrass, and were very narrow at the bottom, so that the prey could get nofooting to bound out. 

HERDS OF KANGAROOS. 

I have never, at any other place, seen similar contrivances resorted toby the aborigines; in this neighbourhood they have probably beensuggested by the great abundance in which the kangaroo is found. I amcertain there could scarcely have been less than a hundred in a herd. Itwas curious to observe them hopping along over the grass or underneaththe trees, with the large males bringing up the rear of a certain numberof does. We had several very beautiful courses, but the dogs beingfootsore were beaten on all occasions. 

I was very much pleased with this portion of the country: it quiteresembles the park-like features of Port Phillip. We heard the kangaroosthumping the ground all night, as they hopped along round our bivouac, the heavier fall of the male being plainly distinguishable. It was nowdetermined to shape a southward course for Ungerup, one of Lady Spencer'sfarms on the Hay River; and after laying down our position by a sort ofdead reckoning I had kept to find the course, we started. 

Soon after moving off, Lieutenant Warburton discovered that he hadforgotten to leave some message or other at the station, and determinedon sending back his native servant. But as he was out of the limits ofhis own tribe, it required some persuasion to induce him to go; and hewas only prevailed on to do so by being allowed to carry his master's gunfor protection. 

Part of our road lay through a thick mahogany scrub; and as the horse Irode was a young unbroken one from the Cape, I might perhaps with lesstrouble have tried to take an elephant straight with a snaffle bit in hismouth. The sameness of the trees in this part being very great it isdifficult to hold a direct course; and if, after having chosen one tosteer by, my attention happened to be taken off by a kangaroo startingup, I was always obliged to refer to the compass. 

We made the Hay a mile or two above Ungerup; it is there a small tortuousrivulet, with rich grassy banks, overhung by wide shady trees. The valleyis narrow, sloping gently up on either side. If I had been pleased withthe good piece of land just left, I was still more so with this; themould was rich and fine: I did not believe there was land of such qualitynear the Sound. 

LADY SPENCER'S FARMS. 

In passing another of Lady Spencer's farms, seven miles farther down thesame river, we were glad to pocket a large piece of damper for ourevening meal, which we made at our old bivouac near the Great Plain, where we found the native under the break-wind, which he had covered withanother bough or two. Next evening we got into Albany, and on the morningof the 15th the Beagle was running out of King George's Sound. 

It was resolved that we should touch at South Australia, to secure a goodmeridian distance by short stages between Swan River and Sydney. Accordingly, on the morning of the 27th, we entered Investigator Strait, having been detained by strong easterly winds about a hundred and fiftymiles to the westward of Kangaroo Island. Whilst contending with them wediscovered a small high rocky island, the summit of which we found to bein latitude 34 degrees 49 minutes South and in longitude 19 degrees 4minutes East of Swan River; it bore South 8 degrees East nine miles fromthe high peak on Greenly's Island. The name of the Beagle was bestowedupon it. 

At noon, as we entered the Strait, we committed to the deep the body ofNicholas Lewis, seaman, who died of sickness contracted at Timor. 

NEPTUNE ISLES. 

We kept close to the Neptune Isles, a low rocky group, the southernmostof which we give the position of; Captain Flinders, who passed too far tothe northward, having not exactly determined it: it lies in latitude 35degrees 22 minutes 15 seconds South and longitude 20 degrees 22 minutes15 seconds East of Swan River. These islands appear well adapted for alight-house. 

There was a strong indraught of a knot an hour into Spencer's Gulf. Kangaroo Island has no remarkable features; whilst Althorpe and Quoinislands are sufficiently striking to be recognized by anyone who has onceseen them. 

On the morning of the 29th we anchored in Holdfast Road, in 4 1/2fathoms, Mount Lofty, * a slight excrescence on the highest part of therange of hills eastwards, bearing North 80 degrees East; a flagstaff ata straggling village under it pointed out the township of Glenelg. At thefoot of this we made our observations, which place it in latitude 34degrees 58 minutes 30 seconds South and longitude 12 degrees 41 minutes15 seconds West of Sydney. 

(*Footnote. This hill, bearing east, is a guide to Holdfast Road. )

Landing at Glenelg we proceeded towards Adelaide, which lay about sixmiles to the northward, in the centre of a rich plain, stretching fromthe foot of Mount Lofty to the sea, and contracting gradually to thesouthward, where beyond Glenelg it rises into downs, increasing in heightas they approach Cape Jervis, and ultimately blending with spurs thrownoff from Mount Lofty range. Adelaide itself is situated on the banks ofthe Torrens, a very insignificant stream, or rather series of pools, inthe dry season. 

ADELAIDE. 

I have spoken, in a former chapter, of my astonishment at first seeingSydney; but certainly the same feeling was roused in a still greaterdegree by the first appearance of Adelaide; although I was prepared forsomething great by what I had heard of the multitudes that had flockedthither from the mother country. In truth a noble city had in the courseof four years sprung, as if by magic, from the ground, wearing such anappearance of prosperity and wealth that it seemed almost incredible itcould have existed but for so short a time. 

GOVERNOR GAWLER'S POLICY. 

The fact is that this was mainly owing to the liberal expenditure of thegovernor, Colonel Gawler, who saw the policy at the earliest possibleopportunity of making adequate preparation for the stream of populationthat was so rapidly flowing in. Every public building was erected on ascale to suit the anticipated splendour of the colony, and in sosubstantial a manner, that it will be long ere another outlay becomesnecessary. That this was the best line of conduct to adopt, most persons, on reflection, will acknowledge. In New Zealand, for example, much of thedisturbances that have arisen may be attributed to the fact of so manysettlers arriving before sufficient preparation had been made for theirreception. 

Much fault has been found with Colonel Gawler's military display, as itis called; in other words, with his raising a corps of volunteers. Butthe necessity of this may be presumed from the facts, that Sir CharlesNapier, the conqueror of Scinde, as we learn from his own pen, refusedthe government, because a military force was not to be sent with him; andthat it has been found advisable to place a body of troops at thedisposal of Colonel Gawler's successor. 

I paid a visit to the port, distant from the town about five miles, madeeasy by an excellent macadamized road, carried, in some places, on acauseway over a swamp, and forming a great and imperishable monument ofthe Governor's enterprising spirit. The port reminded me of one of thequiet mangrove creeks on the North coast, except that it had only onebend, changing from a northerly to a south-westerly direction, which atcertain times of the day renders it navigable, with a fair wind, eachway. For instance, the seabreeze will take a vessel out through thenortherly part, and next morning she will have the land breeze to carryher the rest of the distance; whilst, alternating, the same breeze servesto take ships in. The mouth of the port is well marked with black andwhite buoys; and a light vessel is moored off the entrance, with pilotsin attendance; a red buoy is on the bar, where at high-water there issometimes 15 feet, but the tides are very irregular, being much higherwith south-west winds; the general rise was about four feet. 

MR. EYRE'S EXPEDITION. 

We were very much pleased with the animated description we had of thedeparture of Mr. Eyre's expedition to the north; but what gave usparticular satisfaction was the evidence afforded of how much the wholecolony had the welfare of this enterprising little band at heart. I hadnot before seen in Australia any place where the progress of discoverywas so liberally forwarded, as the readers will at once learn from Mr. Eyre's book. One cause of this we may discover in the fact that therichness of the country immediately surrounding Adelaide made them eagerto ascertain its extent. Indeed until this was known they werenecessarily unsettled, as few liked to locate themselves permanentlyuntil the extent of the field within which they were to make their choicewas determined. 

To what extent the colonists of South Australia are indebted to thesacrifice of property, the loss of time, the bodily fatigue, andunceasing exertions of Mr. Eyre, I also leave the reader to gather fromhis own lucid narrative. The country has now been found to be almosthemmed in by sterile districts; and the good lands, contrary to ourexperience of the rest of the continent, to be nearly all in one spot. Anumber of enterprising colonists, therefore, concentrated withincomparatively narrow limits, could not fail of developing the resourcesof the country, and of discovering what mineral treasures it may contain. The good encouragement it has lately received has, to a certain extent, assisted in bringing it back to the position of one of the most thrivingcolonies in Australia; though we must attribute much of its presentprosperity to the impulse originally given by the policy of ColonelGawler, which, though it may have caused a temporary financialembarrassment, is now making its happy effects sensibly felt. 

THE OVERLANDERS. 

The eastern extent of the country of South Australia was determined bythe Overlanders, as they call the gentlemen who bring stock from NewSouth Wales. The first that came across were Messrs. Bonny and Horden. Aninteresting account of them will be found in Captain Grey's work. Many ofthese pioneers of civilization endure extraordinary hardships duringtheir expeditions; as an example of which I may mention that Mr. Bonny, in endeavouring to find a new route, was compelled to kill a calf anddrink its blood to save his life. On this occasion water was found by thecattle, turned loose for that purpose. Another gentleman, who had losthis way in the bush, had recourse to a curious expedient to assuage hisburning thirst, namely, to bleed the horse he rode, which was the meansof preserving both himself and the quadruped also. 

On our arrival in Adelaide the town was full of the Overlanders, andeveryone was engaged in buying or selling stock, which gave the placequite an animated appearance. From one of these gentlemen I learnedundeniable proofs that the Australians indulge in cannibalism. He hadseen in a woman's bag the hand of a child that had been partly eaten. Since that time the matter has been placed beyond a doubt by the reportof the Protector, Mr. Sievewright, who witnessed with his own eyes a mosthorrible feast off the body of a young woman. * It is extraordinary that acustom so remarkable should have so long wanted confirmation. 

(*Footnote. See Mr. Eyre's Discoveries in Central Australia. )

CAPTAIN STURT. 

At Adelaide I had the pleasure of making the acquaintance of the intrepidtraveller Captain Sturt, who has since again taken the field, endeavouring to penetrate to the interior of the Australian continent, and to remove the veil of mystery that now hangs over it. From him Ilearnt that the same strange kind of bird, a species of rail, that oncevisited Swan River, also made its appearance in South Australia on oneoccasion. I have already alluded to this remarkable circumstance in aformer chapter. 

During our stay we visited Mount Lofty, placed by our observations inlatitude 34 degrees 58 minutes 20 seconds South, and longitude 12 degrees30 minutes 20 seconds West of Sydney. The cool air of this range, thegreatest elevation of which is 2200 feet, was very pleasant after a rideover the heated plain. I was agreeably surprised to find in the heart ofthe hills a most comfortable inn, where our party sat down to a luncheonof lamb chops and green peas, with a beautiful cool bottle of sherry. Such is the march of civilization! To the north of our road was a leadmine, which will ultimately be a source of great riches to the colony;for which, indeed, nature has done much in the way of mineralproductions. 

NATIVE SCHOOLS. 

I was greatly pleased with the apparent success that had attended theschools of the German Missionaries; and especially with the aptitude forlearning displayed by both boys and girls; but my pleasure would havebeen much increased had I not felt convinced that the system of educationadopted, possessed many serious defects. In the first place, sufficientcare did not seem to have been taken to recommend the schools to thenatives, and to induce them to send their children voluntarily. That itwas necessary to resort to some means of effecting this beyond merepersuasion, will be evident when we recollect how useful even theyoungest member of an Australian family is to its parents. Almost as soonas the child begins to walk, certainly as soon as it is capable ofreceiving instruction, light tasks, even in the hunting expeditions, areallotted to it; so that, to remove either boys or girls, and take them toschool, is, in reality, to deprive their friends of assistance, which tothem is valuable. For this reason, some compensating advantage should beoffered to the father, to prevail on him to send his children to school. 

Again, when once pupils have been procured, it is exceedingly unwise toallow them to maintain a constant intercourse with their tribe, and bethus subjected to deteriorating influences that must almost irresistiblycombat the beneficial effects of their education. But it is needless todwell further on this subject, as Mr. Eyre has so completely stated thequestion in his late work. 

REMARKS ON THE SYSTEM FOR CIVILISING THE NATIVES. 

I cannot, however, refrain from alluding to another point in connectionwith this matter; namely, that when I visited South Australia, allinstruction was communicated in the native language. My attention hadalready been drawn to the subject on visiting Tahiti, in 1835, when Iperceived with regret, that the missionaries, instead of endeavouring tointroduce the English tongue, persisted in imparting instruction in akind of corrupted dialect, of which the words were for the most partnative, whilst the syntax and construction were in exact conformity withour own; the observation of the same circumstance at New Zealand, hadfurther induced me to reflect on the subject. How much more prudent wouldit have been to introduce, at once, the language of Great Britain intothe islands of the Pacific; as, judging from every indication, it mustultimately prevail over the vast variety of primitive and imperfectdialects now spoken; and which serve as barriers between the varioustribes. That the same mistake should have been made in South Australiawas the more remarkable, as public opinion seems to run completelycounter to it. It appears evident indeed, that if the object was tobenefit and civilize the aboriginal inhabitant, the right course to take, was to give him an instrument which he could employ to enlarge his mindand extend his experience. It was wrong to expect that much good could bedone by confining him within the sphere in which his thoughts had beenaccustomed to move; or at any rate, to limit the expansion of hisknowledge, within the bounds of a dialect which was only imperfectlyunderstood by the masters who taught it. I am aware that the excellentmen who adopted this plan, were fearful of allowing the natives toacquire a facility of communicating with the vicious part of the whitepopulation; but had they taken a more enlarged view, and considered theabsolute impossibility of preventing a certain amount of intercourse--hadthey had more confidence in the better part of their own race, andreflected on the immense advantage which the inquisitive savage wouldderive from being enabled to put questions to men who could enlighten himby their answers, they would more speedily have effected their benevolentintentions. I am of opinion that no surer method of raising theAustralian in the scale of civilization could have been devised, than toput him in possession of the English language; and I am glad to hear thatthe opinion I so early formed has at length been partially acted upon. The natives will soon be open to an engagement on board a vessel, and mayexpect to emulate the New Zealanders, some of whom have risen to bemates; and to acquire the information and experience of which they standso much in need. Whereas, were their knowledge confined to their ownimperfect dialect, not only would they be unable to extend theiracquaintance with other parts of the world, and with the arts ofcivilization, but they would remain, as many of them now are, actuallyincapable of communicating with many inhabitants of their own districts. For it must be borne in mind, that very frequently, a tribe inhabitingone valley is ignorant of the language spoken in the next. So that toinstruct them only in their own forms of speech, is not only difficult, since, on the death of each master someone else has to learn the grammarand vocabulary to supply his place, but absolutely tends to perpetuatethe isolation in which the natives now live; and which is the main causeof the little development of their minds, and the inferior position theyoccupy in the scale of civilization. 

LEAVE HOLDFAST ROAD. 

We sailed from Holdfast Road, on December 7th, but in consequence oflight winds, with occasional very heavy squalls, it was not until theafternoon of the 10th, that we got out to sea by Backstairs Passage, between Cape Jervis and Kangaroo Island. On the morning of the 8th, wewere obliged to shorten all sail to a very heavy squall fromWest-South-West, which announced its appearance by a distant roaring, some time before it was seen on the water. These squalls generallysucceed the hot winds that prevail at this season in South Australia, coming from the interior. *

(*Footnote. During the hot winds we observed the thermometer, in thedirect rays of the sun, to be 135 degrees. )

ARRIVE AT SYDNEY. 

Easterly winds prevented us from entering Bass Strait until the 16th. Inreaching in towards the coast, seven or eight miles west of Cape Otway, we found that it projected three or four miles too much on the charts. Bass Strait appeared under a different aspect from what it had beenaccustomed to wear; light winds, by no means in keeping with ourimpatience, detaining us till the 21st, when we got a kick out of theeastern entrance from a strong south-wester, and afterwards had a goodrun up to Sydney, where we arrived on the 23rd. 

CHAPTER 2. 7. 

Land Sales. Unsettled boundaries. New Zealand. Hunter River. Midnight alarm. Ludicrous scene. Changes in Officers of ship. Leave Sydney. Port Stephens. Corrobory. Gale at Cape Upstart. Magnetical Island. Halifax Bay. Astonish a Native. Description of country. Correct chart. Restoration Island. Picturesque arrival. Interview with the Natives from Torres Strait. Their weapons. Shoal near Endeavour River. Discover good passage through Endeavour Strait. Booby Island. New birds. The Painted Quail. 

LAND SALES. 

No improvement had taken place in colonial affairs, and the sales ofland, in consequence of the high price, were very limited. The fact was, the regulations that had recently been made gave very littlesatisfaction. By these the minimum price was fixed at one pound per acre;in consequence of which many predicted that millions of acres would beexcluded from the market for ages to come, as it seemed not conceivablethat any change could make them worth a quarter that sum, especially ason an average the natural grasses of the country will only support onesheep to four acres. The inevitable consequence was to prevent anaugmentation of the emigration fund, which inflicted a serious evil onthe colony, though by many the high price was considered a great boon, asit enabled them to enjoy, at a trifling charge, immense back runs, assafe from the intrusion of interlopers as if they had been granted by theCrown in perpetuity. It is my impression that the attempt to raise thelargest sum of money by the sale of the smallest number of allotments isunwise, as it operates as a discouragement to small capitalists, who wishto occupy the land for themselves; it would in the end be moreadvantageous almost to give the land away, to a certain extent, in orderto encourage people to go there. It may be worth remarking here, that ona rough calculation the pound per acre system would realise, supposingthe whole continent were sold, the sum of about 1, 679, 616, 000 pounds. 

UNSETTLED BOUNDARIES. 

The most curious circumstance connected with the division of land in NewSouth Wales, is the uncertainty that prevails respecting the boundaryline of estates, which must be the source of endless disputes andexpensive litigation among the colonists. The whole arises from thesystem adopted of laying down the boundaries by the magnetic northinstead of by the true. This is in itself no easy matter, owing to thelocal attraction and the difficulty of finding needles that agree. Butthe chief cause of endless change is the variation, which hasprogressively increased at Sydney since the colony was first formed, soas to make a difference in the boundary of a grant of land of one squaremile in ten. 

I will suppose a case in order to illustrate my meaning. In the earlydays of the colony a piece of land is obtained by a person who merelyperforms the location duties, and does nothing to his estate until thepresent time, when he or his successor goes to occupy it. When the landwas purchased the direction of the boundary line was, by compass North 20degrees East; but the proprietor finds that in consequence of theincrease of variation during the interval, a North 20 degrees East lineby compass at this time would differ from what it was when his titledeeds were made out, one square mile in ten. As this change has at Sydneybeen progressive, and may indeed take a contrary direction, the boundarylines of grants of lands depending on it will vary accordingly, andafford endless food for the lawyers. A scientific friend of mine, who wasonce trying to remedy the evil in a particular instance, was entreated byone of that profession not to interfere, for by so doing he would betaking the bread out of the mouths of himself and his brethren. 

NEW ZEALAND. 

Since our last visit to Sydney the colonisation of New Zealand had takenplace, but from what I heard of the loose system pursued by the Companyof obtaining lands from the natives, I could not but form an opinion thatthose who bought lots of them must in the end be ruined; even their rightto sell these lands at all was at the time much questioned. This beingthe case, the difficulty any Governor must have to contend with, whoshould attempt to solve the intricate problem involved in theland-question, was apparent, and it will be evident also that those whopretend to form a judgment on the conduct of Captain R. Fitzroy, musttake into consideration the character of the people, both white andcoloured, with whom he had to deal, and various other circumstances thatare usually kept out of sight. 

During our long stay at Sydney I visited the mouth of the Hunter, for thepurpose of determining the position of Newcastle. The courthouse, according to my observations, is in latitude 32 degrees 55 minutes 50seconds South and longitude 0 degrees 34 minutes 45 seconds East ofSydney. This is the district from which all the coal used in New SouthWales is brought, and a good harbour is therefore of importance. A partyof convicts were employed in building a breakwater, connecting a cliffyisland at the entrance with the south point of the river, for the purposeof deepening the mouth, but I much question whether it will answer, asthe silt that is washed down by the stream not finding its former exitmay by meeting the sea form a bar. 

In ascending the valley of the Hunter I saw sufficient to convince methat a railroad could easily be carried up from Newcastle to Maitland, and thence to Patrick's Plains. *

(*Footnote. It appears that a company having for its object therealization of this idea has just been formed. )

MIDNIGHT ALARM. 

I cannot at this place resist the temptation of relating an anecdote, which, though it is not exactly connected with the subject of my work, may not be thought uninteresting by the reader. I was one night sleepingat a friend's house; all the family had retired to rest, and I have nodoubt that a perfect stillness prevailed around. Suddenly, a noise likethunder startled me from my slumbers, and as soon as I was able tocollect my scattered thoughts, I distinctly heard a series of violentblows against a door at the foot of the staircase leading up to mybedroom. Though the first impression might have been that the disturbancewas caused by thieves breaking into the house, it appeared improbablethat such characters should make their approach with so much clamour. Iinstantly leaped out of bed, and arrived in time to see a sight which Ishall never forget. 

LUDICROUS SCENE. 

The owner of the house, who slept on the ground floor, equally astonishedwith myself at the noise, had also quitted his pillow, and, arminghimself with a sword and taper, advanced, in the costumes of Iago, whenhe reappears upon the stage after stabbing Cassio and Rodorigo, towardsthe door against which the monotonous thumping still continued at regularintervals. It now appeared that the cause of his alarm was on the inside;and my host who believed that a party of robbers had introducedthemselves into his premises, hailed them in a loud voice, promising thatif they did not cease their hammering, and surrender, he would put themevery one to death. So far from attending to his suggestion the thumpsincreased in rapidity and violence, and he had scarcely time to puthimself in a defensive position when the door burst open and out rushedhis assailants--a multitude of round figures of all sizes, without heads, legs, or arms! His first thought was that the supernatural existences ofNew South Wales had now for the first time revealed themselves to hiseyes! Here was material for a fairytale! The genii of this country inwhich everything runs into leg were then it appeared all body! Such werethe fancies that flashed through his mind as he made a desperate lunge atthe advancing foe, one of whom he transfixed from breast to back, whilstthe rest in an instant overthrew and trampled him under foot, if I mayuse the expression. And now arose a wild scream--of laughter from myselfand the others who had witnessed this mortal combat, for the disturbersof our night's repose were no other than a number of huge pumpkins, whichhad been placed in a heap upon a press on the landing, and from havingbeen perhaps carelessly piled had given way, and rolled, one by one, downstairs, accumulating at the bottom against the door, until by theirweight they forced it open!

CHANGES ON BOARD THE BEAGLE. 

During our stay at Sydney some important changes took place among theofficers of the ship, the principal of which were the departure forEngland of Captain Wickham, who had never thoroughly recovered from theattack of dysentery he experienced on our first arrival at Swan River, and the promotion of the writer to the vacancy thus created. LieutenantsEmery and Eden also left for England; the former was succeeded byLieutenant Graham Gore. 

This almost total change in the arrangements of the ship requiring somedelay, and the season for passing through Torres Strait, moreover, nothaving commenced, it was the 3rd of June 1841, before the Beagle againrounded Breaksea Spit, having touched on the way for a meridian distanceat Port Stephens. *

(*Footnote. We ran out of Port Stephens before a westerly gale. Afterpassing between Entrance Island and Soldier Point, we steered forSalamander Head, and then for Tomaree Summit, when it was over the centreof the first projection inside Nelson Head, which led over the south-westcorner of the shoal patch lying abreast of Red Point in 4 fathoms. WhenNelson Head just shut in Yacaba extreme, we steered for the former, andpassing it hauled over North-East 1/2 East for the western part of YacabaHead, keeping a white spot on the second point inside Nelson Head, justopen of the latter, until the leading marks for running out (which I havebefore given in my former visit to Port Stephens) were on. )

SINGULAR CORROBORY. 

Whilst at the latter place, I witnessed a corrobory presenting a peculiarfeature. As soon as it was dark, a number of heaps of fuel scattered hereand there were simultaneously ignited, and the whole surface of the greenwas speedily lighted up by the flames. When the illumination wascomplete, the men, painted with spots and lines of white commenced thedance, which consisted in running sideways or in file, stamping withgreat violence, and emitting an inharmonious grunt, gesticulatingviolently all the time, and brandishing and striking together theirweapons. The peculiar feature in this corrobory, was the throwing of thekiley, or boomerang, lighted at one end; the remarkable flight andextraordinary convolutions of this weapon marked by a bright line offire, had a singular and startling effect. 

As we were rounding Breaksea Spit, we met four merchant ships, who gladlyavailed themselves of our convoy. On the 6th, being anxious to repeat ourlast meridian distance, and also the magnetic observations, we anchoredunder Cape Upstart. We likewise availed ourselves of the visit tocomplete the examination of the bay on the east side of the Cape. The 7thwas a remarkably gloomy day, signalized by a very unusual fall in thebarometer between 8 A. M. , and 2 P. M. , from 30. 14 to 30. 00, when thebreeze which had been fresh in the morning, increased to a gale withsqualls. At 3, the wind shifted to the southward, and at 8 when itmoderated, the barometer again rose to 30. 17. It is these sudden breezesthat are so fatal to ships caught off the outer barrier without anopening to get within its shelter. No traces of natives were seen; butthe supply of water was as abundant as before, and we took theopportunity of completing our stock. 

MAGNETICAL ISLAND. 

On the 8th in the evening we left for Magnetical Island, about half amile off the west side of which we anchored next day in 5 fathoms. Thedepth from thence shoals in gradually to the head of the bay. A smallrocky islet, to which our observations refer, bore south half a mile, inlatitude 19 degrees 7 minutes 10 seconds South and longitude 4 degrees 29minutes 12 seconds West of Sydney. On this I found a greyish kind ofslate; but on Magnetical Island I discovered no local attractionaffecting the needle, so as to warrant the name bestowed by Cook. It is ahigh piece of land, with an ill-defined peak in the centre, 1770 feethigh. 

A description and view of it have been given in the first volume. Weremained there five days, in order to rate the chronometers, and toexamine the head of Halifax Bay, where a large estuary had been reportedby Captain King; but of this we could see nothing, and came to theconclusion that he must have been deceived by mirage. The land certainlywas low in that direction, and trending in to the southward appearedafterwards to wind round to South-West, offering facilities for gettingover the range before spoken of as 3, 600 feet high, and bounding theshore of Halifax Bay. We were, however, glad of this opportunity ofexamining a portion of the continent, that had always excited theattention of those who passed, by its fertile aspect. 

HALIFAX BAY. 

A party landed in the south corner of Halifax Bay, on a long flat sandybeach, which at high-water is completely covered. Crossing some smallsand dunes, bound together by a sort of spinifex, we got into a luxuriantgrowth of grass, rich and soft, with a springing sort of feel to thefeet. A few wallaby were started in this, but we obtained none; andseeing a group of rich-looking eucalypti and tea-trees, some of us bentour steps thitherwards, and found a small stream of fresh water, whichfiltered itself through the sand towards the beach. There was no time totrace it; but for some distance inland we could follow its course withthe eye, from the luxuriant vegetation it nourished. The soil was lightand sandy, covered with dense creepers, and innumerable quantities of theAngustifolia in splendid flower, many of the clusters occupying a spaceof three feet in diameter, with a proportionate stem of about five feetfrom the earth. The hum of insects, and sudden disturbance ofrich-coloured parrots, screaming and fluttering through the branches, andthe strong, short, rapid flight of the dove, with its melancholy cooing, transported us in imagination a long way inland, whereas we were notthree hundred yards from the beach. We now wended our way towards a smalleminence, through long grass, in most places interwoven with creepers, compelling us to tear our way through them in the ascent. 

ASTONISH A NATIVE. 

In doing so Mr. Bynoe flushed a native; but before the rest of the partycould come up, he had taken to flight. The simultaneous cries of "here'sa native!" "where!" "here!" "there he goes stark naked, " rose; and beforeALL EYES could catch a glimpse, his dark figure insensibly blended withthe waving branches of his wild solitude, and without a cry of fear orjoy, he was lost to us, perhaps for ever! We burst through the samebrushwood he had recently thrown aside, and entered a labyrinth of foresttrees, without finding a clue to the direction he had taken. 

The whole of the country appeared to be granitic; the eminence on whichwe stood bore that character, and some parts, near the beach, were throwninto massive blocks, at high-water, completely surrounded by the flux oftide. The view inland was intercepted by hills and trees, the formerassuming the same appearance as the one we were on, but higher. Ourgame-bag was thinly lined with small curlews, oyster-catchers, andsanderlings. 

A sandy spit connects Magnetical Island on the south side with the main, and must be sufficiently shoal at low water to allow the natives to fordover; for we found no canoes with those we met on the island, who werenumerous and apparently very well disposed. Although not a large race, they were in very good condition; part of their food, is the native yam, called warran in Western Australia. The birds on the island are common toother parts; and the wallaby, of which Mr. Bynoe shot three, are lightcoloured. 

CORRECT CHART. 

On the evening of the 13th, we again proceeded on our passage; the nightwas hazy, with a few slight squalls, much resembling the weather which wehad before experienced in the same place. Towards the close of the 15th, we anchored eight miles from Cape Tribulation, bearing North 11 degreesWest. The summit of Snapper Island, bore South 7 degrees East six miles;by which we found that both it and the coast are placed on the charts toomuch to the eastward. 

In passing Point Barrow I was very much struck with the similarity whichthe low line of cliffs, running along the summit of the high land, bearsto that on the Victoria River. * We avoided the reef off Cape Flinders, byfollowing the directions given in the first volume, and by making adetour to the southward round Princess Charlotte's Bay, were enabled tokeep underweigh all night. 

(*Footnote. See Sketches. )

RESTORATION ISLAND. 

Continuing, we reached Restoration Island soon after dark on the 19th. Itwas rather a confined anchorage, to be taken up at that hour with fiveships. Our arrival was under rather singular circumstances. The nightbeing dark, we could not make out even the outline of the high rockyisland, which appeared one dark mass; and the meeting of the land and seawas only occasionally distinguished by patches of white, where the waterbroke against the steep rocky sides of the island. Not a sound came fromthe shore as we drew near our berth; but no sooner did the heavy splashof the anchor, and the noise of the cable running out, resound among theheights, than one loud yell of startled natives seemed to rise from oneend of the island to the other. The discharge of a signal rocket, however, that curved its flight over the island, instantaneously quietedthe uproar, and a death-like silence succeeded. 

NATIVES OF TORRES STRAIT. 

In the morning we found that the island was occupied by a party ofnatives from Torres Strait. Their canoes, which were furnished withoutriggers, were hauled up on the beach, and their spears were depositedin the bushes around, ready for immediate use; but, although they seemedto suspect our friendly intentions towards them at first, no disturbanceoccurred, and some were prevailed upon to come on board. Their presenceforcibly reminded us of the melancholy fate of the crew of the CharlesEaton; and no doubt they had come to the southward on a wreckingexpedition. They were a much finer race of men, than those met with onthe shores of the continent; their voices sounded softer, and theirlanguage appeared quite different. They instantly recognized the drawingof a Murray Island canoe, in Flinders' Voyage, and constantly keptrepeating the word toolic, meaning iron, in the Murray Island language. The lobe of their ears was perforated with a large piece of bone; andtheir hair was like that which I have before described as crisp. Inoticed that their spears were all pointed with bone, and that the shaftsin those used for fishing were large, with a coil of line attached, and astring also connecting the head, which came loose when a porpoise orturtle was struck; whilst the wood, floating, acted as a drag. Atdaylight on the 21st we proceeded on our passage. 

About four or five miles to the southward of Endeavour River, we passedsome discoloured patches near the shore; and thereabouts a shoal hassince been discovered. Having before expressed an opinion that there wasa safe passage through Endeavour Strait, I resolved to take thisopportunity of setting the question at rest. Before passing between thePossession Isles, towards the entrance of it, I acquainted the rest ofthe convoy with my intentions, to give them the option of taking thechance of a passage with me, or of proceeding by the ordinary route. Theychose the former, and we accordingly entered the Strait, which we foundnavigable for vessels drawing 18 feet, by passing about a mile and a halfto the northward of the Wallis Islands, steering a westerly course. Incrossing the ridge extending off Cape Cornwall, the least water was 3 1/2fathoms at low tide; North Wallis Island bearing South 64 degrees Eastseven miles. There still, however, appeared to be more water to thesouthward, which determined me to examine this passage more minutely onmy return from the Gulf. A course was now held for Booby Island, where weanchored in the evening (the 23rd). 

PASSAGE THROUGH ENDEAVOUR STRAIT. 

It was my intention, in order that we might commence our exploration ofthe Gulf with a good supply, to have searched for water in Port Lihou, onthe south side of Cook Island, in Endeavour Strait; but the ships incompany being able to supply us the delay was avoided. Since our lastvisit, the book at the Post Office, on Booby Island, had been destroyedby some mischievous visitors, and the box was in a very dilapidatedstate. We repaired the latter, and left a new book with a supply of pensand ink. 

A ton or two of water was also procured from some holes in the rocks onthe island. I have before spoken of the heaps of stone which Captain Kingconcluded were erected by seamen; but Dr. Wilson, in his Voyage round theWorld, mentions some cairns of stone on certain islands to the northward, not previously visited by Europeans, and which must have therefore beenthe work of natives. 

THE PAINTED QUAIL. 

Mr. Bynoe was fortunate enough to procure two pigeons of a new species(Ptilinopus superbus) and of beautiful colours; the breast being darkpurple, the crown of the head red, and the other parts green; besides onespecimen of a bird, of the same genus as one on the Abrolhos, generallycalled a quail, but with this difference, that it only lays four eggs, whereas quails lay fourteen or fifteen. It is known to the colonists asthe Painted Quail; and has been called by Mr. Gould, from the specimen wegot on Booby Island, Haemipodius melinatus. 

CHAPTER 2. 8. GULF OF CARPENTARIA. 

Leave Booby Island. Eastern shore of Gulf. Van Diemen's Inlet. Exploration of. Party of Natives. Level country. Tides. Visit Bountiful Islands. Description of them. Sail for Sweers Island. Investigator Road. Natives. Locusts. Record of the Investigator's visit. Dig a well. Boats explore island and coast to the westward. Sweers and Bentinck Islands. Tides. Take ship over to the main. Another boat expedition leaves. Ship proceeds to the head of the Gulf. Discovery and exploration of Disaster Inlet. Narrow escape. Description of Interior. Wild Fowl. Explore coast to the eastward. Inlets. Discover the Flinders. The Cuckoo. Ascent of the river. Night scene. Burial tree. Remarks. Return to the ship. Exploration of south-western part of Gulf. Large inlets discovered. 

June 26. 

The vessels forming our convoy departed this morning, and soondisappeared in the western horizon, leaving the Beagle, that seemeddestined to be a solitary roamer, once more alone at anchor under BoobyIsland. 

On the same evening she was herself pursuing her lonely way towards theGulf of Carpentaria, the eastern shore of which we saw on the morning ofthe 1st of July. In the afternoon we anchored in 3 1/4 fathoms; the northend of a very low sandy piece of coast, which we found to be in latitude16 degrees 13 1/2 minutes South, longitude 9 degrees 10 East of PortEssington, bearing South 70 degrees East, six miles and a half. From thisplace the coast trended South 10 degrees West, and was fringed withmangroves; a few straggling casuarinas grew near the sandy parts, afeature which we constantly afterwards found to recur; their tallbroom-like shapes form a remarkable element in the coast scenery of theGulf. 

SINGULAR TIDAL PHENOMENON. 

A fruitless attempt was made to visit the shore, which was fronted forthe distance of a mile by a bank of soft mud. We could therefore gain noinformation respecting the interior; but from the numerous fires, itappeared to be thickly inhabited. It was here that we first observed thesingular phenomenon of the tides ebbing and flowing twelve hours. 

GULF OF CARPENTARIA. 

Next day the coast was examined for fifteen miles to the southward; itsgeneral character has already been given, which renders it unnecessary todilate further here. North-east winds now forced us away from the land, and we did not see it again till the morning of the 3rd; when, finding asmuch as four fathoms within two miles and a half of a projection, wenamed it, in consequence, Bold Point. It is in latitude 17 degrees 0minutes South, longitude 8 degrees 48 minutes East of Port Essington, andis rendered conspicuous by two clumps of trees. North 23 degrees West twomiles from Bold Point, we observed an opening, and after anchoring theship as near the entrance as possible, I left with the whaleboats, accompanied by Messrs. Forsyth, Fitzmaurice, and Tarrant, to examine it, early in the afternoon. The view annexed, taken by Lieutenant Gore, justafter the boats had shoved off, will give the reader an excellent idea ofthe appearance of the south-eastern shore of the Gulf of Carpentaria, from a distance of only two miles. In this view, a gull, resting on theback of a sleeping turtle, will attract the attention of the reader. 

Proceeding, we crossed the bar, extending three quarters of a mile offthe mouth of the inlet, on which we found only two feet at low-water. Thecoast on each side was sandy, with clumps of trees, and to the northwardwas fronted by an extensive flat of sand. The first reaches of the inletpromised well, having a depth of from 1 1/2 to 3 fathoms, and a width offrom two to three hundred yards; but it ultimately became much narrower, and so torturous that, after following its windings for twenty-sevenmiles, we had only advanced eight miles in a South 60 degrees Eastdirection from the entrance. It then divided--one branch trending south, and the other east; and each being only fifteen yards wide and two feetdeep, the water quite salt, and the mangroves on either side, moreover, almost meeting, rendered it impossible to proceed further. Our hopes hadbeen buoyed up as we advanced, an impression prevailing that we haddiscovered a river, from our finding that at low tide the water wassimply brackish. I can only account for this by supposing that there wasan imperceptible drainage of fresh water through the banks. 

The highest part of the country we saw was on the south side of one ofthe reaches, six miles from the mouth; but even there the utmostelevation was only ten feet. This rise was marked by a growth oftolerable-sized eucalypti. Elsewhere the banks were scarcely three feetabove high-water level, and generally fringed with mangroves, behindwhich in many places were extensive clear flats, reaching occasionallythe sides of the inlet towards the upper parts, and forming at that timethe resort of large flights of the bronze-winged pigeon. 

In many of the reaches we met with flocks of wild ducks, of the white andbrown, and also of the whistling kind. The birds we had not before seenwere a large dark brown species of rail, so wary that I could never getwithin shot of it, and a rather small blackbird with a white crest. A fewof the large species of crane, called the Native Companion, were alsoseen. The only kind of fish taken was the common catfish. 

PARTY OF NATIVES. 

Alligators were very numerous for the first fifteen miles as we ascended;and we saw a party of natives, but did not communicate with them. Theirastonishment at the appearance of such strange beings as ourselves musthave been very great. It could never before have fallen to their lot tobehold any of the white race; and until our presence undeceived them, they must have been living in happy ignorance that they were not the onlyspecimens of humanity upon the face of the earth. 

There was little to interest us in our examination of this inlet, especially as the Dutch had probably visited it some two hundred yearsbefore; thus destroying the principal charm it would have possessed, namely, that of novelty. We inferred this from there being an openinglaid down in this neighbourhood by them as Van Diemen's River. I, inconsequence, continued the name, altering river to inlet; though, probably, at times, it may deserve the appellation of a river, as afterheavy falls of rain it must contain fresh water. Our finding the wateronly brackish near the head favours this supposition. 

The habitations of the natives were of a more substantial kind than weshould have expected to meet with in these latitudes, being snugoval-shaped huts, thatched with coarse grass. The extremely low levelnature of the country, the reader can imagine, as also how much itsurprised us to find that from the boat at high-water our eyes couldwander over miles. Occasionally on the plains, rendered warm from theircolour reflecting the powerful beams of the sun, were to be seen whirlingclouds of dust, towering upwards until their centrifugal force becameexhausted. The temperature, however, was lower about four in the morningthan we had noticed it since leaving Sydney, being only 65 degrees, wheneasterly or land winds prevailed; those in the afternoon were generallyfrom seaward. 

A slight rise, even of ten feet, in the water beyond the tidal change, must overflow a vast portion of such very low country; many evidences ofthis having taken place were observed. *

(*Footnote. At the entrance of Van Diemen's Inlet it is high-water on thefull and change of the moon at a quarter to seven; but in the upper partthe tides are three hours and a quarter later. The length of both floodand ebb is twelve hours, and the direction of the former stream from thenorthward, following the eastern shore of the Gulf. )

NATIVE WELL. 

The formation of this part of the continent is of very recent date, as wedid not observe any rock; and the soil is chiefly alluvial. The onlyfresh water found was at a native well, half a mile South-East from theeastern entrance point of the inlet. 

In the morning of the 5th, the boats reached the ship. During our absencea few natives had made their appearance on the beach, attending somefires, it seemed, on a hunting excursion. Several grampuses were seen atthe anchorage, also many dugongs and turtles. 

In the evening the Beagle was standing across the Gulf towards BountifulIslands. I found that with the winds we had experienced the last few daysit would be the most expeditious way of completing our survey of the Gulfto proceed at once to the head of it, as we should then have a fair wind, to examine the coast back to Van Diemen's Inlet. 

I also resolved to ascertain if the supply of water that Flinders foundon Sweers Island was still to be obtained; and on our way thitherdetermined on visiting Bountiful Islands, where we arrived accordingly onthe morning of the 6th. The greatest depth we had in crossing the Gulfwas 15 fathoms, the nature of the bottom being a fine dark sandy mud. 

Bountiful Islands form the eastern part of a group called WellesleyIslands, and were so named by Flinders from the great supply of turtle hefound there. As, however, it was two months before the season of theirvisiting the shores, we only caught twelve, for the most part females. Near the islands was noticed the same shrubby thick compact kind ofseaweed, that had previously been seen on the parts of the North-westcoast frequented by the turtle. Flinders speaks of finding here in oneturtle as many as 1, 940 eggs; and such is their fecundity that were itnot for the destruction of the young by sharks and birds of prey, thesetemperate seas would absolutely swarm with them. 

Our anchorage was in 7 fathoms, three quarters of a mile South-East fromthe highest hill, which I called Mount Flinders; it stands close to thebeach, near the east end of the island, and is in latitude 16 degrees 40minutes 0 seconds South, longitude 7 degrees 45 minutes 25 seconds Eastof Port Essington. 

BOUNTIFUL ISLANDS. 

Bountiful Islands, two in number, are distant a mile and a half in aNorth-East direction from each other. The northern and largest is twomiles and a half long, and three-quarters of a mile wide; whilst theother is rather more than half a mile each way, and has at the northernend a mound with a remarkable casuarina tree on its summit. Both arefronted with coral reefs, particularly at the North-East extreme; thereare some cliffs on the south-east side of the large island of sand andironstone formation, the latter prevailing; and over the lownorth-western parts a ferruginous kind of gravel was scattered. Thecrests of the hills or hillocks were of a reddish sort of sandstone, andso honeycombed or pointed at the top that it was difficult to walk overthem. 

MOUNT FLINDERS. 

Near the landing-place, at the foot of Mount Flinders, were a fewisolated gum-trees, and small clusters of the casuarina, which were theonly trees on the northern island. Some drift timber was on thesouth-east and north-west sides. On the latter was a tree of considerablesize, doubtless brought from the shore of the Gulf by the North-Westmonsoon. Its whole surface was covered with a long brown kind of grass, interwoven with creepers. There were great quantities of acinnamon-coloured bittern seen, as well as quails, doves, and largeplovers, but not any of the bustards mentioned by Flinders. We saw notraces of land animals of any kind; neither did we of the natives. Aflock of screaming white cockatoos had taken up their abode on the southisland, where also some bulbs of the Angustifolia were found. A few smallfish, besides sharks, were caught alongside the ship. 

I was surprised to find the tides an hour later than at Van Diemen'sInlet; their velocity, likewise, was increased to two knots; theflood-stream came from the north-east at the anchorage. 

FOWLER ISLAND. 

July 7. 

At daylight, we left for Sweers Island; but owing to light winds, chieflyeasterly, did not reach Investigator Road, between Sweers and BentinckIslands, before the afternoon of the 8th. The soundings on the way weregenerally 9 fathoms, fine sandy mud. A small islet, lying off theSouth-East side of Bentinck Island, and forming the immediate easternside of the Road, I named after the first lieutenant of the Investigator, now Captain Fowler. 

Under Mount Inspection, a hill 105 feet high, and the most remarkablefeature hereabouts, on the South-East extreme of Sweers Island, a partyof twelve natives was observed as we passed. They gazed silently at us, making no demonstration of joy, fear, anger, or surprise. It is possiblethey may have been stupefied by the appearance of that wonderful creationof man's ingenuity--a ship; in their eyes it must have seemed a beingendowed with life walking the waters, for purposes to themincomprehensible, on a mission to the discovery of which they could noteven apply the limited faculties they possessed. Fortunately orunfortunately for them--according as we determine on the value ofcivilization to the aboriginal races of the South--they did not possessthe fatal, or salutary, curiosity that prompts most men to attemptfathoming the depth of whatever is mysterious. Restrained by their fears, or by their ignorant, or philosophical indifference, they did not againshow themselves: and though when we landed we once or twice thought weheard sounds of life in our vicinity, the natives of the island neveragain came under our observation. It is remarkable that the samecircumstance happened to Flinders. He also perceived human beings at adistance; but when he endeavoured to communicate with them, they retired, as he mentions, to some of the caverns that exist on the island, and wereseen no more. 

SWEERS ISLAND. 

Sweers Island appeared to be very woody, and bounded by low dark cliffson the north-east side. We found a long extent of foul ground, with a dryreef near its outer end, extending off two miles in a South 33 degreesEast direction from the South-East extreme. Our anchorage was in 5 1/2fathoms, nearly abreast of a remarkable and solitary sandy point on theabove-mentioned island. As we beat up, the navigable width between thisand Fowler Island was found to be one mile, and the depth 4 and 5fathoms. 

INVESTIGATOR'S WELL. 

A party was immediately despatched in search of the Investigator's well. Previous to landing, the whole island appeared to be perfectly alive witha dense cloud of small flying animals, which, on our reaching the shore, proved to be locusts in countless numbers, forming a complete curtainover the island. They rose from the ground in such prodigious flights ateach footstep that we were absolutely prevented from shooting any of thequails with which the island abounds. This annoyance, however, was onlyexperienced for the first day or two, as the locusts winged their flightto Bentinck Island, leaving the trees only laden with them; out of thesethey started, when disturbed, with a rushing noise like surf on a pebblybeach. 

FLINDERS' WELL. 

The Investigator's old well was discovered half a mile eastward of thepoint, to which I gave the name of Point Inscription, from a veryinteresting discovery we made of the name of Flinders' ship cut on a treenear the well, and still perfectly legible, although nearly forty yearsold, as the reader will perceive from the woodcut annexed. On theopposite side of the trunk the Beagle's name and the date of our visitwere cut. 

It was thus our good fortune to find at last some traces of theInvestigator's voyage, which at once invested the place with all thecharms of association, and gave it an interest in our eyes that words canill express. All the adventures and sufferings of the intrepid Flindersvividly recurred to our memory; his discoveries on the shores of thisgreat continent, his imprisonment on his way home, and cruel treatment bythe French Governor of Mauritius, called forth renewed sympathies. Iforthwith determined accordingly that the first river we discovered inthe Gulf should be named the Flinders, as the tribute to his memory whichit was best becoming in his humble follower to bestow, and that whichwould most successfully serve the purpose of recording his services onthis side of the continent. Monuments may crumble, but a name endures aslong as the world. 

Being desirous of ascertaining if now, in the dry season, water could beobtained in other parts of the island, I ordered a well to be dug on theextreme of Point Inscription, a more convenient spot for watering a ship, and at a depth of 25 feet met excellent water, pouring through a rock ofconcreted sand, pebbles, and shells. 

Our success may be attributed, as Flinders says, to the clayeyconsistence of the stratum immediately under the sand, and to thegravelly rock upon which that stratum rests; the one preventing theevaporation of the rains, and the other obstructing their furtherinfiltration. 

INVESTIGATOR ROAD. 

This was a very important discovery, as Investigator Road is the onlyanchorage for vessels of all sizes at the head of the Gulf in eithermonsoon, and possesses an equal supply of wood, fish, and birds, withturtle close at hand on Bountiful Islands. Moreover, should an expeditionbe formed for the purpose of exploring the interior from the head of theGulf, it is, as Flinders remarks, "particularly well adapted for a shipduring the absence of the travellers. " In addition to this, it is a pointat which an expedition would first arrive to arrange plans for thefuture; and lastly, I should observe that in case of our being fortunateenough to find rivers or fertile country on the southern shores of theGulf, we at once saw that we might look forward to the time whenInvestigator Road* should be the port from which all the produce of theneighbouring parts of the continent must be shipped, and when it shouldbear on its shores the habitations of civilized man, and the heavenwardpointing spires of the Christian Church. The feeling that we might be themeans of bringing about this happy state of things by discovering acountry habitable by Europeans, greatly added to the zest with which weprosecuted our subsequent researches. 

(*Footnote. This road fully deserves the name of a good port, being fourmiles in length by one in breadth, with a depth of from 4 to 6 fathoms, and sheltered at all points except from south to South-South-East, inwhich direction the shoalness of the water prevents any sea from gettingup. )

SURVEY THE ANCHORAGE. 

On duly weighing these considerations in my mind I determined to make anaccurate survey of this anchorage, including Sweers and the easternportion of Bentinck Island; and to despatch two boats to examine thegroup of islands to the north-west, and the mainland from thence toabreast of the south-west end of Bentinck Island. On the morning of the9th, accordingly, Messrs. Forsyth and Parker proceeded with thewhaleboats on this service. 

Near Point Inscription, I found a native skull on the shore, withforearm, left tibia, and a portion of the inferior maxillary. They musthave been exposed some time, as they were very nearly destroyed by theaction of the air. How they could have come in this situation was amystery, as there was nothing indicating a place of burial. 

On the eastern Point of Bentinck Island a number of rafts were seen, which suggested the name of Raft Point. We also on one occasion perceivedsome natives at a distance. 

