Volume II Part 32 (2/2)

SAIL FROM COEPANG

By the h charts were co deposited with the Resident, to be forwarded to England, we sailed froeon, and the master, were seized with a violent attack of cholera, which lasted twenty-four hours--another evidence of the unhealthiness of Timor

The work that now lay before us was, perhaps, one of thefeatures of the North-West coast--a remarkable indentation, south of Roebuck Bay, uration naturally suggested the idea that a river reat anxiety that we looked forward to the result I had intended to examine the eastern part of Scott's Reef in the way; but westerly winds, which were, however, favourable for reaching our destination, prevented us The track we pursued was entirely new, and in order to see if any shoals existed, we sounded every twentybottom, at nearly 200 fathorees 24 rees 23 minutes East we had 70 fathos on the passage to the coast, it would appear that a shi+p in 60 or 70 fathoms would be about the same number of rees South--quality of bottoreyish sand, which becoht on the 3rd and 4th we had strong breezes of short duration froh a hundred miles from the nearest land to ard, a fine kind of dust was found on the rigging, which, on examination 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 at noon passed four miles frorees 42 rees 45 minutes East

On the south side opened a bay two h-water inlet at its head Froeneral South by West 1/2 West course, passing along the land at the distance of fros of 5 and 6 fathoms, and at sunset anchored four miles from 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 rees 37 minutes 0 seconds East)

(Footnote In latitude 18 degrees 58 rees 42 h only forty-five feet high is a remarkable headland on this low coast)

APPEARANCE OF NORTH-WEST COAST

From that headland commenced a loearisome, sandy shore, which we traced for sixty-fivein vain for so beyond the coast sand-dunes, sprinkled with vegetation, and only twenty feet high, could be seen froh the shi+p ithin three htened by the total absence of native fires, a fact we had never before observed in such an extent of country, and truly significant of its want of fertility Still, in our sight it possessed a greater charm than it may, probably, in that of others; as every freshour enterprise whilst it disappointed our expectations, was so raphy That such an extent of the Australian continent should have been left to be added to the portion of the globe discovered by the Beagle was reh day by day our hopes of accoree of excitehout

It was the 13th before we had ood the distance I have above mentioned, when a reddish hillock, of fifty-six feet in elevation, in latitude 19 degrees 48 rees 36a view of the interior, ent to visit it

There was less surf on the beach than we expected, and we landed without much difficulty Our old friend, the black and white red-bill, or oyster-catcher, was in readiness to greet us, accos, two or three batches of grey plovers, and a couple of s the beach, a line of reddish sandstone cliffs, twelve feet in height, was ascended, and found to face a bank of sand, held together by a sort of coarse spinifex This bank, which ran parallel to the coast, was narrow, subsiding into a valley three quarters of a e of coarse ferruginous sandstone forrass and detached stunted bushes Water had recently lodged in it, as appeared from the saucer-like cakes of earth broken and curled up over the whole surface The nature of the soil was shown by the heaps of earth thrown out at the entrances of the holes of iguanas, and other burrowing creatures; it was a etable hest hillock beyond the valley a view of the interior was obtained: it presents, like most of the portions of the continent we had discovered, the aspect of a dreary plain, clothed with grass and detached clue country!” was the excla this immense and apparently interminable expanse, with no rise to relieve the tired eye

As we gazed, our iinations transported us to the Pareatly resembled, except that theover the country, and leaving a train of dust behind, gave life and aniaroos, or of natives, not even the sign of a fire, greeted us on this inhospitable coast The evidences of anietable life

BIRDS

Two brown bustards rose out of the grass; they were of the same size and colour as those seen in the Gulf of Carpentaria, and quite as wary, which was very singular A couple of specius, although its stomach was filled with small beetles, finely broken up; its head was covered with yellow pollen, out of a flower rese the mallohich is frequently resorted to by s the heat of the day, when the petal closing over them they are extracted, with sorain-feeding kind; it invariably rested on the ground, where in its habits, head erect, tail down, and short, sudden run, it greatly resembled a tit-lark

(Footnote Usually observed in the speciht on the 14th we continued our exploration from the spot where we visited the shore, marked on the chart as Red Hill; and found that the coast trended West by South to the part fronting the Amphinome Shoals, and that instead of the continued sandy beach were occasional low rocky projections Eleven e extended two miles from the shore, and at the end of twenty, commenced a line of low red sandstone cliffs five miles in extent Here we, for the first tiher

SOLITARY ISLAND

October 15

In the evening the shi+p was anchored fiveSouth-South-East, which we found to be in latitude 19 degrees 55 rees 55 minutes East; and which, from its lonely situation, was named Solitary Island Six and nine miles North by East fros and shoal patches of 4 and 5 fatho (16th) it was found to be of red sandstone foretation

Although lying a mile from the shore it is connected at loater by a flat of sand Froe At the distance of sixrather a fertile aspect, above a hundred feet high, trending South-West with dense woodland intervening

On the same afternoon the shi+p was sin every direction ard, assured us that the Amphinome Shoals were close at hand; on patches one and two miles west and south of the shi+p there was only six and nine feet

VISIT THE Shore