Volume I Part 17 (2/2)

I down the bay; huge s, on which the rays of the setting sun produced the ures A beautiful strea cascades, half a aroos were seen on the heights; and after securing observations with some early stars, for latitude, which placed Raft Point in 16 degrees 4 et a shot at the kangaroos, by setting fire to the grass and s at the base, and in the interstices of the rocks

A CONFLAGRATION

This part of the country being very dry, a fire was soon kindled, and in a few minutes the cliffs resounded with the noise of the fla their riven sides, and occasionally bursting out behind large ht risk of our sportshtened fro places, screa, equally alarerous eleht we could not but ad on this wild scene, I could not help speculating on the probable cause the natives would assign for this great conflagration; the bright glare of which must have extended over severaldeep consultation ast the wise men of their tribes It may also have taxed their power of invention, as they never use large fires in the night, except in wild storive them a dread of a visit fro anxious to exae over the cove, I desired Mr Helpe bay, and thethe coast to the northward of it We accordingly moved off on our several occupations at an early hour After much difficulty Mr Fitzmaurice and myself found ourselves on a tableland of sandstone formation, elevated by hest land yet noticed on this part of the continent; the prospect here was very cheerless; sies met the eye in every direction towards the interior, those overlooking the eastern shore of the bay, were froe island in its North-East corner, which fell back about 10 rowth ofof smaller islands extended threean entrance only two e similar to that on which we stood, rose abruptly from the north point, but of less elevation I was not a little surprised to find that Lieutenant Grey had seen land froht on which we stood, but as he had not the , ithin 20 h land alluded to, does not notice it, yet h, 15 miles further to the North-East, I am induced to believe that Lieutenant Grey ht of the land he saw

(Footnote Mounts Trafalgar and Waterloo, which are not nine hundred feet high, are the first points of the continent that meet the eye from seaward)

DOUBTFUL BAY

From subsequent information, I called this Doubtful Bay; the tide ran into it at the rate of from 1 to 3 knots, but the clear appearance of the water, and entire absence of driftwood, afforded strong grounds for supposing that it did not receive the waters of any river Leaving Raft Point, we crossed over to the islands on the opposite side, for a few angles on their southern extreme, and afterwards made the best of our way to Freshwater Cove The day had, however, closed in long before arriving there, and in the extreht the Cove was difficult to find Indeed my companions could not believe ere there until one of theof water from the stream in the head of it

MR HELPMAN'S REPORT

Mr Help report of his proceedings: ”On leaving the cove at Raft Point, we passed along the south shore for twoview of the bay, and the openings in its North-East corner, which appeared to be for near the shore This supposition afterwards proved to be correct, on landing at a point fronting its western extreme, from whence I was enabled to trace the shore round the North-East corner of the bay, till I identified it as the same we had seen on the eastern side of the island from the station just left From the still and discoloured state of the water, I felt satisfied there was no opening in the North-East corner of this bay I a to admit it may have been more satisfactory to others if there had been sufficient tione round the island We now hastened off to exa behind a chain of islands to the northward, where we also failed to discover an opening”

MOUTH OF THE GLENELG

As this account of Mr Helpman's coincided with the opinion I had formed of the other parts of the coast, I was induced at that ti which I found Lieutenants Grey and Lushi+ngton had discovered, on my return to the shi+p, did not cohbourhood, as Lieutenant Grey had supposed, but took a South-West direction, flanking Collier Bay, and ters on the eastern shore of Stokes' Bay in King's Sound My opinion was strengthened by Lieutenant Lushi+ngton having seen froiven) a very high bluff point to the southward, distant 6 or 7 miles, and a line of cliffs under which he conceived that an opening of the sea or a river reat difficulty attending the discovery of the mouths of rivers in Australia, and as Mr Helpman did not actually visit the North-East corner of Doubtful Bay (named in consequence) I am inclined to believe there is a possibility of thefound there

April 14

We were on our way to Point Hall before the eastern hills had received their golden hue fro sun, and landed to ascend the summit of that headland from the bay, on its South-East side, which proved to be a safe anchorage, except with South-West winds, having a sht on the lee side, and as the sun was now approaching the zenith the heat became very oppressive; but the air was quite perfuums

This warree on first landing in North-western Australia

REMARKABLE TREE

I noticed a tree quite new toa s in clusters at the extre a pulp that had an acid flavour, inside of which was a large stone, and I observed a white fluid exuded froh this was alrows in the southern parts of the continent As the woodcut and description given in page 82, Volume 1 of Sir Thomas Mitchell's work on Australia, is alreat extent of country, since Sir Thorees 50 rees 40 etation on this point; of birdsbut few, chiefly parrots, sorassy hills prevented our seeing anything of the interior To seaward there was neither islet nor reef to interrupt the blue surface of water that bounded our view in the far north-west

Descending we embarked from a cove on the North-East side, where the boats had been ordered to meet us; between this and one on the opposite side there was only a narrow neck of low land It is singular that we should not have seen any natives, or even traces of the the whole of this cruise

THE SLATE ISLES

Pursuing our northerly course, we reached a sroup of islands, na that all the material required here for the chart could not be collected this evening, I desired Mr

Helpo on to Brecknock harbour, to sound and exa, whilst Mr Fitzmaurice and myself remained to complete the survey hereabouts

April 15

We were on the top of the northern Slate Island early; a small islet with a reef off its northern extreme, bore north a mile and a half, and a low sandy isle, West 1/4 North about 15 miles; this was a most unwelco Brecknock Harbour, and which Captain Kingaware of it We were fortunate in being able to intersect our lines to the extre the north side of Careat importance Of the interioreven less than from Point Hall, and the prospect if possible wasrocks of transition origin, led us to infer that the soil in the neighbourhood was of a better quality, as the decomposition of rocks of this class furnishes a much more fertile soil than sandstone of recent for the Slate Islands, we reached Entrance Isle, in Brecknock Harbour, in time to secure observations for the rates of the chrono admirably; they placed the sandy bay on the east side of Entrance Isle, in longitude 124 degrees 30 rees 27 1/4 minutes South

FERTILE COUNTRY

At this place Mr Help completed the exah hill over it he discovered sohtof it, he says, ”I was invited to the top of this hill by the certainty of a good view of the interior over the low land for the south-eastern shore of the harbour, andit, by feastingat the eastern foot of a ree the Fourth To the North-East there lay a range of hills, apparently of no great elevation

(Footnote Macdonald Range of Lieutenant Grey, considered by hih)