Mount Inspection being the highest land in the neighbourhood, became theprincipal station of the survey. From it a glimpse was got of themainland, bearing South 17 degrees West about eighteen miles. Thenorth-eastern end of the island, also, could be seen, fronted with rockyledges extending three quarters of a mile off. This hill is a mass ofcalcareous rock, similar to the high parts of Bountiful Island, with thesame honeycombed surface, as if it had been exposed to the action of thesea. In other parts of the island there is a great quantity of ironstone;and the cliffs on the eastern side are mixed with this and pipe-clay; onthe northern extreme are some lakes or swamps. 

SOIL, ETC. OF BENTINCK ISLAND. 

The soil is chiefly a mixture of sand and decomposed vegetable matter;but it cannot boast of fertility. The wood on the island, which consistedfor the most part of gums, wattles, a few acacias, palms, and, near thebeach, a straggling casuarina or two, bespoke this by its stuntedappearance; but as cotton grows well at Port Essington, there can belittle doubt that it will thrive here. Several of the bustards spoken ofby Flinders, were noticed; but too wary to be killed. They were as largeas those seen in the neighbourhood of Port Phillip, but much browner. Theother birds, most common, will be found in an extract from the game book, given in a future page. We saw no animals, except some large iguanas. 

Investigator Road is sheltered to the northward by shoal water stretchingacross between Sweers and Bentinck islands. The latter is slightlyelevated, and thickly wooded; it is large in comparison with itsneighbours, being about ten miles in extent either way. Its south side ismuch indented, and the projections as well as the extreme of FowlerIsland, are lined with mangroves; they are fronted with coral ledges. Near the south-east point, I noticed large patches of the ferruginoussort of gravel, before alluded to in King's Sound. 

On one occasion a party thought they heard a cooey--or cry peculiar tothe natives of Port Jackson--uttered by some of the aborigines in thedistance. It would have been exceedingly interesting to ascertain if thisactually was the case; as the sound generally emitted by the natives ofthe northern coasts when they wish to communicate with each other afaroff, is the monotonous "oh! oh!"

MR. FORSYTH'S REPORT. 

On the 13th the boats returned, having completed the work that had beenallotted them. Mr. Forsyth reported their proceedings as follows: Leavingthe north point of Bentinck Island, off which a reef extends nearly threemiles, they crossed over to the south end of Mornington Island, bearingNorth 60 degrees West twenty-three miles, the depth, midway between being7 and 8 fathoms. The south shore of this island was found to be low andsandy, much indented, and fronted with reefs. From the south extreme, thenearest part of the main, called Point Bayley, bore South 32 degrees Westeleven miles, the intervening space being occupied by four low isles, which I named after Mr. Forsyth. With the exception of 5 fathoms twomiles south-west from the end of Mornington Island, the space between itand the main is only navigable for boats; and westward of ForsythIslands, shoals, partly dry, extend off four miles from the main. 

POINT PARKER. 

From Point Bayley, * where we found a native well, the coast trended onone hand North 73 degrees West, in which direction, at the distance oftwo and four miles, were small openings in the low mangrove shore;whilst, on the other, it trended South 53 degrees East with inlets two, three, and six miles distant, and a point ten miles and a half from PointBayley, which was named after the officer in charge of one of the boats, Point Parker. A hillock elevated about thirty feet, which was great forthis part of the continent, rendered it conspicuous. Like Point Bayley, it is fronted with a rocky ledge, and has a sandy beach on the southside. From Point Parker the coast trended south ten miles, which was thefurthest the boats reached; beyond, it appeared to take a more easterlydirection. 

(*Footnote. In latitude 16 degrees 35 minutes 10 seconds South, andlongitude 6 degrees 55 minutes 30 seconds East of Port Essington. )

The hillock on Point Parker, afforded Mr. Forsyth a slight view of theinterior: it was a vast plain with clumps of small trees interspersedhere and there; a growth of gums rose close behind the fringe ofmangroves that lined the coast to the southward, and in other placesconstituted the only vegetable production of the country that could beseen. Although there was little that could be called actually interestingin the vast level that stretched away to an indefinite distance fromPoint Parker, yet still, when the reflection presented itself that neverbefore had the eye of a European wandered over it, the feelings of theexploring party were necessarily of a pleasing character. 

This projection in the coast brought it within thirteen miles of the eastend of Bentinck Island. Allen's Isle lay between at the distance of threemiles and a half; on some ironstone cliffs at the south-east end of it, Mr. Forsyth, after leaving, saw some natives; he speaks of this island asbeing more fertile than any other part visited, being clothed with richgrass, and with small trees and shrubs of a very green appearance. 

APPEARANCE OF THE NATIVES. 

It was on a little island, two miles to the eastward of it, that Flinderssucceeded in obtaining an interview with a party of natives; two of whom, he says, were of the great height of six feet three inches, but withfeatures similar to those on the south and east coasts. They weredeficient in two front teeth of the upper jaw; their hair was short butnot curly; and with the exception of a fillet of network worn round thehead of one of them, they had not a vestige of clothing. Two of the oldermen of the party, Flinders was surprised to find had undergone the riteof circumcision; they had rafts of precisely the same construction asthose in use on the North-west coast. 

On the 17th, very unusual gloomy weather was experienced, quite what weshould have expected from the opposite monsoon; indeed the wind was lightfrom the westward for a short time. The morning broke, however, with amoderate South-South-East breeze, accompanied by constant heavy rain; thetemperature, before daylight, was 61 degrees. 

(*Footnote. Our observations place Point Inscription in latitude 17degrees 6 minutes 50 seconds South and longitude 7 degrees 28 minutes 30seconds East of Port Essington; variation, 4 degrees 35 minutes easterly:the time of high-water at the full and change, was 8 A. M. , when the tiderose 9 feet; the stream changes to the northward two hours beforehigh-water. At other times the change takes place about one hour before. The direction of the flood is South by West and that of the ebb North;the strength of the former is from half a knot to one knot an hour, andof the latter, three quarters of a knot to one and a half. Near the fulland change days there is no slack water; the northerly stream is thenlonger by two hours: during the neaps they are more equal, each being oftwelve hours duration. )

Our operations were completed by the 19th, but in consequence of strongwinds from the South-South-East we did not leave before the 21st; when, beating out against a fresh breeze, * we stood over towards the main tothe south-west of Bentinck Island, but found the water so shallow that wecould not approach within eight miles. 

(*Footnote. The west point of Sweers Island, bearing North 10 degreesEast and the east point of Bentinck Island, North 8 degrees East mark thelimits of each board. The north-west part of Sweers Island just shut inwith Point Inscription leads in, and the dry part of the reef off thesouth-east end of Sweers Island, bearing South 85 degrees East, clearsthe reef off the south end of Sweers and Fowler Islands. A white patch ofcliff to the northward of Point Inscription, in one with it, leads overthe extreme of the shoal off the south-east end of Fowler Island. )

PROCEED TO SURVEY THE MAIN. 

The boats were again sent, with Messrs. Fitzmaurice and Pasco, tocontinue the examination of the shore of the Gulf, towards the head ofit, where they were to meet the ship. We made the best of our waythither, after securing some soundings to the South-West of Sweers Islandand carrying a line eastwards from it, midway across the gulf, where wefound a very even dark sandy mud bottom, with a depth of 7 fathoms. 

THE SANDHILL. 

Strong south and south-east winds, which reduced the temperature, on oneoccasion, to 56 degrees about 4 A. M. , generally prevailed, excepting fora few hours in the afternoon; quite reminding us of the winds weexperienced at Depuch Island on the North-west coast, and preventing usfrom reaching our destination till the morning of the 24th, when weanchored two miles and a quarter from a particularly bare sand hillock, bearing South 53 degrees West. This was named The Sandhill, parexcellence; there being no other on the shore of the Gulf. To theeastward there appeared an opening with a remarkable quoin-shaped clumpof tall mangroves at the entrance. It being neap tide, we were enabled totake the ship thus close to the shore, and as it was the nearest approachwe could make to the head of the Gulf, another boat expedition was set onfoot to explore it, consisting of the yawl and gig, in which LieutenantGore and myself left the ship the same afternoon. The first spot visitedwas The Sandhill, which we found to be forty feet high, in latitude 17degrees 38 minutes 20 seconds South, longitude 7 degrees 48 minutes 00seconds East of Port Essington. From its summit we immediately perceivedthat our conjecture was right respecting the opening close to theeastward. The shore was sandy to the westward, a remarkable circumstance, considering that nearly everywhere else all was mangrove. Whatever we sawof the interior, appeared to be low patches of bare mud, which bespokefrequent inundations. We could also trace a low mangrove shore formingthe head of the Gulf, without any appearance of a large opening, whichwas a bitter disappointment; in some measure, however, compensated by thefact that it was all new, Flinders having expressed himself doubtful howfar back the shore lay. 

DISASTER INLET. 

The point on which The Sandhill is situated I called after LieutenantGore, and the inlet, which we entered just before dark, Disaster Inlet, from a circumstance of what may be called a tragical nature whichhappened in it. Like all the other inlets, as we afterwards found, it hada bar scarcely passable at low-water for boats; but within there was adepth of two and three fathoms. It appears that the streams passing outof these openings groove out a channel in the great flat fronting theshores for from one to three miles; but as the distance from their mouthsincreased, the velocity and consequent strength of the stream diminishedin proportion, and, as we afterwards found, at this season was neverstrong enough to force a channel the entire way through the flat or bankat the entrance, which was thrown out in consequence further from theshore. The projection thus formed in the great flat indicated theimportance of the inlet. 

We passed the night a mile within the mouth of Disaster Inlet, and nextmorning, which was cool and bracing enough for a latitude twenty degreesfurther south, we followed its upward course, which was more westerlythan suited our impatience to proceed direct into the interior. Fourmiles and a half from the entrance, in a straight line, though ten by thedistance the boats had gone, we came on a reach trending south. Thisimprovement in the course was equally felt by all, as was shown by thebending of the oars to the eager desire of the crew to push on; butscarcely had the boats glided midway through the hitherto untraversedpiece of water, when the tragical event occurred, which the name of theinlet serves to recall, although it is too deeply engraven on thememories of both actors and spectators ever to be forgotten. 

COCKATOOS. 

The mangroves that in patches fringed the banks, whilst all besides wasone flat grassy plain, were literally whitened with flocks of noisycockatoos, giving the trees an appearance as if they were absolutelyladen with huge flakes of snow--a somewhat remarkable aspect for a scenein such a clime to wear. It seemed as if the rigid hand of winter had foronce been permitted to visit with its icy touch this tropical land; butthe verdure of all around, the serenity of the heavens, warm with thefervid beams of the sun that gilded the rippling waters of the reach, dispelled the illusion. And soon the huge masses of white plumage beganto float from tree to tree across the reach, whilst their screams as theyflew by seemed a fair challenge to the sportsman. Mr. Gore accordinglyresolved to secure a few of them for dinner, and put out his gun for thepurpose. 

NARROW ESCAPE. 

The sudden arrest of the birds' flight--the flash of the gun--the volumeof smoke--caught the eye as it closed at the explosion; with some of usit might have been for ever! Twas the affair of but a second. Death cameto our sides, as it were, and departed ere the report of the gun hadceased to roll over the waters of the reach. Something whizzed past myear, deafening and stupefying me for a moment--the next I saw mymuch-valued friend Gore stretched at his length in the bottom of theboat, and I perceived at a glance the danger we had incurred andprovidentially escaped. 

ACCIDENT TO LIEUTENANT GORE. 

His fowling piece had burst in his hand, and flown away in fragments, leaving only a small portion of the barrel at my feet. How it happenedthat the coxswain and myself were unhurt seemed a miracle. I was on theright of Mr. Gore, in the stern-sheets of the yawl, and the coxswain wasa little on the left, and over him, steering. Our preservation can onlybe attributed to Him whose eye is on all his creatures and who disposesof our lives as it seemeth good in his sight. Without intending to bepresumptuous, we may be permitted to believe that we were spared partlyon account of the service in which we were engaged--so beneficial tohumanity, so calculated to promote the spread of civilization, which mustever be the harbinger of Christianity. At any rate it is not, in myhumble opinion, any impeachment of the wisdom of the Almighty, to imaginethat he determines the fortunes of men according to the work in whichthey are engaged. 

Mr. Gore's hand was dreadfully lacerated; but no bones were broken; andon recovering from his swoon, the first words he uttered were: "Killedthe bird!"--an expression truly characteristic of a sportsman, andevincing how exactly the mind, when its perception has been momentarilysuspended, reverts, on recovering, to the idea last present to it. 

My first impulse was to return to the ship; but at the earnest request ofMr. Gore, who felt somewhat revived after I washed his hand in brandy andtied it up, we continued; but the utter silence and grave demeanour ofall showed that each was occupied with thoughts of the danger some of ushad escaped of being ushered unprepared into the presence of our Maker. Arustling in the bushes on the bank, as we wound round an island of somesize at the extremity of this nearly fatal reach, broke the reverie inwhich we were indulging. Fancying it was a kangaroo, I fired at the spot, when a half-grown wild dog came rolling down into the water. It was of adark brown colour, with large patches of white, differing from any of thekind I had ever seen before. 

Above this island we pursued a general West-South-West direction; but toour great mortification there was water for the yawl only four milesfurther. In the gig I was able to ascend nearly two miles higher in aSouth-West by South direction. Our position was then nine milesSouth-West 1/2 West from the mouth in a direct line; but thrice thatdistance by the meandering course of the inlet through this vast level. The width had decreased from three hundred yards at the entrance toscarcely one hundred, and the depth from two fathoms to a quarter. Thebanks were, at intervals fringed with mangroves, the country behind beingvery open plains, with patches of dwarf gums scattered here and there. 

DUCKS, PIGEONS, ETC. 

The brown whistling wood-ducks were in great abundance at the yawl'sfurthest; and in three shots I bagged twenty. The native companions werealso numerous, of two kinds, one with black on the back, and the other, which kept more on the plain, of a blue or slate colour. Pigeons, too, were abundant; and the rare large brown rail was frequently observed atlow-water, running along the edge of the mangroves, too wary, however, asbefore, to be shot. There were few alligators seen; and the only fishcaught was the catfish, common in the Adelaide and Victoria Rivers. Wherethe yawl lay the bank was clear, forming cliffs ten feet high, in whichno stone or rock was found; neither had we seen any before. 

ARRANGE FOR A PEDESTRIAN EXCURSION. 

In the evening and early part of the night observations were made for ourposition. * A party was also arranged for a pedestrian excursion in themorning, as I was determined on seeing a few miles more of the interiorthan it was our good fortune to have obtained by water conveyance. I hadordered a gun to be fired in the evening to inform Mr. Fitzmaurice andhis party of the ship's position; and we distinctly heard it booming overthe plain, for the first time awakening the echoes to the sounds ofwarfare peculiar to civilized man. May many years elapse ere they be oncemore roused by the voice of cannon fired with a less peaceful intent!

(*Footnote. Latitude 17 degrees 42 minutes 55 seconds South, longitude 7degrees 42 minutes 30 seconds East of Port Essington. )

July 25. 

The first grey streaks of the morning were scarcely visible in thehorizon, ere my party were scrambling up the eastern bank, eager topenetrate where no European foot had hitherto pressed. After leaving theinlet some distance behind, we took a South 1/2 East direction. Themorning was deliciously cool for our purpose, the temperature being 56degrees; and there was a most delightful elasticity in the air, quite inunison with the buoyant spirits that sustained us, as we stepped out overwhat we felt to be untrodden ground. 

APPEARANCE OF THE COUNTRY. 

It had often before been my lot to be placed in a similar position, and Ihave necessarily, therefore, given expression already to identicalsentiments; but I cannot refrain from again reminding the reader how farinferior is the pleasure of perusing the descriptions of new lands, especially when attempted by an unskilled pen, to that which the explorerhimself experiences. All are here on an equal footing; the most finishedwriter and the most imperfect scribbler are on the same level; they areequally capable of the exquisite enjoyment of discovery, they are equallysusceptible of the feelings of delight that gush upon the heart as everyforward step discloses fresh prospects, and brings a still more newhorizon, if I may so speak, to view. And it may be added, that to theproduction of the emotions I allude to, beauty of landscape is scarcelynecessary. We strain forward incited by curiosity, as eagerly over anuntrodden heath, or untraversed desert, as through valleys of surpassingloveliness, and amid mountains of unexplored grandeur; or perhaps, Ishould say, more eagerly, for there is nothing on which the mind canrepose, nothing to tempt it to linger, nothing to divert the current ofits thoughts. Onward we move, with expectation at its highest, led by theirresistible charm of novelty, almost panting with excitement, even whenevery step seems to add certainty to the conviction that all that isbeyond resembles all that has been seen. In the present case, with theexception of a clump of trees to the southward, there was nothing tobreak the vast level that stretched before us, its rim sharply definedagainst the morning sky. Here and there a charred stump, the relic ofsome conflagration, reared its blackened face, serving to keep us in thedirection we had taken at starting, which was over a rich alluvial soil, that seemed to hold out a promise of a future brilliant destiny to thispart of the continent. A partially dry lagoon communicating with anotherthat was wet, to the eastward, and with a slight drain from the inlet tothe westward, was crossed at the distance of four miles, when thedirection we pursued was changed to South by West and a mile further wegained the raised patch of woodland already mentioned, where we put up asmall light-coloured kangaroo. Descending from this we entered a lowplain, the northern part of which is evidently at times under water. Itis five miles across, surrounded with trees of small and open growth. Continuing over a clayey soil till we had made six miles from the boats, we turned off to the eastward, for the wood on that side, distant twomiles, with the hope of getting a better view of the country around fromthe top of a tree; but there was nothing for my eager eyes to wander overbut alternate plain and patches of stunted wood, stretching away inunbroken monotony on every side. The furthest we saw of this new countrywas in latitude 17 degrees 55 minutes South. It was with great reluctancethat we turned our backs on a route so direct to the interior of thecontinent, now comparatively a proximate point; and the tide of animalspirits that flowed so high during our advance to the southward ebbedrapidly as soon as the retreat commenced; and our return appearedwearisome. 

We now varied our track, and traced the head of the inlet, where we sawthe smokes of the natives and heard them shouting to each other, thoughthey did not come in sight; the prints of their feet also seemed quiterecent. Near the partially dry lagoon a small freshwater lake was found, and the only rock formation yet seen; it was a sand and ironstone. Abouttwo miles south of the boats we discovered another freshwater lake, literally alive with waterfowl, whose varied colours contrastedcharmingly with the bright verdure of the banks that seemed to repose onthe silent waters, and were reflected on its glassy surface, now and thendisturbed by the birds as they winged their way from one part to theother. Spoonbills and ibises, some white and some glossy rifle-green, andtwo kinds of a small grey duck, seen once only before on the Victoria, are among those worth enumerating. In the afternoon we got back to theboats. I may here mention, that as in Van Diemen's Inlet, the waterappeared to be less salt at low tide. 

RETURN TO THE SHIP. 

July 26. 

At daylight the boats moved off on their return; and soon after the sun'sbright orb had sunk into the same vast dead level from which it rose, wereached the entrance. Being anxious that the surgeon should see Mr. Gore's hand, I sent the gig on with him to the ship; next morning, as wecrossed the bar, he rejoined us, and I was very happy to find theablution in brandy had been of great service to his wound. 

After leaving Disaster Inlet, the coast was examined to the eastward, andat the distance of fifteen miles, in an East 5 degrees South direction, we came to a projection that we called Middle Point. The shore betweenfell back, forming a bight three miles deep, in latitude 17 degrees 44minutes South, the most southern shore of the Gulf. A growth of mangrovesprevented our landing at high-water, and at low, soft mud flat frontedthe shore for the distance of a mile and more. Five miles from DisasterInlet there was a small creek; with others, three, four, and six mileswestward of Middle Point. 

MORNING INLET. 

Two miles south-east of it was another opening of more importance, almostforming a channel quite through the flat at the entrance, which extendedthree miles off the north-west side of Middle Point. I named this MorningInlet, from the time at which I entered it; and after proceeding a milein a southerly direction landed for observations, just within themangroves that fringe the entire coast. My view of the interior was verylimited: for some distance were patches of bare mud, whitened with a saltincrustation, which appeared the character of the country immediatelybehind the mangroves; afterwards it rose into plains, on which smallgum-trees were to be seen in the distance. 

From Morning Inlet the coast was slightly waving and trended East 20degrees North. At the end of twelve miles we found a little opening onthe south-east side of a small point which concealed the boats from twonatives, who were out on the mud flats, till we got close to them. Theygazed for a moment at the strange apparition, and then made off as fastas the nature of the ground would admit; they were quite naked, and wewere not a little amused to see them floundering through the soft mud. Close to the westward of this opening are two clumps of tall mangroves, the only remarkable objects on the shore of the Gulf from Disaster Inlet. There was another small inlet four miles further on; and what isremarkable for this neighbourhood, a sandy beach midway between them. 

EXPLORE AN OPENING. 

On the evening of the 28th we entered a large and promising opening, *distant twenty-one miles from Morning Inlet; its importance was mademanifest by its forming a channel of two feet at low-water through theflat at the entrance, which it threw out considerably. 

(*Footnote. The mouth is in latitude 17 degrees 36 minutes 40 secondsSouth, and longitude 8 degrees 27 minutes 0 seconds East of PortEssington. )

The boats proceeded up the opening at daylight on the 29th; our hopeswere considerably raised by finding a depth of three and, in some places, five fathoms, and a width of about a hundred and twenty yards. The bankswere, as usual, lined with mangroves; behind which, on the eastern side, retreated vast plains, with trees of some size scattered over them. Theyextend to the coast eastward of the entrance, which is sandy for somedistance, with casuarinae, acacias, and small gums, which was not only apleasing change from the monotonous mangrove shore, but had also itsutility, serving to show the mouth of the opening from the offing. 

We pursued a general South-South-East direction, though from thewindings, and the tide being against us, our progress was slow; and atthe end of eleven miles were obliged to wait its changing. Here we landedin the mouth of a small creek at the end of a clear bank on the easternside; the opposite one also began to wear the same character, and oureyes therefore were permitted to wander over an immense extent of verylevel open grassy country, dotted with clumps of trees. 

The tides changing only twice in twenty-four hours presented a greatimpediment to our exploration, and it was evening before we could againmove onwards. 

AUSTRALIAN CUCKOO. 

Whilst waiting the tide, the note of a bird resembling the cuckoo brokethe deep stillness that prevailed. It was evening; all around was calm:the wide extended plain dimly stretching away on every side, the watersas they imperceptibly swelled between the curving banks, the heavens inwhich the last rays of the sun still lingered, gilding the few cloudsthat hovered near the horizon. A pleasing sadness stole over the heart asthese familiar sounds--the note of this Australian cuckoo, if I mayventure to name a bird from its voice--floated through the tranquil air. Recollections of the domestic hearth, and the latticed window shaded withvines and honeysuckles, and the distant meadows, and glades, andwoodlands, covered with the bursting buds of spring; and--pervading alland giving a charm to all--the monotonous but ever welcome and thrillingnote of the cuckoo sounding afar off: recollections of all these things, I say, rushed o'er each fancy, and bore us for a moment back inimagination to our island home. 

DISCOVERY OF FLINDERS RIVER. 

The more rapid flow of the tide and the announcement that there was nowsufficient water for the boats to proceed, broke our reverie; and we weresoon once more cleaving the moonlit reach. I may here mention that thisbird, and another with a more mournful cry, the same before spoken of upthe Victoria River, were heard again at eventide. 

Avoiding a large shoal, which threatened to arrest our further progress, by a narrow channel close to the west bank, we continued to pursue theupward course of this inlet or river--we were yet uncertain what to callit--in a general southerly direction; though the reaches were singularlytortuous, resembling the folds of a snake. The depth was now only aboutone fathom, and our progress was much impeded by banks; but by thefriendly aid of the moon we were able to proceed, and many of the suddenbends were revealed by the silvery stream of light it shed over the stillwaters as they lay between banks now overhung by mangrove thickets, nowreceding in plains dotted with gloomy clumps of gumtrees, as far as theeye, from our low position and by the imperfect light afforded, couldreach. As we advanced, the measured plash of the oars frightened fromtheir roosting places in the trees, a huge flock of screeching vampires, that disturbed for a time the serenity of the scene by their discordantnotes; and a few reaches further up, noisy flights of our old friends, the whistling-ducks, greeted our ears. Their presence and cries werehailed with delight, not exactly because they gave rise to any romanticassociations, but because they promised to recruit our victuallingdepartment, which had not been supplied with such dainties since leavingDisaster Inlet. Had our taste resembled that of some of the natives ofthe western coast of Africa, the vampires would have answered ourpurpose. 

The yawl grounding repeatedly, occasioned so much delay, that afterproceeding seven miles I pushed on with the gig alone. Our course wasstill South by East and the reaches were less crooked. Four miles furtherwe were delighted to find our progress rendered hazardous by sunkentrees, so much so indeed, that I was most reluctantly obliged to wait afew hours for daylight. There could now no longer be a doubt that we werein a river, and I immediately embraced the opportunity of gratifying myearnest and heartfelt desire of paying the promised tribute to ourscientific predecessor; and accordingly named this, our first discovery, after him, The Flinders. 

As soon as the blackened heads of the fallen trees, evidences of howfierce a torrent had borne them hither, could be discerned, we proceeded. The reaches became again tortuous, but we still made some progress. Themangroves were no longer to be seen fringing the banks with their gardenshrubbery appearance. In a broad easterly reach, some natives wereburning the country close to the west bank, but they did not showthemselves. At the end of it the river expanded into a beautiful sheet ofwater a quarter of a mile in width, though only three feet deep. 

ACCIDENT TO THE BOAT. 

Some low grassy islets were scattered here and there, reposing in emeraldverdure on the surface of the stream, which was reverting under theinfluence of the tide, towards its source, and now hurried the boat sorapidly through a narrow channel between the west side of a large islandand a low line of earthy cliffs, as to carry her foul of a submerged treeand half fill and almost capsize her. In order to ascertain the extent ofthe damage, we landed on a small sandy beach, in which was the freshprint of a native's foot; but we neither heard nor saw him or hiscompanions, although columns of smoke from their fires stole upwardsthrough the calm still air on all sides. A fine sheet of water now laybefore us, trending southwards for upwards of two miles, with a width ofabout a quarter; and it was with increasing interest and anxiety that wepulled up it. 

APPEARANCE OF THE RIVER. 

Passing a line of cliffs, twenty feet high, the banks became green andgrassy, descending with an almost imperceptible slope into the stream, and blending with their vivid reflections so as to render it difficult todetermine where was the point of contact. It seemed as if we were glidingthrough an indefinite expanse of limpid water reposing between two vastplains, that here rose higher than we had before seen the land on thispart of the continent. 

Hurrying on with a still favourable tide, but at a rate much too slow forour impatience, we passed two other small grassy islets, and a third wasbefore us. The eastern bank had become steep, overhanging, and clothedwith a mass of luxuriant creepers; whilst on the opposite side was a lowwoody patch, partly immersed by the lake-like glassy water of the river, into which one slender tree dipped its feathery crest, appearing likeanother Narcissus, to admire its own beauty in the stream. In front, theeye could penetrate far down the reach hemmed in as it was by trees thatclustered thick on the water's brink. 

NATIVE BURIAL TREE. 

To the right was what might be called an open glade; in the midst of itrose a tree the branches of which were laden with a most singular lookingbundle or roll of pieces of wood. Struck with its appearance, we restedon our oars to observe it;* but scarcely had we done so, when from apoint higher up, that appeared to divide the river into two branches, rose a thick volume of smoke that soon filled the air, as if a huge blackcloud had lighted on the earth in that direction. We endeavoured toproceed in order to satisfy our curiosity, but a rocky ledge extendingacross the river arrested our further progress at this time of the tide. Landing, accordingly, I advanced for nearer inspection, towards the hugebundle of sticks before mentioned. It seemed almost like the nest of somenew bird, and greatly excited my curiosity. As I approached a mostunpleasant smell assailed me; and on climbing up to examine it narrowly, I found that it contained the decaying body of a native. 

(*Footnote. See the view annexed. )

Within the outer covering of sticks was one of net, with an inner one ofthe bark of the papyrus tree enveloping the corpse. According to thesingular practice of uncivilized people, of providing for the wants ofthose who have nothing more to do with earthly things, some weapons weredeposited with the deceased in this novel kind of mortuary habitation;and a little beyond was a rill of water. 

There was an air of loneliness in the spot, perfectly in keeping with thefeelings this strange discovery naturally called forth; and from the fewrecent signs of the natives, it would appear that here, as in other partsof the continent, spots where the dead lie are kept sacred. Some darkbrown and black hawks were perched on the trees near, looking like somany mutes stationed to show respect to the departed; but theirintentions were of a different character, as they were waiting, Iimagine, for some friendly gust of wind to shake off the covering of thedeceased. 

EXTENSIVE CONFLAGRATION. 

While we were making these observations, the conflagration on the pointabove continued to rage with great fury; and I have no doubt that it waskindled in order to attract our attention and prevent us from visitingthis sacred spot. Though we saw not the form of a living being, I ampersuaded that the eyes of the natives were upon us, and that our everymovement was watched. The method they adopted to lure us away from theneighbourhood of the dead was simple and ingenious, and might have provedsuccessful had not the interposing ledge of rocks prevented our furtherprogress. To effect their purpose they must have burnt up a very largespace, as the smoke that arose obscured all that quarter of the heavens. We observed also that the ground about the burial tree had been submittedto the flames, as if to keep away the few kangaroos that visit this spot. 

This singular mode of disposing of the dead among the aborigines ofAustralia, extends to the banks of the Murray River, on the south coast, as we learn from Mr. Eyre's vivid narrative; and as we know that itexists in New Guinea, we may fairly infer that so far we can trace themigration of the population of the fifth division of the globe. *

(*Footnote. It is a curious circumstance to observe that the same customprevailed among the ancient Scythians, as we learn from Mr. St. John'sHistory of the Manners and Customs of the Ancient Greeks volume 3 page345. )

REMARKS ON NATIVE RITES. 

I have always considered that Eastern and Western Australia wereoriginally separated by the sea; and that when they were thus separated(which the narrow space, and as I conjecture, lowness of the countrybetween the Gulf of Carpentaria and Lake Torrens fully bears out) thehabits of what is now the northern side of the continent found their wayto the southern. It is true I have in another place conjectured, that incases where similar habits are found to prevail at widely distant points, they may be looked upon as relics of a former universal state of things, now preserved only in particular localities; yet without invalidatingthis general rule, I think that the facts of the mode of burial I havedescribed, and likewise the rite of circumcision, existing in the bottomof the Gulf of Carpentaria, and on the south side of the continent, strongly support the opinion that there once existed water communicationbetween them. 

However this may be, the discovery we had made highly interested thewhole party, and suggested the name of Burial Reach for that part of theriver. Knowing, or at least feeling, that we were narrowly watched bythose into whose territories we had penetrated, I did not venture farinland. In the few miles traversed there was little of interest, exceptthat we felt the pleasure which almost surpasses that created by beautyof scenery, of traversing a country totally new to the European. It isastonishing how charming mere plains covered with clumps of trees appearunder such circumstances. But this feeling can be enjoyed but once; forit is the explorer alone who can either experience or deserve it. 

This part of the country, though to all appearance equally level with anyother, was higher, and may perhaps have attained to the elevation ofthirty-five feet above the level of the sea. Over the plains werescattered flocks of beautiful rose-coloured cockatoos, several of which Ishot; they were precisely the same as those on the southern parts of thecontinent. 

Beyond Burial Reach the river separates into two branches, one taking aneasterly and the other a southerly direction; but neither of them, unfortunately, was it at that time in my power to explore. Here we again, for the second time only, met with a rocky formation: it was of a redferruginous character. Our furthest position on the Flinders was inlatitude 17 degrees 51 minutes South in a general South by East 1/2 Eastdirection from the entrance, nearly thirty miles by the distance theboats had traversed. 

MOVE DOWN THE RIVER. 

After noon observations, the gig moved down the river. On passing thelarge island, I shot an animal resembling a water-rat, of largedimensions, particularly expanded across the loins, with stout hind legsand palmated feet, of a light slate colour and soft fine hair approachingfur, the colour gradually becoming lighter under the abdomen; the headwas flatter than that of the usual tribe of water-rats, and resembled anotter. *

(*Footnote. There is a species of water-rat inhabiting the coast ofAustralia, called Hydromys chrysogaster; but this was the first time wemet with anything like it. )

RETURN TO THE SHIP. 

It was not until long after dark that we reached the mouth, where, meeting the yawl, both boats ran out of the river on their return to theship, distant thirty-three miles. The prevalence of light winds made itnoon before we got on board, when I found that in consequence of thetides approaching the springs and falling 12 instead of 6 feet, it hadbeen necessary to move the ship farther off. 

During our absence light winds had prevailed; on several days land andseabreezes. The cessation of strong southerly winds kept the temperatureabout 60 degrees. Mr. Fitzmaurice had returned and gave the followingaccount of his examination. 

MR. FITZMAURICE'S EXPLORATION. 

Commencing at Mr. Forsyth's furthest, he found the southerly trend of thecoast change in the course of nine miles to the eastward, forming a largeshoal bay, which at low-water had a mud flat extending off nearly twomiles. The east point of this bay, named Point Tarrant, * I had seen fromthe south-east end of Sweers Island, bearing South 17 degrees Westeighteen miles. It is rendered remarkable by a slight rise in the landbehind it, forming low mounds or hillocks. Two miles to the westward Mr. Fitzmaurice discovered an inlet, which he followed a league in a generalsouth-west direction, when it had in no way lost the promising appearanceit possessed from its breadth at the mouth, which was further increasedby the manner in which the bank was thrown out off it. 

(*Footnote. After one of the officers who had shared all the hard work, apractice generally adopted. )

Nine miles further westward were two other small openings. Mr. Fitzmaurice's exploration terminated seventeen miles South 56 degreesEast from Point Tarrrant, where another inlet was found of still greatermagnitude and importance. The coast between fell back slightly, formingtwo shallow bights with the usual low monotonous mangrove shores, andextensive frontage of mud. At the distance of six and ten miles fromPoint Tarrant were two other inlets, the latter of which was large andreceived Mr. Pasco's name. It was examined for a short distance in aSouth by West direction, and presented the usual low banks lined withmangroves. Near the entrance a native came down to the shore to look atthe boat; he was very tall and quite naked, and would not allow our partyto approach. 

CHAPTER 2. 9. GULF OF CARPENTARIA. 

Boat expedition. Explore an opening. Discovery of the Albert. Natives. Picturesque Scenery. Hope Reach. Birds and Fishes. Upper Branch. Beauty of the Landscape. Land excursion. The Plains of Promise. Halt the party and proceed alone. Description of the country. Return down the Albert. Mouth of River. Arrive at Van Diemen's Inlet. Find Mr. Fitzmaurice severely wounded. General result of the survey of the Gulf. Winds and Temperature. Booby Island. Endeavour Strait. Reach Port Essington. 

ANOTHER BOAT EXPEDITION. 

Mr. Fitzmaurice reported so favourably of the last opening he discovered, bearing West by South fifteen miles from the ship, that I determined onmaking up a party to explore it, while another expedition, consisting ofthe yawl and whaleboat, was to examine the coast to the eastward fromFlinders River to Van Diemen's Inlet. My party, including Lieutenant Goreand Messrs. Forsyth and Dring, left the ship with the gig and the otherwhaleboat on the evening of the day we returned from the Flinders. 

The prospect that lay before us raised our spirits to the highest; andthe weather, clear, cool, and bracing, could not have been morefavourable, the temperature being 60 degrees. The ripples rolled rapidly, expanding from the boat's bows over the glassy smooth surface of thewater, whilst the men stretched out as if unconscious of the exertion ofpulling, every one of them feeling his share of the excitement. From thewestern sky the last lingering rays of the sun shot athwart the wave, turning it, as it were, by the alchemy of light into a flood of gold. Overhead, the cope of heaven was gradually growing soberer in hue fromthe withdrawal of those influences which lately had warmed and brightenedit; but in the west a brilliant halo encircled the declining ruler of theday. In these latitudes the sunset is as brief as it is beautiful. Nightrapidly came on, and presently the masts of the ship could no longer bediscerned, and we were pursuing our way in darkness towards the mouth ofthe opening. 

After vainly endeavouring to get over the bank extending off the mouth ofthe opening, in the dark, we anchored the boats outside. The awnings werespread, and the kettle for our evening's meal was soon hissing over ablazing fire. Of all things tea is the most refreshing after a day offatigue; there is nothing that so soon renovates the strength, and cheersthe spirits; and on this occasion especially, we experienced a dueportion of its invigorating effects. Grog was afterwards served out, pipes and cigars were lighted, the jest was uttered, the tale went round;some fished, though with little success; and the officers busiedthemselves with preparations for the morrow's work. But all things mustend; the stories at length flagged; the fishermen grew tired; and gettinginto our blanket bags, with a hearty good night, we resigned ourselves, with the exception of the look-out, to the arms of slumber. 

EXPLORE AN OPENING. 

July 30. 

The morning broke with a strong breeze from South-South-East and althoughthe temperature was not below 52 degrees, we were all shivering withcold. Soon after daylight we entered the opening, which for three mileswas almost straight, in a South by West direction, with a width of twohundred yards, and a depth of from 2 1/2 to 5 fathoms. The banks werefringed with mangroves, behind which stretched extensive mud flats, whichfrom being encrusted with salt and glistening in the sun were mistaken atfirst for sheets of water. 

The inlet now became slightly tortuous, pursuing a general South-West bySouth direction; but the width being greater our hopes rose as weproceeded. Eight miles from the mouth two islands were passed, and twoothers four miles further on. The breadth at this point was nearly amile, but the depth was scarcely two fathoms; one less than we had beforefound it. The above-mentioned islets, one of which was of some size, layat the upper end of a reach, trending south, where this inlet or river, as we anxiously hoped it would prove to be, divided into two branches, one continuing in a southerly direction, and the other turning short offto the westward. 

EXAMINE THE SOUTHERN BRANCH. 

Though the latter had a greater volume of water passing through it thanthe other, I still, from the direction and size of the south arm, decidedon ascending it first. For some distance the banks had been less fringedwith mangroves, leaving clear patches covered with coarse grass. Thetrees on the side of the first reach in the southerly arm were laden withthe snowy plumage of a large flock of cockatoos. After proceeding aboutfive miles further we rested a few hours, continuing again soon aftermidnight. As the tides run twelve hours each way, it was necessary thatwe should take advantage of the favourable stream, whatever might be thehour, though this plan kept the men for a very long time together at theoars. 

The general direction we pursued was still south, for six miles by thewindings of the stream, which was so reduced in breadth and volume, as tobe scarcely a hundred yards wide, and not a fathom deep. There was nowlittle hope that it would lead into fresh water, although, from thenumber of trials that were made, I am sure there was salt water enoughdrunk to have physicked a whole village. 

APPEARANCE OF THE COUNTRY. 

The banks were still of the same monotonous character. In one of thereaches I was fortunate enough to shoot a specimen of the large warybrown-coloured rail I have before mentioned. From this, the only oneobtained, it has been described as Eulabeornis castaneoventris. It isdoubtless the bird called by the Port Essington natives, Morduggera, theeggs only of which were found there, the bird itself not having beenseen. They were equal in size to those of a guineafowl, of a dirty white, finely speckled with reddish brown. 

Our course now changed to south-west, and as the width and tortuousnessbegan to decrease--a sure indication that the country was rising--we soonmade another six miles. But after this the boats could no furtherproceed--the inlet, in short, having become a mere ditch at low-water. The head of a large alligator was found on the bank near the upper part;where might be seen an occasional acacia mingled with the mangroves. Behind, the country was very open, consisting of plains covered withcoarse grass, interspersed with patches of dwarf gums. About seven milesin an East by North direction the country was thickly wooded, andappeared to be a little higher--the only interruption to the levelmonotony of the portion of the continent by which we were surrounded. Thesoil was of a light brown colour void of sand, and of considerable depth. 

Nothing now remained but to retrace our steps and try the other branch;and as our want of success in this case rather heightened our expectationwe hurried back with some rapidity. It was dark before we reached thepoint of separation, where the boat's crew regaled themselves on somelarge brown hawks, in the absence of better fowl. There was this eveninga beautiful eclipse of the moon. The temperature had again fallen to 60degrees; at noon it was 87 degrees; and at four A. M. 52 degrees. 

August 1. 

As time and tide wait for no man we were obliged to move off at one inthe morning. The earth's shadow having passed over the moon, the palelight of her full orb fell in a silvery stream on the tortuous reaches, as the waters swelled in silence between the growth of mangroves fringingthe banks. 

DISCOVERY OF THE ALBERT. 

At the end of three miles in a West by South direction, nearly double bythe windings, we passed an island on the left. The depth at low-water, sofar, being nearly 2 fathoms, and the width about 250 yards, promisedwell. Water-tasting had now become rather out of fashion. However, it sohappened that one of the whaler's crew put his hand over, and gave us thedelightful news that the stream was quite fresh! A general tastingfollowed, each being anxious to get the first draught of the water of ournew-found river; and the agreeable intelligence was confirmed. Of theimportance of our discovery there could now no longer be any doubt, andthe exhilarating effect it produced on all was quite magical, every armstretching out as if the fatigue they had experienced had suddenly passedaway. 

There could be little difficulty in finding a name for our new discovery. We had already called two rivers, explored by the Beagle's officers, theVictoria and the Adelaide; and we were glad of such an opportunity ofagain showing our loyalty to Her Majesty, by conferring the name of hernoble consort upon this important stream; it was accordingly christenedThe Albert. 

The boats now glided rapidly onwards, and West by North another milebrought us to three islands, which we passed on the right; after landingfor observations, with the stars Achernar and Aldebaran, at some earthycliffs ten feet high on the left bank. The river now wound round a pointto the westward, three-quarters of a mile wide; in the first bend wepassed four islands on the right, with a creek on either side, andtowards the end of the next, two more on the left. 

CHANGE IN THE VEGETATION. 

August 2. 

Daylight now burst upon us with tropical rapidity. The banks had assumeda very different appearance; the monotonous mangroves had given place togumtrees and acacias, which drooped over the stream, partly concealing arich growth of large flags. This change in the character of the foliagewas not only in itself a relief, but evinced that we had at length, insome sort, escaped the influence of the sea, and that we were in realitypenetrating towards the interior of the continent. 

Our course was now North-West 1/2 West for a mile and a half, with anincrease in the width, and a depth of nine feet. Here we found the riversuddenly turn round to the southward and eastward, bringing us backwithin five hundred yards of where we started from, which was one mileWest by South 1/2 South from the morning's observation spot. Brownwhistling wood-ducks now made their appearance, and being unaccustomed toman and his destructive weapons, allowed us to revel in wildfowl for somedays afterwards. 

PROCEED UP THE ALBERT. 

The morning sun was hailed with delight, as sitting cramped up in a boat, with the unusually low temperature of 53 degrees made us very chilly, andbrought flushing jackets and trousers into great request, whilst inmidday the light clothing natural to the latitude was sufficient. Wefound the tides rise here four feet, and both flood and ebb ran from oneto two knots. After following a reach, trending South-East 1/2 East amile, with a string of islets in the upper part, our westerly progressbecame more rapid and direct, and with the exception of one bend to thenorthward we made three miles in a West-South-West direction. 

But we were once more doomed to be interrupted by the sudden turning ofthe river short off to the northward, when it wound round a point a milelong, and a quarter wide, the extremity of which is low and sandy, acharacter only this once observed in the Albert; on the opposite sidewere cliffs thirty feet high. 

NATIVES. 

Near the sandy point we observed some fires; and on our return, bycrawling up the bank, I got a peep at a small party of natives engagedintently in digging for the esculent called warran. As they were few innumbers our abrupt appearance would have too much terrified them to leaveany chance of an interview; and we accordingly did not disturb them, butcontented ourselves with watching their movements for a while. Thespectacle was an interesting one. Both men and women were engaged indelving for their food, whilst a little beyond a few more were burningthe bush, and looking out for game and snakes. It does not often fall tothe lot of the white man to behold the wild people of the earth, engagedin their daily avocations, completely unconscious that the gaze of asuperior class of beings is upon them. We have seen savages exhibited tous professedly in all the simplicity of the woods; but how can thechildren of nature retain their freedom of action and manners under thecurious gaze of a civilized multitude? We may depend upon it that wegather nothing but erroneous ideas from such a display. If we wouldunderstand, truly, what our savage brethren are like, we must penetrateinto the woods and the wilds where they are to be found; we must minglewith them in the exercise of their domestic avocations; we must see themas they are, in all their excusable degradation; and not invested with afictitious dignity, or a theatrical simplicity; we must observe them, also, unawares, and see how they conduct themselves under the ordinaryinfluences that beset them. 

It was with great reluctance that I departed without making our presenceknown; but I could not refrain from leaving, at the place where welanded, the perplexing legacy of a few presents. With what curiousanxiety must these people have traced our footmarks, from which alonethey could gather evidence that we belonged to a different race!

After making two miles in a south and nearly three in a west direction, with but few interruptions from windings, we opened a splendid sheet ofwater, trending South-West 1/2 South. A mile back I had found, in acrooked reach, some native huts, built of sticks and neatly plasteredover, with doors so narrow that none of our broad-shouldered fellowscould enter. 

At this place we saw the last whistling-ducks on our way up; further on, other species, to be hereafter mentioned, were found. A large alligatoralso afforded us sport, although we did not secure him. 

PICTURESQUE SCENERY. 

The country was gradually becoming perceptibly higher, and the sceneryextremely picturesque. Tall palm-trees and bamboos were now to be seenamong the rich foliage on the lower slope of the banks, that rose here toan elevation of fifty feet, and were much intersected with watercourses. Onwards we hurried; the influence of the tide being scarcely felt, andthe river preserving its South-West 1/2 South direction, with a width oftwo hundred yards, and a depth of two fathoms and a half. At the end ofthree miles no change was perceptible, and we began to congratulateourselves on, at last, having found a stream that would carry the boatsfar towards the point it was always the height of my ambition to reach, the centre of the continent. 

HOPE REACH. 

To this part of the Albert that had given rise to such expectations wegave the name of Hope Reach. A little higher up we landed on the rightbank to cook a meal and examine the country. I shall here attempt, withthe aid of Lieutenant Gore's sketch, * to give the reader some idea of thebeauty of the scene that now presented itself to our anxious gaze. 

(*Footnote. See the view annexed. )

It was in truth as glorious a prospect as could greet the eye. Amagnificent sheet of water lay before us in one unbroken expanse, resembling a smooth translucent lake. Its gentle repose harmonizedexquisitely with the slender motionless boughs of the drooping gums, palms, and acacias, that clustered on the banks, and dipped theirfeathery foliage in the limpid stream, that like a polished mirror bore, within its bosom, the image of the graceful vegetation by which it wasbordered. The report of our guns, as they dealt destruction among thequails that here abounded, rolled for the first time along the waters ofthe Albert, breaking in on the hush of stillness that appeared to reignover all like the presence of a spirit. The country that stretched awayfrom either bank was an extensive plain, covered with long coarse grass, above which was occasionally seen the head of a kangaroo, listening, withits acute ear, for our approach. 

No high land presented itself in any direction, and the eye was onlyrelieved by the growth of trees and shrubs that marked the line of thewatercourses, the natural drains of the country, which had formed deepchannels through the banks. The gumtrees, near the river, were ofconsiderable size, though small on the plains. A light kind of mould ofgreat depth, without a particle of stone of any kind, was the characterof the soil. 

BIRDS AND FISHES. 

One of the boats tried the hooks and lines during our rambles over thecountry, and from the number of catfish and a dark kind of bream that wascaught, we are enabled to state that this part of the Albert abounds withthem. Besides quails, pigeons and a beautiful finch, before seen on theVictoria, are to be numbered among the land birds. Those of the waterconsisted of large brown, and small grey ducks, spoonbills, black andwhite geese, and a dark blue kind of rail, bearing a great resemblance tothe English moor-fowl, that afforded us excellent sport, as they flew outin great numbers from the long flags that border the banks on the upperpart of Hope Reach. We did not see any black swans, neither were theynoticed by us on the north-west coast. I, myself, believe they are not tobe found to the northward of latitude 27 degrees 0 minutes South. Thispart of the river is subject to a tidal influence, producing a slightrise, which takes place about four hours after the time of high-water atthe mouth. 

In our eagerness to proceed we moved off rapidly up the river, after ahasty meal. All beyond was mystery; and it seemed that we were destinedto remain long in suspense; for the day soon closed in, leaving only thepale light of the moon to guide us. The depth continued regular, at twoand a half fathoms, and the width two hundred yards. We hastened onwards;the night scenery being almost more beautiful than the day. The heavensseemed more deep, the water more glittering, the trees more graceful andfeathery; and here and there a tall palm reared its thin and spectralform above the dense foliage through which the moonlight broke atintervals, and fell, as it were, in showers of silver on the placidwaters. 

Nearly seven miles had been traversed in the same South-West 1/2 Southdirection, when our hopes of proceeding further were suddenly for a timedestroyed, by the appearance of a dense woody mass ahead. A littlefurther on, the moon peering through the matted foliage showed one branchof the river turning off to the southward, whilst another, in the mouthof which we found ourselves, trended west. The lead giving the greatdepth of six fathoms, we were induced to follow the latter. Utterdarkness soon surrounded us; the trees, on either side, over-shadowingthe river, which in this branch was not eighty yards wide. 

PROGRESS IMPEDED. 

Our progress, also, at length began to be impeded by fallen or sunkentrees, which not only rendered the ascent dangerous, but at the end ofabout two miles fairly brought us to a standstill, and forbade ourfurther advance. This detention was a bitter disappointment to us all, and we crept into our blanket-bags with disgust, but with the hope thatin the morning a passage might still be found. 

August 4. 

