Figure 3 represents the mouth of the large opening at c, d, as if one was looking down into it.

Figure 4 upper part; Figure 5 lower; and Figure 6 the perfect animal.

Between c d apparently lay the entrance to its mouth; in the little bag marked (3) its long tentacula were concealed, and below these lay a little gut marked (4) which communicated with the point (L) by a small canal: (1) was its swimming apparatus, and by alternate contractions and expansions of this, it took in and expelled water, and thus acquired a rapid motion, the pointed end (L) moving forwards.

Its length was 1.7 inches.
Breadth, 0.7 inches.
Thickness, 0.35 inches.
Temperature the same as the water, 65 degrees Fahrenheit.

The sketch Illustration 4, Diphya, Sp. gives a faint idea of the most beautiful animal of this kind which I have ever seen. It was so delicate that, with the slightest touch, portions of it came off, hence the specimen we obtained is I fear useless. The body consisted only of a central canal, to which were attached a number of gelatinous bags, with large lateral openings, so large that other zoophytes were caught in them, and apparently annoyed the animal; who continued throwing water out until it expelled them. The whole was surmounted by a number of the most beautiful rose-coloured tentacula: I counted eleven on it, and found four more that were torn off, but there may have been more. Its top, when looked into closely, resembled some of the sea anemones; and inside of the large bright orange-coloured tentacula were placed circular rows of smaller ones. Its body was quite transparent, with the exception of the central canal, which was of a milk-white colour, and terminated in a small sac of the same hue.

It moved in a direction opposite to the tentacula, by taking in water at the lateral openings of the bags, in the position in which it is represented; then bending these towards the tentacula, and expelling it with great violence.

Temperature the same as the water, 65 degrees Fahrenheit.

Length of body (to tentacula from root of tail-like canal) 1.8 inches.
Length of tentacula, 1.2 inches.
Length of tail-like canal, 0.45 inches.
Breadth, 1.1 inches.
Thickness, 0.8 inches.

Long tentacula, flesh-coloured; large tentacula, rose-coloured; lateral bags, tinged with clear amber; the rest of the animal perfectly transparent.

We this evening caught several curious little animals (Clio ?) which when taken out of the water appeared like small balls of the same matter as that of which a slug is composed. Presently a little head peered out, then the body expanded itself, and finally two little things like wings were spread forth, formed of a fine membrane; they moved these very rapidly, and swam with great velocity.

We caught several small crabs, and two kinds of shells, of a beautiful purple colour. (Janthina exigua.) These were very small; I have preserved several of them.

Figures 1, 2, and 3 represent different views of an animal (Salpa) slightly electrical, that we caught this evening. Figure 1 is its appearance, one side being up; Figure 2 when the other side is turned up; Figure 3 is the side view of it.

I have never before seen one of the kind electrical. Temperature the same as the water, 65 degrees Fahrenheit.

Length, 1.5 inches.
Breadth, 0.6 inches.
Thickness, 0.3 inches.

Figure 1. The intestinal canal terminates in a little coloured bag, generally of a bluish tinge; there is an opening at each extremity, one a little to the left of the little bag, the other, as shown in Figures 3 and 1.

November 13. Latitude 30 degrees 7 minutes south; longitude 100 degrees 50 minutes 10 seconds east.

Figure 1. Represents a little shell (Hyalea) which was caught this day.

Figure 2. One of the tentacula of the animal I imagine to be the Physsophora rosacea. The point which is seen obtruding at the base resembles a little nerve; it runs the whole way down the tentacula.

Figure 3. A little shrimp-like animal (Erichthus vitreus) caught on the 14th November, latitude 29 degrees 26 minutes south; longitude 101 degrees 32 minutes east. Its head was protected by a shield, such as is shown in the figure.

We caught this day several other Acalepha, two of which were of the wonderful genus DIPHYA. I yesterday drew a coloured figure of the lower part of one of these animals.

This animal in its perfect state (such as we found it in today) consists of two individuals, the part of one being encased in a cavity of the other. Figures 4 and 5 Illustration 4 will give a correct idea of the way in which this junction is effected. The least motion separates these two parts, and each forms a perfect animal, which performs all the functions of life. This is the more extraordinary, as the containing animal is furnished with an organ not possessed by the contained, and which in their united state is used by both. Figure 5. From the little bag (f) at the bottom of the cavity (g) the receiver produces a chaplet, which traverses the canal in the received marked (2) in Figure 6, and which is here drawn the size of life, was sometimes expanded to the length of one foot eight inches. This organ, according to M. Cuvier, is composed of ovaries, tentacula, and suckers.

