Volume II Part 27 (2/2)

Thebreeze froh the te with cold Soon after daylight we entered the opening, which for three ht, in a South by West direction, with a width of two hundred yards, and a depth of froroves, behind which stretched extensivein the sun were mistaken at first for sheets of water

The inlet now becaeneral South-West by South direction; but the width being greater our hopes rose as we proceeded Eight miles from the mouth two islands were passed, and two others four miles further on The breadth at this point was nearly a mile, but the depth was scarcely two fathoms; one less than we had before found it The above-mentioned islets, one of which was of so 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 off to the ard

EXAMINE THE SOUTHERN BRANCH

Though the latter had a greater voluh it than the other, I still, from the direction and size of the south ar it first For soroves, leaving clear patches covered with coarse grass The trees on the side of the first reach in the southerly are flock of cockatoos After proceeding about five ain soon after ht As the tides run twelve hours each way, it was necessary that we should take advantage of the favourable streah this plan kept the eneral direction we pursued was still south, for six s of the stream, which was so reduced in breadth and volume, as to be scarcely a hundred yards wide, and not a fathom deep There was now little hope that it would lead into fresh water, although, from the number of trials that were h drunk to have physicked a whole village

APPEARANCE OF THE COUNTRY

The banks were still of the same monotonous character In one of the reaches I was fortunate enough to shoot a specie wary brown-coloured rail I have before mentioned From this, the only one obtained, it has been described as Eulabeornis castaneoventris It is doubtless the bird called by the Port Essington natives, Morduggera, the eggs only of which were found there, the bird itself not having been seen 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 tortuousness began to decrease--a sure indication that the country was rising--we soon made another six miles But after this the boats could no further proceed--the inlet, in short, having becoator was found on the bank near the upper part; where roves

Behind, the country was very open, consisting of plains covered with coarse grass, interspersed with patches of dwarf gums About seven miles in an East by North direction the country was thickly wooded, and appeared to be a little higher--the only interruption to the level monotony of the portion of the continent by which ere surrounded The soil 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 expectation we hurried back with some rapidity It was dark before we reached the point of separation, where the boat's crew regaled thee broks, in the absence of better fowl There was this evening a beautiful eclipse of the rees; at noon it was 87 degrees; and at four AM 52 degrees

August 1

As tied topassed over the ht of her full orb fell in a silvery stream on the tortuous reaches, as the waters swelled in silence between the growth ofthe banks

DISCOVERY OF THE ALBERT

At the end of three miles in a West by South direction, nearly double by the windings, we passed an island on the left The depth at loater, so far, being nearly 2 fathoms, and the width about 250 yards, pro had now become rather out of fashi+on However, it so happened that one of the whaler's crew put his hand over, and gave us the delightful news that the strea anxious to get the first draught of the water of our new-found river; and the agreeable intelligence was confirmed Of the ier be any doubt, and the exhilarating effect it produced on all was quite ue they had experienced had suddenly passed away

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, the Victoria and the Adelaide; and ere glad of such an opportunity of again showing our loyalty to Her Majesty, by conferring the name of her noble consort upon this ily christened The Albert

The boats now glided rapidly onwards, and West by North another ht; after landing for observations, with the stars Achernar and Aldebaran, at soh on the left bank The river noound round a point to the ard, three-quarters of a mile wide; in the first bend we passed four islands on the right, with a creek on either side, and towards the end of the next, two ust 2

Daylight now burst upon us with tropical rapidity The banks had assuroves had given place to gumtrees and acacias, which drooped over the streae in the character of the foliage was not only in itself a relief, but evinced that we had at length, in some sort, escaped the influence of the sea, and that ere in reality penetrating towards the interior of the continent

Our course was now North-West 1/2 West for a mile and a half, with an increase in the width, and a depth of nine feet Here we found the river suddenly turn round to the southward and eastward, bringing us back within five hundred yards of where we started fro's observation spot Brohistling wood-ducks nowunaccustomed to man and his destructive weapons, allowed us to revel in wildfowl for some days afterwards

PROCEED UP THE ALBERT

Thecramped up in a boat, with the unusually low teht flushi+ng jackets and trousers into great request, whilst innatural to the latitude was sufficient We found the tides rise here four feet, and both flood and ebb ran fro South-East 1/2 East aof islets in the upper part, our westerly progress became more rapid and direct, and with the exception of one bend to the northe made three miles in a West-South-West direction

But ere onceof the river short off to the northward, when it wound round a point a , and a quarter wide, the extremity of which is low and sandy, a character only this once observed in the Albert; on the opposite side were cliffs thirty feet high

NATIVES

Near the sandy point we observed soot a peep at a s for the esculent called warran As they were few in numbers our abrupt appearance would have too much terrified thely did not disturb the theirone Bothfor their food, whilst a little beyond a few ame and snakes It does not often fall to the lot of the white ed in their daily avocations, coaze of a superior class of beings is upon thees exhibited to us professedly in all the simplicity of the woods; but how can the children of nature retain their freedoaze of a civilizedbut erroneous ideas from such a display If ould understand, truly, what our savage brethren are like, we must penetrate into the woods and the wilds where they are to be found; we le with them in the exercise of their domestic avocations; we radation; and not invested with a fictitious dignity, or a theatrical simplicity; we must observe them, also, unawares, and see how they conduct themselves under the ordinary influences that beset thereat reluctance that I departed withoutour presence known; but I could not refrain froacy of a few presents With what curious anxiety must these people have traced our footather evidence that we belonged to a different race!

Aftertwo miles in a south and nearly three in a west direction, with but few interruptions fro South-West 1/2 South A mile back I had found, in a crooked reach, some native huts, built of sticks and neatly plastered over, with doors so narrow that none of our broad-shouldered fellows could enter

At this placethe last whistling-ducks on our way up; further on, other species, to be hereafter ator also afforded us sport, although we did not secure hiradually becoher, and the scenery extremely picturesque Tall pale on the lower slope of the banks, that rose here to an elevation of fifty feet, and were much intersected atercourses

Onwards we hurried; the influence of the tide being scarcely felt, and the river preserving its South-West 1/2 South direction, with a width of two hundred yards, and a depth of two fathoe was perceptible, and we began to congratulate ourselves on, at last, having found a stream that would carry the boats far towards the point it was always the height of my ambition to reach, the centre of the continent

HOPE REACH