Daylight brought no better hopes of our taking the boats higher up bythis branch, as a succession of large trees lay across it a quarter of amile above. It was a gloomy corner we had got into, and so sheltered thatit seemed as though a breath of wind had never swept through it; theleaves of the low-spreading palms that drooped over the water, damp withthe morning dew, had unbroken edges, as if an eternal quietude hadpervaded the spot. 

BEAUTY OF THE LANDSCAPE. 

This triste appearance wore off as the sun rose, and the scenery underhis smiles was soon clothed with beauty. Trees with every variety offoliage overhung each other, connected, as it were, by bowers of creepersdepending in festoons and concealing odd-shaped fragments of fallentimber, which here and there reared their blackened heads out of thewater, the unruffled smoothness of which was occasionally disturbed bythe splash of some wildfowl, and chequered with alternate spots of goldand gloom by the sun's rays, as they pierced through the densesurrounding foliage. 

Returning, we entered the south branch; the opening of which was almostequal in beauty, as the reader will perceive from the view in thebeginning of the first volume; but we were again stopped by fallen treesafter proceeding about a mile and a half. 

Here we observed driftwood and rushes in the trees, fifteen feet aboveour heads. It was now quite clear that all hopes of water carriagetowards the interior were at an end. The boats were at this time abovefifty miles from the entrance, and our provisions only admitting of theremainder of this day being spent in land exploration, a party wasimmediately selected for this service. 

LAND EXCURSION. 

Following up a short woody valley, on reaching the summit of the level aview burst upon me, the nature of which the reader may learn from theaccompanying plate. A vast boundless plain lay before us, here and theredotted over with woodland isles. Whilst taking the bearings of one ofthese to guide us in the direction we were to steer, I sent a man up atree to have a further view; but nothing beyond an extension of the plainwas to be seen. The river could be traced to the southward by a wavingline of green trees; the latter were larger at this spot than in anyother part, and consisted of tall palms, and three kinds of gums. Notrace of the western branch could be discovered. 

Time being, as I have before said, very precious, we moved off in aSouth-South-East direction, at the rate of almost four miles an hour, inspite of the long coarse grass lying on the ground and entangling ourlegs. 

THE PLAINS OF PROMISE. 

The soil* was still a light-coloured mould of great depth, and accordingto one so well qualified to judge as Sir W. Hooker, who kindly examinedsome that I brought to England, is of a rich quality, confirming theopinion I entertained of it, which suggested for this part of thecontinent, the name of The Plains of Promise. 

(*Footnote. My immediate visit to Port Essington afforded me anopportunity of comparing the qualities of the two soils; and the resultwas that the richest land I saw there, in spite of the aid of manure, etc. Was very inferior to that on the Plains of Promise. )

We were now once more stepping out over a terra incognita; and though noalpine features greeted our eyes as they wandered eagerly over the vastlevel, all was clothed with the charm of novelty. The feelings of delightwhich are naturally aroused in those whose feet for the first time pressa new and rich country, and which I have so often before endeavoured invain to express, burst forth on this occasion with renewed intensity. 

At the end of nearly four miles we turned off to the westward for a riseat a short distance, concealing the line of trees that marked the courseof the river, from which we had been gradually receding. We found it tobe on the opposite side of a watercourse twenty-five feet deep. From itssummit we got a view of the country to the south-west, over the growth oftrees at the margin of the river. *

(*Footnote. See the view annexed. )

On this rise we met an emu, which, after several bad shots, got away fromthe whole of us. This, in some measure was owing to our over-eagerness, as the bird was at first inclined to approach. Proceeding a littlefarther we observed a small lake bearing north half a mile. Attracted bythe beauty of the vernal tints on its borders we went to taste thewaters. On the same refreshing errand was a luckless beautifulslate-coloured egret, which Mr. Gore shot. Holding our west course wemade the river at the end of another mile. Its size was reduced to a mererivulet; being scarcely fifteen yards wide, with a depth of five feet. Yet it had greater velocity than we had before observed, running at therate of a mile an hour, a clear babbling brook, over which, acacias anddrooping gums formed a leafy tunnel; its course was still from the south. 

HALT THE PARTY AND PROCEED ALONE. 

Whilst the rest of the party halted I proceeded, with the freshest man, *in a southerly direction; urged on by what was, perhaps, now theunjustifiable hope of discovering some distant point rising above the farhorizon as a definite result and reward of my exploration. It seemed, however, almost impossible that this same wearisome monotony could longcontinue; and I experienced much of that painful depressing excitementwhich is created by a series of similar impressions when we are longingfor variety. 

(*Footnote. A marine, of the name of John Brown, possessing great powersof endurance. He died in 1845, in a situation I got him under the TrinityHouse, on his obtaining a pension for longservitude. )

We soon gained almost another two miles, when I availed myself of theopportunity to satisfy a second time my ambition of outstripping mycompanions in approaching towards that land of mystery, CentralAustralia. Desiring Brown to make the river abreast, I ran a shortdistance further, when I again met the Albert, flowing on as before, withundiminished size. Even this short distance was something to gain in anew and untrodden country. 

The line of verdure still pointed out the southerly course of the riveracross the endless plain; and it became natural to speculate on itssource or origin; whether it was the drainage of a swamp, or the outletof some lagoon, fed by the Cordillera to the eastward. But to speculationalone was I reduced, it not being permitted me to clear up this point. All I could do was to give one long lingering look to the southwardbefore I returned. In that direction, however, no curling smoke denotedthe presence of the savage; all was lonely and still; and yet even inthese deserted plains, equally wanting in the redundance of animal, as inthe luxuriance of vegetable life, I could discover the rudiments offuture prosperity, and ample justification of the name which I hadbestowed upon them. I gazed around, despite my personal disappointment, with feelings of hopeful gratitude to Him who had spread out so fair adwelling place for his creatures; and could not refrain from breathing aprayer that ere long the now level horizon would be broken by asuccession of tapering spires rising from the many christian hamlets thatmust ultimately stud this country, and pointing through the calm depthsof the intensely blue and gloriously bright skies of Tropical Australia, to a still calmer and brighter and more glorious region beyond, to whichall our sublimest aspirations tend, and where all our holiest desires maybe satisfied. 

The recent formation of this part of the country was very striking. Wemet no rocks during our walk; a porphyritic pebble or two being the onlystones noticed; they were flattened, evidently showing that the water bywhich they were carried had a slow motion, which supports the view I haveput forward in an early page of this volume, with reference to thegradual northerly discharge of the accumulated waters of CentralAustralia. 

EXPLORATION OF THE INTERIOR. 

My position was in latitude 17 degrees 58 1/2 minutes South longitude 7degrees 12 1/2 East of Port Essington, or 139 degrees 25 minutes East ofGreenwich; and within four hundred miles from the centre of thecontinent. What an admirable point of departure for exploring theinterior! A few camels, with skins for conveying water, would be themeans of effecting this great end in a very short time. In one monththese ships of the desert, as they have been appropriately called, mightaccomplish, at a trifling expense, that which has been attempted in vainby the outlay of so much money. When we consider that Australia is ourown continent, and that now, after sixty years of occupation, we are intotal ignorance of the interior, though thousands are annually spent ingeographical research, it seems not unreasonable to expect that soimportant a question should at length be set at rest. 

RETURN DOWN THE ALBERT. 

In the whole continent there exists no point of departure to be comparedwith the head of the Albert. The expedition should, as I have beforeremarked, go to Investigator Road, fulfilling my prediction of theultimate importance of that port, which lies only twenty-seven milesNorth-North-West from the entrance. Here the flat-bottomed boats, takenout in frame, for the purpose of carrying up the camels, should be puttogether, and towed from thence to the river. 

A shout from Brown, who, alarmed at my lengthened absence, had come insearch of me, roused me from the reverie in which I was indulging, andwhich had carried me rolling along on the back of a camel, girded roundwith an anti-pleurisy belt, over many miles of the new lands ofAustralia. Returning with him I rejoined the rest of the party, and weall moved back in the silence that usually succeeds great excitement, towards the boats. Mr. Forsyth having made the necessary observations forlatitude, we were soon following the downward course of the Albert. 

KANGAROO POINT. 

We reached the mouth before daylight on the 6th. This was the coldestmorning we had experienced; the thermometer being at 51 degrees with astrong breeze from South-South-East, which rendered somewhat dangerousthe task of collecting the requisite soundings on the bar at the mouth;the gig being once or twice nearly half filled in doing so. Behind theeastern entrance point, was seen a large light-coloured kangaroo, which, for want of a better, afforded us a name. Our observations refer to thisspot, Kangaroo Point, which they place in latitude 17 degrees 35 minutes10 seconds South and longitude 7 degrees 35 minutes 50 seconds East ofPort Essington. Instead of the usual mangrove shore, the coast to theeastward was sandy; but the most remarkable feature, hereabouts, is aclump of tall mangroves, towering over their fellow evergreens, close tothe western entrance point. They are called in the chart the High Treesof Flinders, having been noticed by that celebrated navigator whilstpassing at a distance from the coast. Bearing South-West 1/2 South theyguide a ship to the bar, which can only be taken at high-water springs, when the depth averages eleven feet. * When the eastern part of this clumpof trees bears South 45 degrees West, and Kangaroo Point South 10 degreesWest the bar will have been passed, and the depth, at the same time oftide, will be seventeen feet; when the bearing of Kangaroo Point, given, leads up the channel, which deepens in a quarter of a mile totwenty-three and soon after to thirty feet. The impetus given to thewater, from the first reach of the Albert, being straight, forces achannel of two miles in extent; with a width of nearly a quarter of amile, growing gradually shallower towards the outer part, and, ultimately, becoming lost in the great flat fronting the shore, which isthrown out in proportion to the length of the channel, beyond which thebar extends for above a mile. Part of its inner side, however, isintersected by a narrow channel of thirteen and seventeen feet; the guidethrough which, is the eastern edge of the clump of trees beforementioned, bearing South 45 degrees West. The Albert is navigable, forvessels of a draught suited to the bar, thirteen miles; and within fiveof where the water is fresh. 

(*Footnote. The tides in the head of the Gulf of Carpentaria appear to bea compound of many others, obliterating the common daily difference, andproducing only one tide in 24 hours. The direction of the flood streamcommences at South-South-East, changing gradually to South-South-West asit terminates; that of the ebb changes from North-West toNorth-North-East. The strength of each is from a quarter to one knot. Therise at springs is from 9 to 12 feet, and at neaps from 3 to 8 feet. )

After observing the latitude, we took advantage of the afternoon's lullto make the best of our way to the ship, which we met underweigh, runningdown towards us; Mr. Parker, the master, having become anxious at ourlengthened absence. 

In the evening and next morning, we got more soundings off the mouth ofthe river; and found that there was only six feet at low-water springs, amile and a quarter outside the bar. We afterwards carried a line alongthe south-eastern shore of the gulf; and at noon, on the 9th, anchoredoff Van Diemen's Inlet, where I had arranged to meet Mr. Fitzmaurice'sparty. 

ACCIDENT TO MR. FITZMAURICE. 

The whaleboat was soon seen hastening from the shore without the yawl, which made us suspect all was not right; and I was much distressed tohear that Mr. Fitzmaurice had been seriously wounded in the ankle by thedischarge of a gun which had gone off within a few yards of it. Mr. Bynoewent on shore immediately to assist in bringing him on board. Theaccident having happened several days ago, and the whole charge of shotbeing buried in his foot, his sufferings were intense. It was thought forsome time that amputation would be necessary; but though this was not thecase, he was maimed for life; for which, in some measure, he has beencompensated by promotion and a pension. By this melancholy accident theservice sustained a great loss, which was at no time felt more than whenit occurred. 

COMPLETION OF THE SURVEY OF SOUTH SHORE OF THE GULF. 

Mr. Fitzmaurice had fortunately, before he was disabled, completed hisexamination of the coast between the Flinders and Van Diemen's Inlet, with his usual praiseworthy activity. On leaving the former he found thatthe shore trended North 47 degrees East, with a large inlet at the end often miles. This was only examined a short distance in a south direction;but from the bank being thrown out six miles from its mouth, with achannel nearly halfway through, it evidently disembogues a large volumeof water, and we may reasonably infer it to be a river. It is named inthe chart Bynoe's Inlet. Seven miles beyond was another inlet, with asandy beach extending for two miles to the south-west of it. Five milesfurther, the trend of the coast changed to North 4 degrees East, continuing almost straight in that direction to Van Diemen's Inlet, distant twenty-five miles; and, with the exception of the first five, issandy throughout. Thirteen miles from Van Diemen's Inlet is an opening ofsome magnitude, near the south entrance point of which are ponds of freshwater. Two and four miles south of it were small openings; and two andseven miles north of it, two others. 

During his excursion Mr. Fitzmaurice had killed one of the rare speciesof kangaroo, seen for the first time by us at King Sound, called Macropusunguifer; this was a somewhat important discovery, as it showed theextent to which the animal is diffused over the continent. I may heremention, that the night before we reached Van Diemen's Inlet a flight ofrose-coloured cockatoos, * several of which were caught and kept alive forsome time, alighted on the rigging. 

(*Footnote. Cacatua eos. )

Thus terminated our exploration of the southern shores of the Gulf ofCarpentaria, nearly two hundred miles of which had been minutely examinedin the boats. * Twenty-six inlets had been discovered, of which two provedto be rivers, whilst three more were nearly as promising. That all theothers may contain fresh water in the rainy season there is every reasonfor supposing, from the fact of deep channels being found in their banks;from what I have already observed regarding the water being less salttowards the heads at low tides; and from the report we afterwards heardat Port Essington that Malay proas occasionally visit the southern shoresof the Gulf, and fill fresh water from alongside, some distance off theland. If we receive this statement as correct, we must suppose that atcertain seasons the discharge from the various inlets and rivers wediscovered is sufficiently powerful to force back the great body ofseawater, as is the case at the embouchures of many large rivers. 

(*Footnote. As the reader will perceive by a glance at the chartaccompanying this work. )

The general appearance of the head of the Gulf is that of a low mangroveshore, between ten and thirty feet high, over which the interior is notvisible from the offing. 

OBSERVATIONS ON THE CLIMATE AND WINDS IN THE GULF. 

During our visit to this part of the continent we found the climate wellsuited for Europeans; but what it might be in the middle of thenorth-west monsoon we had no opportunity of ascertaining. At itscommencement in the month of November, Flinders found the thermometer torange on board between 81 and 90 degrees; but on shore, he says, that inthe course of the day it might have been about seven degrees higher; thetemperature, however, being alleviated by constant breezes either fromsea or land, it was seldom oppressive. In July, as I have already stated, the thermometer, on one occasion, at 5 A. M. , was down to 51 degrees; andon another, at noon, up to 87 degrees, being, in the first instance, sixdegrees lower than it was on board, and in the second, seven degreeshigher, which gave an excess in the shore range of thirteen degrees. Generally on the land it was below 62 degrees before 7 A. M. And after 6P. M. The range of the barometer in November was from 29. 70 to 30. 06;whilst with us, in July, its maximum height was 30. 08, and minimum 30. 02;the lowest being in both seasons with winds from the land, coincidingwith what had been observed on other parts of the continent, that windsfrom the sea raise the mercury, and those from the land depress it. 

The winds in July were fresh from South to South-East for about two daysbefore and after the change in the moon. They began at midnight, increasing to almost a strong breeze between five and six in the morning, and dying away again towards noon, when a calm of five hours durationsucceeded; at other times light land and seabreezes prevailed. 

It will appear from this description of the winds in the Gulf ofCarpentaria that they bear a great similarity to those experienced at thesame season on the North-West coast, near Depuch Island; and thecircumstance of the temperature being lowest when they were strongestfrom the land is also the same. This was there supposed to have beenoccasioned by the great radiation of heat from the land over which theyblew; but as the country at the head of the Gulf of Carpentaria is not ofa cold clayey nature, the idea is naturally suggested that there must bea great extent of swampy ground in the interior, which strengthens theopinion I have before expressed. 

SUPPOSED ISLANDS. 

After hoisting in the boats we shaped a course along the eastern shore ofthe Gulf towards Booby Island. Our being obliged to return thither, for achronometric departure prevented our examining the middle of the upperpart of the Gulf, where, according to certain vague reports, there existislands. It is stated, for example, that after the south-west monsoon hasset in strongly, numbers of coconuts are thrown on the north-west shoreof the Gulf of Carpentaria. In the year 1839, moreover, a small proa wasdriven off the coast of Timor Laut during the north-west monsoon. Thewind blowing hard drifted them to the South-East for three days and threenights, when they came to a low island, with no traces of inhabitants, and abounding in coconut trees, upon the fruit of which they lived untilthe monsoon changed, when they sailed back to Timor Laut. Flinders, whenoff Batavia River, on the North-East side of the Gulf, was led to supposethat an island existed to seaward of him, from seeing some flocks ofgeese coming from that direction one morning. Wilson, also, in his Voyageround the World, speaks of the Macassar people reporting an island in theGulf of Carpentaria, with sandalwood growing on it. 

EXAMINE ENDEAVOUR STRAIT. 

Soon after daylight on the 13th, we anchored under Booby Island, * theflagstaff bearing East-South-East half a mile to the south. The weatherlooked unusually threatening the previous night. Between the observationsfor rating the chronometers I fulfilled my intention of making a cursoryexamination of the entrance of Endeavour Strait, and anchored a mile andthree quarters off the North Wallis Island, bearing South 23 degreesEast. It is a conical rocky isle, upwards of 70 feet high, of a coarsesandstone formation; an extensive coral reef fronts it on all sides, except the north. The result of a night's observations on shore placedthe summit in latitude 10 degrees 51 minutes 25 seconds South; the truebearing of Booby Island was North 22 degrees 13 minutes West. The nativesappear to make a cemetery of this island; for on a small sandy point onthe north side we found a large grave, covered with turtle backs, andcontaining several skeletons. This is a very different mode of burialfrom that noticed in Flinders River. 

(*Footnote. The result of the whole of our observations at this islandare as follows: Latitude of the west point 10 degrees 36 minutes 42seconds South, longitude, 141 degrees 57 minutes 45 seconds East;variation, 7 degrees 0 minutes East. The tides are equally strange hereand in Endeavour Strait; the stream setting to the westward(West-South-West to West-North-West) from nineteen to twenty hours, andto the northward and eastward (North to North-East) only from four tofive hours. The latter stream commences about an hour before high-water, which takes place at 4. 30, on the full and change days, when the rise atsprings is 12 feet, and at neaps 7; the length of flood and ebb is nearlysix hours. )

Leaving our anchorage, we steered West 1/4 North, six miles, in soundingsof 6 and 7 fathoms. We then crossed in 4 1/2 and 5 fathoms, North WallisIsland bearing South 75 minutes East, a ridge which appeared to be anelbow of the spit extending off the latter, and forming the south side ofthe channel. Continuing the same course, the depth soon increased to 6and 7 fathoms. This was highly satisfactory, as it proved there was waterfor the largest vessels. * In the afternoon we anchored again under BoobyIsland. **

(*Footnote. Captain Blackwood's recent survey of this Strait confirms myopinion of its being the best passage through this part of TorresStrait. )

(**Footnote. The following is the extract from the game book referred toin a former page: Booby Island (June and August) 145 quails, 18 pigeons, 12 rails, of two kinds, 3 doves; Van Diemen's Inlet (July) 14 doves, 6pigeons, 1 native companion; Bountiful Island (July) 8 quails, 11 doves, 1 pheasant, 3 plovers, 4 white cockatoos; Sweers Island (July) 151quails, 87 doves, 20 pigeons, 3 pheasants, 8 white and 2 black cockatoos, 5 spurwing plovers; Disaster Inlet (July) 36 ducks, 9 white cockatoos, 2native companions, 1 green ibis; on the coast (July) 10 curlews andplovers; Flinders River (July) 10 ducks, 5 rose-coloured cockatoos, 4pigeons, 3 spurwing plovers, 1 rail of a new species, 1 white ibis, 1spoonbill; Albert River (August) 20 ducks, 4 large water rails, 2pheasants; between Van Diemen's Inlet and Flinders' River (August) 12cockatoos, 1 kangaroo (Macropus unguifer); Wallis Isles (August) 6quails, 6 doves, 1 pigeon. )

LOOK FOR CAPE WESSEL. 

On the evening of the next day, the 17th, we weighed, and steered West bySouth across the Gulf; and in the afternoon of the 18th passed elevenmiles from Cape Wessel, according to the position assigned to it in thechart: but as the weather was tolerably clear, and nothing was seen ofit, there appeared to be some truth in the report I had previously heardof its being to the southward of the position given to it. 

The wind freshened by midnight, and, as usual, became more southerly, that is to say, South-South-East, whilst during the day it was generallyEast-South-East and East, and very much lighter. The current was steadyat North-West by West from half a knot to three-quarters per hour, maintaining about the same direction and strength as in 1839. On theevening of the 19th we crossed the meridian of the centre of New YearIsland, which our observations placed in 8 degrees 52 minutes west ofBooby Island, one mile less than Flinders. 

RETURN TO PORT ESSINGTON. 

It was late in the afternoon of the 20th before we reached an anchorageoff the settlement of Victoria, where we met Captain Stanley, who hadjust returned in the Britomart from a cruise in the Arafura Sea, of whichthe reader will find an interesting account, from his own pen, in thefollowing chapter. 

CHAPTER 2. 10. INDIAN ARCHIPELAGO. 

Leave Port Essington. Dobbo Island. Visit from the Schoolmaster. Church. Trade of the Arrou Islands. Their productions. Visit from Natives. The Banda Group. Penal Settlement. Adventures of a Javanese. Captain de Stuers. Native dance and sports. Nutmeg Plantations. Mode of preserving the fruit. Amboyna. Visit a natural grotto. Sail from Amboyna. Island of Kissa. Village of Wauriti. Missionary establishment. Serwatty Group. Return to Port Essington. 

SAIL FOR DOBBO. 

We sailed from Port Essington on the 19th of June, and found a very heavyconfused sea running outside, which made the topsides leak so much thatwe were obliged to have recourse to the pump every hour. On the secondday we made the south end of the Arrou Islands, the latitude of whichagrees with the position assigned to it in the Admiralty Chart. Onattempting to close the land, which is very low, we shoaled the watersuddenly from 15 to 6 fathoms, when at some distance from the shore, andfrom the heavy sea running, and the appearance of the land, I did notthink it prudent to stand in closer, but steered to the northward towardsDobbo. At sunset we anchored off the village of Maykor, situated at theentrance of a small inlet, and had a visit from an old man who had beenlately appointed Orangtua by the Captain of a Dutch frigate, that hadtouched on the coast. He was very dirty, talked a great deal, and imbibeda considerable quantity of brandy and arrack. We allowed him to remain onboard till daylight, when he returned to his village, leaving one of hisboat's crew behind to pilot us round to Dobbo. 

After leaving Maykor, we had very deep water until we came abreast theisland of Babi, off which a shoal extends to the eastward two miles. Wecrossed the end of it in 8 fathoms, and immediately afterwards deepenedour water to 15; and did not again strike soundings until we were closeoff the old Dutch fort, at the entrance of Dobbo harbour. Here weanchored, as I wished to see the native village close to it. 

The anchor was hardly let go, when the monotonous sound of a tom-tom gavenotice of the approach of some chief; and shortly afterwards, a boat, carrying a huge Dutch flag, was seen pulling towards the brig, with agreat many round-bladed paddles. 

VISIT FROM THE SCHOOLMASTER. 

Seated in state, in the stern sheets, was an old man dressed in a longblack serge coat and trousers, with a white shirt and handkerchief. Hisservant who sat behind him, attempted to protect him from a heavy showerby holding over his head, with very great care, an old Chinese umbrellathat leaked like a sieve. 

The old man, on coming on board, introduced himself as the schoolmasterof the village, and gave us a pressing invitation to land and inspect thechurch, of which he seemed to be very proud. A younger man, whoaccompanied him, he introduced as the Orang kaya of the village. As therain still continued, I invited them into the cabin, where they were muchdelighted at all they saw; and, during the conference, they expressedmuch surprise at being told that all Englishmen were Christians. Thechief of Wakan, an island which forms the other side of the entrance toDobbo harbour, also favoured us with a visit. He came to request us toassist him in waging war against the chief of a neighbouring island, anddid not at all understand our refusing his petition. 

CHURCH AT DOBBO. 

As soon as the rain cleared off, our visitors landed, and Mr. Earl andmyself soon followed them to their village, where they were all drawn upto receive us, and saluted us with one musket. We were conducted to thevillage in state, and immediately taken to see the church, which had beena nice building, capable of holding all the inhabitants of the place; butit had latterly been allowed to get very much out of repair. In the fontthey had placed a saucer containing a small coin, as a hint that weshould contribute something towards the restoration of the church, whichwas not thrown away, and most probably led to the largest donation thechurch had received for some time. After inspecting the church andvillage, we walked for some distance along the beach, and saw a greatmany parrots, parakeets, and large wood-pigeons, of varied and beautifulplumage, flying amongst the splendid kanari* trees, which, from allaccounts, afford most valuable timber for ship-building. 

(*Footnote. Cannarium commune. )

June 23. 

Mr. Earl and myself visited the village of Dobbo. We found it very littlechanged since our last visit. The trading vessels had all sailed, but thevillage was occupied by a few Dutch traders from Macassar, some dozenChinese, and about 300 Bughis and Macassars; the greater portion of whomwere preparing to visit the eastern side of the group to collect theproduce for the vessels expected to arrive at the setting-in of thewesterly monsoon. 

The only sea-going vessels in the harbour were two large Macassar proasand a Ceramese junk; which were to sail in a few days. 

Whilst I was employed, making astronomical observations to determine theposition of the point, Mr. Earl obtained considerable information fromthe traders. 

TRADE OF THE ARROU ISLANDS. 

The commerce of these islands appears to have increased considerably oflate years, four or five ships and brigs, with a number of Macassar andBughis proas, whose united crews were said to have amounted to 5, 000persons, having sailed with cargoes about two months previous to ourvisit. 

The produce of the Arrou Islands consists chiefly of pearls, mother-of-pearl shell, tortoise-shell, birds of paradise, and Trepang;but the trade of Dobbo is not dependent on the productions of the ArrouIslands alone. The Bughis proas import large quantities of Britishcalico, iron, hardware, muskets, gunpowder, etc. From Singapore, toobtain which Dobbo is visited by the natives of Ceram, Buru, New Guinea, and of all the adjacent islands, it being the only spot in this part ofthe world where British manufactures can at present be procured. Thearticles brought for sale from New Guinea consist of nutmegs, tortoiseand mother-of-pearl shell, ambergris, birds-of-paradise, ebony, clove, and Massay bark, rosamala (an odoriferous wood) and Kayu-buku, a woodmuch prized for cabinet-work. British calicoes and iron are the principalarticles taken in exchange for these by the proas from New Guinea. 

The closeness with which the native traders conceal their commercialtransactions, even from each other, rendered it impossible for me tolearn the amount of exports and imports. Each Bughis proa imports to theamount of from 10, 000 to 30, 000 dollars, and at least one half of hercargo consists of British goods. Taking the yearly average of thirtyproas, and the amount of her import cargo at the lowest above stated, this will give 150, 000 dollars, or 32, 500 pounds sterling, as the amountof British goods imported annually into Dobbo. This appears a largeamount; but it will be found, upon examination, that it is rather underthan above the actual value. In fact, the greater portion of our cottonmanufactures sold at Singapore is consumed in the less civilized parts ofthe Indian Archipelago, where the natives prefer cheap goods and gaudypatterns; while the people of Java, Celebes, etc. Prefer their own orIndian manufactures, which, although dearer, are far more durable thanours. 

The value of a return cargo of a Bughis proa at Singapore is about 200per cent on the outlay. Of the timber of the Arrou Islands there areseveral varieties, highly spoken of by the Bughis (who build and repairtheir proas there) for their durability, and the ease with which they areworked. Although of immense size, the trees are almost invariably sound;and as they can be felled within a few yards of the beach, it is notimpossible that at some future period timber may form a valuable articleof export. 

The western islands of this group are very thinly inhabited. Wamma, though nearly forty miles in circumference, contains only between 200 and300 inhabitants, who are scattered along the coast in little villages, each containing about half a dozen houses. The eastern islands are saidto be more thickly inhabited. The natives appear to be a harmless race;and though their country is so rich in produce, the greater portion arein a state of poverty. This is to be attributed to the immoderate use ofspirituous liquors, large quantities of which are brought by the tradersfrom Java and Macassar. From their language and personal appearance, thenatives appear to be a mixture between the Malayan race and thePolynesian negro. 

PRODUCTIONS OF THE ISLANDS. 

We also learnt that the emu and a small species of the kangaroo are foundin the islands. From the varieties of birds, insects, butterflies, andparasitical plants, etc. That we saw, these islands promise a rich fieldto the naturalist and botanist. 

We were shown some of the pearls that had been collected, some of whichwere very large, and highly prized by the Chinese; though from theirirregular form and golden hue, they would not suit the European market. The smaller pearls, about the size of Number 1 shot, were very perfect infigure but tinged with colour. 

As soon as the observations were concluded we returned on board, and gotunderway to proceed to the Ki Islands. On the 25th we passed the northend of the Great Ki, and along its western side, which appeared to be assteep as the eastern, and to afford no anchorage whatever. At 2 P. M. Wewere off the Lesser Ki, and anchored nearly in our old berth, in 14fathoms. As soon as the brig was secured, Mr. Hill and myself commenced asurvey of the harbour, with which we were rather disappointed, as onfurther examination the water proved to be too deep for convenientanchorage. 

NATIVES ON BOARD. 

June 27. 

The natives came on board in great numbers, bringing abundance of yams, coconuts, bananas, pumpkins, and a few fowls. As our usual hour fordivine service approached, Mr. Earl explained to them what we were goingto do, and that they must go on shore till we had finished; but thechiefs requested so earnestly to be allowed to remain, that I permittedthem to do so, upon the condition that they would be quite silent duringthe service. This they promised, and seating themselves on the hammocknettings all round the ship, remained the whole time most quiet andattentive spectators of the scene before them, which they seemed tounderstand and appreciate perfectly. 

In the afternoon we landed, and accompanied by one of the chiefs, walkedinto the interior of the island for some distance. The country was verylow, and covered with an impenetrable jungle, through which a path hadbeen cut with considerable care; on each side, we noticed some patches ofground surrounded by stone walls, very neatly constructed. Our guideinformed us that they had been farms, but the soil was exhausted. As onlythe underwood had been cleared away, the crop must have been producedbeneath the shade of the large trees, through which the rays of the suncould scarcely penetrate. At Ki Doulan we saw nothing new. Theinhabitants had sold nearly all their canoes to the Bughis, who hadtouched here on their return from Arrou to their own country. 

THE BANDA GROUP. 

June 29. 

As soon as our survey was finished, we sailed for Banda, where I hoped tofind some vessel in which our shipwrecked passengers* might find theirway to a more civilized part of the world. 

(*Footnote. Crew of the Montreal, lost in Torres Strait, who reached PortEssington in their boats. )

June 30. 

At 8 A. M. We saw Banda, and at 11 entered the harbour; which is formedbetween the two islands of Great Banda and Banda Neira; and were hereadvised by the Resident to take the seamen on to Amboyna; where thepapers requisite for their embarkation, in a Dutch merchant vessel, couldbe procured with less difficulty. 

The Banda group consists of three large islands and two smaller ones. Thenutmegs, which form the only export of the place, are all grown uponGreat Banda, the largest of the three islands. It averages 500 feet inheight, and is luxuriantly wooded. 

BANDA NEIRA. 

Banda Neira, the next in point of size, is the residence of thegovernment officers, the troops, and the convicts. It is not so high asGreat Banda, and does not produce a single nutmeg. The third island iscalled the Gounung Api, or Burning Mountain; and is, as its name implies, a volcano, from which more or less smoke, impregnated with sulphur, isconstantly issuing; during the westerly monsoon, this smoke is blown overthe town, which it renders very unhealthy. One of the small islands isinhabited entirely by lepers, who are sent there to prevent the diseasefrom spreading among the inhabitants. 

Banda is used as a penal settlement by the Dutch Government, and, at theperiod of our visit, there were from 3000 to 4000 convicts, guarded byabout 300 soldiers, most of whom were natives of Celebes and Amboyna, being commanded by European officers. The town of Banda is clean, andcontains, besides the houses of the Government officers, amplestorehouses for the reception of the nutmegs grown upon Great Banda;together with very commodious barracks for the troops, and an airy andwell appointed hospital. In addition to the Government officers andtroops, a considerable number of Chinese have settled in Banda Neira. They reside in a part of the town by themselves; and some of them, judging from the appearance of their houses, seem to be prospering in theworld. 

The harbour is well sheltered in both monsoons, and is easy of access, but it is closed against foreign merchant vessels. * We found two merchantvessels under Dutch colours, at anchor; one was commanded by anEnglishman, and the other, the property of a rich Chinaman living inBanda, by an old friend, who piloted us last year into Dobbo Harbour. 

(*Footnote. A shoal extends from Great Banda towards the Gounung Api, leaving a deep passage of not more than a quarter of a mile wide. Uponthis shoal, a considerable portion of which is dry at low-water, extensive bamboo fish-weirs are erected, which seem to be veryproductive. The natives also use fish-pots formed of bamboo, resemblingin principle the common drum-net, which they leave down in shoal waterduring the night, and generally find a good supply in the morning. Onanother part of the shoal we observed a number of large stones, which aresaid to have been projected from the volcano, during a violent eruptionsome years ago. )

ADVENTURES OF A JAVANESE. 

His history was a strange one. He was a half-caste, born in Java, who, after various adventures in different parts of the world, had beenpressed into our naval service, and served some time on board aman-of-war, where he learned the English language. On his discharge fromher, he was for some time in distress in London, and eventually he foundhis way back to his native country, where his enterprise, knowledge ofseamanship, and facility in acquiring languages, of which he spoke sevenor eight, soon got him employment. 

The commandant of the troops, Captain De Stuers, nephew to theGovernor-General of the Moluccas, who had very civilly pointed out thebest anchorage to us, and given us every information in his power, on ourfirst arrival, finding that we were interested in the manners and customsof the natives, very kindly invited us to see a menado dance performed bysome of the native soldiers of the garrison. We landed with him in hisOram-bay, a large native boat, pulled by twelve men, who kept time bystriking their round-bladed paddles against the gunwale between everystroke. 

NATIVE DANCE. 

On landing, the prettiest sight possible awaited us. The barrack-square, a green grass field of considerable extent, was covered with the nativesoldiers, all dressed in their gayest holiday costume, and decorated withscarves and handkerchiefs of the brightest colours, which streamedloosely from their elbows. Some of the men were armed with narrow bambooshields, others with wooden swords, and the remainder with the lightstems of the sago-palm, which were to be used as javelins. Each of thesewarriors came dancing up to us in turn, to make his obeisance, as weadvanced to the spot where seats had been prepared for us. As soon as wewere all seated the dance commenced. At first the spear-men advancedtowards each other, holding the spear in the right hand, and the bambooshields in the left, keeping time to the rude music of a couple of drumswith very great accuracy, and dancing quite as much with their arms astheir legs, in the most graceful manner possible. When they hadapproached sufficiently near to each other, one threw his spear withgreat force and dexterity, still keeping time to the music, and the otherparried the weapon with his bamboo shield. I only saw one instance offailure, and then the unfortunate man received the blunt spear full onhis breast with such force that it sent him rolling head-over-heels, muchto the amusement of the spectators, and equally to his own discomfiture. 

As one of the Port Essington natives, a very fine active man, hadaccompanied us on shore, we persuaded him, with some difficulty, to joinin the dance, thinking that the quickness of eye, so common to allsavages, would enable him to avoid the spear; but in this we were alldisappointed, as he was struck nearly every time the spear was thrown. 

NATIVE SPORTS. 

After the dance was over sundry gymnastics followed, and the evening waswound up by an exhibition of the Ombres Chinoises, in which the soldiersseemed to take very great delight. The moving figures were very cleverlymanaged; and, to judge from the shouts of laughter which accompanied thestoryteller in his tale, it must have been a very amusing one. 

July 5. 

The Resident having invited us to visit the nutmeg plantations on GreatBanda, we accompanied him to the landing-place at Lontar, where we foundchairs waiting for us, fitted with long poles, like those of a sedan, andwere carried by eight men, who placed the poles on their shoulders, thusraising the chair, with its occupant, above their heads, a position whichwe found at first anything but pleasant. 

In these conveyances we ascended to the summit of the island by a broadflight of stone steps, leading up from the landing-place, at the top ofwhich we saw a ruined fort, and a church, that still retains traces ofhaving been a fine building, though it had been much shaken by anearthquake. After passing the church, we entered the nutmeg plantations. 

NUTMEG PLANTATIONS. 

The scenery was most beautiful. Under the shade of large kanari trees, whose luxuriant foliage most effectually excluded the sun's rays, werethousands of nutmeg trees loaded with blossom and fruit in every stage ofdevelopment. After passing through above a mile of these, we arrived at ahouse belonging to one of the planters, where we saw the process ofcuring the nutmeg. 

In nine months from the opening of the blossom, the fruit, whichresembles in appearance and shape an unripe peach, is gathered from thetree, by means of a long stick with an iron hook at the end. The outercovering, a tough fleshy skin which being opened divides in two halves, is then pulled off, and the mace, which is found partly enveloping thenut, is carefully separated and dried for two or three days in the sun. The nutmegs are then placed on long bamboo platforms, under sheds builtfor the purpose, where they are dried by means of wood fires. Whensufficiently dry, they are handed over to the Government (who monopolizethe whole produce of the island) and are then placed in the Governmentstores, where they are heated with quick-lime, which has the effect ofpreserving them from insects: they are then ready for exportation. 

The annual produce of the island is said to average from 300, 000 to400, 000 pounds of nutmegs; and about one-fourth that quantity of mace. Nutmegs are the only produce of Banda. Cloves are grown upon the island, but are considered to be so much inferior in quality to those produced atAmboyna, that they are not exported. 

In returning to the ship, the bearers amused themselves by racing witheach other, a proceeding far from agreeable to us who were carried, particularly when we came to the flight of steps, which they descended atfull speed, shaking the chairs to such a degree that we had some troublein keeping our seats. On arriving at the bottom we were most hospitablyreceived by one of the nutmeg planters. 

On the 6th July we sailed from Banda, passing out through the westernentrance, between the shoal extending from Great Banda and the GounungApi; though very narrow, it is quite safe, and by keeping over on theGounung Api shore, which is very steep, we found plenty of water. 

BAY OF AMBOYNA. 

July 7. 

We entered the bay of Amboyna; but light winds prevented our reaching theanchorage till noon on the 8th. We found a Dutch frigate, the Bellona, a14-gun brig, and several merchant vessels under Dutch colours lying inthe roads. 

On landing, I was most kindly received by the Governor-General of theMoluccas, Colonel de Stuers, who gave me a most pressing invitation totake up my abode at his delightful residence a short distance out of thetown, which was gladly accepted. During our stay at Amboyna the rain wasalmost incessant. This prevented our seeing the clove plantations, whichwere described as being very beautiful, and the cloves of Amboyna are asmuch prized as the nutmegs of Banda. 

VISIT A NATURAL GROTTO. 

The only fine day was devoted to an excursion some miles inland to visita curious natural grotto. We started in chairs, borne on men's shoulders, similar to those at Banda, and which seem to be the usual conveyance ofthe country. Our party consisted of more than 100 natives, preceded bydrums, gongs, and two large Dutch flags. The men who were not employed incarrying the chairs, ran by our side, and amused us by their songs andwar-cry, which was the most thrilling yell I ever heard. The grottoitself, prettily situated on the side of a well wooded hill, was ofconsiderable length but not otherwise curious. 

July 20. 

Having at last succeeded in getting a rate for the chronometers, whichthe unsettled state of the weather had rendered a matter of somedifficulty, we sailed from Amboyna, much delighted with the kindness andattention we had all received. During the night we passed a smallinsulated volcano that was emitting a faint smoke, and in the morningmade the north side of Wetter, which ranges from 3000 to 4000 feet inheight, is very barren, and apparently thinly inhabited. 

ISLAND OF KISSA. 

We were beating to the eastward against a strong breeze and heavy swellfrom the south-east till the 25th, when we reached the small island ofKissa, off which we anchored, in 30 fathoms, a quarter of a mile from theshore, to the great delight of Mr. Earl's servant, who was a native ofthis place. His countrymen, on coming on board, received him with themost extravagant expressions of joy; and kept him up all night, relatingthe wonders he had seen since he left them; in doing which he talked tosuch a degree that when he came on board in the morning he could hardlyspeak from hoarseness. We found the natives had been suffering mostseverely from famine, occasioned by a long-continued drought that haddried up everything on the island, to such an extent, that the ricecrops, upon which they chiefly depend for food, had entirely failed; butof livestock we found no difficulty in obtaining an abundant supply, andat a very moderate price. A couple of fowls were purchased for two feetof thin brass wire, highly prized by the natives for making fishhooks(which they prefer to our steel ones) and bracelets. A large pig wasobtained for two fathoms of white calico, and everything else inproportion. 

VILLAGE OF WAURITI. 

On landing, we were met by a chief who had seen Mr. Earl on a previousvisit. He promised to procure chairs to carry us up to Wauriti, theprincipal village on the island; and, while waiting for them, came onboard and dined with us, behaving with great decorum, and appearing muchinterested in all he saw. After dinner we found the chairs waiting for uson the beach, and proceeded to the village, ascending a deep ravine witha streamlet running down the centre, overshadowed by the most luxuriantfoliage. 

After emerging from this ravine we found ourselves near the highest pointof the island, of which we had a good view. Every part exhibited abundantsigns of industry and cultivation, although parched up from want of rain. The chief of Wauriti received us with great hospitality, and offeredrefreshments of tea, rice cake, and a sort of beer, made from the Sagopalm. 

MISSIONARY ESTABLISHMENT. 

He then escorted us round the village, which contains a very good churchand schoolhouse, constructed under the direction of a Dutch Missionary, who had been for some years a resident on the island, with his family, and who appeared to have been very successful in converting the natives;but the distress occasioned by the want of rain was too great a trial oftheir faith; they declared that their old gods had sent the drought uponthem as a punishment for deserting them, for they had never had such avisitation before Christianity had been introduced into the island. Thepoor Missionary's influence was over; he was obliged to quit the island, and went to Amboyna. A mile north of Wauriti we visited a smaller villageinhabited by the descendants of some Dutch families, who had lived uponthe island many years ago. They were quite different in appearance fromthe natives, and some of the women were very goodlooking. In returning tothe ship, we examined an old Dutch fort built on the beach, but now in avery dilapidated state. It consisted simply of a square building, withbastions at the opposite angles. At sunset we made sail for Letti, offwhich we anchored the next day, in 13 fathoms; half a mile north of theMissionary establishment; where we found a resident minister and hisfamily, and two others from another part of the island staying with them. A visit from Europeans was, to them, an event of rare occurrence, andmust have been an interesting break in their monotonous lives; they hadbeen very successful in their labours, and had converted many of thenatives. They had several establishments on the island; the one wevisited consisted of a church, schoolhouse, and house for the missionary;the church had been built more than 100 years, and was a very substantialedifice. The school appeared to be well attended by the native children. 

The island of Letti, which is about 10 miles in extent, had also sufferedmuch from the want of rain, but was fast recovering its green appearance. A high ridge of hills extends along the centre of the island from east towest; the sides of which, sloping gradually towards the sea, are coveredwith trees, and the whole island presents an appearance of greatfertility. The anchorage off Letti, which we surveyed, is very goodduring the south-east monsoon, but affords no shelter when the wind blowsin an opposite direction. There may be an anchorage on the south side ofthe island, which we did not visit, that would be available during theNorth-West monsoon. 

SERWATTY GROUP. 

After completing our survey at Letti we worked to the eastward, againstthe monsoon, keeping as close as possible under the lee of the Serwattygroup, which enabled us to make a rough survey of the islands composingit. These proved to be very incorrectly laid down in the only chart wehad, and from what we saw they require a far more detailed examinationthan we had time to devote to them; this would, I have no doubt, lead tothe discovery of many anchoring-places, where vessels might carry ontrade with the natives, with much greater ease and safety than they cando when obliged to stand off and on with the vessel while the boats aresent in to trade; since, by these means, the crew are necessarilydivided, are liable to fall an easy prey to the natives, should thelatter be inclined to treachery. 

The various traders we met with, during this, as well as on our formervisit to the islands, all agreed in warning us against the inhabitants ofTimor Laut and Baba, as people not at all to be trusted. It is much to behoped that if Port Essington should ever become a place of much trade, that these people will be more civilized, as from the easy communication, in either monsoon, Timor Laut will be much frequented by the settlers atPort Essington, in order to procure the tropical productions aboundingthere, which they would not find on the Australian coasts. The Arrouislands, for the same reason, will hold out great inducements to traders, as the timber found there is infinitely superior, for most purposes, toany found on the Cobourg peninsula. 

RETURN TO PORT ESSINGTON. 

As our provisions were running short, and the time had arrived when wewere expected to return to the settlement, I had not time to stop toexamine several places I wished to see, particularly the southern part ofthe island of Timor Laut, where from information we received at Banda, avery large and secure harbour is said to exist, available in bothmonsoons. The island of Serra was another point, as it is stated to be avery good place for obtaining supplies. 

In crossing over to Australia we saw Timor Laut, off which we experienceda very fresh South-East breeze and a heavy sea, which continuing toprevail with a strong current setting to leeward, we were in consequenceeight days reaching Port Essington, where we found that all had gone onwell during our absence. 

CHAPTER 2. 11. PORT ESSINGTON AND THE NORTH-WEST COAST. 

Appearance of Settlement. Effects of climate. Native mother. Trade in teeth. Macassar Proas. Lieutenant Vallack visits the Alligator Rivers. Interview with Natives. Prospects of Port Essington. Lieutenant Stewart's Route. Climate. Remarks of Mr. Bynoe. Harbour of refuge. Sail from Port Essington. Sahul Shoal. Arrive at Coepang. Timorees. Sail for North-west Coast. Strong winds. Cape Bossut. Exploration of North-west Coast. View of Interior. Birds. Solitary Island. Visit the Shore. Amphinome Shoals. Bedout Island. Breaker Inlet. Exmouth Gulf. Arrive at Swan River. 

PORT ESSINGTON. 

The period of our arrival at Port Essington had been looked forward to byall with deep interest, and, I may say, some anxiety. Two years hadelapsed since our last visit, and various and contradictory were thereports in circulation respecting the welfare of the settlement. We wereaccordingly truly rejoiced to find it in a state of prosperity that willever reflect the highest credit on the hardy few who have laboured soearnestly for its welfare. It was an emblem of the rapidity with which, in young countries, it is possible to recover from any disaster, that thetrees which had been uprooted, shattered, and riven in fragments by thehurricane of 1839, were for the most part concealed by the fresh foliageof the year; there was scarcely anything left to commemorate thatdreadful visitation, but the tombs of twelve brave fellows, of thePelorus, who lost their lives at the time. 

There was a care-worn, jaundiced appearance about the settlers, thatplainly revealed how little suited was the climate for Europeans tolabour in; and yet there had been, I was told, no positive sickness. Thehospital, however, had been enlarged, and rendered a very substantialbuilding. Captain Macarthur had built a strong and well-contrivedblockhouse, of the excellent kind of wood, a species of teak, beforealluded to. A new garden also had been laid out, in which the banana andpine, besides many other tropical fruits, were flourishing. Thearrow-root and sugar-cane grown here are allowed by those who have seenthese plants in the West Indies not to be surpassed in excellence; andthe cotton from Pernambuco, and Bourbon seed, has been valued in Englandat sixpence-halfpenny a pound. The colonists were beginning to understandthe seasons; they had taken out of the ground sweet potatoes nearlysufficient to last them until the next crop. This was the first time theyhad been tried. I have never seen any in South America half the size. Inshort, I may say that the settlement was fast approaching the state inwhich was that at Raffles Bay when it was abandoned. 

Considering the few days given to sporting, our game-book contains a verytolerable list, comprising seven kangaroos, twenty quails, ten ducks, seven pigeons, two pheasants, and two ibises. 

The natives in the neighbourhood of Port Essington are, like all otherson the continent, very superstitious; they fancy that a large kind oftree, called the Imburra-burra, resembling the Adansonia, contains evilspirits. Here, also, as I have elsewhere observed, they fancy that afterdeath they reappear as whites; the bones of the dead are frequentlycarried from place to place. 

The reader will remember the native named Alligator, whom I havementioned on a previous visit to Port Essington. I witnessed in hisfamily an instance of affection for a departed child, which, though itexhibited itself in this peculiar manner, was extremely touching. Thewife had treasured up the bones of the little one, and constantly carriedthem about with her, not as a memento mori, but as an object whereon toexpend her tenderest emotions, whenever they swelled within her breast. At such times she would put together these bones with a rapidity thatsupposed a wonderful knowledge of osteology, and set them up that shemight weep over them. Perhaps, in her imagination, as she performed thismelancholy rite, the ghastly framework before her became indued with thecomely form of infancy; bright eyes once more sparkled in those hollowcells, and a smile of ineffable delight hung where, in reality, wasnaught but the hideous grin of death. I exceedingly regret that themother who could feel so finely was some time afterwards over-persuadedto part with the bones of her child. 

I may here mention that the medical officer of the settlement was in thehabit of extracting teeth for the natives, who found the European methodmuch more easy than their own mode of knocking them out. The supercargoof a vessel, learning this fact, was anxious to become a purchaser ofteeth to some extent for the London market, being persuaded that theywould find a ready sale among the dentists; and it is more than probablethat many of our fair ladies at home are indebted for the pearls on whichthe poets exhaust so much of their fancy to the rude natives ofAustralia. 