The swimming apparatus, marked (1) and (4) in Figure 6, act simultaneously; they are of a bright amber colour, and their mouth (a) and (h) are closed with little valves, nearly invisible even when in motion; the points round their upper aperture seem to form the hinges for these. In twenty seconds I counted seventy expansions and dilatations of this apparatus. The chaplet and the bag that holds it are flesh-coloured; the rest of the body is gelatinous and diaphanous. They live in families, and swim with great rapidity in the same manner as the other Acalepha.

Caught also shells and crabs of the same kind as yesterday.

November 14. Latitude 29 degrees 26 minutes south; longitude 101 degrees 2 minutes east.

Physsophora rosacea, Cuvier, see below. We caught another animal of the same kind as the one taken on the 12th of November, and figured in Illustration 7. It was so delicate that I did not measure it for fear of its falling to pieces, but it appeared to be exactly the same size as the former one.

Its circle of large tentacula were of a bright pink, and were fifteen in number; inside this circle was a smaller one of the same number of shorter tentacula, which were not quite so bright a pink colour; in the centre of these were placed organs of a very extraordinary nature, apparently quite round, and not thicker than the very finest silk; they were arranged exactly in the form of a corkscrew, and from the beauty of their mechanism, the animal could press fold against fold, and thus render them less than a quarter of an inch in length, and I watched it almost instantaneously expand them to the length of nine inches. After having observed the animal closely for an hour I am writing this with it before me, alive in a large glass bottle of salt water, and measuring what I put down. The manner in which it expands these organs is by first uncoiling those folds nearest the body, and afterwards those most remote; so that when folded up it looks like a corkscrew with the folds pressed close together, and when expanded, like a long straight thin bit of flesh-coloured silk, with a little corkscrew of the same material at the end. The larger tentacula are shaped like the trunk of an elephant, and their extremity is furnished with a very delicate organ with which they can catch anything, and, if touched, they instantly turn some of these tentacula, which they have the power of moving in any direction, to the point so touched. They are not electrical: the lateral bags have a slight tinge of a bright amber colour. These animals sustain themselves in the water by means of the little bag marked (a) in the figure, which floats on the surface full of air, they there swim in the manner before described. I afterwards observed very minute globules, or lumps, in the long silk-like tentacula. When expanded these were very distinct.

Latitude 29 degrees 26 minutes south; longitude 101 degrees 32 minutes east.

We caught several small shells (Janthina exigua) this afternoon: Illustration 9 represents one of them, with the string of air bubbles attached, by means of which they swim on the water. They appear not to be able to free themselves from this mass of bubbles: every shell I have yet found floating in the Indian Ocean possesses these bubbles in a greater or less degree; they were of a purple colour. I have seen the common garden snail in England emit a nearly similar consistency: they also emit a blue or purple liquid, which colours anything it touches.

The animals of the barnacles (Pentalasmis) attached to these shells assume their purple colours, while the shell remains nearly pure white.

This afternoon we caught an animal (Glaucus, Illustration 10) I had not before seen. It seemed to represent the order reptilia in the Mollusca, being sluggish in movement, its eyes distinct, sensitive to the touch, its head much resembling a lizard in appearance, and having a very strong unpleasant smell when taken out of the water. During the hour I observed it in a bucket it remained sluggishly floating on the top, and occasionally swimming by moving its arms slowly along the surface. The first three that I saw pass the vessel I imagined to be feathers floating on the water.

Its description is as follows:

Length from head to tail, a c 1.8 inches.
Length from head to root of tail, a b 0.85 inches.
Length from head to first arm 0.2 inches.
Length from head to second arm 0.45 inches.
Length from head to third arm 0.7 inches.

1st arm.
From centre of back to end of round part, d e 0.3 inches.
From e to the end of short tentacula, e f 0.3 inches.
Ditto to long ditto, e g 0.75 inches.
Diameter of round part and attached tentacula 0.4 inches.

2nd arm.
From centre of back to end of tentacula. 0.4 inches.

3rd arm, do. do. 0.25 inches.
Breadth of body between the two first arms 0.13 inches.
Thickness 0.25 inches.

