Volume II Part 4 (1/2)

In sounding the channel, I found that when the hill Captain Wickham and myself were first on, behind Entrance Isle, was in a line with the north end of the high land at the south side of the entrance, it for Hill, and the end of the range alluded to, Indian Hill, fro smoke near it

A flat of three or four fathoms at loater extended across the channel, with River Peak bearing between North 35 East and North 64 East I visited Indian Hill, but failed to h I saw their fires not far off in the hills to the south-west It is a ridge covered with blocks of sandstone, with a few trees here and there

From its su away to the northward, and for the western side of the channel It appeared so cut up with creeks as to form a mass of islands and mud flats, which appeared from the quantity of drift timber, to be frequently overflowed, and partially so apparently at high spring tides The farthest 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 siellan, that I was leaving aas the world lasts No, I would fain hope that ere the sand of lass has run out, other feet than mine will have trod these distant banks; that colonization will, ere many years have passed, have extended itself in this quarter; that cities and hamlets will have risen on the banks of the new-found river, that commerce will have directed her track thither, and that smokeheathen lights his fire There is an inevitable tendency inwhich he contemplates with so much complacency as the work of his own hands To civilize the world, to subdue the wilderness, is the proudest achievereat work by opening new fields of enterprise, and leading, as it were, the van of civilisation, fills the heart with inexpressible delight It is natural, therefore, as I traced the record of our visit and deposited it on Indian Hill, that I should look forward in a mood very far different from that of Wallis, to the speedy fruition of my hopes

October 27

The winds for the last few days had been froht to near noon, then moderate and sos, increased their velocity, occasionally co down in bores at the rate of four and five knots

RETURN OF CAPTAIN WICKHAM

Captain Wickha discovered the river to be fresh about seventy miles above the shi+p For sohtful news I had been several ti an unfavourable reply, hesitated Now hest pitch, and I was quite impatient to start on an expedition up the river

On the 29th the shi+p was taken under uidance up the river, as far as the co southerly reach As the shoals in that part had not been sufficiently exa, and two channels were discovered; one between a bank, dry at loater, and a covered patch of one and a half and two fathoms, and the other between the covered bank and the east shore; the latter, although the narrower, I found to be the better The tides set direct through it, and to keep close to the bank is a siuide The least water is four fathoms, half a fathom more than was found in the other, the direction of which crossed the set of the tide when the bank on the west side became covered

THE BEAGLE TAKEN UP THE VICTORIA

Nextwe ht on the east side from which Endeavour Hill bore West 13 South two le was now nearly fifty one seven ht find water by digging, and the distance at which the river was fresh being too great for us to think of co our stock fro observations for the errors of the chrono as I gazed on the shi+p lying surrounded by lofty rocky heights, that towered above her masts till they appeared mere sticks The contrast forcibly presented itself between the conificance to which she was reduced by the elevation of the hills around, and thethe low lands of which we had seen sowithin the narrow aro, save and except there were not the forests of ages to hide the nakedness of the land, which even there was clothed to the water's edge

My co the instru in; and on returning on board I found everyone busily preparing for the expedition up the river

CHAPTER 22

Exploration of the Victoria

First appearance of Sea Range

Curiosity Peak

Appearance of Country froator

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