Among the information I gained during this stay at Port Essingtonrespecting the Macassar people, who periodically visit the coast, wasthat of their discovering a strait leading into the Gulf of Carpentaria, behind English Company's Islands. Passing Cape Wilberforce, called UdjungTuru, or Bearaway Point, they continue their course down the Gulf to theWellesley Islands, named by them Pulo Tiga, or The Three Islands; this isthe usual southern limit of their voyage. The Macassar proas that visitPort Essington, amounting in one season to fourteen, usually brought forbarter tea, sugar, cloths, salt-fish, rice, etc. Several of the nakodhas, or masters, have expressed a wish to abandon fishing, and occupythemselves only in trade, if there is sufficient encouragement held outto them. 

During our stay a report was brought into the settlement by the nativesthat there was a large vessel wrecked on the mainland, near the AlligatorRivers, which was accompanied by so many details of place andcircumstance that Captain Stanley was induced to send Lieutenant Vallack, of the Britomart, away in the decked tender to procure information, andto render all assistance in his power. He was accompanied by several ofthe Port Essington natives; and on arriving at the Eastern River, foundthat there was no foundation for the report. But having got so far awayfrom the settlement, he ascended the river some little distance, andtowards sunset came on a tribe of natives. The anchor was let go, andsigns were made to induce them to approach, for some time withoutsuccess. At last, however, encouraged by seeing so many of their owncountrymen, two or three of the more courageous ventured to draw near. The scene that followed was a curious illustration of the slightcommunication that exists between natives of different tribes, and alsoof the great difference in their language, as the strangers could hold noconversation with the people from Port Essington, who, when they foundtheir own dialect was not understood, tried to explain themselves in suchfew words of broken English as were then used at the colony, and seemedvery much surprised at their want of success. A large mess of boiledrice, which had been prepared by way of a feast for the newcomers, wasthen produced; but it was not before they saw their countrymen eagerlydevouring it that they could be induced to eat, as they evidently did notknow what it was. The result of Lieutenant Vallack's visit is hostile tothe idea entertained that clothes given to natives at Port Essington passinto the interior, which I always much doubted. Had the fence beforealluded to by me been run across the neck, and an out-station formedthere, we should have had further acquaintance with the natives of themain, besides other advantages that would necessarily have accrued. 

As it seemed extremely probable that the course of events would not againpermit the Beagle to visit Port Essington, we naturally experienced someregret on our departure, and were led to speculate, with interest, on itsfuture destiny. A young settlement, so remote and solitary, cannot failto awaken the liveliest sympathy in the voyager. How small soever may bethe circle of its present influence, the experience of the past teachesus confidently to expect that wherever a knot of Englishmen locatethemselves, there are deposited the germs of future greatness. For PortEssington, a sphere of action, of great extent and importance, appearsmarked out by the hand of nature; though, to a careless observer, unskilled in discerning the undeveloped capabilities of geographicalpositions, it may appear in the light simply of an isolated militarypost. And, certainly, whatever may be its actual resources, little ornothing has, as yet, been done to ascertain them. We are still reduced tobase our opinions on conjecture and hypothesis; we know nothing of theamount of commerce that might be carried on with the islands of theIndian Archipelago--nothing of the productions of the mainland--nothingof the extent to which colonization might be carried in theneighbourhood. Without data of this kind it is impossible, with anypretensions to accuracy, to estimate the probable future importance ofour settlement at Port Essington, the value of which does not depend onthe fertility of Cobourg Peninsula, any more than that of Gibraltar onthe productiveness of the land within the Spanish lines. Victoria, if weregard its own intrinsic worth, might be blotted out of the list of ourpossessions without any material detriment to our interests; but itsimportance, as a commercial station, is incalculable. It is, indeed, tothe country behind--at present unvisited, unexplored, a complete terraincognita--and to the islands within a radius of five hundred miles, thatwe must look if we would form a correct idea of the value of PortEssington to the Crown. At present it may seem idle, to some, tointroduce these distant places as elements in the discussion of such aquestion; but no one who reflects on the power of trade to knit togethereven more distant points of the earth, will think it visionary to supposethat Victoria must one day--insignificant as may be the value of thedistricts in its immediate neighbourhood--be the centre of a vast systemof commerce, the emporium, in fact, where will take place the exchange ofthe products of the Indian Archipelago for those of the vast plains ofAustralia. It may require some effort of the imagination, certainly, todiscover the precursor of such a state of things in the miserable trafficnow carried on by the Macassar proas; but still, I think, we possess somedata on which to found such an opinion, and I am persuaded that PortEssington will ultimately hold the proud position I predict for it. 

As steam communication, moreover, must soon be established betweenSingapore and our colonies on the south-eastern shores of Australia, *this port, the only really good one on the north coast, will be of vastimportance as a coal depot. 

(*Footnote. By this arrangement Sydney could be brought within nearlysixty days of England. )

As I have already observed, however, little pains have been taken toascertain all the capabilities of the place, and to extend ouracquaintance with the country behind. No European has ever yet penetratedany great distance beyond the neck that connects Cobourg Peninsula withthe mainland; and even the report of the existence of the settlement hasscarcely travelled farther. At least in 1841, when Lieutenant Vallackvisited one of the Alligator rivers he found the natives completelyignorant that we had established ourselves in their neighbourhood. 

From the account of Lieutenant P. B. Stewart, * of which I have given abrief abstract above, it appears that there is some good land on thePeninsula, though such is decidedly not the case near the settlement. 

(*Footnote. This officer has since forwarded me his route. It appearsthat on leaving Victoria he proceeded to the south-west side of thePeninsula, and followed the shore to the neck, when taking an eastdirection he crossed it, and then pursuing a northerly course made hisway to Middle Head, on the side of the harbour opposite the settlement. The frequent opportunities Lieutenant Stewart had of determining hispositions by cross-bearings of the islands, leave no doubt as to thecorrectness of his route. )

The reports of late sent in respecting the climate have, in some measure, been unfavourable; and, as I have observed, the appearance of thegarrison was rather sickly; but may not this arise partly from theindifferent manner in which they are housed? Small, low, thatchedcottages, in a temperature much too warm for Europeans to labour inconstantly, are apt to engender disease. There is, besides, a mangroveswamp immediately behind the settlement, which at present decreases itssalubrity. With regard to the range of the thermometer, it has been knownas low as 62 degrees, and it is never so high, by ten or twenty degrees, as I have seen it in South Australia during the hot winds: the average, however, is about 83 degrees. The fact that the site of Victoria lies sofar from the entrance of the harbour is injurious to its prosperity, asit prevents many vessels from calling, and deprives it of the breezesthat constantly prevail on the coast, and would of course conduce to itshealthiness. *

(*Footnote. The following remarks from Mr. Bynoe, on the climate ofNorthern Australia, corroborate the views put forward in the text:

I find on a reference to the Medical Journals, as well as to aMeteorological table kept by me during a period of six years, on thecoasts of Australia, and under every variety of climate, that we had nodiseases peculiar to that continent, and I am led to believe it aremarkably healthy country. On the North and North-west coasts, where youfind every bight and indentation of land fringed with mangroves, bordering mud flats, and ledges formed by corallines in every stage ofdecomposition, with a high temperature, no fevers or dysenteries wereengendered. 

Our ship's company were constantly exposed, in boats, to all thevicissitudes from wet to dry weather, sleeping in mangrove creeks formany months in succession, pestered by mosquitoes during the hours ofrepose, yet they still remained very healthy; and the only instance wherethe climate was at all prejudicial (if such a term can be applied) was inthe Victoria River, on the north coast, where the heat was, at oneperiod, very great, and the unavoidable exposure caused two of the crewto be attacked with Coup de Soleil. 

Our casualties consisted of two deaths during our stay on the Australiancoast, one from old age; and the other, a case of dysentery, contractedat Coepang. 

It may not be uninteresting to state, that from the time that PortEssington was settled in 1838, up to the period of our last visit to thatmilitary post, and for some time after, no endemial form of disease hadmanifested itself, and the only complaints that the men had beensuffering from were diseases such as were usually to be met with in amore temperate clime, and those were few. But we must take intoconsideration their isolated position, the constant sameness of theirlife, their small low thatched cottages, mostly with earthen floors;their inferior diet, and also the absence or scantiness of vegetables. Most of the men, moreover, experience a constant yearning for home, which, yearly increasing, terminates in despondency, and leaves them opento the attacks of disease. Scorbutic symptoms were at one period veryprevalent, arising principally from the poor form of diet; similar casesoccurred in a former settlement on that part of the coast, from the samecauses; but although Port Essington has been of late visited by sickness, I do not consider it by any means an unhealthy spot. )

Considering Port Essington as a harbour of refuge for the crews of shipswrecked in Torres Strait, it is certainly far removed from the scene ofdistress; and looking upon it in this light only, a military station atCape York would probably be attended with greater benefit and lessexpense, though, as it might be expected to meet with annoyance from thenatives of the islands in Torres Strait, who are badly disposed andwander over a great space in search of plunder, the party should not bevery small. There is, moreover, no real harbour; but, at the same time, as the post would be on a low narrow projection, with a seabreezesweeping over it in either monsoon, it would doubtless be cooler than atPort Essington. 

I may observe that the only instance that came under my immediate noticeof the benefit of a harbour of refuge on the north coast, was that of avessel wrecked too far to the westward to reach Cape York, the crew ofwhich arrived at Port Essington in their boats. 

It was in some measure at the request of the surgeon, in order toalleviate Mr. Fitzmaurice's great sufferings by a little rest, that ourstay was lengthened to September 7th, when we left in the morning. *

(*Footnote. While steering North by East 1/2 East for Point Record, wediscovered a bank of 4 1/2 fathoms, with 7 and 8 on each side. When justoff it, to the northward, in 7 fathoms, the west extreme of Point Recordbore North 19 1/4 East, and its east extreme North 35 1/4 East, and thenorth-east end of Spear Point North 59 degrees West. )

SAHUL SHOAL. 

By noon we had cleared the heads of Port Essington, and a course was thenshaped for the supposed Sahul Shoal, the northern and central parts ofwhich we passed over without finding any remarkable decrease in thesoundings. *

(*Footnote. This clearly proved that our knowledge of the extent of theSahul Bank was very imperfect. It appears that between the latitudes 11degrees 0 minutes South and 11 degrees 25 minutes South, and thelongitudes 125 degrees 20 minutes East and 125 degrees 50 minutes East, there are no less than six patches of coral known, of 12 and 16 fathoms. It is my belief that the whole of this shoal, if it merit the name, liesbetween the latitudes of 11 degrees 15 minutes South and 11 degrees 35minutes South, and the longitudes of 123 degrees 35 minutes East and 124degrees 15 minutes East. )

ARRIVE AT TIMOR. 

The winds were singularly light from the eastward, until we approachedTimor, the South-West end of which we saw in the morning of the 15th, *when, after passing through Samow Strait, ** we anchored in 13 fathoms offCoepang; the flagstaff of Fort Concordia bearing South-South-East aquarter of a mile. 

(*Footnote. In passing the north-east end of Rottee a good lookout waskept for a 5-fathom patch, laid down in the Admiralty Chart as lying fourmiles east of it. Nothing, however, could be discovered of it; and closeto the place we had 50 fathoms. In Flinders' Atlas we find 50 fathomsmarked on this spot; and it is probable that the mistake has occurred incopying, the 0 being left out, and the space dotted round, to drawattention to the supposed shoal-water. )

(**Footnote. The tides in Samow Strait run from one to two knots an hour, eight hours to the northward, and four in the opposite direction. Thetime of high-water at Coepang at the full and change is half-past eleven, when the rise is twelve feet. On the north side of Timor, between it andOmbaye, the current sets to the westward at the rate of from two to fourknots an hour, in the south-east monsoon; but close to the Timor shore itsets to windward. Ships make the passage to the eastward during itsprevalence by keeping close to the north sides of the Lomblen, Pantar, and Ombaye Islands, where they find a favourable current, and winds fromthe southward drawing through the straits separating the islands. Thereis no anchorage between Pantar and Ombaye; but on the south side ofTimor, at the mouth of the Naminie River, and twenty-five miles furthereastward, and also at the east point, inside the small island of PuloJackie, there are good anchorages in from 10 to 15 fathoms. The southerncoast of Timor is washed by heavy surf in either monsoon. )

Arrangements were immediately made for watering the ship, by having thebarecas filled and carried to the boats by persons from the shore, thereby saving our crew from exposure in this, I believe at all times, unhealthy climate. When our stock was completed, with the additionalcasks procured at Port Essington, we had sufficient for eighty days. 

We found the Resident, Mr. Gronovius, as usual, very communicative; hewas much astonished at the size of some bananas I gave him from PortEssington. 

TIMOREES. 

I may take this opportunity of giving some additional informationrespecting the Timorees. It appears that after killing an enemy they, like the New Zealanders, preserve the head by baking it; and, duringmeals, place food in the mouth of their bodiless foe. On the death of aRajah, a favourite slave or two is killed and buried with him; someweapons, also, are laid in the grave, in order that the deceased may notwant for anything in the next world; this clearly shows that they have anidea of a future state. 

The mode in which trade is carried on with the wild natives of Timor isextremely singular. The goods intended for barter are left in parcels onthe shore; the natives come down and place against them, generally, bees'wax, and a kind of cotton cloth, to the amount which they conceive to bethe value, when they also retire. The trader returns, and if satisfied, takes the native's goods, leaving his own; if not, he goes away withouttouching either. The natives again come down and weigh the relative valueof the heaps of merchandize, and either consent to the proffered bargainor take away their own property. Neither party ever comes in sight of theother; and the strictest honour is preserved in the transaction. Most ofmy readers will recollect that a similar method of trading is attributedto one of the nations of antiquity. 

A tribe of Sumbawa, * who call themselves the Danga people, have a customworth mentioning. They are the only tribe on that island not Mahomedans, and worship the evil spirit, to appease whom they frequently leave aroasted pig, with rice, at a well near a tree, a species of wild mango;the priest, of course, reaps the benefit of this pious offering. Asimilar custom prevails among the natives of Eastern Patagonia. 

(*Footnote. I may here mention, that when the great eruption took placeon this island, the report of it was heard at Macassar, nearly threehundred miles distant, and the motion was felt by the ships at anchorthere. )

SAIL FROM COEPANG. 

By the morning of September 24th the rough charts were completed, andtracings, with other despatches, being deposited with the Resident, to beforwarded to England, we sailed from Coepang. On the 26th the firstlieutenant, the surgeon, and the master, were seized with a violentattack of cholera, which lasted twenty-four hours--another evidence ofthe unhealthiness of Timor. 

The work that now lay before us was, perhaps, one of the most interestingfeatures of the North-West coast--a remarkable indentation, south ofRoebuck Bay, many parts of which had never been seen. Its peculiarconfiguration naturally suggested the idea that a river must exist there;and it was accordingly with great anxiety that we looked forward to theresult. I had intended to examine the eastern part of Scott's Reef in theway; but westerly winds, which were, however, favourable for reaching ourdestination, prevented us. The track we pursued was entirely new, and inorder to see if any shoals existed, we sounded every twenty miles, without, however, getting bottom, at nearly 200 fathoms, until the 1st, when in latitude 14 degrees 24 minutes South, and longitude 123 degrees23 minutes East we had 70 fathoms. *

(*Footnote. From the result of our soundings on the passage to the coast, it would appear that a ship in 60 or 70 fathoms would be about the samenumber of miles from the land between the latitude of 14 or 15 degreesSouth--quality of bottom, a greyish sand, which becomes coarser as thedepth increases. )

After midnight on the 3rd and 4th we had strong breezes of short durationfrom South-East, and although a hundred miles from the nearest land towindward, a fine kind of dust was found on the rigging, which, onexamination by a microscope, proved to consist of sand and wood ashes. 

REACH THE NORTH-WEST COAST. 

We saw the land to the southward of Roebuck Bay on October 8th, and atnoon passed four miles from Cape Bossut, which we found to be in latitude18 degrees 42 minutes South and longitude 121 degrees 45 minutes East. *On the south side opened a bay two miles deep, with a small high-waterinlet at its head. From thence we held a general South by West 1/2 Westcourse, passing along the land at the distance of from three to fourmiles, in soundings of 5 and 6 fathoms, and at sunset anchored four milesfrom a low sandy coast, on which the sea broke heavily. Cape Joubert, **distant sixteen miles, was the last projection of any kind we passed. 

(*Footnote. The longitudes depend on the meridian of Coepang. Which hasbeen considered in 123 degrees 37 minutes 0 seconds East. )

(**Footnote. In latitude 18 degrees 58 minutes South and longitude 121degrees 42 minutes East. It is crested with bare white sand, and althoughonly forty-five feet high is a remarkable headland on this low coast. )

APPEARANCE OF NORTH-WEST COAST. 

From that headland commenced a low, wearisome, sandy shore, which wetraced for sixty-five miles in a South-West by West direction, looking invain for some change in its character. Nothing beyond the coastsand-dunes, sprinkled with vegetation, and only twenty feet high, couldbe seen from the masthead, although the ship was within three miles ofthe beach. This cheerless aspect was heightened by the total absence ofnative fires, a fact we had never before observed in such an extent ofcountry, and truly significant of its want of fertility. Still, in oursight it possessed a greater charm than it may, probably, in that ofothers; as every fresh mile of coast that disclosed itself, rewarding ourenterprise whilst it disappointed our expectations, was so much added tothe domains of geography. That such an extent of the Australian continentshould have been left to be added to the portion of the globe discoveredby the Beagle was remarkable; and although day by day our hopes ofaccomplishing any important discovery declined, a certain degree ofexcitement was kept alive throughout. 

It was the 13th before we had made good the distance I have abovementioned, when a reddish hillock, of fifty-six feet in elevation, inlatitude 19 degrees 48 minutes South, and longitude 120 degrees 36minutes East, promising a view of the interior, we went to visit it. There was less surf on the beach than we expected, and we landed withoutmuch difficulty. Our old friend, the black and white red-bill, oroyster-catcher, was in readiness to greet us, accompanied by a fewfamilies of sanderlings, two or three batches of grey plovers, and acouple of small curlews. Crossing the beach, a line of reddish sandstonecliffs, twelve feet in height, was ascended, and found to face a bank ofsand, held together by a sort of coarse spinifex. This bank, which ranparallel to the coast, was narrow, subsiding into a valley three quartersof a mile wide, on the opposite side of which rose a hummocky ridge ofcoarse ferruginous sandstone formation. The valley was covered with browngrass and detached stunted bushes. Water had recently lodged in it, asappeared from the saucer-like cakes of earth broken and curled up overthe whole surface. The nature of the soil was shown by the heaps of earththrown out at the entrances of the holes of iguanas, and other burrowingcreatures; it was a mixture of sand, clay, and vegetable matter. 

VIEW OF INTERIOR. 

From the highest hillock beyond the valley a view of the interior wasobtained: it presents, like most of the portions of the continent we haddiscovered, the aspect of a dreary plain, clothed with grass and detachedclumps of green brushwood. "What a strange country!" was the exclamationthat naturally burst from us all, on beholding this immense andapparently interminable expanse, with no rise to relieve the tired eye. As we gazed, our imaginations transported us to the Pampas of SouthAmerica, which this vast level greatly resembled, except that the motionsof no startled deer or ostriches scudding over the country, and leaving atrain of dust behind, gave life and animation to the scene. No trace ofkangaroos, or of natives, not even the sign of a fire, greeted us on thisinhospitable coast. The evidences of animal were as scanty as those ofvegetable life. 

BIRDS. 

Two brown bustards rose out of the grass; they were of the same size andcolour as those seen in the Gulf of Carpentaria, and quite as wary, whichwas very singular. A couple of specimens of land birds were shot; one ofthem resembled a Meliphagus, although its stomach was filled with smallbeetles, finely broken up;* its head was covered with yellow pollen, outof a flower resembling the mallow, which is frequently resorted to bysmall beetles during the heat of the day, when the petal closing overthem they are extracted, with some difficulty, by the bird. The otherspecimen was a brown grain-feeding kind; it invariably rested on theground, where in its habits, head erect, tail down, and short, suddenrun, it greatly resembled a tit-lark. 

(*Footnote. Usually observed in the specimens of this species procured byDr. Bynoe. )

At daylight on the 14th we continued our exploration from the spot wherewe visited the shore, marked on the chart as Red Hill; and found that thecoast trended West by South to the part fronting the Amphinome Shoals, and that instead of the continued sandy beach were occasional low rockyprojections. Eleven miles from Red Hill, a detached rocky ledge extendedtwo miles from the shore, and at the end of twenty, commenced a line oflow red sandstone cliffs five miles in extent. Here we, for the firsttime, saw native fires; and the country was evidently higher. 

SOLITARY ISLAND. 

October 15. 

In the evening the ship was anchored five miles from a small island, bearing South-South-East, which we found to be in latitude 19 degrees 55minutes South, longitude 120 degrees 55 minutes East; and which, from itslonely situation, was named Solitary Island. Six and nine miles North byEast from it we had crossed several lines of ripplings and shoal patchesof 4 and 5 fathoms. On visiting it next morning (16th) it was found to beof red sandstone formation, thirty feet high, and devoid of vegetation. Although lying a mile from the shore it is connected at low-water by aflat of sand. From its summit the view of the interior presented a slightchange. At the distance of six miles there was a bank or rise in thecountry having rather a fertile aspect, above a hundred feet high, trending South-West with dense woodland intervening. 

On the same afternoon the ship was moved fourteen miles further on. Themany patches of ripplings we now saw in every direction westward, assuredus that the Amphinome Shoals were close at hand; on patches one and twomiles west and south of the ship there was only six and nine feet. 

VISIT THE SHORE. 

October 17. 

In the morning another party visited the shore, landing under a lowsandhill, sixty feet high, bearing South by East six miles, called MountBlaze, in latitude 20 degrees 0 minutes South and longitude 119 degrees40 minutes East. This was found to stand on a projection, with two smallrocky islets on either side. Eastward from it cliffy points separatingshoal mangrove bays, formed the character of the coast; whilst in theopposite direction extended a bay, fifteen miles wide, over the westernpoint of which we recognised the sandhills seen on our visit to this partin July, 1840; the shores of this great bay were fronted for somedistance by shoal water. 

Behind Mount Blaze the country was swampy, with mangroves, for a fewmiles; it then gradually rose, and on the bearing of South 7 degreesEast, distant nearly fifteen miles, were seen conical-sided flat-toppedhills about two hundred feet high. This was the first remarkableelevation in the country we had seen during the two hundred miles of thecoastline traced by the Beagle; it appears to be the North-Easttermination of the high land seen southward from the Turtle Isles. 

Some small burrowing animal had so excavated the ground in the vicinityof Mount Blaze, that at each step we sunk in knee-deep; a few quails wereshot, but no varieties of birds were seen beyond what had been alreadyobserved at the other points of the coast visited. 

Weighing, we stood to the westward, after making a short stretch to thenorth-east; but shoal water, at the end of six miles, obliged us to go onthe other tack. The change in the direction of the flood- tide, fromwesterly to northerly, did not leave much hope of our finding a passageto the westward. At sunset the anchor was dropped in 9 fathoms, with ashoal patch of 5 fathoms two miles to the eastward, Mount Blaze, justvisible from the masthead, bearing south sixteen miles. During theafternoon we had crossed no less than five lines of ripplings, on which, at low-water, there was only from 2 to 5 fathoms. 

October 19. 

After the noon observation another attempt was made to find a passage tothe westward; but at the end of eighteen miles we found ourselves embayedamong patches of ripplings and breakers. The western sandhills, seenyesterday, bore at this time South by East fifteen miles. Two-thirds ofthe distance from the shore was a continued line of broken water. Finding, by sounding with the boats, that there was no passage for theship, we retraced our track east; and in the evening anchored again in 7fathoms, between two ridges of 4. 

AMPHINOME SHOALS. 

The outer breaker of the Amphinome Shoals bore North 37 degrees Westthree miles, which placed it in latitude 19 degrees 41 minutes South andlongitude 119 degrees 24 minutes East; and as these shoals extendeighteen miles off such low land, they may fairly be considereddangerous. 

BEDOUT ISLAND. 

Next evening we anchored off the east side of Bedout Island, having, inthe morning, nineteen miles to the east of it and twenty-two from themainland, passed over a ridge of 5 fathoms. 

October 21. 

We spent the day on Bedout, the centre of which we found to be inlatitude 19 degrees 35 minutes 45 seconds South, longitude 119 degrees 08minutes 45 seconds East. It is a circular sand islet twenty feet high, and half a mile in extent. Off its western side ripplings and rocksextend nearly three miles; in other parts it is fronted by a circularreef a mile in extent, and of a different kind from the Turtle Islereefs, being composed of live corallines and fan-like leaves, whichgiving way readily to the feet, we suddenly found ourselves immersedalmost up to our necks; within fifty yards of the island this becameworse. The reefs and beaches abounded with turtles of two kinds, theMydas and a species of the Imbricated. We were in time for the noddy'seggs; but the other birds had hatched theirs, and left for sea, returningonly at night. From their great abundance and constant visits they hadformed a kind of guano on the island. Among the varieties of thefeathered tribe was the golden plover. 

On the following afternoon we stood over, South-South-East for the main;but were again prevented by shoal water from approaching within twelvemiles of the nearest part, which was the western point of the bay seenfrom Mount Blaze. Broken water and dry sands extended between south andeast, and to the south-west the entrance of Breaker Inlet and other partsof the last year's survey were readily distinguished. 

October 22. 

During the forenoon the boats completed the soundings, and in the eveningthe ship was anchored under the North Turtle Isle. Thus terminated theexamination of this hitherto unexplored part of the coast, which had beenthe field of many years' speculation. One of the most remarkable points, is the great rise of twenty-eight feet in the tide, which can only beaccounted for by the fact of the water being heaped up in the concavityformed by the coast; on the first part of the bight the direction of theflood was from West, and on the latter from West-North-West. We had foundthat no river or other interesting feature existed; and that it was themost dull and uniform portion of the continent we had seen, or that couldpossibly be imagined. 

BREAKER INLET. 

While I have no reason to believe that an examination of Breaker Inlet, which, from the numerous sandbanks forming the Amphinome Shoals, hasprobably a considerable outlet, would lead to a discovery of anyimportance, nevertheless, I regret that the heavy surf which breaksacross its entrance at this season of the year entirely prevented myexploring it. 

The winds we had experienced on this part of the coast were light, fromthe eastward, during the night, and moderate from North-North-West toWest-South-West towards the latter part of the day, the morning beingfrequently calm. On one or two occasions in the night we had slightsqualls from South-East accompanied by lightning; but, commonly speaking, the weather was very fine, the temperature on board being generally 77, the maximum being 82 and the minimum 75 degrees. On shore it was aboutfive degrees higher. 

EXMOUTH GULF. 

The necessary chronometric and magnetic observations were completed, anda supply of turtles taken on board by the evening of the 26th, when afterleaving a paper in a bottle, recording our visit and describing thenature of the coast eastwards, we left with the intention of exploringExmouth Gulf, which was the only remaining portion of the north-westernshore of the continent that had not been visited by Captain King orourselves. But as we were forced away from the land by southerly winds aswe approached the North-West Cape, and as there was no certainty ofprocuring water, I have been obliged to content myself with the report ofa whaler who went in there and found it to be the mouth of a large inletconveying a vast body of water into the interior, occasionally, Iimagine, even as far as the neighbourhood of the north-east shore ofShark's Bay, as Captain Grey speaks of finding there extensive plains ofmud and sand, at times evidently flooded by the sea and presenting nolimit in a north-east direction. 

Continuing our passage we arrived at Swan River on November 23rd. 

CHAPTER 2. 12. 

Reported Harbour. Set out for Australind. The Grass-tree. Correspondence with Mr. Clifton, etc. Sail from Gage Road. Examination of coast. Reach Champion Bay. Visit Mount Fairfax and Wizard Peak. Arid nature of country. Want of water. Native Grave. The Greenough river. Natives. Leave Champion Bay. Koombanah Bay. Naturaliste Reef. Reach South Australia. Port Adelaide. Proposed Railroad. Visit Mount Barker. Encounter Bay. Native fishing. Return to Adelaide. Sail from South Australia. Portland Bay. Squatters. Tour in the interior. Fertile country. View from the Sugarloaf. Visit Cape Bridgewater. Sail for Hobart. Liberality of Sir John Franklin. Atmospheric changes. Arrive at Sydney. 

REPORTED HARBOUR. 

Among the news that most interested us on our arrival at Swan River, wasthe report of the discovery of a harbour on the west coast, nearMoresby's Flat-topped Range. In the Surveyor General's office I was showna map of that portion of Western Australia by Mr. Arrowsmith, "from thesurveys of Captain Grey, " whose name the port bore; and the unitedauthorities of this talented explorer, and this celebrated geographer, would have removed all doubt from my mind as to the correctness of thereport to which I have alluded, even if the alleged discovery had nottaken place on a portion of the coast unvisited by Captain King ormyself. In the colony, however, very different opinions were held; and itwas confidently maintained that Port Grey, although placed, by accidentor otherwise, twelve miles to the southward, was no other than the bay wehad previously visited, called by us Champion Bay. It is true I couldtrace a resemblance between their southern parts; but they differed sowidely in their northern--Port Grey being represented in the chart, andprinted description, to be perfectly safe, and sheltered in that quarterby a point and a reef--that I saw no grounds for giving credence to theopinion industriously circulated at Swan River, that the reef and point, or perhaps the whole port, had been fabricated by the land-jobbers athome. Such an opinion, however, was quite a disinterested one on theirpart; as an extension of the colony northwards, and the establishment ofa settlement near Moresby's Flat-topped Range, would have led to a resultmuch desired by them, the occupancy, namely, of the intervening country. It was in the neighbourhood of the harbour, the existence or identity ofwhich was thus called in question, that Captain Grey had reported to haveseen a fertile district; and a company had actually arrived from Englandfor the purpose of forming a settlement there. Mr. Clifton, the ChiefCommissioner, however, on hearing the opinion prevalent in the colony, did not think proper to risk the lives of the people under his charge, byconveying them to a port that might be fabulous, and to a country thefertility of which was absolutely denied; and the destination of the newsettlement was, accordingly, provisionally changed to the shores of theLeschenault Inlet, which held out a prospect of solid, if not brilliant, success, and possessed advantages, which, if not dazzling, were at leastexempt from the suspicion of being visionary. 

Anxious to have further information on this subject through a personalinterview with Mr. Clifton, I accompanied His Excellency Governor Huttand the Surveyor General on a tour in the direction of the newsettlement, whilst the ship underwent a slight refit, and the men had arun ashore. The survey of the Swan, from the entrance to Perth, was, meanwhile, undertaken by Mr. Forsyth. 

THE GRASS-TREE. 

Leaving Fremantle, the first part of the road lay between low ranges oflimestone hills, and through quite a forest of grass-trees, gums(Xanthorroea) some knobby, old and crooked, others erect and reaching theheight, occasionally, of perhaps seventeen feet, with their tufted andoverarching crests towering above those of smaller growth that werescattered over the earth around. *

(*Footnote. These trees, called Blackboys by the colonists, from theresemblance they bear, in the distance, to natives, attain, it is said, agreat age, and there is a vague report that when fifty years old they areonly a foot above ground. )

ROAD TO AUSTRALIND. 

The road passes through the township of Pinjarra, on the fertile banks ofthe Murray. Where it crosses the river, the first and only great affraytook place with the natives, whose blood on that unfortunate occasionstained the waters of the reach that now slept in peaceful beauty, as ifstrife had never polluted its banks. * Here we met Mr. Clifton, whoaccompanied us to his new township of Australind, to plant the germs ofwhich, in the wilds of Western Australia, he and his worthy family hadleft England and all the comforts of society. This interesting spot issituated on the east side of Leschenault Inlet; the approach is laid outwith much taste, the road leading along the foot of a hill covered withwood, whilst on the right is an open growth of trees, affording every nowand then a glimpse of the beautiful estuary, with its surface justruffled and glittering in the rays of the setting sun. I was much struckwith the beauty of the scenery during this evening's and the morrow'sexcursion, having had no idea that there was such a fertile, wellwatered, and heavily timbered district so near the coast in WesternAustralia. **

(*Footnote. A spirited painting of this encounter I saw ornamenting thewalls of Captain Mears' cottage at Guildford. )

(**Footnote. Her Majesty's dockyards are now availing themselves of thissupply of excellent timber; and its proximity to the sea must greatlyenhance the value of this part of the continent. )

CORRESPONDENCE WITH MR. CLIFTON, ETC. 

Having conversed with Mr. Clifton on the subject of the settlement he hadintended to make near Port Grey, and been made acquainted with hisreasons for doubting the existence of the harbour, and the fertility ofthe surrounding country, as well as with his desire to have the questionsatisfactorily set at rest, I requested him to write to me on thesubject; and on the receipt of his letter, * I communicated, also inwriting, with his Excellency, Governor Hutt, and the Surveyor-General, Mr. Roe; the result of which correspondence was, that I determined toexamine that portion of the coast; and to afford Mr. Clifton theopportunity of accompanying me, and with his own eyes convincing himselfof the policy or impolicy of the course he had adopted. 

(*Footnote. From which the following is an extract: Your arrival at GageRoads, in her Majesty's surveying vessel, Beagle, under your command, affords me an opportunity of soliciting your able assistance towards thesolution of a question of great interest, not only to the WesternAustralian Company, whom I represent, but to this colony at large; and Ifeel assured that your known zeal in the cause of Geographical andHydrographical research will induce you, if it be within your power, tocomply with the request which I now take the liberty to make. Under thesefeelings I proceed to state to you, that the Western Australian Company, after all their plans had been formed for founding their intended Colonyof Australind, in Leschenault inlet, were led under circumstances whichoccurred, and information which reached them, to abandon that intentionand to determine to fix their settlement at a port discovered by CaptainGrey, designated in England by the appellation of Port Grey, and lying onthe North-West coast of this colony, in or about the latitude of 29degrees south, within the limits of the district between Gantheaume Bayand the River Arrowsmith, in which district her Majesty's Government hadpermitted the Company to take possession of extensive tracts of land inlieu of their property in other parts of Western Australia. 

Upon my arrival, however, in March last, at Port Leschenault, with theintention of conveying in the Parkfield, with the first body of settlersand emigrants to the new district, the Company's surveying establishmentalready employed in this neighbourhood, I received such communicationsfrom his Excellency the Governor, and such information respecting thesupposed Port Grey, and the country in its vicinity, together with atracing of the partial survey made by you in Champion Bay, lying inlatitude 28 degrees 47 minutes South which is presumed to be identicalwith Port Grey, that I was induced, after full consultation with hisExcellency, to unite with him in opinion, that it would be proper for meto depart from my instructions, and to found the colony under my chargeon the spot originally contemplated in Leschenault Inlet, instead of atPort Grey, which determination I accordingly carried into effect underthe Governor's sanction. 

It naturally was my most anxious wish, as it would have been my duty, ifit had been practicable, to visit myself the supposed port, before Itook, in conjunction with his Excellency, a step involving so great apersonal responsibility, and so seriously affecting all the predeterminedplans of the company, settlers, and emigrants. I have since made everypractical endeavour, but without success, to obtain means of proceedingto the district in question, in order to establish the fact by actualobservation and research, whether that district does or does not afford aproper site for the establishment of a new settlement on an extensivescale, or is totally inapplicable for it, according to the informationwhich led to the decision come to. And as the result of such examinationinvolves measures which may prove of very great importance to the localinterests of this colony, and even to the interests of themother-country, I venture to submit to your consideration, whether youwould not deem that inquiry of sufficient importance to justify yourproceeding to Champion Bay, in her Majesty's sloop, Beagle, under yourcommand, to ascertain fully the capabilities of the country in itsimmediate vicinity, and to determine whether there be another harbour ornot at the place assigned to Port Grey on the map recently published byArrowsmith. 

If your proceeding to that part of this coast should be within the scopeof the service assigned to you by the Lords Commissioners of theAdmiralty, or the importance of the solution of these questions, on whichsuch extensive interests and operations depend, should induce you to takeupon yourself the responsibility of going there, I earnestly request youwill allow me the honour of accompanying you, for the purpose offulfilling my duty to the Directors of the Company, and to the verynumerous body of persons interested in the formation of the intendedsettlement under them. )

EXAMINATION OF COAST. 

On the 12th, accordingly, we sailed from Gage Roads, and next morningclosed with the land in latitude 29 degrees 13 minutes South beingthirteen miles south of the position assigned to Port Grey inArrowsmith's map, before alluded to. From thence we followed the shore ata distance of between three and five miles, in soundings of 7 and 12fathoms; the first part trended North by West two miles, and thenNorth-West 1/2 West to Point Grey, lying five miles South by East ofPoint Moore (a bight of that width being formed between) without any signof the sought-for harbour. The general appearance of the coast was thatof high sandhills, partly covered with vegetation; immediately in therear of which there appeared a range rather higher, and of a less barrenappearance; behind these again, at a distance of eight or nine miles, rose a series of singular table-topped broken ranges, terminatingsouthwards in about latitude 29 degrees 5 minutes South. Mount Fairfaxand Wizard Peak are the most conspicuous objects in this range. 

REACH CHAMPION BAY. 

Owing to the water being very smooth, we found ourselves embayed onapproaching the point of the above mentioned bight, by a reef, the outerpart of which bore South 37 degrees West fifteen miles from MountFairfax. The delay caused in clearing this danger, made it evening by thetime we reached Champion Bay, in latitude 28 degrees 47 minutes South, from whence we had previously examined the coast northward for nearlythirty miles. We had, therefore, now satisfactorily ascertained that, excepting Champion Bay, there was no good anchorage on the coast betweenthe latitudes of 28 degrees 20 minutes South and 29 degrees 20 minutesSouth. *

(*Footnote. For a description of Champion Bay, see above. )

From what I have said it will appear, that the point represented inArrowsmith's map, as sheltering the north side, has no real existence. Itis probable, that the following passage from Mr. Moore's Journal, mayhave had some share in suggesting the contrivance. 

"To the south of the tongue of land which forms the bay, there is alsoanother bay, which would be completely sheltered from all northerlywinds, so as to combine, between the two bays, perfect shelter at allseasons of the year. "

VISIT MOUNT FAIRFAX. 

This point being set at rest, we proceeded with a large armed party atdaylight on the morning of the 15th, to examine the country. Landing, wetook an East by South direction for Mount Fairfax, the nearest and mostcommanding point. About one mile and a half from the beach, we crossedthe dry bed of a stream, trending South by East about twenty yards wide, with banks from twenty to thirty feet high, composed of reddish earth andsand, having considerable portions of ironstone in it. A few smalltea-trees of the colonists grew in the sand that formed the dry bed ofthe stream. Our course continued afterwards uninterrupted, over agradually rising plain, of a sandy scrubby nature, until reaching thefoot of Mount Fairfax, when we crossed another small watercourse, trending South by West where, for the first time, we noticed a solitarystunted casuarina. Mount Fairfax is the southern and most elevated partof an isolated block, forming Moresby's Flat-topped Range. It rests on areddish, sandy, sloping plain, on which were occasionally noticedfragments of quartz and ironstone, which latter formation is thecharacter of Mount Fairfax, and apparently of the neighbouring heights. Having completed our observations, which place Mount Fairfax 582 feetabove the level of the sea, we continued our journey to the south-east, in the direction of Wizard Peak. Two miles, over a scrubby sandy plain, brought us again to the Chapman or Greenough. Here, for the first time, there was an appearance of fertility; but only in the valley of theriver, which was about a quarter of a mile wide. 

With the exception of a few brackish pools, the bed, as where we beforecrossed it, was dry, and formed of white sand, growing in which was asmall crooked kind of drooping gum, besides a species of wattle andtea-tree. Its course was about South by West and appeared to come fromthe valleys, formed by the ranges in the rear of Mount Fairfax, and northof Wizard Peak. Continuing our journey, we proceeded over an undulatingplain, on the higher parts of which a reddish sand and ironstone graveluniversally prevailed; in the lower parts, and near the watercourses, thesoil approached a light mould, and produced the warran, so much soughtafter by the natives. In all this district the vegetation was of theworst description--the trees, which grew only in the valleys, were smallkinds of banksia, wattles, and drooping gums--not large enough to furnishbuilding materials. 

ASCEND WIZARD PEAK. 

In the course of the afternoon we reached the summit of that remarkableand almost solitary pyramidal hill, Wizard Peak, * which we found composedof large blocks of ironstone, having a most powerful effect on theneedle, and changing its direction in different places ten degrees. Herewe noticed two or three stunted xanthorrhoeas growing on the South-Westside of the hill; and a few small casuarinas, and wattles were thinlyscattered on its summit, which, by barometric measurement, was found tobe 715 feet above the level of the sea. Part of the range lyingimmediately north was absolutely a mass of bare ironstone. This view wasvery commanding--to the North-North-West and North-East lay extensivevalleys, all of which appeared through a spy-glass to be of the same aridnature; for a few miles to the eastward, and a great many to thenorthward, the formation of the country was of the same flat, broken, andirregular character, but no part visible appeared to be of greaterelevation than that on which we stood; to seawards the appearance of thecountry was that of an undulating plain, with patches of stunted woodlandwidely scattered. 

(*Footnote. Distant eleven miles from Champion Bay. )

APPEARANCE OF COUNTRY FROM WIZARD PEAK. 

After attentively examining with my glass, resting on the ground, allthat lay within the extensive range of vision afforded by Wizard Peak, * Icould not help congratulating Mr. Clifton on his display of judgment, intaking the responsible step I have mentioned; and it is to be deeplyregretted, that one so energetic, and so well adapted for the duty he hadundertaken, should have been totally abandoned by those who sent him out. It was now clear that this part of the country was not fit for thesettler, being deficient in the three most necessary articles, water, timber for building, and food for stock. ** It was also now clear that theopinion expressed at Swan River, regarding both the harbour and thequality of the country was substantially correct. But it was not until itbecame apparent to my own eyes, that I could believe anyone could be soreckless as to induce a large number of individuals, including women andchildren, by false, or at least exaggerated representations, to sever theties of kindred and of friendship, and become voluntary exiles to a farcountry, in search of a new and more prosperous home; whilst in lieu ofthe promised streams and fertile plains, nothing in reality awaited thembut sterility--the certain loss of property, and the imminent risk oftheir lives. 

(*Footnote. The reader will see my position, at this time, together withthe track of the Beagle's party, and that of Captain Grey's, laid down inone of the charts accompanying this work. )

(**Footnote. Mr. Moore's description of the country near Champion Bay, isas follows: "Judging by the eye at that distance, the entire space, asfar as we had any opportunity of seeing, after going a little way backfrom the coast, on the slope to the hills, upon the hills, among thehills, beyond the hills, and, in short, everywhere, as far as the eyecould discern, appeared a grassy country, thinly sprinkled with some lowtrees or shrubs, perhaps acacias. If this be the case, and there be watersufficient, of which there is no reason to doubt, this may certainly turnout to be the finest district for sheep pasture that this colony canpossess. " This testimony, one would have thought, was much too vague tojustify the expression of any decided opinion as to the capabilities ofthe country. Mr. Moore judged entirely from a distant view with the nakedeye: he could not discern the nature of the trees, does not assertpositively that the land was grassy, is unable to speak with certainty asto the existence of sufficient water, and ventures only to draw theconditional conclusion that this district MAY turn out to be the finestthe colony can possess. 

Mr. Bynoe, who accompanied me in my excursion over this part of thecontinent, writes as follows respecting it: "There can be but one opinionof the country in the vicinity of the supposed Port Grey, namely, that itis comparatively sterile. All the soil passed over, during our two days'journey, was of a sandy nature; and the gumtrees, particularly in theopen country, were stunted and gnarled. Isolated clumps, however, of ataller, straighter, and smoother character, were met with in the driedwatercourses. Near Wizard Peak, the warran, or native yam seemed to growin great abundance, and to some considerable depth. There the soil couldbe pretty well judged of; and the deeper the holes had been dug by thenatives to obtain the root, the more pure was the sand; it was only thesurface soil that held decayed vegetable matter. Twice during the trip, near the bases of cliffs, I saw a few acres of alluvial deposit, two verycircumscribed beds, which were lost in the bottom of a watercourse, sliding, as it were, gradually under the sand. Near Moresby's Range, where the soil became freely mixed with ironstone and pebbles, thevegetation was more stunted, consisting principally of a prickly bush, mingled with coarse brown grass. During the whole time of our ramble, wesaw only three kangaroos, and five emus; and in some parts of the tallscrub were wallaby tracks. ")

Descending, we found the party left below in the dry bed of a watercoursehad failed in their endeavour to procure water by digging; we, therefore, as we supposed, had no resource but to return, exhausted as we were, tothe brackish water-pools we had seen in the Chapman or Greenough. 

NATIVE WELL AND BURIAL PLACE. 

Happily, however, our dog discovered a deep hole under a drooping gum, which proved to be a native well, and after clearing and digging deeper, afforded our thirst relief. The soil through which this well was sunk wasa light alluvial deposit, based on sand six feet below the surface. Numerous native paths and deep holes, from which the warran root had beenextracted, encircle this spot; some neighbouring huts of a superiorstructure gave us snug quarters for the night; Wizard Peak bearing South50 seconds East about a mile distant. 

At break of dawn we resumed our exploration. The morning was dull andcloudy, thermometer 59 degrees; on the previous day its greatest heighthad been 85 degrees. Two miles from our bivouac, we fell in with a recentnative grave--a circular pit three yards in diameter, filled within afoot of the surface with sand, carefully smoothed over. Small sticks, some with red horizontal marks painted on them, and others scraped, withthe shavings tastefully twisted round, ornamented the edge of the grave;a large semicircular fence fronted the south-east side; and theneighbourhood bore evidence, in the shape of several destroyed huts, ofits having been deserted by the companions of the dead. After walking atleast five miles, we again made the Chapman or Greenough, above a milesouth of the point at which we before met it, and pursuing its usualcourse between South and South-South-West. The bed was still dry sand, but we found a small hole of brackish water in a hollow. Crossing, wecontinued our west direction, and were surprised to find ourselves againon the river; a line of red cliffs thirty feet high, forming the southbend, had changed its course to the northward. We subsequently againcrossed two dry parts of it; from an elevation on the South-West side ofthe last, Mount Fairfax bore North 50 degrees East and Wizard Peak South58 degrees East. 

RECOGNITION BEND. 

Hitherto I had been in doubt whether this was the Chapman or Greenough ofCaptain Grey; but here finding that a branch trended southwards, I wasconvinced it was the latter, and gave this part the name of RecognitionBend, as it further led to my discovering that Captain Grey had mistakenthe hills in Captain King's chart, * and that, therefore, his descriptionof the country refers to another portion; and it is only justice to himto state, that considering he was travelling for his life, and the greathardships he endured, it is surprising how the information collected wasobtained. 

(*Footnote. This error Captain Grey candidly acknowledged in thefollowing letter to me, afterwards published by his authority in theSouth Australian Register. 

Government House, Adelaide, January 28th, 1842. 

My dear Sir, I have attentively read your letter to the Honourable theSurveyor-General of Western Australia; I have also considered theobservations made by you to me, relative to the error you suppose I havefallen into in mistaking the Wizard Peak of Captain King for the hillnamed by him Mount Fairfax; and I find that I have certainly fallen intothis error, a by no means unlikely one, considering the very similarcharacter of the singular group of hills, called Moresby's Flat-toppedRange, and the circumstances under which I was journeying. Consequentlythe country I have described as lying near Mount Fairfax, lies near someother hill to the north of Mount Fairfax, and the country I havedescribed as lying near Wizard Hill lies near Mount Fairfax, being placedfrom ten to twelve miles south of its true latitude. 

The mistake arose thus: I carried Captain King's chart, and having only aKater's compass with me, on recognizing what I considered to be MountFairfax, I assumed the latitude of that hill as laid down on the chart tobe my true latitude, and made an entry in my journal accordingly. 

On substituting the name of Mount Fairfax for Wizard Hill, thedescription of the small portions of the country traversed by us incommon, will be found to coincide almost exactly. . . I am, my dear Sir, yours faithfully, G. GREY. 

I need scarcely add, that Captain Grey having been obliged to assume hislatitude, none of his positions, during this harassing journey, can beexpected to be accurate. )

MOUTH OF THE GREENOUGH. 

From this point we proceeded one mile west over a dry, arid plain, covered with yellow and white everlasting flowers of small growth: alittle patch of woodland, consisting of a species of wattle and a verysmall kind of gum, here delayed our progress. The ground beneath thesetrees was entirely barren of vegetation; but emerging from them, we cameupon the only piece of grass of a useful nature seen in the route; itwas, however, quite parched, and occupied a space only of three or fouracres. From thence to the coast dunes, to reach which we made a detour tothe South-West walking over about six miles of country, all was scrub andsand. On the low ridge, lying immediately behind the coast range ofsandhills, limestone occasionally cropped out. Embarking, we proceeded ina boat to examine a small estuary, seen from Mount Fairfax, at thenorthern part of the bay. This we found to be separated from the sea by alow bank of sand, thirty feet wide and five high, over which the seaappeared in gales to enter; but from the manner in which the sandhillsoverlapped at the mouth, it was not possible to detect the entrance fromseawards. We landed and traced it for a mile in an east direction, untilwe proved it to be the mouth of the Greenough; the water was entirelysalt, and the banks, in some places seventy feet high, were composed oflimestone. Near the head of this estuary we discovered the place whereCaptain Grey crossed it, as described in the following extract from hisnotes communicated to Lord John Russell, then Secretary for the Colonies. 

CHARACTER OF COUNTRY. 