General colour of body, indigo blue, of a darkish tinge; down the centre of the back a white streak, terminating at the root of the tail; sides blue, tail blue, quite white underneath, its belly altogether resembling that of a frog; tail tapering to a point.

1st arm. 26 tentacula attached to the rounded paddle-shaped part of this arm, the centre tentacle more than twice the length of the others. These tentacula were so delicate that at the slightest touch they fell off. Those nearest the body were so small as to be almost imperceptible, gradually increasing in length as they approach the centre, and then decreasing to the other side. Centre of paddle-shaped part white, tentacula blue and white, fringed with dark blue at the extremity.

2nd arm. 18 tentacula to this, centre ones the largest. Same colour as first arm.

3rd arm. 12 tentacula, not forming such a regular circle as on the two first arms, and apparently issuing directly from a very short limb attached to the body.

The general appearance of the skin was that of a frog. It had the power of contracting itself considerably.

Caught a slug-like animal (Holothuria) this evening, or rather more closely resembling a caterpillar.

Length from head to root of tail 0.7 inches. Length of tail (or rather gelatinous protuberance) 0.25 inches. Breadth (broadest part at root of tail) 0.22 inches. Narrowest part (near head) 0.15 inches. Length of head 0.12 inches.

Head of light red colour, mouth apparent, motion of head like a caterpillar's when touched, shape cylindrical, body gelatinous, intestines apparent and full.

November 16. Longitude 102 degrees 40 minutes east; latitude 28 degrees 5 to 6 minutes south.

Since we have passed the 95th parallel of longitude, and 32nd of latitude up to the present moment we have been out of the region of birds, for during the whole of this period I have seen but two, one of which, a Petrel, has this moment visited us. We have however seen more Sea-jellies, Acalepha and Mollusca than before, and those of a much more beautiful kind. Thus nature has made up for the deficiency of one tribe of animals by the profuseness with which she has distributed another.

November 18. Latitude 26 degrees 57 minutes south; longitude 105 degrees 22 minutes east.

We caught a crustaceous animal (Phyllosoma, see Illustration 11) which was perfectly transparent; it was furnished with twelve legs on what I considered the hinder part of its body, and four antennae in front, which have their tips of a bright pink colour, and two eye peduncles by their side, which terminate in little bags containing some blue matter (their eyes). It was furnished also with two legs underneath. These are just shown in the figure near the centre of the body, and between those underneath the insect there was a slight projection, with two little lumps on each side. In this projecting part there appeared to be an opening. When it was taken out of the water it stood upright on its legs and crawled a little like a large beetle, but soon died. In the water it swam with the legs, and the last joint appeared to be feathered. It will be seen that there is a great irregularity in the position of the legs of this insect. The specimen appeared to me to be in some respects imperfect; but I figured it exactly as it was, without blindly guessing at its perfect state. It was not thicker than the thinnest wafer. The back was marked with curved lines, exactly in the manner I have represented. It shrank instantly when touched. The two last joints of the long legs were furnished with thorn-like spikes.

Length of tail 0.37 inches.
of the body 0.2 inches.
of the thorax and head 0.3 inches.
of the entire animal 1.4 inches.
Breadth of body 0.62 inches.
Ditto of thorax 0.51 inches.
Length of third leg 1.9 inches.
Length of second leg 1.7 inches.
Length of hindermost leg 0.6 inches.
Length of eyes, peduncles 0.4 inches.

We caught a second animal of exactly the same size as the one figured, but apparently much more perfect. Each of its tentacula terminates in a small feathering tip when it is in the water, like the little figures at the side, and by the help of which they swim; these have a horny feel to the touch, are destitute of smell, and look like a transparent scale when they lie in your hand.

We also caught this day some little transparent shells (Cuvieria) of a cylindrical form, and blunt at the end; they put out two little fins with which they swam.

I was unfortunately too unwell this day to describe all the other specimens we caught, which were numerous. The sea was full of small acalepha, and in the midst of a shoal of these a whale was seen.

November 19. Latitude 25 degrees 50 minutes south; longitude 106 degrees 22 minutes east.

Birds first re-appeared again. I saw a large flock of two kinds, but was not near enough to ascertain what they were. I have before noted the fact that almost at the exact point where the southern birds of the family Longipennes disappeared those sea-jellies (acalepha) which have the power of stinging, began to show themselves; previously to our passing this point I had not seen one: I saw several however today at no great distance from this flock of birds.