"The character of the country again changed, and for the next two milesand a half the plains were sandy, and covered with scrub. At the end ofanother mile we reached a river, about twenty-five yards wide; it wassalt where we made it, and it was so shallow, that we soon found a placewhere, by jumping from rock to rock, we could cross it. This riverdischarged itself into a bay;* it ran rather from the South of East. [East of South?] Four miles further, South by East, were sandy plains, with scrub, etc. "

(*Footnote. This was doubtless Champion Bay; but in our examination ofthe coast, we did not see anything of the bay or harbour which CaptainGrey speaks of in his work (volume 2 page 35) about nine miles north ofthe Greenough, and which he supposed to be Champion Bay, "sincedenominated, " he says, "Port Grey. " According to the true latitude ofChampion Bay, the bay in question would be in about 28 degrees 38 minutesSouth or nearly twenty-two miles north of the position assigned to PortGrey in Arrowsmith's map, before alluded to. )

Thus terminated our exploration of this part of the country, called, byCaptain Grey, the Province of Victoria; and certainly all we had seen ofit deserved the character of sterility, which in some measure it appearsto retain further northward, as we learn from the report of LieutenantHelpman, who has recently visited it in the colonial schooner Champion. We did not, on our route, fall in with any native, but on reaching theboat, found that a party of five men had approached the beach, and heldfriendly communication with Mr. Pasco, who, in exchange for ahandkerchief or two, had obtained from them a hunger belt, composed ofwallaby furs, a throwing stick, and a nose-piece of kangaroo bone. Theywere entirely naked, and slightly scarred, but were not smeared with thered pigment called wilgy, and had their hair knotted upon the crown oftheir head, like the natives of the neighbourhood of King's Sound. 

SAIL FROM CHAMPION BAY. 

On the morning of the 16th we were again on our way southwards, with, strange to say at that season of the year, westerly winds, whichprevailed for the three succeeding days. 

KOOMBANAH BAY. 

After touching at Swan River (where, finding His Excellency the Governorstill absent, an account of our cruise was left with theSurveyor-General) we reached Koombanah Bay on the 27th. Mr. Forsyth, whomI had sent overland, had completed the survey of this anchorage, andLeschenault Inlet, which it joins in the south corner by a narrow boatchannel. The wreck of a large whale ship in the head of the bay shows thefolly of attempting to ride out the winter gales to which it is exposed;but this may be remedied by a breakwater thrown out from Point Casuarina, of which nature has laid the foundation in the reef that extends outacross the bay in the desired direction. The strong outset from theestuary during the rainy season materially lessens the strain upon thecables of ships caught there by a gale. The peculiarity in the formationof this neighbourhood consists in some basaltic columns on the coastclose to Point Casuarina. 

We devoted the 28th to making observations, * etc. ; and I was surprised tofind that this part of the coast was laid down four miles too much to thenorthward. 

(*Footnote. These observations were made on the beach, midway betweenPoint Casuarina and the mouth of the estuary, which spot they place inlatitude 33 degrees 19 minutes 10 seconds South and longitude 0 degrees 7minutes 00 seconds West of Swan River. From a sandhill, 190 feet high, bearing South 11 degrees West, six-tenths of a mile from that spot, Ifound that the highest part of the Darling Range, Mount William, boreNorth 40 degrees 6 minutes East thirty-three miles, and was in height1720 feet; and that Mount Leonard, another excrescence on this range boreSouth 81 degrees 44 minutes East distant thirteen miles and seven-tenths, and was of an elevation of 1270 feet; whilst the summit of CapeNaturaliste bore South 65 degrees West and the visible extreme South 66degrees 50 minutes West which confirmed the error I had before remarkedin the position assigned it in the chart, being four miles too far north. All the above bearings are true. The rise of the tide, and the time ofhigh-water, are the same as at Swan River. 

ARRIVE AT SOUTH AUSTRALIA. 

Daylight, on the 29th, found us outside Koombanah Bay, running to thewestward before a light land breeze. From the offing, this part of thewestern shore of the continent was much more prepossessing than any wehad before seen. The outline of the Darling Range, here approachingwithin fourteen miles of the sea, and broken only by Mount Leonard andthe gorge of the Harvey, was sharply pencilled against the eastern skythat glowed with the pure light of morning; whilst the country betweenwas clothed with trees of such magnitude that their verdant summits couldbe seen, over the coast sandhills, stretching away in one sea of foliageas far as the eye could reach. 

The course we held led us within five miles of the north side ofNaturaliste Reef, * in 29 fathoms; the depth we found sixteen miles westof it was 60 fathoms, and half a mile south of it 26 fathoms. It partakesof the error in latitude previously discovered in Cape Naturaliste, whichis distant sixteen miles, and bears, when over the centre of it, South 21/2 degrees West (true). 

(*Footnote. A circular patch of breakers half a mile in extent, with, according to report, six and nine feet water on it. )

Being desirous of confirming our meridian distances along the southcoast, we visited for the purpose King George's Sound and SouthAustralia, at which latter place we arrived on the morning of January26th, 1842. Since our former visit, a change had taken place in thegovernorship of the colony; and though it was with great regret that welearnt Colonel Gawler had left for England, we were glad he had found aworthy successor in our brother explorer Captain Grey. 

His Excellency and the merchants expressing a wish that the Beagle shouldvisit the port, no man of war having yet done so; and being anxiousmyself to examine the capabilities of the place, as well as to completeour survey of twenty-three miles of the eastern shore of Spencer's Gulf, on the afternoon of the 29th the Beagle was running into Port Adelaide. *The ladies of the Governor, the Surveyor-General, and others, honoured uswith their presence on the passage round. **

(*Footnote. Besides the light vessel off the bar at Port Adelaide, aflagstaff close to the southward at the pilot station serves to point outthe entrance to strangers. )

(**Footnote. I have already given some account of this port; and here, therefore, I need do no more than refer the reader to the accompanyingchart. )

PROPOSED RAILROAD. 

It was the examination I made on this occasion of Colonel Gawler'sexcellent road between the port and Adelaide, which convinced me that aportion of it might easily be converted into a railroad, as there issufficient width for a single line of rails without detracting from itspresent value. That such an undertaking would prove of great advantage tothe colony there can be no doubt; and it is equally certain that it wouldbe profitable to those engaged in it. The exports and imports of SouthAustralia are, year by year, rapidly increasing; and now that its vastmineral resources have been discovered, and are in progress ofdevelopment, no bounds can be set to its probable wealth and prosperity. A railroad would be sure to attract a large amount of traffic even atpresent. As, however, the Port of Adelaide only admits vessels ofmoderate draught, large ships must discharge part of their cargo outside, or at Holdfast Roads; between which place and Adelaide a railroad mightalso be carried without any difficulty, there being a complete level thewhole way. 

VISIT MOUNT BARKER. 

Being desirous of seeing a little more of this fertile part of thecontinent, I left Adelaide accordingly, after sunset, on January 31st, for Mount Barker, * and before sunrise next day visited its summit, nearly1700 feet high, in order, if possible, to obtain a view in the clearatmosphere of early morning of Lake Alexandrina, or Victoria, and theriver Murray. In this, however, I was disappointed, the weather beinghazy in that direction, so that nothing could be seen but the extensivescrub on the eastern side of the river, stretching away like abrown-coloured sea. Mount Barker, which may be recognised by asaddle-shaped hill to the south of it, lies about thirty miles South-Eastby East from Adelaide; the latter part of the road between is hilly; fromits foot a strip of very rich land, about one mile wide and three long, extends to the south-west, in the direction of Willunga, on our way towhich I noticed several similar blocks. Following the southerly course ofthe Finnis, at that time a dry rich flat, we entered a hilly picturesquecountry with deep fertile valleys. Tracks of wild cattle were numerous onthe ridges, but we saw none, and were again disappointed by the haze thatprevailed throughout the day, of a view of the surrounding country. Inthe evening we reached Willunga, distant thirty-five miles from MountBarker; though sight-seeing had taken us, during the day, over fiftymiles of country. This township is prettily situated at the western footof the hills on a woodland slope, bordered by the waters of the Gulf, ata distance of about six miles. 

(*Footnote. Named after the unfortunate Captain Barker by his friendCaptain Sturt. )

ENCOUNTER BAY. 

Our party was to have been here joined by Governor Grey, who, however, did not arrive till late next morning; when, after examining the slatequarries in the neighbourhood, where the cleavage and quality equalledany I have seen in Wales, we left for Encounter Bay, bearing nearlysouth-east. The first three miles of the road lay over stony ridges; andthe next eighteen traversed the worst part of the province, a sandy, scrubby, slightly undulating country, about five hundred feet above thesea. We were glad to find ourselves descending from this wearisomesterile tract upon some rich flats at the head of the river Hindmarsh, named after the first governor of the colony. These we followed fourmiles in a South-South-East direction, where meeting the river, itstortuous course led to the southward for about five miles. Where it joinsthe sea, in the north-western corner of Encounter Bay, a township, alsonamed Hindmarsh, had been laid out, which will, doubtless, be a pleasantsummer residence, as we felt a great change in the temperature; indeedthe evening was quite bleak, with a moderate breeze from seaward. 

I was naturally much interested in this part of my journey, being anxiousto see if the shelter here existing merited the name, given in the chart, of Victor Harbour; but the only protection, excepting for a small vesselin the north-west corner, and from northerly and westerly winds, is undera little island, where it is possible one or two vessels may lie. FromHindmarsh I saw the entrance of Lake Alexandrina, among some sandhills atthe entrance of which Captain Barker was murdered by the natives; acircumstance which gave rise to the name of Encounter Bay, and attached amelancholy interest to the spot. 

NATIVE MODE OF FISHING. 

Here for the first time, I met a Murray River native among a party ofothers. He was certainly the finest Australian in make I had ever seen, being robust and stout, like a South Sea Islander. A German Missionary, who had a native school at Hindmarsh, took us to see a curious method ofcatching fish resorted to at this place, which, as it has not beennoticed by Mr. Eyre, I shall describe. A party of natives, each providedwith a large square piece of net, rolled up, with a stick at either end, swam out to a certain distance from shore, and spread themselves into asemicircle. Every man then relinquished one of the sticks round which hispiece of net was rolled, to his right-hand neighbour, and receivedanother from his left; when, bringing the two together, a great seine wasformed. They now swam in, followed by other natives, who, by throwingstones and splashing the water, frightened the fish, and prevented themfrom getting out. 

VISIT RAPID BAY. 

Leaving Encounter Bay, we for some distance followed the left bank of theInman, when the road turned off to the westward. The country was good inpatches, till we made a cattle-station of Mr. Hacks, near Yankalilla Bay;when, instead of a succession of forested hills and dales, we passed overextensive treeless downs, contrasting strikingly in appearance with thewoody country around. Here we pitched our tents for the night: and nextmorning were deprived of the company of His Excellency, who was obligedto return to Adelaide; whilst Messrs. Macfarlane, Burr, and myself, whowere mounted from the station, went to Rapid Bay, lying about fifteenmiles South-West by West. As there was some difficulty in catching thehorses, it was 10 A. M. Before we got away. I was by no means pleased withmy mount; I had suspected that all was not right by an exchange of looks, I caught the overseer and stockman indulging in, as I threw my leg overas ugly a hammer-headed, standing-over brute as ever man crossed; butwith the aid of a severe bit and a sharp pair of spurs I kept him alive, and he only came down twice during the journey, which, although over avery hilly country, was performed in four hours. After taking somerefreshment, we started at 4 P. M. For Adelaide, distant nearly sixtymiles. 

MOUNT TERRIBLE. 

We crossed the Myponga; and led our horses down a winding path on thealmost precipitous side of Mount Terrible, well worthy its name, just asthe sun was shedding his last rays over the waters of the Gulf, thatstretched away westward, apparently, from our feet; the white sails of acoaster here and there dotting the blue expanse. Hitherto the road hadbeen over a succession of hills and dales, with occasionally a patch ofpretty scenery; but from the foot of Mount Terrible a level, lightly-timbered piece of country extended to the Unkaparinga, which wecrossed, passing through the township of Noarlinga, on its north bank. 

After stopping to bait the horses, we continued our ride; but it was nowso very dark that I lost all the beauty of this part of the country, andfrom the undulations in the road I could easily imagine that many apretty glen was veiled from us by the darkness. Getting off the track, webecame entangled among some high five-railed fences, from which we wereextricated by the sagacity of my horse, belonging to the mounted police;on being given his head, he soon brought us back upon the road toAdelaide, where we arrived about midnight, having ridden, since 10 A. M. , nearly ninety miles. We had scarcely reached the town before a hot windset in, which lasted forty-eight hours, when a squall from seawardrelieved the gasping inhabitants: at one time the thermometer at thepublic offices was 158 degrees. 

SAIL FROM SOUTH AUSTRALIA. 

We sailed from South Australia on February 7th, but it was not until theforenoon of the 9th that we cleared Backstairs Passage, passing half amile from the reef fronting the east end of Kangaroo Island, in 16fathoms; the south-eastern part of this island is a steep rocky shore, with few sinuosities. Southerly winds brought us in sight of the land atdaylight on the 11th. The most remarkable features were Mounts Gambierand Schanck; the summit of the latter, the least conspicuous, is flat, with a hollow in the centre. According to my observations, it is inlongitude 10 degrees 29 minutes West of Sydney. The ship's position, justbefore dark, was ten miles North 65 degrees West from Cape Bridgewater, which is a hummocky cliff-faced point of land, separated from the main bya low neck. 

ARRIVE AT PORTLAND BAY. 

February 12. 

Finding ourselves still off this part of the coast, which was laid downthree miles too much to the northward, I resolved, for the better meansof determining this fact by observations on shore, to go to the nearestanchorage, Portland Bay, where we arrived in the evening. I had anotherobject in visiting this place, namely, that of helping to determine the141st meridian, which had been fixed on as the western boundary of thecolony of New South Wales. 

The approach to this anchorage is remarkable, and cannot escape thememory of anyone who has seen it; for the information of those who havenot, I give a woodcut. *

(*Footnote. Lawrence Isles lie off the point forming the south side ofPortland Bay. )

Our anchorage was in 7 fathoms, midway between the bluff on either sideof the settlement, which we were surprised to find had already assumedthe appearance of a town, lying in the western corner of the bay, on asloping grassy bank. 

Here I met Mr. C. J. Tyers, government surveyor, who had laid out thetownship of Portland. As he had also made an accurate survey of the Bay, little remained for us except to test its qualities, which the prevalenceof easterly winds gave us an opportunity of doing. They at first caused alittle anxiety, as the anchorage was exposed in this quarter; but thisfeeling rapidly subsided on our discovering the excellence of the holdingground--mud with a coating of sand, out of which we had some difficultyin weighing our anchors. 

NEW SOUTH WALES BOUNDARY. SQUATTERS. 

At Portland I had the pleasure of making the acquaintance of Mr. StephenHenty, * the leader of an enterprising family who had been the hardypioneers of civilization, in discovering and laying open the fertiledistricts of this part of the continent, and under whose fostering carePortland has risen from a mere whaling station to its present prosperity. Such being the case, it is with regret that I am obliged to say that Mr. Henty received no consideration from Government when the land was put upfor sale, being obliged to bid against the public for ground he hadbrought under notice, and spent years of labour in getting intocultivation. **

(*Footnote. My observations refer to this gentleman's new house, whichthey place in latitude 38 degrees 20 minutes 45 seconds South andlongitude 9 degrees 36 minutes 22 seconds West of Sydney, by satisfactorymeridian distances to the latter place, and from South Australia. Preferring Mr. Tyers' difference of longitude by triangulation to theeast entrance point of the Glenelg River, 37 minutes 29 seconds, which is1 minute 27 seconds more than his chronometric measurement; the mouth ofthe Glenelg will be 10 degrees 13 minutes 51 seconds West of Sydney. ByMr. Tyers' triangulation, calculated by Captain Owen Stanley from PortPhillip, Batman's Hill, with my longitude of the latter 6 degrees 16minutes 17 seconds West of Sydney, the Glenelg is West of Sydney 10degrees 14 minutes 02 seconds, which is 57 seconds less than Mr. Tyers'calculation. The longitude of Sydney, by different observers, rangesbetween 151 degrees 12 minutes 0 seconds and 151 degrees 17 minutes 0seconds; but, as I myself believe 151 degrees 16 minutes to be within aminute of the truth, the Glenelg will, accordingly, by my observations bein 141 degrees 02 minutes 09 seconds East and therefore within the NewSouth Wales territory, the limit of which it had been supposed to mark. If the 141st degree had been selected as the boundary of the colony, withreference to the longitude of Sydney, there would not be much difficultyattending its determination. )

(**Footnote. The squatter, who often at great risk locates himself in aremote spot, and renders such essential service to the mother country byfinding new lands, yea new homes, for the surplus population, merits muchgreater encouragement than he receives, particularly in instances similarto that of Mr. Henty, whose station at Portland was, for years, hundredsof miles removed from other occupied parts. This gentleman's case makesit clear at once that something ought to be done for the squatter. Hiscomfortable house and garden he was obliged to leave to make room for astreet of the new township; but this would not have been very hard had hebeen given an allotment in lieu; which, however, as I have stated, wasnot done; and he was compelled to witness the labour of his handsentirely swept away, and found himself, after years of toil, placedexactly in the same position with those who came to enjoy the fruits ofhis enterprise. 

But the greatest hardship sustained by the squatter is the Special Surveysystem, according to which, anyone desirous to become a purchaser to theextent of twenty thousand acres may choose his land where he pleases. Aparty clubs together and finds out spots, that have been improved bysquatters, with a view of purchasing them when able; many of these areoften included in one special survey block: and even if the squatter isable to purchase the rich and hardly-won small patch he occupies, thespecial survey party, generally a knot of jobbers, have the preference. This is apparently for the benefit of the crown, twenty thousand poundsbeing thus added to the revenue under the pound per acre system; but itis certainly not advantageous to the country, as the large purchasersseldom buy for occupation, but for sale; and the smallholder, thesquatter, is driven from the land in distress. I have seen instances ofpersons being utterly ruined in this way. My own opinion is, that thesquatter ought to be allowed to purchase the land he occupies by privatecontract from government; or that an allowance should be made him, equivalent to his improvements. )

The detention we had experienced afforded me an opportunity of visitingthe country; and having just seen between two and three hundred miles ofthe Province of South Australia, I was glad of the chance of comparingthese two parts of the continent. Accordingly, after making a series ofmagnetical observations, and others for the errors of the chronometers, Ileft Portland one morning in company with Mr. Tyers. Taking Mr. Henty'sroad to the northward we soon passed the rich land surrounding Portland, and entered a stringybark forest, eight miles in extent. Then crossing aheathy tract we came to the Fitzroy, distant fifteen miles from Portland. Here, as elsewhere, the presence of water improves the soil, for alongthe banks of the river there was some good land. This was also the casenear a hill just beyond it, called Mount Eckersley. Where I saw SirThomas Mitchell's initials cut in a tree at the time when he exploredthis country, and found to his surprise that Mr. Henty had a station inPortland Bay. 

EXCURSION INTO THE INTERIOR. 

With the exception of the flats near the Crawford, twenty miles from theFitzroy, the road lies through a poor country, until it approaches Mr. J. Henty's station, fifteen miles further. Here we appeared to have turnedour backs on the bad land; and entered a tract of country in which theherbage is so excellent that an acre is capable of feeding one sheep, whereas in other parts three or four are required. 

From a pointed hill, called the Sugarloaf, fifty-eight miles fromPortland, I had an extensive view of this fertile district: the outlinesof those magnificent mountains, the Victoria and Grampian ranges, thatcompleted the distant part of the landscape, to the eastward, weredistinctly defined against the clear morning sky; whilst, in theforeground, grassy round-topped hills, rose on either side of widevalleys sparingly dotted with trees, marking the course of the streamsthat meander through them, and the margin of the singular circularwaterholes, with sides so steep as to render it necessary to cut throughthem to enable the cattle to drink, that were distributed around as ifformed by art, rather than by nature. Westward, I saw the winding courseof the Glenelg, and was told that some of the squatters had locatedthemselves on its banks, and that others were even talking of stations(which they have since made) as far as the volcanic mountains, Schanckand Gambier, where there is some rich country, recently visited fromAdelaide, by Governor Grey, who has discovered that the barrier of desertbetween New South Wales and South Australia, is less marked than wassupposed; there being patches of good land intervening, so that at novery distant day, we may hope to see the whole of the coast, from PortPhillip to Spencer's Gulf, supporting a scattered white population. 

I noticed that there was a vast superiority in the soil on the north-westside of the hills; but saw none equal in richness to the five-mile patchat Mount Eckersley. 

The steep sides of a part of the valley of the Wannon, however, a fewmiles to the eastward of the Sugarloaf, are very fertile, and beingclothed with patches of woodland, form extremely pretty scenery. Therocks of this part of the country are chiefly trappean; in the immediateneighbourhood of Portland, they consist of limestone, ferruginoussandstone, and trap. 

CAPE BRIDGEWATER. 

After having extended our ride to above seventy miles, we returned, having satisfied ourselves, from what we had seen and heard, that therewas a greater extent of good land here, than at South Australia; thoughit was more scattered, and farther from the sea. On our way, we met aparty of natives; and seeing a bundle of spears leaning against a tree, Irode up to examine them, but the owner instantly ran and seized them, ina manner that confirmed the report I had before heard, to the effect, that the settlers and the aborigines of this part, either through themismanagement of the one, or the evil disposition of the other, are noton very good terms. 

February 17. 

I went this day to Cape Bridgewater, to make a sketch of the coast, andvisit some caves lying four miles north of it. These we found to be fromforty to fifty feet high, and of the same depth; the ceilings wereencrusted with stalactites and the mouths overlooked some prettyfreshwater lakes, three miles in extent separated from the sea by anarrow chain of sandhills; upon these were a few swans, and a black andwhite kind of goose, one of which Mr. Bynoe shot; it resembled thespecies we had seen flying over the Albert in the Gulf of Carpentaria. 

ARRIVE AT HOBART. 

February 20. 

A slight cessation of the easterly wind allowed us to leave Portland Bayin the morning; but scarcely had we got outside, when it blew strongagain from the same quarter: accordingly, it being highly desirable thatI should consult with His Excellency, Sir John Franklin, before wecommenced the survey of Bass Strait, we proceeded direct to Hobart, wherewe arrived on the 26th. The latitude of the south-west cape wasdetermined on the passage to be 42 degrees 35 minutes South: and arunning survey was made of the south coast of Tasmania. 

Our stay in the Derwent, during which land and seabreezes prevailed, afforded me an opportunity of comparing our compasses at the magneticobservatory, established since our last visit by the Antarcticexpedition, and left in charge of Lieutenant Key and Messrs. Dayman andScott, officers belonging to it. This place His Excellency, who took partin the observations made there, named after the leader of the expedition, Ross Bank Observatory: I found it to be 20 seconds west, and 1 minute 10seconds, north of the Beagle's observation spot in Fort Mulgrave. 

Sir John Franklin, who has always taken great interest in the Beagle'svoyage, testified every wish to afford me assistance: and in the mostliberal manner placed at my disposal the colonial cutter, Vansittart, toassist in the survey of the Strait. Messrs. Forsyth and Pascoe wereselected for the service, the former being in command. After giving theVansittart a slight refit, and a few alterations which were expedited ina most praiseworthy manner by Captain Booth, commandant at Port Arthur, she was to proceed to the scene of operations near Banks Strait. In themeantime the Beagle sailed for Sydney to receive the stores we expectedfrom England. 

ATMOSPHERIC CHANGES. 

March 10. 

This was our second day from the Derwent; but owing to the prevalence ofNorth-East winds we had not made further progress than to be at noon, thirty miles east from Cape Pillar. The atmospheric changes during thisday were curious. The morning broke hazy, with a moderate breeze fromNorth-North-East, which gradually subsiding and veering at the same timeto East-South-East, left us becalmed for three or four hours; thickimpenetrable fogs meanwhile passed at intervals to the South-West; andwhenever this obstruction to our vision was removed, could be seen a darkheap of clouds collecting, some of which detaching themselves passedrapidly over our heads. About three P. M. There was the sighing of abreeze from that quarter. The barometer, also, at this time, ceasedfalling and stood at 29. 57, being as much as two-tenths lower than whatit was an hour before, and having fallen since eight A. M. Four-tenths. 

The rapid depression of the mercury was quite perceptible to the eye. Under reduced sail the ship, like the petrel with closed wing, waited thecoming blast. A dense fog enveloped us; but an hour after the barometerhad ceased falling, it lifted up and revealed a long sheet of hissingfoam crowning the troubled waters that were rolling, urged by thetempest, tumultuously towards us from the south-west. 

RETURN TO SYDNEY. 

For a while the heavy reduced canvas still flapped with a lazy swagagainst the masts; but suddenly it was filled by a violent gust; and theBeagle was hurried swiftly onwards, careering over the waves like themisty spectre in a storm. Two hours after (six P. M. ) the barometer hadrisen a tenth. We now expected our passage to Sydney to be short: but theill luck of foul winds again attending us, it was the fifteenth before wearrived. 

CHAPTER 2. 13. 

Exploration of Interior. Twofold Bay. Survey of Bass Strait. Dangerous situation of the Beagle. Kent and Hogan Groups. Gipps Land. Wilson's Promontory. The Tamar. Eastern entrance of Strait. Steam communication between India and Australia. New Guinea. Straitsmen. North coast of Tasmania. Aborigines. Port Phillip. Directions for ships passing King Island. Complete survey of Bass Strait. Farewell to Sydney. Moreton Bay. The Comet. State of Tasmania, or Van Diemen's Land. Lighthouses in Bass Strait. 

EXPLORATION OF INTERIOR. 

The most interesting topic of conversation on our arrival at Sydney wasthe projected expedition into the interior. Two candidates for thisimportant and deeply interesting undertaking had presentedthemselves--Mr. E. J. Eyre and Sir Thomas Mitchell, both experiencedAustralian explorers. The latter proposed to start from Fort Bourke onthe Darling; and the former from Moreton Bay. In my own humble opinion, strengthened by recent experience, neither of these are practicableroutes;* or at any rate, they are not the best that could be selected. The centre of the continent must be reached by the shortest possiblejourney; it being advisable to avoid the despondency that seizes on aparty during a protracted expedition, and to keep up throughout a certaindegree of excitement. As, therefore, the greatest indentation on theshores of the continent is the Gulf of Carpentaria, the head of theAlbert River, which discharges its waters into the bottom of it, isunquestionably the best point of departure that could be selected, beingone-half the distance of Fort Bourke from the centre, and two-thirdsnearer than Moreton Bay. 

(*Footnote. Whilst this sheet was going through the press, the report ofour greatest Australian traveller, Captain Sturt, reached England;wherein he writes, speaking of his furthest (February 1845) in latitude28 degrees South and longitude about 141 degrees 22 minutes East havingapparently entered the central desert, as follows: "I could see no changein the terrible desert to which I had penetrated. The horizon wasunbroken by a single mound, from north round to north again, and it wasas level as that of the ocean. My view to the north extended about eightmiles, but I did not venture to compass that distance, only perhaps tohave overlooked a similar heart-rending and desolate scene. " This bearsout the opinion expressed in the text. I do not hesitate, however, in theface of the interesting evidence brought forward by Captain Sturt, stillto doubt the existence of an inland sea. I think the high temperature heexperienced contradicts such an hypothesis; and I believe the largeexpanse of water, reported by the natives, to be the Gulf of Carpentaria, which bore about north (true) six hundred miles from his position, Moreton Bay being nearly equidistant on an east bearing, whilst Adelaidebore South by West 1/2 West about four hundred and thirty miles. 

SUGGESTED ROUTE. 

I have before recommended the use of camels, with skins for carryingwater, in an undertaking of this kind; and I may here add, that theymight be procured in the neighbourhood of the Gulf of Cutch, * which placethe vessel should leave in the North-East monsoon, in time to have thelatter end of the North-West monsoon to take her to the Gulf ofCarpentaria, where at Sweers Island the final arrangements fordisembarking, before alluded to, ** could be made. 

(*Footnote. Camels are to be procured in this neighbourhood, when theyare not required for war service, for about five pounds a head. Besides, the natives of that part are more easily to be obtained as attendantsthan Arabs. 

(*Footnote. See above. )

In a country like Australia, with so varied a surface, it is certainlyimpossible to indicate with confidence anything beyond the point ofdeparture for an exploring party. Their direction must, of course, dependon the country they find; but I think it may be said from the mostrecent, and I much fear melancholy, experience, that the routes fromneither Moreton Bay nor Fort Bourke are practicable. That from the headof the Albert is, I believe, much superior, and I consider, after maturedeliberation, that the plan I have recommended is at once the mostexpeditious and the most economical way of solving a question of dailyincreasing interest, and of removing an imputation on English enterprisewhich is daily becoming more serious. 

The other routes of exploration which appear to me both practicable anduseful are from Halifax Bay to the Albert, * a distance of above fourhundred miles, and from Limmens Bight to the Victoria, about threehundred. These will be found marked in the chart accompanying this work. 

(*Footnote. This route I suggested to his Excellency Sir George Gipps, inMarch, 1842. )

TWOFOLD BAY. 

After leaving Sydney we had a succession of south-easterly gales, ofthree or four days' duration, and equal in severity to any we hadexperienced since leaving England. To avoid one from the westward we putinto Twofold Bay;* a remarkable high-peaked hill, Mount Imlay, lyingbehind the head of it, bearing South-West 1/2 West, leads in. 

(*Footnote. This we found to be a very convenient anchorage; and theconstant resort of coasters. From its proximity to the southern parts ofthe Manero country, it is likely to become a very thriving place, underthe auspices of Mr. Boyd, who is erecting a town there. This gentleman, Iam happy to say, employs the natives as part of the crew of his yacht;they are also constantly engaged in the boats of the whaling station, where their excellent eye renders them extremely useful in seeing andharpooning the fish; and being particularly well-disposed, they might hemade something of. )

I was surprised to find by my observations* here that this part of thecoast is laid down ten miles too much to the eastward of Sydney, an errorI subsequently found to be continued to Jervis Bay; so that the coursefrom thence to Sydney, instead of being, according to the chart, North1/4 East magnetic is North by East, a fact that should be borne in mindby masters of vessels, until this part of the coast is properly surveyed. 

(*Footnote. Which placed Point Brierly in latitude 37 degrees 6 minutes40 seconds South, longitude 1 degree 18 minutes 18 seconds west ofSydney; or 149 degrees 57 minutes 42 seconds east of Greenwich, accordingto what I consider the meridian of Sydney. )

The error I found in the position of Twofold Bay induced me to commenceour survey there, for the purpose of ascertaining the position of CapeHowe, " which I discovered to be rather more out in longitude; while theislet, instead of lying off it, lies four miles to the south-west. 

(*Footnote. This Cape, in latitude 38 degrees 31 minutes 00 seconds Southand longitude 1 degree 14 minutes 15 seconds West of Sydney, althoughrather low, is of bold approach, and admirably situated for a lighthouse. Others erected on Montague Island and Point Perpendicular, would lightthe whole coast as far as Sydney. )

FLINDERS ISLAND. 

Leaving, we again spent several days under a close-reefed main-topsailand a reefed fore-sail; but at length reached an anchorage on the easternshore of Flinders Island within the north-east side of a granitic lumpcalled Babel Islet. The flood tide came from the north-east at thisanchorage, which can only be used in easterly winds. There is a curiousdome on the inner side of Babel, which is connected by a sandy spit withthe large island. Within the eastern point of the latter are theremarkable pyramidal hills, called the Patriarchs, rising out of ascrubby plain, much cut up with lagoons, which forms the character ofthis side of Flinders. We were enabled to fix the eastern shore of theisland, from Babel Islet and the outer Patriarch, whence the view wascommanding. A range of bare-topped hills lies to the west, whilst to thesouth-west, through a mass of clouds, we occasionally caught glimpses ofsome high peaks, which I named after my friend Count Strzelecki. A heathyvalley stretches across the island to the westward, through which I sawthe sea on the opposite side; on the northern part the hills are morerounded and lower. 

TO KENT GROUP. 

From Babel Islet we proceeded towards Kent Group, passing, in 11 or 12fathoms, along the eastern shore of Flinders Island, where we discovereda dangerous sandy spit extending five miles off; from its extreme theeastern part of the outer Sister bore North 64 degrees West, six milesand a half. After rounding the latter the wind changed in a violentsquall to the westward, and gave us a long beat of a day to reach KentGroup, during which we discovered a reef, * just awash at high-water, andbearing East 8 degrees South, five miles and a half from Wright's Rock. **

(*Footnote. Beagle's Reef. )

(**Footnote. A pyramidal lump, three hundred feet high, resembling acutter under sail. )

This, Endeavour Reef, and a sunken rock, about a mile east of CraggyIsland, constitute the chief dangers between Kent Group and Flinders. Theextremes are marked to the north and south by Wright's Rock and CraggyIsland, between which ships should not pass, although there is a channelclose to the south side of the former. It should also be particularlyborne in mind that the tides, which here sometimes run two knots, setrather across the channel South-West by South and North-East by North. The north-easterly stream beginning a quarter before noon at the full andchange of the moon. 

DANGEROUS SITUATION

The Beagle passed half a mile from the north-west side of Wright's Rock, in 29 fathoms, in the evening; and having spent the night standingto-and-fro between it and Kent Group, in the morning was abreast of theopening between the islands called Murray Pass, when we steered towardsit. The weather, for the season, was fine; and the sun, although weak, shone brightly from a clear wintry sky--it well-nigh happened for thelast time--upon the poor old Beagle!

The sea, still vexed and chafing from the breeze of yesterday, rolled inwith solemn grandeur on the storm-beaten sides of the islands; eachheaving swell carrying the ship nearer towards the almost fatal opening. Her motions, however, as if she was conscious of the fate that threatenedher, were sluggish and slow, and she seemed unwillingly to obey theimpulse of the light southerly breeze that aided her progress. Indeedthere appeared to be an opposing tide until we drew in between the highrocky sides of the channel, when suddenly the ship was hurried onwardswith such rapidity that to prevent our being swept past a cove on theright it was necessary to close with its outer point, towards which amerciless eddy flung the ship's head so rapidly, that before thethrown-aback sails checked her way, her jib-boom was almost over therocks. * During the few awful moments that succeeded, a breathless silenceprevailed; and naught was heard but the din of waters that foamed in furyaround, as if impatient to engulf us in their giddy whirl. Still, it mustbe confessed, that our hearts sickened within at the thought that ourlittle bark, after having braved so many storms, and done so much goodservice to the state, might be left to whiten a foreign shore with hertimbers. Providence, however, decreed it should be otherwise; and thenext moment the Beagle's head was slowly paying off from the shore. Buther broadside becoming exposed to the swell, she was again driven intowards the point, and so close, that before the well-trimmed sails gaveher way, as her stern went down with the swell, the assurance that shemust strike, pervaded every shuddering frame. To myself, the sensationwas just as if my feet were under the keel; and I almost expected to feelthe bones crushing. Still we clung to hope, which can find a place evenin the narrowest interval of danger; and our eyes and hearts were liftedup in supplication to Him who had already so miraculously reprieved us. Scarcely, however, had the prayer been formed and preferred, when theperil was past: in the course of an hour we were safely moored in EastCove, Kent Group. 

(*Footnote. See the view annexed. )

LIGHTHOUSE HILL. 

In this wild and confined anchorage we were detained by constant westerlygales for a fortnight, during the whole of which there was only onereally clear day, when I got angles to all the distant points from a hillnear the south-east extreme of the group, nine hundred and ten feet highand quite precipitous on its seaward face. We named it Lighthouse Hill, its admirably conspicuous situation suggesting the purpose to which itmight be devoted; the materials for building, moreover, are all at hand. 

DEAL ISLAND. 

The principal islands of Kent Group have been named Deal and Erith; theyoccupy a square of four miles, and are separated by Murray Pass, achannel half a mile wide. Conical granitic hills, in some cases clothedto their very summits with an impervious scrub, are scattered over them. On Deal, the eastern isle, there are charred stumps of a few largeeucalypti: but otherwise the trees are small, the largest being a fewcasuarinas over the head of East Cove. The valleys on the north side arerich; and in one leading from Garden Cove we found a quantity of finecarrots, planted by some sealers; their seed had been carried by the winduntil the whole valley was filled with them; fresh water also is abundanton that side of Deal Island; and as limestone crops out at the head ofEast Cove, a small party of convicts might be kept here andadvantageously employed in erecting the lighthouse and cultivating thesoil. By holding out to them a slight reward, many of the islands in BassStrait might be brought under cultivation, and supply grain, potatoes, etc. , for the consumption of the prisoners in Tasmania. This plan ofdispersing the convicts would also be beneficial in producing a changefor the better in themselves; for whilst together they are certainly morelikely to brood mischief. 

ERITH ISLAND. 

Besides East Cove there are others on the north-east and south-east sidesof Deal Island; whilst on Erith there is only one called West Cove, inthe north part of Murray Pass; it is subject to violent gusts that do notreach East Cove. 

The formation of this group is a little singular, the calcareouslimestone on Deal occurring two hundred feet above the sea and betweengranite; whilst on Erith vesicular lava was found. These islands areconnected with Flinders by a sand ridge, on which the depth is 28 and 30fathoms; but the islets and rocks between would appear, from the evidenceof upheaval we have just cited, to be elevated portions of a submergedpiece of land about to disclose itself. *

(*Footnote. The observations on the tides at these islands make the timeof high-water on the full and change of the moon a quarter past eleven, when it rises eight feet. The stream in Murray Pass, which runs from twoto five knots, changes to the northward twenty minutes after high-water. )

In a valley behind East Cove there was a stream of water, which strangeto say was quite salt and came from the middle of the island. In the sameneighbourhood I turned loose about a dozen rabbits for the benefit of anyunfortunate voyagers who might be thrown hungry ashore in this locality. During the few days that we were there they appeared to thrive very well, and I have no doubt that if not disturbed the island will soon be overrunwith them, there being no wallabies to offer molestation. 

HOGAN GROUP. 

We were not sorry to find ourselves one fine morning turning our backs onthe scene of one of the Beagle's many narrow escapes; so favourable didthe weather continue, that, although in the first week in June, we wereable to pass both the following nights at anchor in the middle of thestrait;* on the first occasion between the Devil's Tower and Curtis'sIsland;** and on the second, five miles to the southward of Hogan Group. 

(*Footnote. I gladly seized these opportunities of ascertaining exactlythe set of the tides. At the first anchorage they ran East-North-East andSouth-East only from half to a quarter of a knot, the latter beginninghalf an hour before low-water at Kent Group; at the second the tide setNorth-East by East, one knot, and South-South-West a knot and a half; thesoutherly stream began one hour and a half after low-water at Kent Group:on both occasions there was a light westerly wind. 

(**Footnote. The central position of this island renders it quite afinger-post for ships passing through the Strait. It has at the south enda square summit 1060 feet high, in latitude 39 degrees 28 minutes 20seconds South, and longitude 4 degrees 33 minutes 45 seconds West ofSydney; towards the north it slopes away something in the shape of ashoe, from which it is called by the sealers The Slipper. Two sugarloafrocks, each 350 feet high, lie two miles and a half off its southernend. )

I landed on the largest island;* which I found to be a mile and a half inextent, inhabited by a number of dogs left by sealers, that had becomequite wild; in a cave on the south-east point were some fur seals. Twosmall islets front a boat-cove on the north-east side, where there isfresh water; and outside these there is a rock just awash. The summit ofthe large island was a most important station; and with Lighthouse Hillat Kent Group, formed an astronomical base for the survey. 

(*Footnote. The highest point I found to be in latitude 39 degrees 13minutes 04 seconds South, and longitude 4 degrees 13 minutes 15 secondswest of Sydney; and 430 feet high. )

CORNER INLET. 

From Hogan Group we stood to the northward, and were able to pass anothernight at anchor six miles from a low sandy shore, and fourteen to theeastward of Corner Inlet, which we found on examination had a barextending off six miles from the entrance, on which at low tide there iswater for vessels drawing sixteen and eighteen feet. A group of islets, named from their utility Direction Isles, lies in the fairway, a fewmiles outside the bar. 

During the examination of this great useless sheet of water, the ship laynear a small islet close to the Promontory about seven miles from theentrance, which, from the abundance of rabbits, we called Rabbit Island;*I have since learnt that these animals had multiplied from a single pairturned loose by a praiseworthy sealer six years before; and the sight oftheir number did not a little encourage me to expect a similar resultfrom the gift I had bestowed on Kent Group. 

(*Footnote. The outer extreme of this island, in one with CapeWellington, forms a leading mark into Corner Inlet, but vessels shouldget them on within a mile of the island. These marks are of use until theeastern and highest of the Direction Isles opens out just clear of theothers, when by keeping it in that position, or steering for the middleof the entrance, a ship may be taken safely in. The tide rises eight feetat springs, when the time of high-water is twenty minutes before noon. )

GIPPS' LAND. 

From the highest hill on the south-eastern point I had obtained a mostexcellent view of Corner Inlet, which bore a great resemblance to abasin. I have before called it useless, from its being only navigable amile or two within the entrance and that chiefly on the northern side, the rest being occupied by mud flats. It was a bitter cold day; butbetween the sleet squalls I was able to trace the coast westward as faras Cape Liptrap over the low neck connecting Wilson's Promontory with themain, and forming the south-western shore of Corner Basin; and eastwardbeyond Shallow Inlet, * where the Clonmel steamer was lost. About sixmiles to the north-east the masts of some vessels pointed out theapproach to Alberton. The intervening space was filled with islands andmud banks; which character the shore appeared to retain further eastward, being fronted by a margin of low sandy land, sometimes broken by thepressure of the sea from without or of the waters from within, when thestreams that add to the fertility of Gipps' Land are swollen by themelting of the snows on the Australian Alps. 

(*Footnote. Vessels bound to Alberton, the capital of Gipps' Land, generally pass through this inlet, but as the water is shallow, andbreaks across the entrance, if there is any swell, it is more prudent toenter by Corner Inlet, and take the second opening on the right withinthe entrance. )

STRZELECKI. 

To commemorate my friend Count Strzelecki's discovery of this importantand valuable district, which he named in honour of His Excellency theGovernor, I called the summit of a woody range 2110 feet high, over thenorth shore of Corner Inlet, Mount Fatigue. * The only vegetation thispart of the promontory supports is a wiry grass, stunted gums andbanksias in the valleys, and a few grass-trees near the crests of thehills which are generally bare masses of granite. Behind a sandy beach onthe east side beneath where I stood were sinuous lines of low sandhills, remarkable for their regularity, resembling the waves that rolled in onthe shore. 

(*Footnote. It was in the rear of this range that Count Strzelecki andhis companions, on their way to Western Port, experienced the sufferingsrelated in the Port Phillip Herald, June 1840, from which I extract thefollowing: "The party was now in a most deplorable condition. Messrs. MacArthur and Riley and their attendants had become so exhausted as to beunable to cope with the difficulties which beset their progress. TheCount, being more inured to the fatigues and privations attendant upon apedestrian journey through the wilds of our inhospitable interior, aloneretained possession of his strength, and although burdened with a load ofinstruments and papers of forty-five pounds weight, continued to pioneerhis exhausted companions day after day through an almost impervioustea-tree scrub, closely interwoven with climbing grasses, vines, willows, fern and reeds. Here the Count was to be seen breaking a passage with hishands and knees through the centre of the scrub; there throwing himselfat full length among the dense underwood, and thus opening by the weightof his body a pathway for his companions in distress. Thus the party inchby inch forced their way; the incessant rains preventing them from takingrest by night or day. Their provisions, during the last eighteen days oftheir journey, consisted of a very scanty supply of the flesh of thenative bear or monkey, but for which, the only game the country afforded, the travellers must have perished from utter starvation. . . On thetwenty-second day after they had abandoned their horses, the travellerscame in sight of Western Port. ")

SEALER'S COVE. 

Water and fuel are abundant on the point abreast of Rabbit Island. Southward from this projection a sandy beach extends five miles, with arivulet at either end, and separated from a small deep bay* open to theeast, by a remarkable bluff, the abrupt termination of a high-woodyridge. The trees on the south-west side were large and measured eightfeet in diameter. In the humid shelter they afforded the tree and avariety of other kinds of fern were growing in great luxuriance, with aprofusion of creepers matted together in a dense mass of rich foliage. From thence southwards the shore is rocky and the water deep. 

(*Footnote. This bay is evidently Sealer's Cove in the old charts; butthis part of the Strait is so much in error that it is hardly possible torecognize any particular point. )

REFUGE COVE. 

Refuge Cove, lying seven miles South 1/4 West from Rabbit Island, was ournext anchorage. It was so named from its being the only place a vesselcan find shelter in from the eastward on this side of the Promontory. Ofthis we ourselves felt the benefit; for although in the middle of Juneeast winds prevailed the first few days we stayed there, with thick hazyweather, whilst at Rabbit Island we had constant westerly gales with agreat deal of hail and sleet. This small cove, being only a cable wide atthe entrance may be recognized by Kersop Peak, which rises over the southpart, and from its lying between Cape Wellington and Horn Point, * andalso from its being the first sandy beach that opens north of the former. 

(*Footnote. This projection has two pointed hummocks on it resemblinghorns. )

Such of us as had been in Tierra del Fuego were particularly struck withthe resemblance of the scenery in Refuge Cove; the smooth quiet sandbeaches, and dense forests reaching the water's edge, the mist-cappedhills, and the gusts that swept down the valleys and roared through therigging, forcibly recalled to our recollection that region of storms. 

We found a whaling establishment in the south-east corner, * and thehouses for the boats and their crews formed quite a little village. Theperson in charge, with one or two others, remains during the summer. These people had a novel safeguard against the attacks of the natives: ahorrible looking figure, dressed so as to represent the evil spirit, ofwhich the Australian aborigines are so much afraid, was placed in aconspicuous place; but whether it would have had the desired effect wasnot proved, as the natives had never been seen in those parts. There can, indeed, be little to tempt them to wander thither; for there are neitherkangaroos nor wallabies, and but few birds. Among the most curious ofthose belonging to the land, is a kind of finch, with a black head, yellow beak, a dark brown back, and dirty white belly; across the wingsand arching over the back, at the stump of the tail, was a stripe ofwhite. 

(*Footnote. Our observations made this spot in latitude 39 degrees 02minutes 30 seconds South, and longitude 4 degrees 44 minutes 45 secondsWest of Sydney. High-water on the full and change of the moon, takesplace at 12 hours 5 minutes when the tide rises eight feet; a mile in theoffing the northern and ebb stream, which runs from one to two knots, begins at 11 hours 40 minutes. Past the south end of the promontory thesame stream sweeps round from the westward, sometimes at the rate of twoknots and a half. )

WATERLOO BAY. 

Cape Wellington, the eastern projection of the Promontory, forms thenorth point of Waterloo Bay, which is wide and spacious. These names weresuggested by the fact that the day of our anchoring there was theanniversary of one of the greatest triumphs ever achieved by Britisharms. At the head of the bay, lies the low valley, three miles in length, which stretches across the promontory and forms a very conspicuous breakin the high land. On the northern side of it, the highest hill, MountWilson, rises abruptly until its woody crest reaches an elevation of 2350feet. On the southern, was a ridge strewn over with immense boulders ofgranite, one, near where I stood, measuring eighty feet in height, andresting with such apparent insecurity, that little seemed required tosend it rolling and crashing into the valley below, along which a rivuletwinds, and falls into the sea at the north end of a sandy beach, formingthe head of Waterloo Bay. The depth in the middle of the latter is 12fathoms, muddy bottom; it lies four miles from the south end of thePromontory, and there is no good anchorage between. 

SAIL FOR PORT DALRYMPLE. 

From a small flattened sugarloaf, forming the summit of Cape Wellington, I got an angle to the Crocodile Rock, * and with others from thesouth-west end of the Promontory, and from the ship on passing, Idetermined the position of this danger most satisfactorily. 

(*Footnote. This rock, in latitude 39 degrees 21 minutes 30 secondsSouth, and longitude 4 degrees 41 minutes 45 seconds West of Sydney, liesin a line midway between the western extremities of Curtis and RodondoIslands, nearly nine miles from each. It is a smooth round-topped graniteboulder, just protruding above the surface; and in fine weather the searuns over it without breaking. The depth being 43 fathoms close to it, ifthe waters of the Strait were drawn off the shape of it would be that ofa column nearly 260 feet high. )

As we had not, as I expected, met the Vansittart, I was anxious to learnsomething of her, and crossing over to the south side of the Strait, forthe purpose, entered Port Dalrymple, where I found that Mr. Forsyth andhis party had preceded our arrival by a day or two. The Vansittart'semployment had been the examination of the north-east extreme ofTasmania, some portions of which were found to be nine miles out inlatitude; the greater part was fronted with kelp and rocky patches. Thework, also, included a portion of Banks' Strait, and the southern part ofthe western side of Flinders Island, among the islets fronting which werediscovered several good anchorages: the best in westerly winds beingunder Goose or Western Chappell Island, where a lighthouse was in courseof construction. 

YORK TOWN. 

His Excellency, Sir John Franklin, requesting that I would send theVansittart round to Macquarie Harbour, on the west coast, after a partyof runaway convicts, we were for a time deprived of her services. As therise of the tide in the Tamar was sufficient for laying the ship ashore, I took the opportunity of doing so on the west bank, just above GardenIsland, to examine her bottom, and found it so defective that 130 sheetsof copper were required to make good the damage; in some places thetwo-inch sheathing was completely destroyed. The original settlement, York Town, was at the head of a shoal bight just above us; I found italmost quite in ruins, though there were one or two of the originalsettlers there; the chief part of the inhabitants were a lawless set, whowere said to live, chiefly, by plunder. 

LAUNCESTON. 

Whilst the ship underwent these repairs, the triangulation was extendedto Launceston, * at the head of the Tamar, thirty miles from the sea. Large vessels are prevented from approaching close to the town by a bar. The greatest difficulty found in navigating the river is Whirlpool Reach;near the middle of this lies a rock, an attempt to remove which, byblasting, was made; the top was blown off, so that now vessels are liableto be carried upon it, whereas, before, when it broke the surface, suchwas not the case. 

(*Footnote. The latitude of the Port office I found to be 41 degrees 26minutes 5 seconds South longitude 4 degrees 42 minutes 24 seconds West ofSydney. High water 3 hours 35 minutes; springs rise 12 feet. During thewinter, after rains, the stream sets down for days together at the rateof from one to three knots. )

The valley, through which the Tamar winds, is narrow, with sidesgenerally steep and densely wooded; in some places, the reaches are wide, and the hills recede; on their lower slopes, near Launceston, aresituated many pretty villas, peeping through garden shrubberies; whilstfurther down are the straggling habitations of the more recent settlers, surrounded by clear patches, with difficulty won from the forest by theaxe and the firebrand. On the whole, therefore, it may be said that artand nature combine to render beautiful the scenery on the banks of thisimportant stream. 

The first view of Launceston, the second town in Tasmania, is verypretty. The valley of the river expands as you approach, and over a lowtract of land on the east bank, the straggling mass of buildings formingthe town is descried. Though very healthy it lies on a kind of flat, backed with open woodland undulations at the junction of the North andSouth Esks; and, during the winter, is subject to fogs so dense that manypersons well acquainted with the town frequently lose themselves. Wherethe streams unite, they become the Tamar, one of the principal rivers inTasmania. At the distance of half a mile from the confluence, the NorthEsk makes a by no means insignificant waterfall. This forms one of thefirst sights to which strangers arriving at Launceston are conducted, bya path which, winding along the face of a precipice, suddenly brings thecataract in sight, tumbling and roaring over the rocks into the pool, which seethes like a cauldron below, and sends up a steaming mist intothe air. From the waters of the South Esk, the country around Launcestonderives its fertility; and perhaps there is no part of our southerncolonies that more resembles England. The number of gentlemen's seats, before alluded to, thickly scattered over an undulating country clearedof all timber, save a few monumental trees, and well cultivated, stronglysuggested thoughts of home. 

GEORGE TOWN. 

When the weather permitted, the boats were employed in continuing thesurvey of Port Dalrymple. Observations were made at the flagstaff inGeorge Town, * which we found to be in latitude 41 degrees 6 minutes 20seconds South and longitude 4 degrees 23 minutes 44 seconds West ofSydney; variation 9 3/4 East. This place is only a straggling village, situated on the east bank, about three miles and a half from the mouth ofthe Tamar, upon a flat, forming the north side of a snug cove at thewestern foot of a group of conical hills; on one of them is a signalstation, by means of which, with another intervening, communication iskept up with Launceston. 

(*Footnote. The geological formation in the neighbourhood of this placewill be found in Volume 1. )

CRAGGY ISLAND. 

The entire month of July was occupied by the repairs of the ship, and thesurveying operations; when we sailed from the Tamar and examined thepassage at the eastern entrance of the strait, between Craggy Island andFlinders, which we found perfectly free from danger--a fact of greatimportance, as it had, hitherto, been reported full of sunken rocks. TheBeagle passed a mile and a half from the south side of Craggy Island in25 and 28 fathoms. This passage has a depth of 26 and 27 fathoms, and issix miles wide, whilst between Wright's Rock and Kent Group the width isnearly eleven miles. There appears, by the ripplings, to be foul groundbetween Craggy Island and Endeavour Reef, and the space intervening has, accordingly, been marked as one shoal in the chart. 

THE BEAGLE ORDERED HOME. 

Leaving the eastern entrance of the strait, we ran up to Sydney, for thesupplies that had not arrived from England on our last visit; we nowfound them waiting for us, together with orders for the Beagle to returnto England. Fortunately, however, the survey of Bass Strait was in such aforward state, thanks to Sir John Franklin's kind assistance in lendingthe Vansittart, that I could take upon myself the responsibility ofwaiting a few months to complete it. * I was, however, compelled by thebrief interval of time allowed me, and the urgent demand that existed fora correct chart of the whole strait, to work on a smaller scale than Icould have wished. It seemed to me that detached portions on a very largescale would be of far inferior utility to a complete survey on acomparatively small one. 

(*Footnote. This step was approved of by the Commander in chief. )

It was not, however, my being prevented from completing Bass Strait inthe manner most satisfactory to myself that occasioned the greatest partof the regret that accompanied this summons for the old Beagle to wendher way homewards; for we were thus also deprived of the opportunity ofgratifying our desire to explore the southern parts of New Guinea, whichwe had always looked forward to as one of the most interesting parts ofour voyage, containing elements of excitement sufficient to cheer thehearts that were yearning for home, and a character of novelty that wouldhave amply compensated for whatever fatigue and exertion we might haveexperienced. On many occasions, during the heavy and monotonous part ofour labours, the anticipated delights of discovery refreshed ourimaginations and elevated our spirits, imparting to our most irksomeoccupations an interest that did not belong to them, but was borrowedfrom those hoped-for scenes of adventure on the unvisited shores of NewGuinea to which we believed that each dull day's hard work brought usnearer. But it was not destined to be our lot to add any more new landsto the geography of this part of the world; and H. M. S. Fly and Bramblehad been commissioned at home for surveying service in Australasia. Thisexpedition, under the command of Captain F. P. Blackwood, arrived atSydney on the 10th of October, whilst we were there, and sailed soonafter our departure, to commence tracing the outer Barrier Reefs, aservice attended with no ordinary risk, but which has been happilycompleted, and a beacon erected to show vessels the best entrance, without a mishap. 

Since the early part of this work was written this valuable addition tothe survey of New Holland has induced an enterprising master of amerchant vessel to try the eastward passage through Torres Strait. As aproof of the practicability of this route I may state, that the abovevessel passed through Torres Strait in January, went to Sydney, andreturned for another cargo to Ballytown, in Allas Strait, by the Mayfollowing. This passage, an account of which has been published in theNautical Magazine, was made through the Barrier Reef by CaptainBlackwood's Beacon on Raines Islet; but as this is out of the limits ofthe westerly monsoon, a better passage, doubtless, would have beeneffected by following a more northerly route, as recommended by CaptainBlackwood. *

(*Footnote. See Nautical Magazine for December 1845. )

STEAM COMMUNICATION BETWEEN INDIA AND AUSTRALIA. 

With reference, however, to the anticipated steam communication* betweenIndia and Australia, which will bring Sydney within nearly sixty days ofEngland, I think with Captain Blackwood that steamers should at all timesuse Captain King's inner route;** and much of the delay occasioned byanchoring at night would be obviated by cautiously approaching, atreduced speed, the reefs, the position of which might be distinguished bymeans of a powerful light at the vessel's head or bowsprit end; when acourse might be shaped for the next and so on. As the smooth water withinthe shelter of the Great Barrier Reefs affords facilities for steeringwith great nicety, a steamer, with care, might effect a saving of fuel aswell as time by passing through Torres Strait without anchoring. 

(*Footnote. Steam communication between Sydney and Singapore wouldrequire three vessels of six hundred tons, one of which should leaveSydney and Singapore on the 1st of each month. Their engines should be of200 horse-power, and furnished with tubular boilers, which consume afifth less fuel than the others; they must carry at the least 200 tons, which, at the rate of 14 tons per diem, is sufficient for fourteen daysfullspeed steaming, in which time, at the rate of 7 knots an hour, 2, 352miles will have been traversed, which is about 100 miles more than thedistance between Sydney and Port Essington, and about 420 miles more thanbetween the latter place and Singapore. This clearly shows that PortEssington is, as I have before stated, the best place for a coal-depot;and that one there would suffice for the whole line of communication. As, moreover, it is necessary that such a station should have protectionagainst the natives, it further enhances the value of the settlement atPort Essington. This depot might be economically made, from the cheapnessand abundance of coals in New South Wales; and the number of ships thatare constantly passing Port Essington in ballast would be glad of thefreight so far. The cost of steam vessels of the size mentioned would beabout 20, 000 pounds, if built of wood, and 16, 000 pounds, if of iron; andthe annual expense of running one would be between 3, 000 and 4000pounds. )

(**Footnote. On this inshore track steamers would be able to replace withwood any deficiency in their fuel. I take this opportunity of saying thatvessels carrying troops from Sydney to India should be compelled to useit, the chances of the loss of life being much less. On one occasion aship called the Ferguson sailed from Sydney with part of a regiment, whilst we were there. The master ridiculed the advice given him by one ofthe Beagle's officers, to take the inner passage. The next news we heardof her was, that she had been wrecked on the outer Barrier at four in themorning; no observation having been taken since the previous noon, bywhich they might have found a current drifting them to the northward. Fortunately, another ship was in company, and saved the loss of life, butthat of property was great. The fact that the lives of so many soulsshould be placed at the mercy of careless masters of ships, who run suchrisks, in spite of the warnings of experience, deserves the seriousattention of Government. )

NEW GUINEA. 

The part of New Guinea above alluded to, which had often afforded us thematerials of interesting speculation, also formed part of the survey ofCaptain Blackwood, who writes as follows: "On the coast of New Guinea wefound a delta of fine rivers, and a numerous population, all indicating arich and fruitful country. It is true that we found the inhabitants veryhostile; but it must be considered that we were the first Europeans thatthey had ever seen; and I have no doubt that, on a further acquaintance, and convinced of our power, they might be easily conciliated. Theirhouses, arms, and cultivation, all indicate a considerable degree ofcivilization, and no small intelligence in the construction of theircanoes; and I think it probable that a trade might be opened with thishitherto perfectly unknown people and country. "* The people inhabitingthe islands fronting the coast, Captain Blackwood found to be highlyinclined to trade, readily bartering a valuable species of tortoise-shellfor European articles of hardware. 

(*Footnote. See Nautical Magazine for December 1845. )

H. M. S. FAVOURITE. 

During our stay at Sydney we also met H. M. S. Favourite, Captain T. R. Sullivan, just returned from visiting the Eastern Polynesian Isles, having succeeded in rescuing the guns that were lost from the ship in amelancholy and much to be lamented affray with the natives of Tongataboo, previous to the command of Captain Sullivan, whose adventure in thisaffair was very interesting, and cleverly managed. 

HURRICANE. 

The Favourite had experienced a hurricane* off Mangaia Island, thenatives of which gave notice of its approach; and at Tahiti CaptainSullivan was also told that he might expect a hurricane before long. Fromthis, and the experience of other navigators, it appears that rotatorygales are prevalent in the Pacific as well as in the Indian Ocean. 

(*Footnote. Although this hurricane has been noticed, and the Favourite'sLog published in the Nautical Magazine, I think it will be useful tocontinue the practice of entering into some detail respecting everyhurricane that came under my observation. This storm, it appears, wasencountered off Mangaia, one of the Harvey Isles, lying about midwaybetween the Society and Hapai Groups. The Favourite was in latitude 21degrees 58 minutes South, longitude 158 degrees 02 minutes West, fivemiles South-West by West from Mangaia, at noon on the 17th December, 1842, steering West by South 1/2 South before a moderate gale fromEast-North-East, with cloudy rainy weather. At 3 P. M. She had gone 27miles, when the wind, which had increased to a strong gale, veering toNorth-East, the course before it was now South-West; but at the end ofanother hour, having run eight miles, the wind increased to a storm, andveering again to the eastward, the ship was brought to the wind on theport tack under a main trysail. For the hours 5 and 6, she headed fromSouth to South-West, which would give for the direction of the wind aboutSouth-East by East. At 6. 30 a man was washed away with the leequarter-boat. At 8, the wind had veered to South by West, having blown ahurricane, with constant rain for the last hour; at 9 most of thehalf-ports were washed away, the sea making a clean sweep over the decks. By midnight the wind had subsided to a whole gale; but still veering hadreached the West-South-West point, and at 3 the next morning it wasblowing only a moderate breeze from West-North-West, with tolerably clearweather. Sail was now made, and a South-West by South course held for 28miles, when by the noon observation the latitude was 22 degrees 1 minuteSouth, longitude, by chronometer, 158 degrees 44 minutes West. The dayfollowing the hurricane the wind was moderate from the westward; and onthat previous to it of about the same strength from the northward. Theship's position at noon of the latter day was about 130 miles to theNorth-East by East of Mangaia Island. The duration of this storm, then, may be considered to have been from 4 P. M. To midnight, in which eighthours the wind had veered gradually from East round by South toWest-South-West. The veering being much more rapid between 8 and 9 P. M. When the storm was at its height, the ship must at that time, have beennearer the focus. The tack on which the Favourite was hove to carried herinto the course of the hurricane, or rather placed her in a position tobe overtaken by it, as it passed along to the southward and westward; butas the ship broke off to the westward and northward, she fell out of itsnorth-western edge. Doubtless, if a West-North-West course had beenpursued in the first instance, or at noon on the 17th, the Favouritewould have avoided the storm. It is to be regretted that the barometerwas broken in the commencement of the hurricane, when it was unusuallylow, having been falling for some time before. Besides this, there wasample warning in the unusually gloomy lurid appearance of the sky; theweather also was misty, with showers of rain as the ship approached thecourse of the storm. )

BANKS STRAIT. 

Leaving Sydney, we resumed our work to the southward; and towards the endof October anchored under Swan Island, lying midway on the south side ofBanks Strait, which trends West by North, with a width of twelve miles, alength of seventeen, and a depth of from 16 to 25 fathoms; it is formedby the north-east point of Tasmania and the islands lying to the south ofFlinders. Barren Island, one of the latter, has a remarkable peak at itssouth-eastern end, and some high rounded hills on the north-western; itis twenty-two miles in extent, lying in an east and west direction. It isseparated from Flinders by a channel, which I named after Sir JohnFranklin, four miles wide, thickly strewed with islands and shoals. Theeastern entrance is almost blocked up by sandbanks, extending off fivemiles and a half from a large island (called by us after the Vansittart, but known to the sealers by the name of Gun-carriage Island) and leavingonly a narrow, shifting passage of 2 and 4 fathoms between their northernside and Flinders Island. The anchorages which lie in the western part ofFranklin Channel are not so sheltered as those between Barren and ClarkeIslands. The latter has two rounded summits, the highest 690 feet, resembling a saddle, either from west or east. The rugged peaks ofStrzelecki, reaching an elevation of 2, 550 feet, rise immediately overthe northern point of the west entrance of Franklin Channel. 

BLACK REEF. 

The north-east extreme of Tasmania is singularly low, with a coastline ofsandhills. Out of this level tract rise Mounts William and Cameron; thelatter, 1, 730 feet high, is the highest of a group of peaks, cresting aridge, whilst the former is a solitary pyramidal hill, 730 feet high, used as a guide for craft in working through the strait. When it bearsSouth by West, vessels may close with the south shore, being then pastthe Black Reef, * and the rocks that lie off the coast to the eastward, asfar as Eddystone Point. The most outlying and remarkable are the St. George's Rocks, a cluster of grey granite boulders, 66 feet high; a patchof moored kelp, however, on which the water sometimes breaks, lies threemiles East-South-East from the Black Reef. The principal danger on thenorthern side of the eastern entrance of the strait is Moriarty Bank, which extends off four miles and a half east from the south-east point ofClarke Island; there is, however, a narrow passage of 16 fathoms close tothe latter. This Bank, which has a couple of rocks near its north-easternpart, is steep to, and may be avoided by keeping the south point ofClarke Island, to bear to the southward of West 12 degrees North. MountWilliam, also, bearing South 7 degrees West clears the outer end of it. 

(*Footnote. This reef is a low, dark, rocky islet, with reefs extendingoff North 45 degrees West three quarters of a mile, and South 56 degreesEast, one mile. There is a passage of 7 fathoms, a mile wide, between itand the main, through which the highest St. George's Rock, bearing South52 degrees East, leads. Black Reef bears from the latter North 45 degreesWest, six miles and a half, and from the summit of Swan Island, South 53degrees East, eight miles and three-quarters. Mount William, also, bearsfrom it South 22 degrees West. )

I may here mention, that the importance of Banks Strait is great, as allthe trade between Hobart, Launceston, and Port Phillip, passes throughit. 

SWAN ISLAND. 

Swan Island is a narrow hummocky strip of land, a mile and a half long, trending South-West by West; the loftiest part, 90 feet high, near thenorth end, * was selected by Sir John Franklin for the site of alighthouse, the foundation of which he laid, after resigning the reins ofgovernment; it was the last benefit he was able to confer on the colony. 

(*Footnote. In latitude 40 degrees 43 minutes 36 seconds South, longitude3 degrees 5 minutes 50 seconds West of Sydney, and 148 degrees 10 minutes10 seconds East of Greenwich; variation, 10 east. )

A well of indifferent water was found near the north-west end of theisland; and some sealers had recently turned loose a couple of pigs, towhich I added a third. 

Two small islets lie one mile and a half West-North-West from SwanIsland, and a dangerous patch of rocks, one and a quarter North-West byWest from the summit; they are all connected with the large island byshoal water. 

TIDES. 

We found the best anchorage to be a quarter of a mile off the south pointof a sandy bay, near the outer end of the island. During the time we layhere for the purpose of obtaining a series of tidal observations, * andverifying a few of the principal points of Messrs. Forsyth and Pasco'ssurvey, constant strong westerly gales prevailed; and from all the localinformation obtained it appeared that such was generally the case. 

(*Footnote. The result of these observations makes the time of high-waterat the full and change of the moon 9 hours 36 minutes when the rise ofthe tide is six feet and three at neaps. The flood-stream comes from theeastward; and both it and the ebb is of 6 hours 15 minutes duration atsprings; but during neaps the flood runs 7 hours 0 minutes and the ebb 5hours 30 minutes. The interval of slack-water never exceeded a quarter ofan hour, and the western stream begins 0 hours 30 minutes after low-waterat springs, and 0 hours 50 minutes after it at neaps; whilst the easternbegins 0 hours 40 minutes after high-water at springs, and 0 hours 10minutes before it at neaps. The velocity of the stream was from one tothree knots, the strongest being the ebb, which at springs and with astrong westerly breeze attains a strength in the middle of the strait ofnearly four knots, and causes, when opposed to the wind, a high-toppingsea, dangerous for small craft. 

Whilst in other respects the tides are the same, the time of high-waterat Preservation Island, though only at the northern side of the strait, is 1 hour 15 minutes later than at Swan Island. This great difference iscaused by the influence of the flood-stream out of Franklin Channel andfrom the northward along the west side of Flinders Island. Theflood-streams setting to the westward through Banks Strait, and to thesouth-westward past the north-west end of Flinders, meet about ten milesto the westward of the Chappell Isles, when their united stream curvesround by south to west, becoming gradually weaker, and soon after passingthe mouth of the Tamar ceasing to be felt at all, leaving in the middleof Bass Strait a large space free from tidal influence as far as theproduction of progressive motion is concerned, that given to it from theentrances being neutralized by their mutual opposition. There is, however, an easterly current of nearly a knot an hour, in strong westerlywinds. The meeting of the tides on the west side of Flinders also leavesa space, close to the shore near the centre, free from any stream. At theeastern entrance of Franklin Channel there is also a meeting of theflood-streams, one coming from North-North-East and the other fromSouth-East. )

Whilst at this anchorage two boats belonging to the whaling station onWilson's Promontory passed on their way to Hobart, which they reached insafety. They made the passage, hazardous for boats, across the strait bytouching at Hogan and Kent Groups and so over to Flinders Island. 

CAPE PORTLAND. 

Leaving, we beat through between Swan Islands and the main, which wefound to be a good channel, * a mile and a half wide, with an averagedepth of ten fathoms. After passing the western islet the south side ofthe strait should be given a wide berth, particularly on approaching CapePortland, off which some islets with foul ground and a sunken rock attheir extreme, extend two miles and a half. The summit of Swan Island, bears South 75 degrees East and Mount Cameron South 2 degrees East fromthe outer edge of this danger; which masters of vessels should remember, both in reaching to the southward in the strait, and in running for itfrom the westward. 

(*Footnote. Mount William bearing South 40 degrees East leads into thewestern entrance. )

PRESERVATION ISLAND. 

Crossing Banks Strait we anchored under Preservation Island, lyingbetween the western extreme of Clarke and Barren Islands; it owes itsname to the preservation of the crew of a ship run ashore upon it in asinking state. The value of the shelter this anchorage affords is in somemeasure destroyed by the presence of a sandbank extending off three milesfrom the eastern side of Preservation Island. Two small rocky islets liea mile and a half off the western side of the latter, and several uglyrocks are scattered along the face of Barren Island, and as far asChappell Group; on the outer isle of this group, which is low and level, the lighthouse bearing North 60 degrees West fifteen miles and a halfforms a very conspicuous object, and is visible to the eye in clearweather from the top of Preservation Island. Over the northern point ofthe latter, towers the summit of Barren Island, forming a sort of doublemount 2300 feet high. 

STRAITSMEN. 

I found Preservation Island inhabited by an old sealer of the name ofJames Monro, generally known as the King of the Eastern Straitsmen. Another man and three or four native women completed the settlement, ifsuch a term may be applied. They lived in a few rude huts on a bleakflat, with scarce a tree near, but sheltered from the west by some lowgranite hills; a number of dogs, goats and fowls constituted theirlivestock. In this desolate place Monro had been for upwards oftwenty-three years; and many others have lived in similar situations anequally long period. It is astonishing what a charm such a wild mode ofexistence possesses for these men, whom no consideration could induce toabandon their free, though laborious and somewhat lawless state. 

The term sealers is no longer so appropriate as it was formerly; none ofthem confining themselves to sealing, in consequence of the increasingscarcity of the object of their original pursuit. Straitsmen is the nameby which those who inhabit the eastern and western entrance of BassStrait are known; they class themselves into Eastern and WesternStraitsmen, and give the following account of their origin: Between theyears 1800 and 1805, the islands in Bass Strait and those fronting thesouth coast of Australia, as far westward as the Gulfs of St. Vincent andSpencer were frequented by sealing vessels from the old and the newcountry, if I may use this expression for England and Australia. Many oftheir crews became so attached to the islands they were in the habit ofvisiting, that when their vessels were about to leave the neighbourhood, they preferred to remain, taking with them a boat and other stores aspayment for their work. There can be no doubt, however, that theirnumbers were afterwards recruited by runaway convicts. 

NATIVE WIVES. 

On one island reside seldom more than two families. The latter word willat once satisfy the reader that these people were not deprived of thepleasures of female companionship: man was never born to be satisfiedwith his own society; and the Straitsmen of course found beautiessuitable to their taste in the natives of the shores* of Bass Strait. Itappears that a party of them were sealing St. George's Rocks when a tribecame down on the main opposite and made a signal for them to approach. They went, taking with them the carcasses of two or three seals, forwhich the natives gave as many women. These, perhaps, were glad of thechange, as the aborigines of Tasmania often treat them shamefully. Thesealers took their new-bought sweethearts to an island in Banks Strait, and there left them to go on another sealing excursion. Returning oneday, they were surprised to find their huts well supplied with wallaby bythe native women. Interest cemented a love that might otherwise have beenbut temporary. Visions of fortunes accumulated by the sale of wallabyskins flashed across the minds of the sealers; who, however, to theircredit be it spoken, generally treated their savage spouses with anythingbut unkindness; though in some instances the contrary was the case. Itmust be confessed, at the same time, that having once discovered theutility of the native women, they did not confine themselves to obtainingthem by the lawful way of barter; making excursions, principally to theshores of Australia, for the express purpose of obtaining by violence orstealth such valuable partners. 

(*Footnote. The islands were never inhabited by the aborigines until theremnant of the original population of Tasmania was sent by government toFlinders. )

HALF-CASTE CHILDREN. 

Thus commenced a population likely to be of great service to shipping, particularly as they make excellent sailors, and excel as headsmen inwhalers, where the keenness of their half-savage eyes, and theirdexterity in throwing the spear, render them most formidable harpooners. The young half-castes I saw were very interesting, having a ruddy darkcomplexion, with fine eyes and teeth. On Preservation, and the islands inthe neighbourhood, there were twenty-five children; among whom were somefine-looking boys. Had the survey just been commenced I should have takenone of them in the Beagle. Their fathers, I am happy to say, give themall the instruction in their power: many can read the Bible, and a fewwrite. 

The common native belief in the transmigration of souls did not extend, Iwas glad to find, beyond the mothers, whom nothing could induce to thinkotherwise. When we were at Preservation Island, there was a young womanon her way, in company with her father, to Port Dalrymple, to be marriedto a European; and I afterwards learned from the clergyman there, that hehad not for some time seen a young person who appeared to be so wellaware of the solemn vow she was making. 

MUTTON BIRDS. 

The principal trade of the Straitsmen is in the feathers of mutton birds(Sooty Petrels) which annually visit the islands, between the 15th and20th of November, for the purposes of incubation. Each bird lays only twoeggs, about the size of that of a goose, and almost as good in flavour. The male sits by day and the female by night, each going to sea in turnto feed. As soon as the young take wing they leave the islands. Theirnests are two or three feet underground, and so close that it is scarcelypossible to walk without falling. The collection of the eggs and birds, which is the business of the women, is frequently attended with greatrisk, as venomous snakes are often found in the holes. When the sealerswish to catch them in large quantities they build a hedge a little abovethe beach, sometimes half a mile in length. Towards daylight, when thebirds are about to put to sea, the men station themselves at theextremities, and their prey, not being able to take flight off theground, run down towards the water until obstructed by the hedge, whenthey are driven towards the centre, where a hole about five feet deep isprepared to receive them; in this they effectually smother each other. The birds are then plucked and their carcasses generally thrown in a heapto waste, whilst the feathers are pressed in bags and taken to Launcestonfor sale. * The feathers of twenty birds weigh one pound; and the cargoesof two boats I saw, consisted of thirty bags, each weighing nearly thirtypounds--the spoil of eighteen thousand birds! I may add, that unlessgreat pains are taken in curing, the smell will always prevent a bed madeof them from being mistaken for one composed of the Orkney goosefeathers. Some of the birds are preserved by smoking, and form theprincipal food of the Straitsmen, resembling mutton, according to theirtaste, though none of us could perceive the similarity. 

(*Footnote. They now fetch 3 pence a pound; formerly the price was 1shilling. )

PRODUCE OF ISLANDS. 

The habitations of these people are generally slab and plaster, of veryrude and uninviting exterior, but tolerably clean and comfortable within. They generally take what they may have for the market to Launceston twicein the year, lay in stores for the next six months, and return home, never, I believe, bringing back any spirits, so that while on theislands, they lead, from necessity, a temperate life. 

It is sometimes in the power of these men to be of infinite service tovessels who are strangers in the strait, when driven into difficulties bywesterly gales. Portions of the islands on which they reside are broughtinto cultivation; but at Gun Carriage they complain of their crops havingbeen very backward since they were disturbed by the natives, with Mr. Robinson, as they destroyed with fire all the shelter that was afforded. The water throughout the islands is not always very good; grain, however, thrives tolerably, and potatoes do very well indeed. The latter aretaken, with peas and other garden produce, to Port Dalrymple. This is anevident proof of what these islands are capable of producing, and isworthy the attention of Government, in case the idea, which I havesuggested, is entertained, of sending convicts thither from Tasmania. 

WATERHOUSE ISLAND. 

Taking advantage of a very unexpected breeze from the eastward we leftPreservation Island for Port Dalrymple, which was made after a night'srun, on the morning of the 26th November. Eighteen miles from theentrance of Banks Strait, and as far as abreast of Waterhouse Island, *and nine miles from it, we had soundings of from 18 to 20 fathoms;afterwards the depth was 30 and 40; whilst in the fairway nine miles fromthe opposite entrance of the Strait we had 37. 

(*Footnote. This island lies about a mile and a half from the main, andaffords shelter for ships in westerly winds. They should anchor in 6fathoms, midway in a line between the north points of the island and ofthe bay lying to the south-east. This anchorage being not so far toleeward as those on the western side of Flinders, is the best place ofrefuge for strangers arriving in a westerly gale off Port Dalrymple, where, as they can get no assistance from the pilots, they may not liketo run in, on account of its treacherous appearance. Tenth Island (a merewhite rock) and Ninth Island, are admirably situated for guiding a shipto Waterhouse; the first, bears North-East 1/2 East, twelve miles fromthe entrance of Port Dalrymple; the course from it to Ninth Island (whichshould be passed on the outside) is North 52 degrees East, fourteenmiles; and from Ninth Island to Waterhouse, North 69 degrees East, seventeen miles. The latter islands are very much alike in the distance, being both rather low, with cliffy faces to the westward, and slopingaway in the opposite direction. Mount Cameron, bearing South 61 degreesEast, is also a distant guide for Waterhouse Island. The great advantageof running for this place, instead of for an anchorage on the westernside of Flinders, is that, in the event of missing it, Banks Strait willbe open to run through; and should the Anchorage under Swan Island not betried, shelter will be found in about 15 fathoms under the main to thesouthward. )

MR. FORSYTH. 

Mr. Forsyth, in the Vansittart, had again preceded our arrival in theriver Tamar by a few days. His visit to the west coast had been attendedwith considerable risk. * Still, with his usual zeal, he had not lostsight of the important branch of the service in which he was employed, and had made a survey of Port Davy and the coast to the South-west Cape, which completed our chart of the south-western shores of Tasmania. 

(*Footnote. Mr. Forsyth entered and examined Macquarie Harbour in hisboat, and found on an island, in the head of it, two men in a state ofstarvation. These he took with him and returned to the mouth of theharbour; but a gale of wind having set in in the meantime, the Vansittarthad sought shelter in Port Davy, lying ninety miles to the southward. Dayafter day passed away without any sign of the cutter. The increase oftwo, requiring much more than could be afforded, to their small party, soon consumed their stock of provisions, sparingly dealt out; so that, topreserve the lives of his party, Mr. Forsyth was obliged to risk aboat-passage, in the depth of winter, and along a storm-beaten coast, toPort Davy, which he most providentially reached in safety; though, at onetime, in spite of the precaution taken to raise the gunwale by strips ofblanket, the sea was so great that they expected each moment would betheir last. )

The coast on either side of the Tamar still remained to be surveyed, andaccordingly I undertook the examination of that to the eastward, whilstMr. Fitzmaurice, although even now scarcely convalescent, proceeded tothe westward. 

DESCRIPTION OF COAST. 

Without entering into details, I may briefly say, that to the eastwardthe coast trended North 62 degrees East to Cape Portland, distantfifty-eight miles; and that at the distance of eight, eighteen, twenty-nine, forty-eight, and fifty-three miles, the rivers Currie, Piper, Forestier, Tomahawk, and Ringarooma, empty themselves into widebays, which increase in depth as they advance eastwards. That formed bythe point opposite Waterhouse Island and Cape Portland, * which receivesthe two last-mentioned rivers, and bears the name of the largerRingarooma Bay, is seven miles deep and fifteen miles wide. Mount Cameronlies behind the head of it, where there is a vast extent of boggy land;this is also the case in the next bay to the westward, Anderson Bay, which receives the waters of the Forestier River. ** The only good soilseen was on the large Piper River, so that the disproportion of land fitfor cultivation on this part of the northern shore of Tasmania, with thatwhich is not, is very great. Behind the coast the eye wanders overinterminable woody ranges of various heights, thrown together inirregular groups, called by the colonists Tiers. They are seldomseparated by valleys of any width, but rather by gullies, and aregenerally covered with an impervious scrub. The most conspicuous points, in addition to Mount Cameron, are Mounts Barrow and Arthur, two peaksabout 4, 500 feet high, very much alike, and lying nine miles in anorth-west direction from each other. Mount Barrow bears, fromLaunceston, East-North-East, thirteen miles. 

(*Footnote. Small vessels anchor behind an island on the west side ofthis cape, to take away the wool from the sheep-stations in theneighbourhood. The rivers mentioned in the text are only navigable forboats, and by them only at high-water. )

(**Footnote. A small bay, with some outlying rocks off its points, bearing South-South-East, seven miles from Ninth Island, affords shelterfor small vessels in its north-west corner. The passage inside thatisland should be used with caution. )

DON TOMAS. 

At the large Piper River I passed a night at the station of a gentlemanof the name of Noland, whom I found to be the nephew of a person ofremarkable talent and great influence with the Peruvian Government, knownonly, at Lima, by the name of Don Tomas. There was a good deal of mysteryabout his character and position, nobody being able to explain who hewas, whence he came, or what was the source of his influence; and it wasrather a curious circumstance that I should learn the explanation of whathad so much puzzled me in South America, at a solitary sheep-station inVan Diemen's Land. 

Shortly before we crossed the Great Piper River a party of convicts hadrun away with a fishing boat. Although only three in number they made thefishermen take them to Banks Strait, where they forced a party of sealersto pass them over to Wilson's Promontory. Notwithstanding they wereseveral weeks on the passage, waiting for fine weather at the differentislands (the sealers, too, being twice their number) such was theirvigilance that they never allowed them a chance of escape. These men wereafterwards seen near Sydney. 

CONVICTS' STORY. 

The most remarkable coast-feature, between Waterhouse Island and theTamar, is Stony Head, a bluff three hundred feet high, * lying twelvemiles from Port Dalrymple. A small sandy bay separates it from a point tothe westward, and it is the nearest part of the main to Tenth Island. Inthe neighbourhood of this headland I was induced to enter a hut at asheep-station, by seeing stuck round a fence a number of the heads of ananimal called by the colonists a hyena, from the resemblance it bears inshape and colour, though not in ferocity, to that beast. ** My object wasto obtain a few of these heads, which the hut-keeper, who was the onlyinmate, instantly gave, along with an unsolicited history of his ownlife. In the early part we instantly discovered that this loquaciouspersonage was, what he afterwards mildly confessed to be, a governmentman, in other words a convict, sent out of course, according to the usualstory, through mistake. It appears that he had been a drover, and that afew beasts were one morning found (quite by accident) among a herd he wasdriving through the West of England. He had spent the early part of hisservitude at Circular Head, where he was for some time in charge of thenative woman caught stealing flour at a shepherd's hut, belonging to theVan Diemen's Land Agricultural Company--a fact mentioned in a formerchapter. ***

(*Footnote. Of basaltic formation; whilst the rocks that prevail to theeastward are of primary character. But as Strzelecki has written solargely on the geology of Tasmania, it will be needless for me to enterfurther into the subject, except to say, that the raised beaches found onthe western side of Flinders, are evidences of an upheaval havingrecently taken place. )

(**Footnote. This is the only animal the Tasmanian sheep-farmer isannoyed with; and from its paucity, they have not, as in New South Wales, the trouble of securing their flocks in yards or folds every night. )

(***Footnote. See Volume 1. )

INHUMAN CONDUCT. 

I was curious to know how he managed to procure the obedience of thisaboriginal victim; and the inhuman wretch confessed, without ablush--which must rise instead to the cheeks of my readers, when theyhear of what barbarities their countrymen have been guilty--that he keptthe poor creature chained up like a wild beast; and whenever he wantedher to do anything, applied a burning stick, a fire-brand snatched fromthe hearth, to her skin! This was enough. I could listen to no more, andhurried from the spot, leaving my brutal informant to guess at the causeof my abrupt departure. It is possible that the emotion I allowed toappear may have introduced some glimmering of the truth into his mind, that he may have faintly perceived how disgusted I was with hisnarrative; but such is the perversion of feeling among a portion of thecolonists, that they cannot conceive how anyone can sympathize with theblack race as their fellow men. In theory and practice they regard themas wild beasts whom it is lawful to extirpate. There are of coursehonourable exceptions, although such is a very common sentiment. As aninstance, I may mention that a friend of mine, who was once travelling inTasmania, with two natives of Australia, was asked, by almost everyone, where he had CAUGHT them? This expression will enable the reader betterto appreciate the true state of the case than many instances of ferocityI could enumerate. It shows that the natives occupy a wrong position inthe minds of the whites; and that a radical defect exists in theiroriginal conception of their character, and of the mode in which theyought to be treated. 

CAPTURE OF NATIVES. 

Soon after I returned to the ship at Port Dalrymple, a party of nativeswas sent on board, with a request that I would allow the Vansittart totake them to Flinders Island; it consisted of an elderly woman and man, two young men, and a little boy. These were the remainder of the smalltribe to which belonged the woman who received, as I have related, suchcruel treatment from her keeper. I should here state, that when she wasremoved to Flinders Island, none of the natives there could understandher--a fact somewhat hostile to the theory of those who hold that thereis little or no variety in the aboriginal languages of Australasia. 

The party of natives in question were taken by some sealers on thewestern coast, near Arthur's River, and not far from the Van Diemen'sLand Agricultural Company's station at Point Woolnorth, to which placethey were first brought. A reward of 50 pounds had been offered for theirapprehension, on account of some depredations they were said to have fromtime to time committed. A countrywoman of their own, the wife of one ofthe sealers, was instrumental in their capture. Pretence was made thatthe boat would carry them to some good hunting ground; but when they wereall afloat, and prostrated by sea-sickness, the sealers made sail for theCompany's station at Point Woolnorth, with a freight more valuable thanseal-skins. 

THE LAST MAN. 

These were supposed to be the last of the aboriginal inhabitants ofTasmania; though a report at one time prevailed that a solitary young manhad been left behind. If this be the case, his position must be trulylamentable. Alone of all his race on that vast island, belonging to apeople against whom the deepest prejudices are entertained, who have beenhunted down like wild beasts by the new population, professing a religionwhich should teach them to act otherwise towards their brethren, noresource must have been left to him but to fly to the most inaccessiblefastnesses, to hide in the gloomiest forests and darkest caverns, and topass the remainder of his miserable life in constant struggles to prolongit, and in ceaseless endeavours to stave off that final consummationwhich could alone ensure him peace, and safety, and rest. Whether or notthe report of the existence of this Last Man was true I cannot say; but, certainly, his story, imaginary or real, suggests numerous reflections, and opens a wide field for conjecture and speculation. What was thecharacter of his thoughts, what importance he attached to theprolongation of his life, cut off as he was from the world, a solitarybeing, with no future prospect of the enjoyment of society, with no hopeof seeing his race continued, we cannot tell. But his fate, at least, must force upon us the questions--have we dealt justly by these wildpeople? have we nothing to answer for, now that we have driven them fromtheir native land, leaving no remnant, save one single individual, whoseexistence even is problematical? Without wishing to press too hard on anybody of my countrymen, I must say I regret that that page of historywhich records our colonization of Australia must reach the eyes ofposterity. 

The woman, whose capture I have more than once alluded to, was, doubtless, the wife of one of the young men taken by the sealers, andmother of the boy who accompanied him. The prospect of meeting herprobably lightened the hours of his captivity. But what a tale ofsuffering she had to relate! What had she not undergone as the penalty ofan attempt to procure food for her family. With the narrative of hersorrows fresh in my memory, I could not but sympathize deeply with thelast five of the aboriginal Tasmanians that now stood before me. 

CHARACTERISTICS AND REMOVAL OF NATIVES. 

These natives differed even more than others I had seen as the wives ofsealers, from the inhabitants of the Australian continent, possessingquite the negro cast of countenance, and hair precisely of their woollycharacter. These characteristics are nowhere to be found on thecontinent, natives from every part of which have come under myobservation. The difference existing is so great, that I feel warrantedin pronouncing them to be a distinct race. Excellent likenesses ofTasmanian natives will be found in Strzelecki's work on New South Wales, where the truth of these remarks will be perceived at a glance. 

Having thus been engaged in the removal of the last of the natives toFlinders Island, I feel that it is incumbent on me to give a shortaccount of the causes which led to it. In the first place, historyteaches us that whenever civilized man comes in contact with a savagerace, the latter almost inevitably begins to decrease, and to approach bymore or less gradual steps towards extinction. Whether this catastropheis the result of political, moral, or physical causes, the ablest writershave not been able to decide; and most men seem willing to contentthemselves with the belief that the event is in accordance with somemysterious dispensation of Providence; and the purest philanthropy canonly teach us to alleviate their present condition, and to smooth, as itwere, the pillow of an expiring people. For my own part I am not willingto believe, that in this conflict of races, there is an absence of moralresponsibility on the part of the whites; I must deny that it is inobedience to some all-powerful law, the inevitable operation of whichexempts us from blame, that the depopulation of the countries we colonizegoes on. 

WAR OF EXTERMINATION. 

There appear to me to be the means of tracing this national crime to theindividuals who perpetrate it; and it is with the deepest sorrow that Iam obliged to confess that my countrymen have not, in Tasmania, exhibitedthat magnanimity which has often been the prominent feature in theircharacter. They have sternly and systematically trampled on the fallen. Ihave before remarked that they started with an erroneous theory, whichthey found to tally with their interests, and to relieve them from theburden of benevolence and charity. That the aborigines were not men, butbrutes, was their avowed opinion; and what cruelties flowed from such adoctrine! It is not my purpose to enter into details; I will only addthat the treatment of the poor captive native by her inhuman keeper wasin accordance with the sentiments prevailing, at one time, in the colony, and would not have received the condemnation of public opinion. 

The natural consequence of such conduct by the whites, commenced in thevery infancy of the colony, was a system of frightful retaliation on thepart of the natives. These led to counter-reprisals, every yearaccumulating the debt of crime and vengeance on either hand, until thememory of the first provocation was lost, and a war of extermination, thesuccess of which was, in the end, complete, began to be carried on. 

ATTEMPTED CAPTURE OF NATIVES. 

It was not until exasperation, on either side, rose to its highest, thatmeasures were taken to prevent the complete destruction of theaborigines. The first method selected was not characterized by prudence;being the result of the passionate counsels of the great body ofcolonists, who were smarting under evils entailed upon them by their ownviolent conduct. As is natural in all these cases, they looked only tothe necessity of protecting their property and their lives; and did nottake into account the massacres, the cruelties of every description, which had been at one time encouraged, or at least not condemned by thegeneral voice. The casuistry of the human heart, in most instances, concealed the true state of the case, and many, if not the majority, feltthe virtuous indignation which some only affected. At any rate, they setabout the hunting down and capture of the aborigines, as a duty whichthey owed to themselves and their families. Government, with the bestintentions, lent them every assistance in its power. The whole colonyrose to a man; and military operations on a most extensive scale wereundertaken. Cordons were established, marches and countermarchesperformed, complicated manoeuvres planned and executed, and every methodresorted to, which in a different country and against a different enemymust have been rewarded with complete success. But in this instance, theimpenetrable forests of Tasmania baffled the generalship and the tacticsthat were displayed; and an expedition attended with immense expense, andcarried on with the greatest enthusiasm, ended in the capture of a singlenative. 

REMOVAL OF ABORIGINES TO FLINDERS ISLAND. 

It was now evident that means of another character must be tried, and theplan which Mr. Robinson had laid before Government for the capture of thenatives in the meshes of persuasion was adopted. This enterprisingperson, accordingly, went alone and unattended among the aborigines, endured great privations, ran much risk, but finally, partly by hiseloquence, partly by stratagem, contrived to bring in the tribes one byone, and to transport them quietly to the islands in the eastern entranceof Bass Strait. Mr. Bateman, commanding the colonial brig, Tamar, whotook them across, describes them as reconciled to their fate, thoughduring the whole passage they sat on the vessel's bulwark, shaking littlebags of human bones, apparently as a charm against the danger to whichthey felt exposed. 

They were first taken to Swan Island, but that not being foundconvenient, they were landed on the west side of Flinders Island, underthe superintendence of Mr. Robinson. This place, also, was discovered tobe ill-adapted for a permanent settlement; and a removal again took placeto Vansittart or Gun-carriage Island, at the eastern extremity ofFranklin Channel, where a number of sealers had been resident for someyears; as, however, they could not show any title to the land theycultivated, except that of original occupancy--a title which I thinkshould be respected, as it is the only true basis of the right ofproperty--they were obliged to vacate, leaving their huts and crops to belaid waste. In the course of a few weeks, when considerable mischief hadbeen effected, this position, likewise, was abandoned, and a locationmade once more on the west side of Flinders, about sixteen miles to thenorthward of Franklin Inlet. 

SETTLEMENT. 

The Home Government directed that in this their place of banishment everyattention should be paid to the wants of the aborigines, and a liberalscale of necessaries provided. The officers of the establishmentoriginally consisted of the superintendent, medical officer, catechistand storekeeper; but when the buildings, etc. For the settlement, werecompleted, the convicts were withdrawn, which diminished the number somuch, that it was deemed practicable to reduce the staff of officers, andthe whole duties of the four departments above alluded to devolved on oneperson, under the name of Surgeon-Superintendent. The combination of somany duties has, unfortunately, necessitated the neglect of some portionor another, possibly of the most material. The Sabbath afternoon is theonly time that can be set apart for the religious instruction of thenatives. This is to be regretted, as we have ample evidence of howcapable they are of receiving it, in the lasting effects produced by Mr. Clarke, who sometime since filled the office of storekeeper; and for whomthey all continue to feel great veneration, and to exhibit that respectwhich is due to a parent. On our visit in 1842 we heard all the nativesof both sexes, old and young, sing several hymns, taught them by thisexcellent person. A few comprehended the full meaning of the words theyuttered; and all, no doubt, might be brought to do so if properinstructions were again granted them. 

Walter and Mary Ann, a married couple, who had recently returned fromPort Phillip, where they had been living in the family of the formersuperintendent, Mr. Robinson, were so civilized, and proficient in allthe plain parts of education, that they possessed great influence overtheir countrymen, who, incited by the contemplation of their superiority, were apparently desirous of acquiring knowledge. The barracks in whichthe natives dwell form a square of good stone buildings; but Walter andhis wife have a separate cottage, with a piece of land attached. Mary Annis a very tolerable needlewoman, and capable of teaching the others; someof whom, encouraged by the prizes that are awarded to industry, alreadyassist in making their own dresses. 

MORTALITY AMONG NATIVES. 

The men, to whom inducements are also held out to labour in farming, etc. , are, however, generally indolent. They still retain a taste fortheir original wild habits, taking to the bush, occasionally, for severaldays together; and in order to enjoy all the freedom of limb to whichthey had been accustomed, throwing off their European clothing. Thispractice has been expressly prohibited, as from the sudden resumption ofsavage habits, and the abandonment of the covering to which they hadbecome accustomed, severe illness resulted. To this may in part beattributable the rapid mortality which exists among them, and which leadsus to suppose that at no distant period their utter extinction must takeplace. Out of two hundred who were originally taken to Flinders Island, more than one hundred and fifty had perished in 1842, to replace whichloss, an addition of only fourteen by births, besides seven brought inthe Vansittart, had been made. It seems, in truth, impossible that a racetransported from their country, suddenly compelled to change all theirhabits and modes of life, kept under restraint, however mild andpaternal, obliged to repress all the powerful instincts which lead themto desire a renewal of their wild and unfettered life, tormented by thememory of the freedom they once enjoyed, and galled by the moral chainwhich they now wear, constantly sighing in secret for the perilous charmsof the wilderness, for their hunts, and their corrobberies, for the hillsand mountains and streams of their native land--it is impossible, I say, that a people whose life has undergone such a change, who cherish suchreminiscences and such regrets, should increase and multiply andreplenish the face of the land. 

TREATMENT OF NATIVES. 

Their destiny is accomplished. In obedience to a necessity--of man'screating certainly, but still a necessity--they have been expatriated fortheir own preservation; to restore them, would be but to ensure theirspeedier destruction; and all we can do is to soothe their decliningyears, to provide that they shall advance gently, surrounded by all thecomforts of civilization, and by all the consolations of religion, totheir inevitable doom; and to draw a great lesson from their melancholyhistory, namely, that we should not leave, until it is too late, theaborigines of the countries we colonize exposed to the dangers of anunregulated intercourse with the whites; that, without giving them anyundue preference, without falling into the dangerous extreme offavouritism--an error of which the most high-minded and generous aresusceptible in the case of a depressed race--we should consider, that inentering their country we incur a great responsibility, and that itbehoves us at once to establish distinctly the relation in which theystand to the government, the colonists, and the soil!

COAST FROM THE TAMAR TO EMU BAY. 

Mr. Fitzmaurice's examination of the coast to the westward extended toDial Point, distant twenty-nine miles from the Tamar. In this space thereare no less than five rivers, all with very short courses, and notnavigable except by boats and small craft; and by these only, on accountof the surf on their bars, in fine weather. The first empties itself intoan estuary, called Port Sorel; but it is difficult to detect the mouthsof the others in the low sandy shore, which is deceptive, as the hillsrising immediately in the rear give the coast a bold striking appearancefrom the offing. These rivers, namely, the Sorel, the Mersey, * the Don, the Frith, and the Leven, are distant from the Tamar, eleven, eighteen, twenty, twenty-three and twenty-seven miles. 

(*Footnote. A horse-shoe reef, extending nearly two miles from the shore, lies two miles to the eastward. )

A range of hills, nearly 2000 feet high, in which asbestos is found, liesmidway between Port Sorel and the Tamar; and immediately over Dial Pointrises a peaked range, of the same name; whilst Valentine Peak, * 4000 feetin height, is situated twenty-three miles South 40 degrees West from theabove point. This peak is a bare mass of granite, and as it glistens inthe first beams of the morning sun like an immense spire, forms the mostremarkable hill-feature in the north side of Tasmania. High level rangesextend to the eastward of it for some distance. 

(*Footnote. In latitude 41 degrees 17 minutes South and longitude 5degrees 28 1/2 minutes West of Sydney, and when bearing South by West isa distant guide to Emu Bay. )

From Dial Point to Circular Head the coast trends North 72 degrees West, and as far as Rocky Point the shore is steep and woody. Emu Bay* lies atthe end of the first ten miles; it is a confined anchorage, affordingshelter in westerly winds. A river of the same name runs into it, andanother called the Blyth joins the sea a mile and a half on the Tamarside of the east point, which has a remarkable round hill on it: nearlyfour and five and a half miles to the westward of this bay are othersmall streams. An islet lies at the mouth of the eastern one; and in itsneighbourhood only the shore, which falls back a little, is sandy andfaced with rocks. 

(*Footnote. The North-West or Blackman's Point is low, and in latitude 41degrees 2 minutes 45 seconds South, longitude 5 degrees 18 minutes 50seconds West of Sydney. )

ROCKY CAPE. 

The River Inglis is of a good size; but a reef extends off the mouth andsome distance to the eastward; it is two miles and a half to theSouth-South-East of a headland, called Table Cape, the distances betweenwhich, Rocky Cape, Circular Head, and Emu Bay, are equal, namely, elevenmiles and a half. Rocky Cape has a high pointed summit, with other peaksin the rear; a sunken rock is said to lie a mile and a half north of it;and the coast from thence to Circular Head falls back, forming a bight;five miles to the south-east of it is a sandy bay with a small rivuletrunning into it. The Sisters, two round hills, 870 feet high, renders theeast point remarkable; an islet with a reef of considerable extent frontsit for some distance. 

ESCAPED CONVICTS. 

One of the pilots at Port Dalrymple, I found, had travelled along thewest coast of Tasmania, from Macquarie Harbour to Point Woolnorth. Hecrossed four or five small rivers; but the country was covered with a lowscrub, growing in an impenetrable network along the surface of the soil, so that he could only make progress by keeping the shore. He was landedfrom a colonial vessel, by a party of convicts who had taken possessionof it, and afterwards succeeded in reaching Valdivia, on the west coastof South America. They scuttled the vessel off the harbour's mouth, andcame in in the boat, reporting it to have foundered. Being usefulartificers in such an out of the way place, few inquiries were made aboutthem, and they were received by the governor as a very acceptableaddition to the population. Singular to say, when at Valdivia in 1835, Isaw some of these men; they were married, and continued to be regarded asa very great acquisition, although a kind of mystery was attached tothem. However, their enjoyment of liberty and repose was destined to bebut short. Their whereabouts became known, and a man of war was sent totake them. All but one again effected their escape, in a boat they hadjust finished for the governor; and they have not since been heard of. The remaining delinquent was afterwards hanged at Hobart, where he gave adetailed and interesting narrative of the whole affair. 

DIRECTIONS FOR THE NAVIGATION OF THE MOUTH OF THE TAMAR. 

The few quiet days we had during our stay at Port Dalrymple, enabled ussatisfactorily to complete the soundings at the entrance. Beacons werealso erected on the shore by the Beagle's crew, for guiding vesselsthrough the channels; they, however, require to be kept white, in orderto show well against the dark ground behind. I furnished Lieutenant M. Friend, R. N. The port officer, with a few notes on the navigation of theTamar, which, for the sake of the nautical reader, I give below. *

(*Footnote. The most formidable shoal in the mouth of the Tamar, bearingthe name of the Middle Ground, is a rocky patch, with, according toreport, only 9 feet on one spot at low-water, spring tides, but the leastdepth found on it by the (Beagle's) boats was 12 feet. The north extremeof Low Head, in one with the first black cliffy projection to theeastward of it, or the flagstaff on Low Head, open northward of thelighthouse, clears the northern edge of it. The leading marks forentering eastward of the Middle Ground, generally called the EasternChannel, are the Shear and West Beacons. The latter stands in front ofDr. Browne's house, which is the first inside Point Friend, the westernentrance point. The Shear Beacon must be kept a little open to the leftor eastward of the West Beacon, until you get abreast of the lighthouse;after which, both beacons should be kept in one. When within two cablesand a half of the Shear Beacon, the course should be changed in thedirection of the Red Beacon on the Barrel Rock, the first on the easternside, to avoid a patch of kelp, extending one cable and a half in aneasterly direction from the Shear Beacon, the depth, there, at low-wateris 9 fathoms, and the least in the channel is 4 fathoms, on a ledge, apparently extending from Low Head to the Middle Ground. 

The Western Channel is two cables wide, with a depth, in the shoalestpart, of 10 fathoms; it is formed by the Middle Ground on the easternside, and the Yellow Rock Reef on the western; the latter is an extensivepatch of kelp, with a double light-coloured rock near its extremity. Theleast water on it at low-water is 6 feet; from the Shear Beacon, it bearsNorth 50 degrees West five-tenths of a mile, and from the lighthouse, South 52 degrees West eight-tenths of a mile. The Shear Beacon and theflagstaff at George Town in a line lead over the outer extreme. There isgenerally a white buoy in its vicinity, and a black one on the westernedge of the Middle Ground. The Barrel Rock red beacon, and the high andlow white beacons, erected by the Beagle's crew on the shore over LagoonBay, kept in one, lead through the Western Channel. When abreast of theShear Beacon, steer for the next beyond on the west side of the channel, to avoid a long patch of kelp, with three and five fathoms in it, extending two cables and a half to the South-South-West of the BarrelRock. 

The high part of the Western Reef, bearing South by East leads into thefairway of the Western Channel, when will be seen the white beacons overLagoon Bay. The latter is the second sandy beach inside the lighthouse onthe eastern shore. The Western Reefs are those fronting Point Friend; thepart above-mentioned, the only spot uncovered at high-water, is a blackpatch of rocks near their northern extreme. 

The only danger near the entrance of the Tamar is the Hebe Reef, namedafter a ship lost on it in 1808; it occupies a space of a quarter of amile, chiefly in an east direction. A small portion of its centre isnearly dry at low-water; this part bears South 89 degrees West, threemiles and three-tenths from the lighthouse on Low Head; inside it thereis a channel of 7 fathoms. The guide for passing northward of it, is awhite spot on the North-West extreme of Low Head in one with thelighthouse; the latter will then bear East 16 degrees South. 

The shoals, on either side, within the entrance of the river, are markedwith beacons. Those on the western shore, have a letter V sideways with avertical bar on the top; and those on the eastern a dagger. Shoals markedwith chequered buoys, may be passed on either side; a red or black buoy, signifies that the danger extends from the eastern shore; and a whiteone, that it extends from the western. 

The result of 115 tidal observations, taken three miles within theentrance, gives 12 hours 06 minutes for the time of high-water on thefull and change day. The rise of tide was irregular, the least being 4, and the greatest 10 feet. The highest noticed in the Beagle was duringthe neaps, caused by a strong North-West gale forcing the water into theriver. The tides flow 5 hours 50 minutes, and ebb 6 hours 25 minutes, with a velocity varying from two to five miles an hour, according as theriver is confined or open. The ebb-stream setting round Low Head into thebay to the eastward, is apt to drift vessels in that direction. Threemiles in the offing the flood-stream runs from one to two knots to theWest-North-West. 

The position of the lighthouse on Low Head is as follows: latitude 41degrees 03 minutes 26 seconds South, longitude 4 degrees 25 minutes 44seconds West, of Sydney; or 146 degrees 50 minutes 16 seconds East ofGreenwich, variation 10 degrees 05 minutes easterly. The light iselevated 140 feet above the sea-level, and may be seen, in clear weather, sixteen miles from the decks of small vessels, revolving once in fiftyseconds. )

THE GLENNIE ISLES. 

On December 19th both vessels left the Tamar; the Vansittart for FlindersIsland, to land the unfortunate natives; whilst the Beagle crossed thestrait to Wilson's Promontory, anchoring behind an island two miles long, trending north and south, with a hollow in the centre, forming a saddle, the highest part being 450 feet high. It is the northernmost of a groupcalled the Glennie Islands, fronting the south-western face of thePromontory; and is strewn over with blocks of granite, which give it acastellated appearance. We did not find this anchorage very good, thedepth being 20 fathoms, and the bottom sand over rock. Three small isletslie close to the south-west point, and a reef extends a cable's lengthoff the northern. There is a passage nearly four miles wide, and 23fathoms deep, between this part of Glennie's Group and the Promontory. The singular break in the high land on the latter, bearing East 1/2 Northis a distant guide to the anchorage, in which the flood-tide sets to thenorthward, and when aided by the current, attains a strength of a knotand a half; the time of high-water, is a quarter of an hour later than atRefuge Cove. 

We found on this, the largest of the group, a small black dog, that hadbeen left behind by some visitor, recently I should say, from his anxietyto be taken on board, which was done. It was, also, on this island thatthe intrepid Bass met a number of runaway convicts, who had beentreacherously left by their companions one night when asleep, the partybeing too large for the boat they had run away with from Sydney, with theintention of plundering the wreck of the Sydney Cove, at PreservationIsland in Banks Strait. Thus they were actually the first to traversethis part of the Strait, which has received its name from theenterprising Mr. Bass. 

CAPE LIPTRAP. 

Leaving the Glennie Isles we examined the coast beyond Cape Liptrap;* andfrom thence made the best of our way to Western Port. There I availedmyself of the kind offer of Mr. Anderson--a settler on the Bass River, who was going to Cape Patterson, to shoot wild cattle, the produce of thestock left behind when the old settlement was abandoned--to give Mr. Fitzmaurice, and a small party, conveyance in his bullock dray to thatprojection, for the purpose of determining its position. A party was alsolanded on the eastern entrance of Grant Island, to collect tidalobservations. 

(*Footnote. The next headland to Wilson's Promontory, from the extreme ofwhich it bears North-West by West, twenty-four miles; the shore betweenrecedes, forming a bay nine miles deep. The Cape lies in latitude 38degrees 55 minutes South, longitude 5 degrees 17 minutes West of Sydney, 145 degrees 57 minutes East, and is the extreme of a tableland threehundred and fifty feet high. A small islet lies close to the shore, abouttwo miles northward from the extreme, where there is a boat cove. Wherethe rocky coast ceases to the eastward, the shore falls back, affordingshelter for vessels in north-west winds; a rock lies off the southernpoint of this anchorage. )

CORIO HARBOUR. 

Having made these arrangements, we left for Port Phillip, where, afterlanding another party at Shortland's Bluff, also to make tidalobservations, we pursued our course round Indented Head towards CorioHarbour, anchoring off Point Henry--where no less than four vessels werelading with wool for England--early on the morning of the 27th. Wedevoted the remainder of this day and the next to making a plan of theharbour; and from the result of our survey I feel more than everconvinced that the bar (through the northern part of which a channelwinds for vessels of eight feet at low-water) might be removed, and theentrance rendered fit for vessels of any draught. There is deep water inthe south-western part, close to the northern side of Geelong, where, byerecting wharfs, large ships might discharge alongside, an advantagewhich can never be obtained at Melbourne, * and of so great importancethat I am induced to believe Geelong will ultimately be the capital ofAustralia Felix. In this event communication will be held with Melbourneby railroad, for which the country intervening is admirably adapted, being a complete level the entire way. At present a steamer plies dailybetween the two places; and when we consider that on our last visit, onlytwo years before, Geelong consisted of a few sheds at its north end only, and now stretched across from Corio Harbour to the River Barwon, a spaceof more than a mile, the belief seems warranted that at no distant periodthe line of rail I allude to must be laid down. The township is nowdivided into North and South Geelong; the latter lies on a slope, reaching the river's edge. 

(*Footnote. Corio Harbour is in fact the best anchorage in Port Phillip, that at Hobson's Bay being very confined, and scarcely affording anyshelter from southerly winds for large ships. Moreover, Corio Harbourlies more convenient for the western districts, there being no otherplace where the sheep-farmers of those parts can, with safety, ship theirwool, except Portland Bay. )

CAPTAIN FYANS. 

Located in a snug house, with a garden teeming with flowers, thatreminded one of home, and overlooking a still reach of the Barwon, Ifound Captain Fyans, of whom I have before spoken. 

ENCOUNTER WITH A NATIVE. 

In the course of conversation, pointing to a weapon used by the natives, called a Lliangle, resembling a miner's pick, he said, "I had that driventhrough my horse's nose, a short time since, by a native, of whom I wasin pursuit. " As I expressed a desire to be made acquainted with thecircumstance, he informed me, that being out with a party of mountedpolice, in search of some natives who had been committing depredations onthe flocks of the settlers, in the neighbourhood of Port Fairey, hesuddenly, whilst crossing a valley in advance of his men, came upon thechief of those of whom he was in chase. He, too, was alone; an attackimmediately commenced. The native threw his spears, but without effect;and Captain Fyans, finding that the rain had wetted the priming of hispistols, charged to cut him down; but such was his antagonist's dexterityin defending himself with his shield, only a narrow piece of wood, thatbeyond a few nicks on the fingers, Captain Fyans' sword-cuts were of noavail. Several times he attempted to ride over the native; who, however, doubled himself up in a ball under his shield, and was saved by thenatural reluctance of a horse to trample on a prostrate man in going overhim. After having been apparently more than once ridden down, the chiefmanaged to drive his lliangle through the horse's nose, and so firmlythat he was unable to withdraw it. The wound inflicted bled so freelythat Captain Fyans was obliged to pull up, and the native made hisescape. He was not only a fine fellow in conduct, but in person, having achest, as Captain Fyans expressed it, like a bullock's. I afterwardslearned that he displayed the sword-cuts upon his shield in triumph atsome of the sheep-stations. 

From Corio Harbour* we proceeded to Hobson's Bay, for a meridiandistance, the result of which was highly satisfactory, differing from ourformer measurement only five seconds. The longitude, therefore, ofBatman's Hill, 6 degrees 16 minutes 17 seconds West of Sydney, or(approximately) 144 degrees 59 minutes 43 seconds East of Greenwich, maybe relied on. 

(*Footnote. The approach to this harbour would be vastly improved by abuoy placed at the end of the spit extending nearly across from PointWilson on the north shore. )

MELBOURNE. 

A great improvement had been made since our last visit in the approach tothe anchorage, by the erection of a light on Point Gellibrand. * This wefound to be a small lamp fixed at the top of a kind of wooden framework, thirty feet high, suggested by the superintendent, Mr. LaTrobe; and for atemporary economical affair, until a more expensive light can beafforded, it is certainly a clever contrivance. 

(*Footnote. This light may be seen from a ship's deck, in clear weather, seven miles off. Vessels intending to anchor in Hobson's Bay should keepthe light bearing North-West by North until the water shoals to 6fathoms; then steer North by West. When the lights of William Town openout, bearing South-West by West, haul in West-South-West for theanchorage. The best berth is in 3 1/2 fathoms, with the light bearingSouth 1/4 East and the jetty at William Town South-West 1/2 West. )

The last three years had also made great additions to the buildings ofWilliam Town; but Melbourne had so increased that we hardly knew itagain. Wharfs and stores fronted the banks of the Yarra-yarra; whilstfurther down, tanners and soap-boilers had established themselves oneither side, where, formerly, had been tea-tree thickets, from which thecheerful pipe of the bell-bird greeted the visitor. Very different, however, were now the sights, and sounds, and smells, that assailed oursenses; the picturesque wilderness had given place to the unromanticrealities of industry; and the reign of business had superseded that ofpoetry and romance. 

MANNA. 

Near Melbourne I again noticed the manna mentioned above, but had noopportunity of making further observations upon it. Mr. Bynoe, however, having since visited Australia, has turned his attention to the subject, and the result of his experience, which will be found below, tends tooverthrow the opinion I have previously expressed, to the effect, thatthis substance is the exudation of a tree, not the deposit of an insect. *

(*Footnote. There is a prevailing opinion in some parts of New Holland, particularly on the east side, that the gumtrees distil a peculiar formof manna, which drops at certain seasons of the year. I have heard itfrom many of the inhabitants, who, on a close investigation, could onlysay, that it was to be found adhering to the old and young bark of thetrees, as well as strewed on the ground beneath. 

In the month of December, about the warmest period of the year, during myrambles through the forest in search of insects, I met with this manna inthe above-mentioned state, but could never find in any part of the bark afissure or break whence such a substance could flow. Wherever itappeared, moreover, the red-eyed cicadae were in abundance. I wasinclined to think that the puncture produced by these suctorial insectsinto the tender shoots for juice, would in all probability give an exitfor such a substance; but by wounding the tender branches with asharp-pointed knife, I could never obtain a saccharine fluid orsubstance. It was the season when the cicadae were abundantly collectedtogether for reproduction; and on warm, clear, still days, they clung tothe more umbrageous parts, particularly to trees that, having beendeprived of old limbs, shot forth vigorous stems, thickly clustered withleaves. To one of these, in which the male insects were making anintolerable noise, I directed my steps, and quietly sheltered myself froma hot wind that was crossing the harbour, bringing with it a dense columnof smoke, which for a short time shut out the powerful rays of the sun. Ifound that the ground about the root of the tree was thinly covered withthe sugar-like substance, and in a few minutes I felt that a fluid wasdropping, which soon congealed on my clothes into a white substance. Onrising cautiously to ascertain from whence it came, with a fulldetermination not to disturb the insects but to watch their pursuits, Iobserved that it was passing of a syrup-like consistence per anum fromthe cicadae. As it ran down the smooth branches of the gumtree and overthe leaves it gradually congealed, and formed a white efflorescence. Whilst ejecting this fluid, the insect raised the lower part of theabdomen and passed off three or four drops in sudden jets, which eitherstreamed down the stem, or fell on the leaves or ground. 

I watched them for nearly half an hour, and in that space of timeobserved between twenty and thirty distil this fluid, which graduallyconcreted into a white substance. I collected above three ounces, some ofwhich I still have in my possession. The natives gather it in their rushbaskets and use it as a part of their food. )

RED BLUFF. 

Leaving Hobson's Bay we passed along the east shore of Port Phillip insearch of a ledge of rocks, reported to lie about three miles off RedBluff, which is eight miles to the southward of the above-mentioned bay. We, however, found this danger to be nothing more than the extreme of thereef fronting that bluff for a distance of half a mile, in a West byNorth direction, and which has three feet on it at low-water, with threefathoms just outside. As the soundings gradually decrease to this depth, the lead will always keep a ship clear of it. 

Anchoring under Arthur's Seat, I delivered the letters with which Mr. Powlett, Commissioner of Crown Lands at Melbourne, had kindly furnishedme, to the different settlers in the neighbourhood, requesting them toafford me every assistance in my contemplated visit to Cape Shanck, forthe purpose of determining its position. 

DR. BARKER. 

One of them was addressed to a gentleman residing close to the Cape, Dr. Barker, to whom it was forwarded, and who returned with the messenger towelcome me to his station, and in the most liberal manner placed at mydisposal, his horses and his services. 

ARTHUR'S SEAT. 

Early the following morning, a well mounted party of us started forArthur's Seat. I wished to get a few angles from its summit, and to showto Captain Bunbury, R. N. , Superintendent of Water Police at Melbourne, the banks at the eastern entrance of the South Channel. Dr. Barker hadbrought his dogs over with him, to show us some sport on our way to CapeShanck. They formed quite a pack; and among them were two bloodhounds ofa celebrated Duke's breed at home. Their deep rich notes as they woundround the foot of Arthur's Seat, after a kangaroo, were quite cheering tothe heart; but the ground was too hilly for the fast dogs, and too dryfor the scent to lie. 

I was disappointed in not seeing Port Western from Arthur's Seat, whichhad one of those unsatisfactory woody summits, of which it is difficultexactly to ascertain the highest part. We passed a spring of water nearthe south-eastern foot, and in a level beyond were some large lagoons. 

Our course was now bent towards Cape Shanck, lying eight miles to thesouth. The first part lay over a level open woodland country; low hillsthen made their appearance, becoming more numerous as we neared ourdestination. At their commencement we turned off the road to look for akangaroo; a herd was soon found; but all, after a sharp burst of a fewmiles, got away from us. 

KILLING A KANGAROO. 

When both horses and dogs had regained their wind we went to betterground, and came suddenly on a fine herd. A large male, called an Old Manby the colonists, loitering to protect the does under his care, wassingled out by the fastest dog; and a splendid run ensued; the country, however, being rather woody, and strewed with fallen timber which wasconcealed by long grass, only those who risked the pace over it enjoyedthe sport. The dogs stuck well to their game, and coming at last to anopen piece of ground, the fleetest began to close with the Old Man, whowas covering an immense space in each bound. At length the dog reachedthe kangaroo's quarters, and burying his teeth in them, made him faceabout, cutting at his pursuer, who kept out of reach, with his hind feet, and then turning round and endeavouring to escape. But the same libertybeing again taken with his haunches he was once more brought to bay. Therest of the pack now came up, and a fine half-bloodhound rushed in andseized the kangaroo* by the throat; whilst the latter, in return, fiercely clutched the dog round the neck; a violent struggle ensued, eachtrying to choke the other. Although the dog that had first reached theOld Man was biting his quarters, the danger that the game hound would belaid open by a cut from the kangaroo's hind feet, determined Dr. Barkerand myself to watch an opportunity of creeping up behind a tree to assistin the struggle. We accordingly did so, and managed to seize the animalby his monstrous tail, so that by keeping a strain on it he was preventedfrom lifting his hind leg, as if he had we should have pulled him over. 

(*Footnote. Although these animals have a most innocent countenance, thelarge males are very dangerous when brought to bay. I know an instance ofa gentleman, who was endeavouring to assist his dog in killing one ofthem, having his clothes severed in front and the skin of his body justscratched by a cut from the hind leg. Had this person been any nearer thekangaroo, his bowels would have been torn open. The middle toe projectingand being armed with a strong nail, enable them to inflict dreadfulwounds, and frequently to kill dogs. It is seldom, indeed, that they willattack a kangaroo in front; old dogs never do, but have a very clever wayof throwing the smaller kind by the stump of the tail when running. )

The dogs, thus protected from injury, were at last victorious; and thekangaroo, a great beast, weighing nearly two hundred pounds, was soonstretched on the ground. 

CAPE SHANCK. 

Having secured the tail and hind feet we continued our road to Dr. Barker's station, situated in one of the rich valleys I have spoken of, in an early part of the work, as lying a mile and a half to theNorth-East of Cape Shanck. 

On account of the state of the weather we were obliged to tax thisgentleman's hospitality for two nights, both the early parts of whichwere passed on Cape Shanck, watching between the clouds for observations. This cape is a narrow projection of calcareous formation, renderedremarkable by a pulpit-shaped rock lying close off it. About a mile tothe north is a hill 190 feet high, which has been selected for the siteof a lighthouse for showing vessels their position off the entrance ofPort Phillip. Being so distant, however, it is of more service for PortWestern. 

From Dr. Barker I received some curious information respecting theAborigines. It appears that there is great hostility between the PortPhillip and Gipps' Land natives, who occasionally visit each other'sterritory for the purposes of war. So great is the feeling of enmitybetween them, that they will frequently take a piece of the flesh oftheir foes and pass it through the skin of their thighs or arms, wherethey leave it until it withers. 

SOUTH CHANNEL. 

Returning to the ship we placed a buoy* on the five-fathom bar at theeastern entrance of the South Channel, the bearings from which are WhaleHead South 33 degrees West, and Arthur's Seat South 79 degrees East;Points Nepean and Lonsdale being a little open. Passing through thischannel, ** we spent an afternoon within the heads for the purpose ofvisiting the lighthouse just built on Shortland's Bluff. *** This I foundto be 108 feet high; the lantern, to contain a fixed light, had not beenestablished. The position of this light being so far within the entranceit is only visible between South-West 1/2 West, and South 1/4 West; and alight placed at the extremity of the rocky ledge off Point Nepean wouldbe of infinitely more service in showing vessels the entrance of theport. 

(*Footnote. Another buoy at the east extremity of the bank on the northside of the channel, which is very steep to, and one at the west end ofthe bank on the south side, would render the navigation free fromdifficulty, as the banks on either side can be readily made out. )

(**Footnote. The directions for entering by this line-of-battle shipchannel are as follows. After passing Point Nepean steer for Arthur'sSeat, keeping Point Flinders open south of Lonsdale Point until the lastcliffy projection is passed and bears South 1/4 West. Then steer half apoint to the left of Arthur's Seat, shutting in Point Flinders with PointNepean, and keeping Point Lonsdale a little open of the latter. The buoyat the eastern entrance will now soon be made out, and should be kept inline with Arthur's Seat. Pass on the north side of the buoy and then haulup South-East until the water shoals to five fathoms, or until Whale Headbears South-West by West; then steer North-East by East for Mount Martha, the next hill north of Arthur's Seat, until the latter bears South-East, when a course may be shaped for Hobson's Bay. )

(***Footnote. The patch of dark bushes, breaking the sand beach to thenorthward, and forming one of the leading marks in, had been so thinnedthat it was very indistinct. Mr. LaTrobe, however, was going to remedythis evil by erecting a beacon on that spot. )

Whilst we were at Port Phillip this time, a schooner left in a somewhatmysterious manner, on board of which was the Honourable Mr. Murray, whofell afterwards in a conflict with the pirates at Borneo. The particularsof this gallant affair must be fresh in the recollection of my readers. 

TIDES AT PORT PHILLIP. 

Leaving Port Phillip, * we returned to Port Western to pick up the partywe had left there. Mr. Fitzmaurice found Cape Patterson, of which I havebefore spoken, to lie fourteen miles South-West by West 1/2 West from theeastern entrance of Port Western, ** and twenty-one miles North 55 degreesWest from Cape Liptrap, the next headland to the eastward. 

(*Footnote. The result of the tidal observations made at Shortland'sBluff, gives 12 hours 20 minutes for the time of high-water on the fulland change days. The simultaneous ones made in other parts of this greatsheet of water during our stay, gave the times of high-water later asfollows:

At William Town: 1 hour 0 minutes. Under Arthur's Seat: 1 hour 45 minutes. At Corio Harbour: 2 hours 30 minutes. 

At the entrance of Port Phillip the rise at springs is only three feetand a half, when the stream makes in at 2 hours 0 minutes. It alsocontinues to run out from one to two hours after the water begins to riseby the shore. The outward and inward streams differ considerably; thelatter being from 5 to 5 1/2 hours' duration, whereas the former is from6 to 6 1/2 and 7. The outward stream between the heads sometimes attainsa strength of nearly 7 knots, and when opposed to a southerly gale, causes a sea dangerous to small craft; these gales heap the water up inall parts of the bay, particularly at William Town in the northerncorner. On such occasions there is scarcely any fall of tide perceptiblenear the entrance; the outward stream is then also much weaker. In theWest Channel the flood and ebb-streams have a velocity of from 1 to 2 1/2knots; but in the south it seldom exceeds two. Above the banks or in theinlet leading to Corio harbour there is scarcely any stream of tideperceptible; but through the channel over the bar at the latter the floodruns nearly three quarters of a knot. Outside the entrance the ebb setsbetween South by East and South-South-West for seven miles, when itsstrength is weakened to about a knot; from thence it trends more westerlytowards the mouth of the Strait. )

CAPE PATTERSON. 

Five and seven miles to the westward of Cape Patterson there are tworivulets, near the former of which an inferior kind of coal crops out; itoccurs in beds of the carboniferous series. Between the two headlandsabove mentioned the shore falls back, forming a bight six miles deep, atthe head of which is Anderson's Inlet, six miles in extent, full of mudbanks, and available for boats only. A river, called Toluncan by thenatives, empties itself into the head of it. 

(*Footnote. The observations on the tides at this place make the time ofhigh-water at the full and change days 1 hour 10 minutes, when the riseis 8 feet. The stream in the main channel runs upwards of 2 knots, andoff the North-East end of Grant Island it makes to the eastward about twohours before the time of high-water; this difference is to be attributedto the flood entering round both ends of the island. )

From Port Western we carried a line of soundings across the Strait toCircular Head, * the greatest depth midway between being 40 fathoms. Here, according to arrangement, we met the Vansittart. Bad weather hadprevented Mr. Forsyth from completing the work allotted the cutter. Wefound the management of the Van Diemen's Land Agricultural Company in thehands of Mr. Gibson, from whom we received great attention. The newsystem of letting lands, recently adopted by this Company, was workingwell; and it certainly appeared to be a very fair mode of getting theirlands occupied. 

DIRECTIONS FOR THE WESTERN ENTRANCE OF BASS STRAIT. 

(*Footnote. My intention of getting some more soundings in the westernentrance of Bass Strait was frustrated; but as I have entered into detailrespecting the eastern entrance, I am induced to devote some space to afew directions, which may aid in averting a repetition of such terriblecatastrophes as the late wreck of the Cataraqui on the western side ofKing Island. The western entrance, formed by the islands off thenorth-west point of Tasmania and the projection on the Australiancontinent called Cape Otway, is 108 miles wide. King Island, lying nearlymidway, occupies 35 miles of this space, and leaves to the north of it apassage of 47 miles in width, and to the south one of 37 miles. Thelatter, however, is impeded by Reid's Rocks, the Conway and Bell sunkenrocks, with Albatross Island and the Black Pyramid; the tide also setsacross it at the rate of from one to three knots, as I have alreadymentioned in the first volume; consequently, the entrance between KingIsland and Cape Otway is much safer, the chief danger being the HarbingerRocks, two granite boulders, with deep water between, one lying North 74degrees West three miles and a half, and the other North 88 degrees West, nearly four miles and a half from the north point of King Island, CapeWickham, which may be recognized by a round hill, 595 feet high, over it. The southern Harbinger is a few feet only out of the water, and the otherscarcely awash. These, with the Navarin Rock, lying North 25 degreesWest, one mile and a half from the same cape, and the reef lying half amile off Cape Otway, constitute the sole dangers in this entrance. 

Masters of vessels should endeavour, if possible, to make the land in theneighbourhood of Cape Otway; but if the weather be thick they may knowthey are in the fairway of the Strait when they get into sixty fathoms, fine grey sand; in the same depth, with a rocky bottom, ships will be tothe southward, and off the west side of King Island, which, as I havebefore described, is a rocky dangerous coast. There is a doubtfulposition of a sunken rock, ten miles West 1/2 North of the south point, which is low and rocky, and in latitude 40 degrees 10 minutes South, longitude 143 degrees 58 minutes East; whilst Cape Wickham is in latitude39 degrees 35 minutes South, longitude 143 degrees 59 1/2 minutes, East;and Cape Otway in latitude 38 degrees 51 minutes South, longitude 143degrees 35 1/2 minutes East of Greenwich, considering Sydney, to whichthese longitudes refer, to be in 151 degrees 16 minutes East. 

Various opinions have been expressed as to the best position for alighthouse at this entrance of the Strait, some recommending CapeWickham; others, Cape Otway. I, however, hold to the latter, for thissimple reason, that it will avoid bringing ships in the neighbourhood ofthe Harbinger Rocks and the western side of King Island. If a light wereerected on Cape Wickham, and a vessel running for it should be to thesouthward of her position, she would risk sharing the fate of theCataraqui, * unless more caution were used than is generally the case, Iregret to say, in merchant vessels. Whereas, if the light were on CapeOtway, a ship to the southward of her position would have the Strait opento run through, and to the northward, would discover her error, byfalling in with the land. The lead, also, would inform the master thathis ship was near it, there being 30 fathoms ten miles from the landthirty-five miles to the westward of Cape Otway; the trend of the coastbesides is too westerly to make it a lee shore. 

(*Footnote. In consequence of a letter of mine that appeared in theTimes, the owners of the Cataraqui have communicated with me, statingthat they have reason to believe the Beagle's chart of Bass Strait wasamong those with which the ship was furnished, and that with regard toleads and lines she was well supplied. )

From the middle of the entrance between Cape Wickham and Cape Otway, in57 fathoms, fine grey sand, and in latitude 39 degrees 13 minutes South, longitude 143 degrees 48 minutes East, the course to the entrance of PortPhillip, is North-East 1/2 North seventy miles; the soundings will befound, at first, to decrease rapidly, and in the parallel of Cape Otwaythe depth will be 47 fathoms, fine sand and shells. Further particularsrespecting the quality of the bottom off this part of the coast will befound in the first volume. 

A South-East 1/2 East course 176 miles, from the same position, will takea ship to Port Dalrymple. In the first twenty-nine miles of thisdistance, the soundings will have decreased to nearly 30 fathoms, and theship's place should be then abreast of the North-East end of King Island, distant ten miles. The sight of this and, further on, of the HunterGroup, which should be passed at a distance of 20 miles to theSouth-West, will show if the right allowance has been made for the set ofthe tides. In the courses given in this note, the tidal influence has notbeen noticed; but I have above noticed the direction of the streams, andthe allowance to be made will of course depend on what stream the shipenters or leaves the Strait with. 

Again, from the same position, an east course, 136 miles, will place aship four miles to the south of the Curtis Isles. The soundings will befound to decrease to 40 fathoms thirty miles to the eastward of KingIsland, and will continue within a fathom or two of that depth for theremainder of the distance. 

Two hundred and four miles from the above position, on a North-East 1/4East course, will take a ship to abreast of Cape Howe, distant twentymiles; passing midway between Hogan and Kent Groups, distant nearly ninemiles from each, at which time twenty-eight miles will have been run onthe above course. In passing the latter group, attention should be paidto the set of the tides; as with the flood-stream and a northerly windvessels may be obliged to pass on the south side of it. Cape Howe bearsfrom Kent Group, North 36 degrees East, 170 miles. When a ship gets into30 fathoms she will be within 8 miles of the North-East side of theseislands; and on the opposite she will have that depth half the distanceoff. 

It only now remains to notice the tides in the passage north of KingIsland. It is high-water on the full and change days at 1 o'clock; thestream begins to set to the South-West three hours and a half beforehigh-water, running with a velocity of from 1 to 2 knots; past theHarbinger Rocks, however, it sweeps round to the South-South-West, sometimes at the rate of nearly two knots and a half. 

Having alluded to the entrance south of King Island in an earlier part ofthe work, and as it is a passage I do not recommend, I shall not hereenter into many details respecting it, further than to say that if a shipis obliged to enter Bass Strait by that entrance, she should keep to thesouthward of Reid's Rocks, passing close to the Black Pyramid, a darkrocky lump, 240 feet high, in latitude 40 degrees 28 minutes South, longitude 144 degrees 18 1/2 minutes East. This should be made bearingNorth-East 3/4 East, which would keep ships clear of the Conway and Bellsunken rocks, the former and outermost of which lies fifteen miles North83 degrees West from it. The cross set of the tides should beparticularly borne in mind, and likewise their strength, which issometimes 3 knots. The stream to the South-West by South begins at 3 P. M. On the full and change days, or three hours and a half before high-water. The depth in the south entrance varies from 35 to 38 fathoms. 

I shall perhaps make this note more useful by stating that January andFebruary are the best months for making a passage to the westward throughBass Strait; although easterly winds blow on some rare occasions at othertimes, but these are mostly gales, and generally terminate in a breezefrom the opposite quarter, having much the character of a rotatory gale, one of which I have described in an early part of the work. The galesthat chiefly prevail in this Strait begin at North-North-West, andgradually draw round by West to South-West, at which point they subside;but if the wind, before it has so much southing, veer again to thenorthward of west--or backs, as it is expressed--the gale will continue;but its duration may be told by the barometer, as it is seldom fine whenit registers less than 29. 95, and bad weather is certain if it falls to29. 70. 

N. B. The courses recommended in this note are marked in the chartaccompanying the work. )

Our anchorage this time was on the south side of the singular naturalfortification I have before described; and whilst there we were placed insome anxiety by being caught in a gale from the eastward. Theholding-ground, however, being very good, and a strong outset sweepingout of the bay round the south side of the head, lessened the strain onthe cables. The sudden appearance of this breeze, and the manner in whichit was succeeded by another from the westward, afforded additionalevidence of how necessary it is for anchorages in this strait to besheltered from both quarters. A jetty, which has been run out by theCompany, forms available shelter at high-water for vessels of nine andten feet draught. 

On the 20th of January, having made a valuable set of tidal* and otherobservations, and arranged with Mr. Forsyth to meet him at Hobart, wesailed in the afternoon, and next morning passed half a mile from thesouth side of the Pyramid, in 35 fathoms. It is a light-coloured mass, worthy of its name, 300 feet high. From thence we steered towards CapeFrankland, the North-West point of Flinders Island, which we had still toexamine, decreasing the soundings gradually to 26 fathoms within twomiles and a half to the West-North-West of it. We could see nothing ofthe sunken rock said to lie two miles west from the above headland; yet, as we have not exactly gone over the spot, it has been marked in thechart with a p. D. Against it. 

(*Footnote. The line of high-water at the full and change is 11 hours 40minutes, when the rise is 9 feet. )

HUMMOCK ISLAND. 

I was also anxious to obtain a distant seaward view of Hummock Island, *which affords the best shelter for ships in westerly winds. 

(*Footnote. This island, which affords a plentiful supply of fuel, isbetween five and six miles long, and scarcely half a mile in width, witha North by East trend. The anchorage lies abreast of the middle Hummock, where the depth is six fathoms, and may be approached by passing roundeither the north or south end of the island. Some low islets lie a mileand a half off the latter, with a narrow passage between; and a reefextends three quarters of a mile off the north point, which is inlatitude 40 degrees 1 minute South, longitude 3 degrees 27 minutes Westof Sydney, or 147 degrees 49 minutes East. It is distant three miles anda half from the nearest point of Flinders, where is situated thesettlement of Tasmanian natives. A tide of from half to one knot setsthrough between, and the flood-stream comes from the northward. Theoutline of Hummock Island is so remarkable that it cannot fail of beingrecognised. In thick weather the navigator may know he is approachingthis, and the other islands fronting the western side of Flinders, byhaving a depth of less than thirty fathoms. )

The north-west part of Flinders Island has a bold rugged outline. Fromour position off Cape Frankland, we carried a line of soundings acrossthe passage south of Craggy Island, passing two miles to the eastward ofit in twenty-seven fathoms. We then ran out of the strait and up toSydney, to leave what stores were not absolutely required during thepassage to England, for the use of the ships on the station. 

RAILROADS FROM SYDNEY. 

Having spoken of the feasibility of railroads in other parts of New SouthWales, I cannot leave Sydney without suggesting what appear to me to bethe most practicable directions for lines leading from that capital. Asthe country between Parramatta and Sydney is very hilly, I wouldrecommend that part of the journey should be performed in a steamer; andthat the railroad should commence on the right bank, about seven milesfrom the town. An extension of this line would lead into thenorth-western interior. Towards the south, and in the direction of theManero district, the line ought to pass round the head of Botany Bay, andby following some of the valleys trending southwards, might reach nearlyto Illawarra, the garden of New South Wales. In this manner, the richManero corn country, and the coalfields of Illawarra, might be broughtinto connection with Sydney, and a prodigious development imparted to thewhole colony. 

MORETON BAY. 

I regretted being obliged to leave this part of Australia withoutvisiting Moreton Bay, as a survey of the mouth of the Brisbane Riverwould have enabled the settlers of that district, now rapidly increasing, to have sent their produce direct from thence to England; whereas, untila chart of it is published, masters of large ships do not like to gothere. The residents are in consequence obliged to submit to the expenseof first shipping their merchandise to Sydney. The Moreton Bay districtis perhaps one of the most fertile on the continent, combining theadvantages of great partial elevation and of proximity to the equator, sothat, within a comparatively short distance, the productions of both thetropical and the temperate zones may be found. Corn grows on the highplains; bananas, raisins, etc. , on the lowlands; in short, as in Mexico, the traveller finds, in ascending from the sea-coast to the summit of thehills, almost the same successive gradations of climate as in passingfrom the tropics towards the poles. 

FAREWELL TO SYDNEY. 

Our final arrangements were soon made; and on the 18th of February, theBeagle was turning out between the heads. * I cannot for the last time bidadieu to a place, which had become to us as it were a second home, without once more alluding to the reception I had experienced from itsinhabitants. To enumerate any particular instances would be invidious;space forbids me to pay due acknowledgments to all. In general, therefore, I must say, that every attention which kindness andhospitality could suggest, was paid to the officers of the Beagle, and adebt of gratitude accumulated which it will be difficult to repay. 

(*Footnote. It is worthy of mention, that vessels working in against theebb-tide, should get close under the inner south head before making aboard across the entrance, as the stream sets round the north head a knotan hour to the northward, but has a southerly direction from one to twomiles off. )

Fresh easterly winds in the first instance, and light northerly oneslatterly, carried us rapidly to the southward, and towards midnight ofthe 21st, we crossed the parallel of 39 degrees 31 minutes South, *steering South by West 1/2 West. 

(*Footnote. In this latitude a shoal was reported to have been seen by avessel bound to Sydney, from Banks Strait, in 1838. The master of herstates, that he sounded on it in seven fathoms, and saw moored kelpoccupying the space of about half a mile. As this vessel's latitude, byher run from Banks Strait, was twenty miles further south, we cannotplace much confidence in this report, in which it is stated, that whenCape Barren bore West eight miles, they steered North-East for sixtymiles, when finding themselves, near noon, close to broken water, theywore the vessel's head round to the southward, and sounded in sevenfathoms in kelp; the latitude by observation being 39 degrees 31 minutesSouth. As it was blowing strong at the time from the North-West with ahigh sea, and as there was only one cast of the lead taken, in theconfusion of wearing, it is possible they might have been deceived. Thekelp might have been adrift, and the sea, in that neighbourhood, oftenbreaks irregularly as if on foul ground. The position of this supposedshoal, by the run from Banks Strait would be, latitude 39 degrees 51minutes South, longitude 149 degrees 40 minutes East; but as this gives adifference of twenty miles in the latitude by observation, and as theBeagle has crossed those parallels ten times between the meridians of 148degrees 4 minutes and 150 degrees 13 minutes, and, moreover, as theposition assigned this shoal lies so much in the track of vessels runningbetween Hobart and Sydney, there is every reason to doubt its existence. )

EAST COAST OF TASMANIA. 

On the 23rd, we passed along the east coast of Tasmania, at the distanceof eight miles. The weather being fine and the water smooth, we hadfrequent opportunities of testing the accuracy of the present chart, which we found to be about three miles in error both in latitude andlongitude; the latter with respect to the meridian of Fort Mulgrave. *

(*Footnote. Strange to say, the position assigned this place in thechart, 147 degrees 28 minutes East is much in error with regard tolongitude, as Fort Mulgrave is 3 degrees 52 minutes 35 seconds West ofSydney, or 147 degrees 23 minutes 25 seconds East; this, with the error Ihave already alluded to in the east coast of Tasmania, the most availableone for shipping, points out the necessity of having the survey of thatisland completed. )

JOURNEY TO LAUNCESTON. 

Next afternoon we entered the Derwent and anchored off Hobart. Findingthat his Excellency Sir John Franklin had just left for Launceston, Iproceeded thither to wait on him. Our stay in the Derwent depending on afavourable change in the weather, it was necessary that we should bealways in readiness to leave, and accordingly I travelled by the fastestconveyance, the mail-cart, a sort of gig drawn by one horse, which, however, by means of frequent changes and good cattle, manages to averagenine miles an hour. It leaves Hobart, at half-past seven P. M. , andreaches Launceston a little before eleven the following morning. It was acold, bleak night; but as the road was excellent, and I was well muffledup, with my feet in a bag, the time passed cheerily. The general topic ofconversation during the journey was about some three desperatebushrangers, * who appeared to keep all the innkeepers in dread of avisit. At one place we stopped at, the host came up with a ruefulcountenance, and told us that it was only the previous night that he hadbeen stuck up, with a pistol at his head, while they took what theywanted from his larder. 

(*Footnote. The most notorious of these characters was one Michael Howe, who became a bushranger in 1812. In 1817 he separated from his party, taking with him a native girl, whom he shot when hotly pursued, becausehe imagined she might occasion delay. He twice surrendered on conditionthat his life should be spared; but soon resumed his predatory habits. In1818 he was killed by three men who had planned his capture; having beennearly seven years in the bush, part of the time entirely alone. Hecommitted several murders, and robberies innumerable. His head wasconveyed to Hobart. In his knapsack was found a sort of journal of hisdreams written with blood, and strongly indicative of the horrors of hismind. )

The first half of the journey was over a rather hilly and graduallyrising country; the road then winds through almost one continued vale, bounded on either side by broken ranges of mountains. The noble BenLomond appears quite close on the right as you approach Launceston. I wasmuch pleased with the comfortable inns on this line of road, the greaterpart of which is as smooth as a gravel walk. 

RAILROADS IN TASMANIA. 

I could not avoid, during this journey, being forcibly struck with thegreat facilities afforded by the road from Hobart to Launceston for arailway; and I have since heard and seen enough to convince me, that notonly would such an undertaking be practicable, but that it would greatlyconduce to the prosperity of Tasmania. At present, most of theproductions of the northern part of the island are necessarily, onaccount of the expense of land-carriage, shipped at Launceston or PortDalrymple, whereas the Derwent affords such superior facilities for thepurposes of commerce, that if a means of cheap and rapid intercourse withit existed, nearly the whole export and import traffic of the coastswould be drawn thither. I have already observed that large vessels atLaunceston cannot discharge alongside the wharfs. Besides, on the wholeof the northern coast, with the exception of the Hunter Islands, there isno place of safety for a ship in all winds that a stranger would like torun into, the mouth of the Tamar being too much occupied with shoals. Onthe other hand, Hobart lies on that part of the island which may beapproached with the greatest safety, being on a weather shore, whereasthe northern side is partly a lee one. In saying thus much, I do not meanto imply that a private company, under ordinary circumstances, couldconstruct a line with immediate advantage to itself, though I will go sofar as to say, that in a very few years, comparatively, an ampleremunerative return might be expected. What I especially desire to insistupon, is the fact, that a railroad traversing Tasmania from north tosouth would be a great benefit to the community, would stimulate trade, and consequently production, and would aid in restoring the prosperitywhich it once enjoyed. 

LABOUR MARKET. 

This being granted, let us take into consideration the condition of thelabour market in that country, and observe what an opportunity nowpresents itself of executing a work of prodigious magnitude at acomparatively trifling cost. It will be seen at once that I allude to thepopulation of probationers, pass-holders, ticket-of-leave men, who nowcompete with the free inhabitants, and cause the whole land to throngwith people in want of work, with paupers and with thieves. 

The great evil at present complained of by the settlers of Tasmania, isthe superabundance of labour. In most other colonies the contrarycomplaint is made; and were it not for peculiar circumstances, the greatdemand in one place would soon relieve the pressure in the other. But itmust be remembered, that the glut in the Tasmanian labour market isproduced by the presence of crowds of convicts, in various stages ofrestraint, all prevented from leaving the island, and forced to remainand seek employment there; so that as soon as the demand for labour fallsoff, or the supply of it becomes disproportionately large, it is the freepopulation that is necessarily displaced. 

The effect, therefore, of the gradual pouring of a superabundance ofconvict labour into this island, must naturally be, first, to check freeimmigration; and secondly, to drive away those who have actuallyestablished themselves on it as their second home, and may perhaps haveabandoned comfort in England in hopes of affluence there. So great is thenumber actually leaving the place every year, that it is calculated thatin six years, at the same ratio, there will be absolutely none left. 

COMMERCIAL DISTRESS. 

And yet, no further back than 1841, the Legislative Council voted 60, 000pounds to encourage immigration, thus needlessly taxing the colony to aidin producing a disastrous result, which certainly, however, no one seemsto have foreseen. 

Who, indeed, four years ago, could have believed that, above all otherthings, there should arrive a glut in the labour market? Such an eventwas looked upon as absolutely impossible in the full tide of prosperitythat covered the island. Everything wore a smiling aspect. The fieldswere heavy with harvests, the roads crowded with traffic; gay equipagesfilled the streets; the settler's cottage or villa was well supplied withcomfort, and even with luxuries; crime, in a population of which themajority were convicts or their descendants, was less in proportion thanin England; in short, for the first time, in 1840 the exports exceededthe imports; trade was brisk, agriculture increasing, new settlers werearriving; everything betokened progress; no one dreamed of retrogressionor decay. 

In four years all this has been reversed. We now look in vain for thesigns of prosperity that before existed. In their place, we hear ofcomplaints loud and deep; of insolvency, of reduction in the Governmentexpenditure; of a falling off of trade; of many beggars, where nonebefore were known; of large agricultural estates allowed partially toreturn to their natural wildness; of cattle and all stock sold at halftheir original cost, and of every symptom of agricultural and commercialdistress. I may further add, that the funds derived from the sale ofCrown lands in Tasmania in the year 1841, amounted to 58, 000 pounds; in1844, to 2000 pounds; and in 1845, to nothing. The revenue, in the sametime, has decreased one half; and, to close the financial account, at theend of 1844 the colony was in debt to the Treasury, 100, 000 pounds. 

REMARKS ON CONVICT DISCIPLINE. 

Though many other causes may have co-operated in producing this change, it seems acknowledged by most persons, that the result is chieflytraceable to the disproportionate increase of the convict population, acting in the manner I have already described; and this is itselfencouragement to reconsider the system of 1842. But if, as some maintain, this plan has inflicted serious evils, in a moral point of view, both onthe free population and on the convicts themselves, there is stillgreater inducement to examine whether some better mode could not bedevised. 

I do not intend, however, to enter into the question of convictdiscipline. It would be beside my purpose to do so; and want of space, moreover, forbids it. But I cannot refrain from observing, that onefeature in the new plan--that of congregating criminals during one periodof their punishment in probation gangs, almost isolated from the freesettlers--seems productive of anything but good. Under the system ofassignment, whatever other objections there may have been to it, theconvict had at least an excellent chance of becoming a better man, especially when drafted to a pastoral or agricultural district. Whereas, now that the well-disposed and the irreclaimably bad are often broughtconstantly together in the same class, it is much more difficult for themto regain that self-command and those moral sentiments, the loss of whichbrought them to their degraded position of prisoners. Having constantlybefore their eyes the garb and stamp of their infamy, reformation, if notimpossible, is extremely difficult. Pass them on the highways at anytime; and, in obedience to an irresistible impulse, they will leave offtheir work to look at you, and the comparison of your dress andcondition, with their own distinctive costume and forced occupation, instead of awakening a spirit of hope and a determination to regainfreedom, induces melancholy and despair. A dogged and sullen silence soonbecomes the characteristic of these men; their features are stamped withthe worst passions of our nature; and in many cases despondency istriumphant, and they make no proper or continued efforts to reclaimthemselves. 

Even when a probation pass has been obtained, it is grievous to reflectthat, in numerous instances, except in the single quality of industry, not only has no improvement taken place in the character of the prisoner, but that he has become more hardened and corrupt than when he leftEngland. The horrible scenes of depravity he has witnessed in thebarracks whence he has emerged, must have produced their natural effecton his mind. I cannot help thinking that this system of concentration isextremely impolitic. We all know what a detrimental influence theassociating of men, punished for an offence comparatively trifling, withothers convicted of the most flagrant outrages upon society, exerts uponthe former. The experience of our prisons testifies to the fact. Can itbe expected, then, that the same agglomeration of bad characters inTasmania should be harmless? I foretell that this part of the new systemwill be shortly abandoned, and that at any rate the men will be providedwith separate cabins for sleeping berths. The granting the prisonersoccasional holidays of a week, would have a great effect in whettingtheir desire to finally obtain their liberty; and a change or improvementin their apparel, in proportion to their good conduct, would also be verybeneficial. 

In my opinion, however, the system of concentration is radicallydefective. It supposes the existence in the breasts of criminals of aprinciple of action, and a desire of improvement and of a change in theircondition sufficiently powerful to enable them to resist the temptationsto vice held out by habitual intercourse with the depraved. No doubtthere are individuals to be found, even among those who have incurred thepenalty of banishment from their native country, of firm character andstrong sympathy for virtue; but the majority must of course consist ofmen almost incapable of resisting momentary impulses, of weak orperverted understandings, of strong animal passions, naturally or fromhabit averse to what is good, and prone to that which is bad. In suchcases association must inevitably be pernicious; and pardon can only beobtained by comparative, not absolute reformation. By the dispersion ofconvicts, under the assignment system or otherwise, the effects of evilcommunication will be guarded against, and those of intercourse with thevirtuous and the honest substituted. 

I am not of course, as I have said, prepared here even to sketch a newplan of convict discipline; but I think that the suggestion I have madewith reference to the employment of prisoners in the construction ofrailroads, the capital to be supplied by a private company, would afforda temporary relief to the labour market, whilst it would confer a lastingbenefit on the colony. During the diversion thus created, time would beafforded for digesting a plan of convict discipline, which should beconsistent with economy, with a due regard to the interests of thesettlers, and with the moral improvement of the prisoners. 

LIGHTHOUSES IN BASS STRAIT. 

I would also suggest another mode of employing the probationers. Theymight be dispersed through the islands in Bass Strait, and engaged inconstructing the lighthouses which are so much wanted there. Six yearsago his Excellency Sir John Franklin drew the attention of the Governmentof New South Wales to the necessity existing for these lighthouses. Onthis occasion a mass of evidence was given before the Legislative Councilas to which would be the most eligible sites; but up to this period onlytwo have been founded, both by the Tasmanian Government, one on theChappell Isles, another in Banks Strait. The important ones for theeastern and western entrances of the Strait have been neglected, althoughthe fullest information was obtained on the subject. Opinions concur inrepresenting Kent Group as the best position for a light at the easternentrance, where certainly one is most required, the Strait being there somuch impeded with rocks and islands. I gave my opinion to this effectbefore the Legislative Council, in September, 1842. At the same time, forthe western entrance, I recommended Cape Otway in preference to the northend of King Island, for reasons already assigned. * The melancholy wrecksthat have of late occurred in Bass Strait will, it is to be hoped, directimmediate attention to the construction of these lighthouses, and I thinkthat the collateral benefits to be derived from the dispersion of theconvicts ought to be given their due weight. The expense would, inconsequence of the ample supply of labour, be small; some of the islandsafford stone in abundance; and the convicts might raise part of theirfood in the vicinity of the proposed buildings. I cannot but think thatthis, in the end, will prove a lucrative undertaking for Government; ason the number of vessels that pass, light-dues of about a penny a tonmight be levied. 

(*Footnote. The following is the Report of the Committee of theLegislative Council of New South Wales, on lighthouses proposed to beerected in Bass Strait: Your Committee have the honour to report, thathaving been favoured with the attendance of Captain Stokes, of herMajesty's ship Beagle, lately returned from a survey of Bass Strait, andascertained his ideas as to the best position for placing a lighthouse atthe western entrance thereof, they are induced to change their opinion asset forth in their Report of the 1st September, 1841, and to coincidewith him in thinking that Cape Otway would be a better site for alighthouse than King Island, as being equally advantageous to the tradeat large, and much more so to that of Port Phillip. 

It would appear, too, that no danger could accrue to vessels endeavouringto make the former, while much mischief might arise in trying to sightthe latter, should there be any error in their reckoning; and that it istherefore desirable to keep them as far as possible to the northward ofKing Island, instead of inducing them to risk the danger of approachingit, to ascertain their true position. 

Captain Stokes perfectly coincides with the Committee, in the opinionformerly expressed by them, that the eastern island of Kent Group, is thebest position for a light at the eastern entrance of Bass Strait; andthey beg leave respectfully to recommend to your Excellency andhonourable Council, that immediate steps may be taken for commencing sodesirable an undertaking as the erection of a lighthouse on that spot. 

(Signed) J. GIBBES, Chairman. Council Chamber, 6th September, 1842. )

In another part of this work I have adverted to the desirability offorming other convict establishments than those at present existing, particularly on the north-west and north-east coasts; and I wouldespecially recommend the neighbourhood of Hanover Bay on the former, andHalifax Bay on the latter. * By these means many hitherto untrodden landsmay speedily be adapted to the purposes of colonization, and reclaimedfrom their present unprofitable state. In a country like Australia, wherethe proportion of bad land predominates, it is almost necessary, in thefirst instance, to force settlements by means of convict labour. A numberof buildings is always a cheering sight to a settler on his firstarrival, and gives him encouragement to exertion; whereas, if the countrywears its natural arid, desolate, uninviting appearance, dejection anddespondency ensue. 

(*Footnote. We have just learned that it is the intention of Governmentto form a settlement of the kind mentioned in the text on the north-eastcoast; and that the province is to be called North Australia, thesouthern boundary of which is to be the 26th parallel. I have alreadyexpressed my opinion, that convicts should not be sent to Port Essington, as the proximity of the islands would afford them facilities of escape. )

COMET. 

During our stay in the Derwent, perhaps one of the most splendid cometsthat has ever appeared, illuminated the southern hemisphere for severalnights. We did not see it until the evening of the 5th of March; but itwas observed on the 2nd at Launceston; and by a ship at sea, off CapeLeeuwin, on the 27th of February. Several observations were made with it, when the nucleus, which was of a deep red colour, somewhat resembling theplanet Mars, was visible. * The length of the tail (on the 5th) measuredforty degrees; but was afterwards ten degrees longer. Towards its centreit showed great intensity of light, becoming visible in the crepusculumbefore stars of the second magnitude. Through its more attenuatedextremity, the stars were plainly seen, the coma seeming to be much lessdense, showing the sky through the centre like a dark line. 

(*Footnote. On the evening of the 5th its right ascension was found to beabout 0 hours 13 minutes 0 seconds, and declination about 13 degrees 0minutes South. The following evening it was observed to have had a motionof above three degrees and a half in the direction of the constellationOrion; the right ascension being 0 hours 26 minutes 0 seconds, and thedeclination 12 degrees 50 minutes South. On the following night it wasfound to have had a further motion in the same direction, and with muchthe same velocity. Its position, shortly before setting, was as follows:right ascension 0 hours 41 minutes 0 seconds, declination 12 degrees 30minutes South. )

COLONIAL CORN. 

Whilst we were in the Derwent, a ship was loading with corn for England;and I could not help regretting that, although grain from these colonies, on account of its dry nature, is well adapted for a long voyage, theheavy duty almost shut it out from the English market. It was impossiblenot to feel, that justice as well as policy should have dictated theadmission of Australian wheat on the same terms as Canadian. The injuryinflicted by the exclusive system pursued, is, that less land is putunder cultivation, and fewer people are encouraged to go there; both thecolony and the mother country are sufferers thereby. 

CHAPTER 2. 14. AUSTRALIA TO ENGLAND. 

Sail from Tasmania. The South-west Cape. Monument to Flinders. Rottnest Island. Lighthouse. Penal Establishment. Longitude of Fremantle. Final departure from Western Australia. Rodrigue Island. Effects of a hurricane at Mauritius. The crew and passengers of a foundered vessel saved. Bourbon. Madagascar. Simon's Bay. Deep sea soundings. Arrival in England. Take leave of the Beagle. The Surveying service. 

The barometer, which had been rising gradually within the last threedays, now standing at 30. 20, showed that the opportunity of getting roundthe South-West Cape, had at length arrived. We therefore left SullivanCove on the morning of the 15th; and by the following midnight passed theabove-mentioned storm-beaten headland with a fine northerly wind. Previous, however, to so doing, we had soundings in 84 fathoms, six milesSouth-West of the Mew Stone. From the result of others we had obtained atdifferent times off the south coast of Tasmania, it appears thatsoundings of a moderate depth extend out only a short distance, and thata ship in 60 fathoms will be within ten miles of the land. 

MONUMENT TO FLINDERS. 

It had been my intention, on our passage to the westward, to haveexamined the south and west sides of Kangaroo Island, with the rockslying off the former. I was also anxious to visit South Australia foranother meridian distance, those already obtained not being satisfactory, I wished, moreover, to comply with Sir John Franklin's desire, that weshould set up a monument, dedicated to the memory of poor Flinders, whichhe had sent to Port Lincoln, the centre of his honoured commander's mostimportant discoveries on the south coast of Australia. * The performanceof such a task would have constituted an appropriate conclusion to ourlabours on the shores of this great continent; and certainly nothingcould have been more agreeable to our feelings than to be instrumental inpaying a tribute of respect to our distinguished predecessor in thecareer of discovery. I shall always regret that we were prevented fromdoing so. At the same time I must say, that it will reflect greatdiscredit on the colony of South Australia, if some portion of its wealthbe not devoted to the erection of a suitable monument to the memory ofFlinders in one of the squares of Adelaide. 

(*Footnote. Sir John Franklin was a midshipman with Captain Flinders whenhe discovered this part of Australia. )

Strong northerly winds prevented us, as I have above hinted, from closingwith the land, we consequently continued our course to the westward; andon the twenty-third day arrived at King George's Sound, whence, aftercompleting our wooding and watering, we sailed on the morning of the 21stof April. At noon we passed between Bald Head and Vancouver Reef. *

(*Footnote. See plate. )

ROTTNEST LIGHTHOUSE. 

In the forenoon of the 23rd we saw the lighthouse of Rottnest; andregarded it with great interest, as the work of the aborigines imprisonedon the island. I could not avoid indulging in melancholy reflections as Igazed upon this building, erected by the hands of a people which seemeddestined to perish from the face of the earth without being able to leaveany durable monuments of their existence, except such fabrics as this, constructed under the control of a conquering race. The time indeed, ifwe may judge from past experience, seems not far distant when thestranger, on approaching the shores of Western Australia, and asking whoerected that lighthouse to guide him in safety to the shore, will be toldit was the work of a people that once were and are now no longer. 

Passing over the foul ground extending off the Stragglers, we ran intoOwen's anchorage during the first watch. Whilst waiting to rate thechronometers several soundings were added to our plan of this place, anda three-fathom patch, about a quarter of a mile in extent, wasdiscovered, with nine on either side of it, lying nearly two miles and aquarter North 39 degrees West from Fremantle gaol. 

PENAL ESTABLISHMENT. 

We also visited Rottnest to inspect the establishment. It had now been apenal settlement for four years; besides erecting the buildings, theaboriginal labourers had cleared thirty-four acres of land, chiefly indetached valleys. These grew thirty-five bushels of wheat to the acre (inthe Port Phillip district the return is about five more to the acre) andfrom thirty-four to forty bushels of barley. There are about two thousandacres of available land in the whole island. The average number of nativeconvicts is about seventeen, and the expense of the whole establishmentto Government is about 200 pounds per annum; but, under the goodmanagement of superintendent Vincent, it has realized 1500 pounds by thesale of corn and salt, and allowing for the value of the buildingserected. 

His Excellency Governor Hutt had done a great deal for the improvement ofthe natives; the schools established for their instruction workexceedingly well; and I am happy to see that a most important steptowards civilizing them has since been made, a white having taken anative woman as his wife. This may be regarded as in a great measure theresult of the notice bestowed on them. 

No opportunity occurred during our stay of adding to the observations Ihad previously made for the longitude of Fremantle (Scott's Jetty);which, however, is the only part of the continent absolutely determinedduring the Beagle's voyage. It is considered to be in longitude 115degrees 47 minutes 50 seconds East. 

Before leaving we received a letter of thanks from his Excellency and themembers of the Legislative Council for the services we had rendered thecolony. My friend Lieutenant Roe presented me, also, with two specimensof the Spined Lizard Moloch horridus, which I intended to present to HerMajesty; but, unfortunately, I did not succeed in bringing either of themalive to England; one, however, lived beyond the Western Islands. 

DEPARTURE FROM WESTERN AUSTRALIA. 

We left Swan River on the evening of the 6th of May, 1843, running outwith a moderate North-East breeze. Everything seemed auspicious. Thewater was smooth, and the sails, as they slept in the breeze, echoed backthe sounds of the well-known song, We are homeward bound, that was sungwith an earnestness that could not be mistaken. I fancied I coulddiscern, in the rough tones of the crew under my command, the existenceof the same emotions that swelled in my own breast at this moment. Forseamen, high and low, though content to pass the greater portion of theirlives upon the world of waters, can never entirely suppress that yearningfor home, which, perhaps, after all, is one of the finest traits in humannature. And now that it might be legitimately indulged, I was not sorryto see such strong evidences of its existence. 

Ere the last vestige of day had passed, the coast of Australia had fadedfrom our sight, though not from our memory; for, however much thoughts ofthe land to which we were returning crowded on our minds, they could notas yet entirely obliterate the recollection of that we were quitting. TheSwan River colony--its history, its state, its prospects--naturallyoccupied much of our mind. What a change had come over it even since ourvisit! From a happy little family, if I may use the expression, it hadgrown into a populous colony, in which all the passions, the rivalries, the loves and the hates of the mother country were in some sortrepresented. And yet there remained still much of that old Englishhospitality, which rendered our first stay so pleasant, and which almostmade us desire to prolong our last. The alteration that had taken placewas rather to be referred to the increasing number of settlers, whichrendered inevitable the formation of circles more or less exclusive, andwhich, with the forms of European society, promised to introduce many ofits defects. 

But our thoughts wandered, from time to time, over the whole of thisextraordinary continent, which we saw for the first time in November1837, at the point from which we took our departure, in May, 1843. Thestrange contrasts to the rest of the world which it affords wereenumerated and commented upon--its cherries with their stones growingoutside--its trees, which shed their bark instead of their leaves--itsstrange animals--its still stranger population--its mushroom cities--and, finally, the fact that the approach to human habitations is not announcedby the barking of dogs, but by the barking of trees!*

(*Footnote. The trees in the vicinity of houses are generally barked toobtain a covering for the roofs. )

Westerly winds carried us into the South-East trade by the 13th, inlatitude 22 degrees 30 minutes South four hundred miles from theNorth-west Cape, when our course was directed for the Mauritius. We foundthe trade very squally, and on one or two occasions managed to screw asmuch as eleven knots out of the old craft. 

RODRIGUE ISLAND. 

A little after noon on the 27th we saw Rodrigue Island sooner than weexpected, in consequence of our finding it placed seven miles to thewestward of its true position, even with reference to the meridian of theMauritius. Our observations, in passing to southward, made the easternend of it 5 degrees 59 minutes East of Port Louis, and 63 degrees 31 3/4East of Greenwich, latitude 19 degrees 42 minutes South. I was rathersurprised to find this error in the position of Rodrigue, as it is quitea finger-post for ships on their voyage from India to Great Britain. Ittrends east and west for seventeen miles, and is in width about six. Fora volcanic island its features are not very remarkable; the highest partis a peak or excrescence, 1700 feet high, rising towards the eastern endout of a rather level ridge. 

On the morning of the 29th, the high land of the Mauritius was seenbreaking through the mass of clouds. Passing round the north end of theisland, in the evening we reached Port Louis, where we found a Frenchman-of-war that had just brought in the crew of a vessel foundered atsea. Their escape had been one of the most remarkable on record. The shipwas from Liverpool, and was rounding the south-eastern point of Africawith a strong north-west wind, when she sprang a leak, which increased sofast, that the crew were ultimately obliged to abandon her and take tothe boats. The sea was so great that they were compelled to run beforethe wind, with the prospect only of prolonging their lives for a briefspace, no land lying in that direction. 

PROVIDENTIAL ESCAPE. 

Providentially, the morning following they found themselves alongside aFrench frigate; but the boats were so low in the water that for some timethey escaped observation, and were nearly passed. At length, by waving alady's shawl in the air, they attracted the attention of the Frenchmen, and were taken on board, and treated with an attentive kindness, whichentitled their preservers to the thanks of all who would wish to be soreceived under such circumstances. I regret that the name of the captainof the ship has escaped me; though I remember it being said, that he hadhimself been saved on a previous occasion by a Liverpool ship in theChina Sea. 

Not long before the arrival of the Beagle in Port Louis, a fleet ofcrippled vessels, the victims of a recent hurricane, might have been seenmaking their way into the harbour, some dismasted, others kept afloatwith difficulty, firing guns of distress, or giving other signs of theirhelpless condition. The monotony of colonial life was suddenly disturbed, by no means disagreeably to some, as the telegraph told off a successionof lame ducks, as they were jocularly called, such as seldom or ever hadbeen witnessed, even at that place. It required but a visit to the bellbuoy, to see at a glance the destructive effects of the storm on theunfortunate ships. 

EFFECTS OF HURRICANE AT MAURITIUS. 

On the tranquil surface of the harbour lay a group of shattered vessels, presenting the appearance of floating wrecks. In almost all, thebulwarks, boats, and everything on deck had been swept away; some, thatwere towed in, had lost all their masts, others more or less of theirspars; one had her poop and all its cabins swept away; many had four orfive feet water in the hold, and the clank of the pumps was still kept upby the weary crew. 

Such was the description given me of the circumstances under which thecrowd of vessels that lay at anchor in Port Louis had arrived. I hadanticipated that I should here be enabled to make some importantadditions to the notices of hurricanes that have occasionally appeared inthis work; and certainly ample opportunity now presented itself. But Ifound that this interesting subject was in more able hands, those, namely, of Mr. Alexander Thom, of H. M. 86th Regiment, whose valuableobservations have been laid before the public, in a work called, AnInquiry into the Nature and Course of Storms; a volume that embraces manyimportant considerations for seamen, to whom, indeed, and to theship-owner, Mr. Thom, by his scientific investigations, has provedhimself a true friend. 

It is curious that military men should have been the first to study thecauses of hurricanes, and to tell sailors how to avoid their effects; butthat such is the case, the works of Colonel Reid and of my friend Mr. Thom will testify. 

I had the pleasure of making the acquaintance of the latter gentleman inPort Louis. What he considered to be the grand sources of rotatorystorms--winds charged with opposite kinds of electricity and blowing inopposite directions--appeared to account satisfactorily for theoccurrence of hurricanes in the Pacific, where there are no continents orchains of mountains to produce them and guide their courses. 

As so much has been already written about this interesting island, theMauritius, and as, moreover, space forbids, I do not here make use of themass of information with which Mr. Thom has kindly furnished me, respecting its history and resources, and the subject of Coolie labour;but on some future occasion I may be able to lay it before the public. 

During my stay at Port Louis I received much hospitality, particularlyfrom the family of Colonel Staveley, Commander of the Forces, which Itake this opportunity of acknowledging. 

We sailed from the Mauritius on the 10th of June, and on the followingday passed about 20 miles south-east of the Island of Bourbon. Itresembles a large cone emerging from the water; and its features arestrikingly different from those of the Mauritius; the outline is notsoftened by luxuriant vegetation, but is sudden and steep and massive. 

MADAGASCAR. 

Southerly and westerly winds brought us in sight of Madagascar on the16th, and on the same evening, aided by a southerly current of 2 knots anhour, we were just able to weather its South-East extreme. The featuresof this great island that were presented to our view approached theAlpine, and from a passing glimpse of the small hills near the shore, itappeared to be a fertile country. This portion of the globe is one ofgreat interest to the world at large, especially when we know that, ifconsidered as a naval or military station, it is scarcely equalled by anyin the Indian Ocean; besides having a soil of the best description, andabounding also in mineral wealth, with timber fit for any purposes, andthousands of cattle running wild in its valleys. On the afternoon of the27th we were within seven or eight miles of the land, near the great FishRiver, on the south-eastern coast of Africa, having apparently got withinthe eddy of the westerly current, which sweeps round that part of thecoast at the distance of thirty miles with a velocity of from two to fivemiles an hour, which we entirely lost after passing Algoa Bay. Withinthirty miles of the latter place we had a strong gale from the southwardof twenty-four hours duration; and on the morning of the 1st of Julyarrived at Simon's Bay, in company with Her Majesty's ship Belleisle, which sailed two days before us from the Mauritius. Nearly six years hadelapsed since our last visit, and little improvement had taken place incolonial affairs. 

(*Footnote. The little difficulty that strangers found in recognizingthis anchorage at night, is now overcome by a light-vessel being placednear the Roman Rocks; but the streaks of sand, resembling snow, down thesides of the hills over Simons Bay, and the remarkable break in the highland over another bay, just to the northward, are sufficient guides ofthemselves in clear weather. )

On the 9th we were again on our way homeward. Touching at St. Helena* andAscension, we crossed the equator on the forenoon of the 15th, inlongitude 19 degrees 45 minutes West, where we endeavoured to obtainsoundings with 2000 fathoms of line, which parted at 1600 fathoms. Respecting deep-sea soundings, there are some sceptical persons who, inconsequence of the bottom not being brought up from the great depthsreported to have been found, are inclined to doubt that soundings wereactually obtained on those occasions. 

(*Footnote. This place is famed for its large flying-fish, of which someare from 18 to 24 inches in length: and not a little so, for thosemonsters of the finny tribe called sharks. In the Admiralty book ofdirections, the fact is related of an artillery-man being found fullyaccoutred in the stomach of one taken there. )

ARRIVAL IN ENGLAND. 

On the 24th a continuation of westerly winds* brought us in sight of St. Jago and Bravo, of the Cape de Verd Group; on passing which we got theNorth-East trade, and, after staying a part of the 10th and 11th atFayal, where we met Her Majesty's Steamer Styx, Captain Vidal, who, onparting, gave us three hearty farewell cheers, we did not, in consequenceof easterly winds, arrive at Spithead until the 30th day of September, after an absence of upwards of six years. During this period we only losttwo men, and preserved throughout almost the same spars** and boats, ***we left Plymouth with in 1831. From Portsmouth we proceeded round toWoolwich, where the ship was paid off on the 18th of October, 1843. 

(*Footnote. Ships availing themselves of these winds, when, also, thewesterly current ceases near the equator, might, by running away to theeastward in them, shorten the passage to either Ascension or St. Helena. )

(**Footnote. I have already mentioned that the Beagle was fitted with Mr. Snow Harris's lightning conductors; the fact mentioned in the text isample proof that they do not weaken even the smallest spars. )

(***Footnote. It is in justice due to say, that the boats were chieflybuilt by Mr. Johns, of Plymouth Dockyard. )

TAKE LEAVE OF THE BEAGLE. 

After giving the men their certificates, I loitered a short time toindulge in those feelings that naturally arose on taking a final leave ofthe poor old Beagle at the same place where I first joined her in 1825. Many events have occurred since my first trip to sea in her: I have seenher under every variety of circumstances, placed in peculiar situationsand fearful positions, from nearly the antarctic to the tropic, cooled bythe frigid clime of the extreme of South America, or parched by the heatsof North Australia; under every vicissitude, from the grave to the gay, Ihave struggled along with her; and after wandering together for eighteenyears, a fact unprecedented in the service, I naturally parted from herwith regret. Her movements, latterly, have been anxiously watched, andthe chances are that her ribs will separate, and that she will perish inthe river* where she was first put together. She has made herself asnotorious as during the war did her namesake, that reaped golden opinionsfrom her success in prize-making; while my old friend has extensivelycontributed to our geographical knowledge. 

(*Footnote. The Beagle, now employed in the Preventive Service, is mooredin Crouch Creek, near South End. )

THE SURVEYING SERVICE. CONCLUSION. 

There was only one drawback to the pleasure I experienced on arriving inEngland--namely, that Lieutenant G. Gore did not obtain his promotion, but was compelled to seek it by a second voyage to the North Pole. Allthe mates were, in the course of a short time, promoted, and the ship'scompany received the favour of having half of their slop bill deducted, an indulgence which the Lords of the Admiralty, from the kindest and mostconsiderate motives, have in some instances bestowed upon the crews ofsurveying vessels, on their return from distant voyages. This boon, however, in some instances, operates unfairly. In the first place, itoften happens, in spite of the strictest surveillance, that the worstcharacters will, if they can, take up the greatest quantity of slops, which they convert either into money or grog, whenever an opportunitypresents itself. The really steady men generally look clean and neat aslong as possible, without much assistance from the purser. Then again, the boats' crews of all surveying vessels are necessarily so much moreexposed, that they not only the sooner wear out their ordinary clothing, but absolutely require additional comforts in that way. I am thereforestrongly of opinion that, in this department (and I speak fromexperience) the Captain should be allowed a certain portion of slops, tobe placed at his disposal, and distributed under his sole authority; ormight not he be enabled to recommend a certain number of the best men fora small increase upon their regular pay? This judicious exercise ofdiscretion would be the means of retaining in this important branch ofthe service, a class of men who would become most valuable to theirofficers when engaged in the arduous and responsible duties of a survey. 

As in the Royal Engineers, a great deal of the superior talent of theofficers might be better bestowed, by abandoning to the petty officersthe rougher part of the surveying work, in which calculation is notrequired. For this purpose, a kind of instruction might be imparted, which that class of men, if encouraged by extra pay, is capable ofreceiving, particularly those who have had the advantage of a Greenwicheducation. 

To strengthen the suggestions I have made regarding the surveyingservice, I cannot refrain from alluding--and I do so with honestpride--both to the actions in China, and the very recent gallantdestruction of the Argentine batteries in the River Parana, as instancesof the importance of this branch of the profession in time of war. Duringpeace the new countries that are explored, and the new fields of commercethat are opened to the world, will speak for themselves. 

. . . 

APPENDIX. 

WINDS AND WEATHER ON THE WESTERN AND NORTHERN COASTS OF AUSTRALIA. 

BY COMMANDER J. C. WICKHAM, R. N. 

The winds on the western coast of Australia, are, for the most part, fromsome southern point--chiefly between South-South-West andSouth-South-East. 

During the summer, or from the early part of October to the beginning ofApril, they are almost constant from this quarter; but in the wintertheir regularity is broken in upon by occasional winds between north andwest that at times blow with great violence, and are accompanied by heavyrain, and thick dirty weather. 

Near the shore, land and seabreezes appear to be regular, the formergenerally dying away towards the middle of the day, after having reachedas far as East from about South-East at sunrise; then follows a shortinterval of calm, after which, the seabreeze sets in, mostly atSouth-South-West, and draws to the eastward of south in the evening. 

At times the land wind veers round the compass, and is then generallystronger than usual; blowing fresh for a short time from North-East, andbringing a parching heat from the land; upon these occasions theseabreeze comes in from a more western point, and is lighter. 

At Swan River, in the months of December, January, and February, theseabreezes are very strong, for intervals of from three to five days;during which time they blow fresh throughout the night--drawing to thesouthward after midnight, and towards sunrise to South-South-East andSouth-East, but more moderate. In the middle of the day, they back againto the southward, and soon to South-South-West, from which quarter theyblow very fresh until midnight. 

Intervals of such weather are from three to five days' duration, and arefollowed by the like number of days of moderate weather, with windsmostly off the land; sometimes strong gusts from the east, for a fewhours, with oppressively hot weather. 

I have noticed, that when the seabreeze sets in from a point to thewestward of South-West, it does not blow so strong, and generally lullsat sunset; but if more southerly, or from South-South-West, it is a fierybreeze, and often lasts until midnight. 

During the prevalence of these strong seabreezes, communication betweenGage Road and the shore is very inconvenient--particularly for ladenboats. 

In March, the seabreezes are not nearly so strong, but are generallymoderate, and not unfrequently bring in thick misty weather fromsouthwards, with drizzling rain. 

Generally speaking, when the seabreezes are the strongest, the land windsare light, and vice versa. 

I cannot speak from experience of the winds or weather during the monthof April, at Swan River, but have been told that the seabreezes aremoderate, and the land winds of longer duration; calms are frequent--andthe weather altogether seems to indicate the breaking up of the summerseason; light winds are occasionally felt from the northward, with adull, gloomy appearance between that point and South-West. 

May is the month in which the winter weather fairly sets in, and itrarely happens that the middle of this month passes without the rainshaving commenced. This season seems to vary but little as to the time andmanner of setting in--it is ushered in by blowing weather, from aboutNorth-North-East, the wind gradually veering round to the westward, as itincreases in strength. The first of this weather usually lasts from aweek to fourteen days; then comes an interval of fine weather, generallyof a fortnight's duration, and sometimes a month; after which the rainsset in more constant, and the intervals of fine weather are shorter; thisweather lasts until October, and at times throughout that month. 

During the intervals of fine weather the climate is delightful, and thecountry has a fresh and pleasing appearance; land and seabreezes are asregular as in summer, with the exception, that the latter are much moremoderate. 

The North-West gales that occasionally occur during the winter months, onthe southern parts of the west coast of Australia, are probably felt asfar north as Shark's Bay. They blow with great violence, and areaccompanied by dark, gloomy weather, and rain. It is then unsafe to benear the land--as the gale that commences at North-North-East, invariablyveers to the westward, making a lee shore of the whole line of coast, andbetween West-North-West and West-South-West blows the hardest. 

Fortunately these gales give ample warning; the barometer alwaysforetells their approach, and generally begins to fall three or four daysbefore the commencement of the gale--besides which, there are othernever-failing indications of a northerly wind, such as, the change of thecurrent, which (owing to the prevailing southerly winds) usually sets tothe northward, but runs strong to the southward during northerlywinds--frequently preceding them, and giving more timely notice than thebarometer. 

A rising of the water is likewise a certain prognostic of a northerlywind; and has been invariably noticed, at Swan River, to precede allgales from that quarter--this, of course, can only be observed while atanchor on the coast. 

Another, and perhaps equally certain sign of approaching bad weather, during the winter season (and which is almost certain to be from thenorthward) is the strength of the North-East winds--as it has beenobserved, that when the land winds blow strong, particularly from theNorth-East and the seabreezes are light, with a falling barometer, a galefrom the northward will follow. Perhaps these latter remarks, are onlyapplicable to that distance from the shore, where a ship will be withinthe influence of the land and seabreezes; but as I conceive the limit ofthat distance to be full 30 miles off shore, a notice of such a symptomof approaching bad weather, may not be altogether useless. I am ofopinion, that land winds are at times felt as far off shore as the edgeof soundings, which is not less than 30 miles, and generally between thatand 40. 

(In latitude 30 degrees 25 minutes South and 65 miles from the land, soundings were got from the Beagle, with 185 fathoms of line, upon acoral bottom. Between Swan River and Houtman's Abrolhos, soundings may behad at a greater distance from the land, than off any other part of thewest coast. )

The North-West gales are of longer duration, in the latitude of SwanRiver, and south of that, than they are to the northward; they do notappear to be entirely confined to the winter months, as I am told that avery heavy one was experienced at Swan River, early in March, 1832, andon the 13th December, 1839, the Beagle experienced a strong breeze fromthe northward, while at anchor in Gage Road, in consequence of which, itwas considered necessary to let go an extra anchor. 

As it may be satisfactory to know more particularly the progress of thesegales, and the effect they have upon the barometer and sympiesometer, Igive the details of two that were experienced in H. M. S. Beagle, one atSwan River, in the beginning of June 1838, the other at Houtman'sAbrolhos, in the beginning of May 1840; they may be taken as faircriterions of the strength and duration of these gales, the latter havingbeen experienced, probably, within 5 degrees of their northern limit, andthe former near the southern extreme of the west coast. 

As our barometer had been broken in March 1838, the register of asympiesometer will be given in describing the gale of June in that year;but as this instrument had been found (by comparison with the barometer)to act exceedingly well, it will be sufficient for our purpose; theGENERAL use of a marine barometer being merely that of a weather glass, for which purpose a sympiesometer is equally good, and more sensitive. 

For the gale of 1840, the register of a barometer is shown, which, although 0. 2 too low, will serve to show the effect upon the mercury. 

At Swan River, on the 24th of May, 1838, the wind was strong and squallyfrom North-East by North; sympiesometer standing at 30. 74. During the daythe oil commenced to fall, and continued falling slowly until the 30th, when it was 30. 16; during the greater part of this interval, the windswere light, generally from some eastern point in the morning, and goinground the compass, by north and west, during the day; the nights weremostly calm, a heavy bank of clouds was collecting betweenNorth-North-East and South-West and the whole western horizon had agloomy appearance. On the evening of the 30th, the water had risenconsiderably at the anchorage, and the stream ran to the southward; afresh breeze also set in from North-East and gradually veered to thenorthward, as it increased in strength. On the 31st it blew hard all day, between North-North-East and North-North-West, with dark squally weather, much lightning in South-West and heavy rain, that continued all night. OnJune the 1st, the gale was at its height, and at 8 A. M. (thesympiesometer having fallen to 29. 93) was blowing a hard gale, with heavysqualls and rain, from North-West; towards noon the wind veered to west, but still blew very hard; the sympiesometer now began to rise, and in theevening the wind was West-South-West and had moderated considerably, theweather was also clearer, although heavy clouds still hung on the westernhorizon. 

The next morning (the 2nd) the sympiesometer had risen to 30. 26; but thiswas much too sudden a rise (0. 33 in 24 hours) to allow us to suppose, that the favourable change in the weather was to be of long continuance;during the day the oil began to fall again, and the wind veered to Westand North-West and on the 3rd blew harder than ever, with heavy rain, thunder, and lightning; and, with the exception of occasional intervals, when the wind moderated, this weather continued until the 10th. The windduring this time was variable, between North-North-West andWest-South-West, the sympiesometer between 29. 81 and 30. 16--falling withthe North-West winds, and rising as the wind veered to west andWest-South-West. 

This gale, which may be said to have been of ten days' continuance, caused a very heavy sea upon the coast; the oldest residents at SwanRiver said they had never experienced so heavy a sea before. On the 10ththe glass commenced to rise steadily, and the weather was fine, withlight variable winds, until the Beagle sailed (on the 20th). 

Owing to the security of Owen's anchorage, and the good quality of thebottom, the Beagle rode out this bad weather, without causing theslightest apprehension to anyone on board; but had a merchant vessel beenin Gage Road, in all probability, she would have added one more to thelist of wrecks, that have already done too much in prejudicing strangersagainst the Swan River settlement. 

The gale of May, 1840, at Houtman's Abrolhos, commenced in a similarmanner with that already described, but being in a lower latitude, was ofshorter duration, and the indications did not precede it such a length oftime; still they were in every respect similar. 

This gale commenced on the 2nd of May, in the evening, and lasted untilthe evening of the 4th. On April the 29th, the barometer stood at 30. 17 (having been some dayssteadily high); it then commenced to fall, and on the evening of May the2nd, was 29. 86; during this interval we daily experienced strongEast-North-East and North-East winds; they generally commenced aftermidnight, and lasted until noon; a bank of clouds was also collecting inthe North-West and there was occasional lightning in that quarter; theearly part of May the 2nd was nearly calm, and there was a heavy bank ofclouds between North and South-West. After noon a light breeze sprang upfrom North-West which gradually freshened; and during the night thebarometer fell 17-hundredths. 

At sunrise on May the 3rd, there was a fresh breeze from North-North-Westand the weather had a very dull and gloomy appearance, the windincreasing rapidly, and by noon it blew a heavy gale at West-North-West;the barometer had fallen to 29. 58, at which it continued until midnight, when the wind drew to the southward of west, and the mercury began torise. The gale continued unabated, with squalls and rain, until noon ofthe 4th, although the barometer had been rising since the previousmidnight; in the afternoon the wind moderated, and the weather becamefine. 

From this it would appear that the barometer gives ample warning of anapproaching North-West gale, as it had been falling nearly four daysbefore the commencement of the bad weather, this alone ought to besufficient to put a man upon his guard if near the shore. Between Aprilthe 29th (the first day of the fresh north-easterly winds) and May the3rd (when the gale was at its height, and the wind began to draw to thesouthward of west) the mercury had fallen 6-tenths. The change of currentdid not precede the wind, but changed with it; when the gale was strongfrom North-West and West-North-West the current ran a knot an hour to theSouth-East, and when the wind changed to South-West it ran with the samevelocity to the North-East. 

The west coast of New Holland is at times visited by sudden squalls, resembling hurricanes. I was told by the master of an American whaler, that in March 1839, when in company with several whalers off Sharks' Bay, he experienced some very bad weather, which came on suddenly, withouthaving given any previous warning, but it was not of long continuance;the gusts of wind were very violent, shifting suddenly to all points ofthe compass. Some of the ships suffered considerable damage, in loss oftopmasts, etc. Others in sails, but all more or less. I think the firstsquall was from North-East off the land. 

The American whalers that resort to the west coast of Australia, are upondifferent parts of it at all seasons of the year; their range is betweenthe parallel of 10 and 50 degrees of south latitude. In the summer theyfish to the southward, and at that season visit Swan River and KingGeorge's Sound, for refreshments; but during the winter months they arerarely to the southward of Sharks' Bay; numbers are to be met off theNorth-West Cape. 

Between the parallels of 40 and 45 degrees they meet much bad weather, asit is generally blowing strong with a heavy sea; but between 45 and 50degrees the weather is much more settled, and finer. November is said tobe generally the finest of the summer months, the winds are mostlymoderate, and the weather more settled than at other periods. 

Two gales that were experienced by the Beagle in November 1837, betweenthe islands of St. Paul and Amsterdam and Swan River, will serve to showthe different effects upon the barometer by gales from opposite quarters, one being from North-West and the other from South-East. 

On November the 1st, the barometer stood at 29. 90, having been graduallyrising for some days previous to that, and the wind had been freshbetween north and west. After 8 P. M. On the 1st, the mercury began tofall, and on the 2nd, the wind was strong fromNorth-North-West--barometer falling all day. During the night it blew aheavy gale, and the barometer fell to 29. 34. On the morning of the 3rdthe wind veered to the westward, and the mercury began to rise, theweather also became more moderate, and gradually fine. 

On the 8th of the same month, the barometer was 30. 05 at 8 P. M. With fineweather, wind South-East by East, it then commenced to fall, and at 8P. M. On the 9th was 29. 80, and blowing a heavy gale at South-East, whichcontinued all night, and until 8 P. M. On the 10th, at which time itbecame more moderate, and the barometer began to rise. 

What a different effect these gales had on the barometer; that from theNorth-West causing the mercury to fall nearly 6-tenths, whereas, thelast, from South-East only lowered it 2-tenths, and 5-hundredths; theywere of equal strength and duration, and both accompanied by heavy rain. 

. . . 

ON THE NORTH-WEST COAST OF AUSTRALIA. 

The great extent of the North-West coast of Australia, lying as it doesbetween the parallels of 12 and 22 degrees of south latitude, no doubtsubjects it to a variety of winds and weather, that is not experienced onthe north coast; although, on that part of it north of the parallel of 15degrees, there is probably much similarity. 

As I cannot speak with certainty of the winds and weather that prevail onthis extent of coast, at all seasons of the year, the following remarkswill be confined to such portions of it as were visited by the Beagle, and will apply only to the particular seasons in which she was employedthere. 

To the eastward of the meridian of 123 degrees east longitude, and at ashort distance from the land, the east and west monsoons will be foundregular; but the easterly monsoon is very light to the southward of 13degrees latitude. 

Between Clarence Straits and Cambridge Gulf, and during the months ofSeptember, October, November, and December, the wind during the day is aseabreeze between North-West and West. In September, and until the middleof October, we found the wind as follows: About sunrise, a light breezesprang up from South-East or East which gradually drew to the northwardtowards the middle of the day, in the afternoon, a seabreeze fromNorth-West or west, becoming light towards sunset, but freshening againsoon after that, and blowing a moderate and pleasant breeze betweenNorth-West and South-West all night. 

During the latter part of the period (November and December) the windswere more constantly from the West or West-North-West, blowing from thatquarter throughout the twenty-four hours, but much more moderate at nightthan during the day; at full and change of the moon, the breezes weremuch stronger than at other times, and upon one or two occasions, at thetime of the moon's quartering, there was a light breeze from South-Eastin the morning. 

During the month of November, the ship was at anchor, twelve miles withinthe entrance to Victoria River, and sixty-five from Point Pearce, on thesea coast. For the first three weeks of this time, the seabreeze wasregular from North-West or West-North-West, generally setting in aboutnoon, and lasting the greater part of the night; in the mornings, anduntil noon, it was mostly calm, or very light winds from the northward. In the last week of this month the weather was very unsettled andsqually, with much thunder and lightning, and rain, the wind mostlybetween South-East and North-East; after which, the westerly breezes setin again, and continued until we left the coast in the middle ofDecember. 

During the whole of this period the westerly winds did not appear to comefrom any distance, but to be merely local seabreezes, as they did notcause any sea upon the coast, nor did they reach far in shore; as wefrequently observed smoke at no great distance from the coast, risingperpendicularly, or influenced by a light south-easterly wind, and thisat times when the seabreeze was strong. From this it would appear, thatthe westerly monsoon had not reached so far to the southward, nor did wefind, after sailing from Point Pearce, that the winds were at all steadyfrom the westward, until we had reached to the northward of CapeLondonderry, which is in latitude 13 degrees 45 minutes South. To thenorthward of this, the winds were from the westward, accompanied by fineweather during the day to the southward of that point--sometimes as faras South-West--and at night inclining to the northward of west, butgenerally speaking, we found the wind to the southward of west, and thecurrent running from half a mile to a mile an hour to the North orNorth-North-East. 

The currents between New Holland and Timor, are said to run to thewestward, during the easterly monsoon--and in the opposite direction withthe westerly; but they seem to be influenced by every trifling change ofwind--as on the 20th, 21st, 22nd, and 23rd of December (when the westerlymonsoon might be supposed at its height) we experienced light, variablewinds, between South-East and East-North-East--during which period thecurrent ran to the westward--at times, a knot an hour. We were thenbetween the parallels of 11 1/2 and 13 degrees, south of which weexperienced winds between South-South-West and West until we were to thesouthward of the North-West Cape, when they became more southerly, and attimes South-South-East (in January). Throughout all this period, theweather was fine, and different from what was expected during thewesterly monsoon. 

All that part of the North-West coast of New Holland, between theNorth-West Cape, and Cape Londonderry, appears to be very much subjectedto light winds, particularly during the easterly monsoon, the strength ofwhich is not felt to the southward of 13 or 14 degrees of south latitude. During the westerly monsoon, strong winds and gales from the North-Westat times blow upon the coast, but they do not appear to be frequent. Thestrongest winds at this season, are the heavy squalls betweenEast-South-East and North-East (and which may with propriety be termedhurricane squalls); fortunately they are not of long duration, rarelylasting over two hours. They give ample warning of their approach, by thegathering of a heavy bank of clouds between North-East and South-East, and much lightning in that quarter. Appearances such as these frequentlyprecede the squall some days, but coming gradually nearer (to thewestward). The barometer shows no indication of approaching bad weather, being only acted upon by the immediate change; these squalls mostly occurin the night, or between sunset and sunrise. 

During the latter part of the westerly monsoon, on that part of the coastbetween Cape Villaret and Point Swan, we found the weather remarkablyfine, with the exception of an occasional short, but severe squall, fromthe eastward. During the day there was generally a moderate seabreezebetween North-West and South-West commencing in the forenoon, and lastingsometimes nearly until midnight--on which occasions it blew strongestduring the night); during the other part of the twenty-four hours thewind was light from the eastward or calm. Captain King experiencedsimilar weather in August. 

It was not until we had reached Point Swan, in latitude 16 degrees 20minutes South that we experienced any of the bad weather that is usuallymet with, at this season of the year, a few degrees to the northward; itcommenced in the last week of January, and continued until the middle ofFebruary, during which period, there were some strong gales from thewestward, between North-West and South-West accompanied by heavy rain, thunder and lightning; but although there was a good deal of dirtyweather, it was by no means constant, as there were occasional intervalsof fine weather, with moderate westerly winds. This was the only badweather on this part of the coast, during the season, that could be saidto be caused by the westerly monsoon, if we except the East-South-Eastsqualls, that do not occur in the easterly monsoon. 

While this weather lasted, the easterly squalls were quite suspended, andthe heavy bank of clouds that had generally been noticed in theSouth-East had dispersed for the time; but after the strong westerlywinds had ceased, the weather was generally fine, and the wind mostlyfrom some western point; there were occasional showers, and the clouds inthe eastern horizon resumed their threatening appearance, bringing somehard squalls, and rain from that quarter. In the middle of March (beingthe time when equinoctial gales are looked for in most parts of theworld) there were two or three days of squally, unsettled weather, withrain, that seemed to terminate the season of the westerly monsoon. Afterthe 1st of April, the weather was invariably fine, and the easterlysqualls had ceased to trouble us; land and seabreezes became regular, andthe easterly monsoon had no doubt set in to the northward; the strongestbreezes now were from South-East but, generally speaking, the winds werevery light near the land. 

It does not appear that the westerly monsoon blows with any degree ofregularity, to the southward of the 13th degree of south latitude;although for some degrees south of that, the weather is influenced by it, and winds between West-North-West and South-West will be experienced, andfrom the appearances on many parts of the coast, there are no doubtstrong gales at times from the westward, that send in a very heavy sea. During the easterly monsoon, the weather is fine on the North-West coast, particularly in the months of May, June, July, and August; this isundoubtedly the best time for visiting it; land and seabreezes areregular, and the temperature is very agreeable. 

The average range of the thermometer on that part of the coast, betweenthe North-West Cape, and the meridian of 120 degrees east longitude, during the above-mentioned period, was between 75 degrees in the middleof the day, and 60 degrees at night, on board the ship, and the generalcourse of the wind as follows, viz. 

About sunrise, or sometimes a little before that, a breeze springs upbetween South and South-South-East and draws to the eastward as the sunrises, rapidly increasing in strength, and between 8 and 11 A. M. Oftenblows a fiery breeze; towards noon it moderates, and rarely lasts until 2P. M. , after which there is a light breeze from North-East which at timesreaches to north; the nights are mostly calm, or a light breeze from thesouth-westward; at the full and change of the moon, we found thesouth-easterly winds stronger than at other times; dews at times verycopious. 

All this part of the coast is subject to the effects of mirage, by whichits outline is at times very much distorted, but generally speaking itceases with the strength of the breeze, and as the sun attains a littlealtitude. When the effects of mirage was observed in the morning, Inoticed that the winds were much lighter throughout the day, than usual. 

During this part of the year, the atmosphere is clear, with a cloudlesssky, and the coast is exempted from the violent East-South-East squalls, that are of frequent occurrence, while the sun is in the southernhemisphere, and the land consequently very much heated. 

Towards the latter end of August, and in September, the winds are notquite so regular, and there are occasional intervals of two or three daysof westerly winds. 

That part of the North-West coast between the North-West Cape, and the116th degree of east longitude, seems to be subject to westerly winds atall times of the year. The prevailing southerly winds that blow along thewest coast, appear to draw round the Cape, and follow the direction ofthe land. Between April and October (when the easterly monsoon is blowingto the northward) they are generally to the southward of west, or betweenthat point and South-West, but during the westerly monsoon between Westand North-West. 

Upon getting to the westward of the North-West Cape, the wind becomesmore southerly, and draws to the eastward of south as the distance fromthe land increases, and will be found varying between South-South-Eastand East-South-East, generally speaking as far south as the parallel of30 degrees of south latitude, after which it is mostly to the westward ofsouth, so that ships making a passage to the southward, along the westcoast of New Holland, will rarely be able to make any easting, beforereaching that latitude, particularly during the summer months. In thewinter a ship may occasionally make a quick passage to the southward, ifhappening to be upon the coast during a northerly gale; and as all thesegales are preceded by North-East winds, a sufficient offing may be gainedto enable her to run on, when the wind gets to the southward of west. 

. . . 

ON THE NORTH COAST OF AUSTRALIA. 

That part of the coast of New Holland from Cape York to Cape Van Diemen, and extending as far south as the parallel of 12 degrees south latitude, may be said to be within the limit of the east and west monsoons, as at ashort distance from the coast, these periodical winds will be found toblow with great regularity. 

Near the land, the easterly monsoon sets in between the 1st and middle ofApril, and the westerly monsoon in October, and sometimes not untilNovember. At a distance from the land they are probably more regular, asthe changes of the monsoons are said to take place about the first weekin April and October. 

In the month of July, we found the winds between Booby Island and PortEssington, fresh from the eastward, veering at times to East-South-Eastand occasionally to South-East but rarely to the northward of east. Closeto the land these winds are not so constant, but take more the characterof land and seabreezes, and the nights are mostly calm; this we found tobe the case during part of the months of July and August, while at anchorin Port Essington. The general course of the winds during that period wasas follows. A little before sunrise, a breeze sprang up from South orSouth-South-East which gradually became more easterly as the sunapproached the meridian; sometimes in the middle of the day, it was lightfrom the eastward, or calm, and at other times veered gradually toNorth-East, from which quarter there came a fresh seabreeze everyafternoon; this breeze lasted until sunset, and at times later, but thenights were always calm. 

We experienced similar winds between Melville Island and Port Essington, but being a short distance from the land, the nights were not calm, although the winds were very light. 

During the easterly monsoon, it is difficult to get to the eastward, asat a few miles from the land the current is always running to thewestward, and runs strong past the projecting points; but by contrivingto be near the land at daylight, at which time the wind is always moresoutherly, something may be gained. 

At Port Essington, the rainy season can scarcely be said to set in beforethe middle of November; there is then, squally, dirty weather, with rainfrom the westward and North-West, and at this season, there are at timesheavy squalls from South-East accompanied by rain, thunder, andlightning. 

In 1838, the westerly monsoon set in at Port Essington, in the first weekin November; there had been no rain before that. 

THE END.