We saw float by this afternoon one of the acalepha, apparently about two feet long and shaped generally like a water snake; its tail had fins like that of an eel, of a purplish tinge; I could distinctly see its head and various vessels in its interior for it was quite transparent. We had no net ready but threw a stick with a piece of string attached to it, the string passed under it but in pulling up cut through it as though it had been jelly.

Caught an animal (Cymothoa) shaped exactly like a woodlouse:

Length 0.4 inches.
Length of antennae 0.15 inches.
Breadth of body 0.12 inches.

It had six legs, and a tail-like fin behind on each side, and nine rings on its back so that it could roll itself almost into a ball, these rings extended no farther than from its head to within 0.12 inches of its hinder extremity; colour very pale blue down the back, bright prussian blue on each side; it crawled about when taken out of the water, and lived for some time; its fins, or fin-like legs, when it thus crawled about, were folded under its tail; eyes distinct.

MOLLUSCA.

November 20. Latitude 25 degrees 14 minutes south; longitude 106 degrees 49 minutes east.

A shell, Janthina exigua, was caught this evening, 8 hours 30 minutes P.M.; when brought directly out of the water into a room the temperature of the animal was 80 degrees 5'; of room 76 degrees; colour, dark violet purple over half the opening and lower part of the shell, so that it gives the animal the appearance of having been upon a purple-coloured place; this colour then dies gradually away, and in the smallest whorl of the shell becomes almost white. They had the power of emitting drops of a violet colour, and when put into spirits a great quantity of this issued from the mouth of the shells. We had one evening before caught a pair of shells of the same species, but much smaller, at exactly the same hour; in both instances each pair were caught at the same haul of the net.

November 23. Latitude 21 degrees 43 minutes south; longitude 109 degrees 43 east. 8 1/2 P.M.

FLYING FISH.

A flying-fish (Exocetus) flew on board. Its temperature was 74 degrees. The colour of its iris was black.

Length from mouth to end of curve between forks of tail 10 inches.
From mouth to commencement of wing-like fin 2.7 inches.
Length of wing fin 6.7 inches.
of dorsal fin 2.0 inches.
of pectoral fin 2.2 inches.
of anal fin 1.3 inches.
of upper fork of tail 2.2 inches.
of lower ditto 3.2 inches.
Length from mouth to end of gill 2.2 inches.
Breadth of wing fin 6 inches.
13 spines in each of these wings.
Breadth between eyes 0.11 inches.
Depth of fish 1.6 inches.
Breadth of thickness 1.6 inches.
Diameter of the eye 0.65 inches.

Under-jaw projecting; sides, pale green; back, blackish-green; belly, white; five first spines in wing fin, greenish; others white; wing-fin dark green with a transparent band running nearly up the centre from the back; pectoral fin, transparent, with a dark green spot, nearly an inch square, about the centre of its lowest extremity; tail, dark green, edges light.

November 26. Latitude 16 degrees 32 south; longitude 117 degrees east.

After crossing about the 22nd parallel of south latitude we fairly entered into the region of flying fish, and dolphins as they are commonly called; tropic birds were now also frequently seen, which had not up to this moment been the case; we often also met hereabouts with a dark-coloured bird with bronzed wings, having a cry precisely like a Snipe. I know not the name of this bird. The more beautiful and largest Sea-jellies (acalepha) had now disappeared, although the more minute ones were as numerous as ever.

REMARKS.

It therefore appears to me that we have, in coming from the southward to this point, passed through three great regions, or zones, of animal life, one extending from as far to the southward as I have yet been, namely 36 degrees south latitude to 31 degrees south latitude; this zone was inhabited by numerous Sea-jellies (acalepha) of the smaller kind, by porpoises and whales, as well as by immense varieties of the Petrels or Procellariae.

The second zone extending from 31 degrees south to 22 degrees south latitude was inhabited by immense numbers of the larger and more beautiful kind of Sea-jellies (acalepha) particularly by those that have the power of stinging. Within this zone I saw but one whale, one shoal of porpoises, and not a single one of the long-winged water birds or Petrels; in fact I but once in the whole of this distance saw any birds; there were also here a great variety and numbers of Sea-jellies (acalepha) of the smaller kinds. Do then the larger acalepha in this zone perform the office of the birds in the more southern one, and prey upon the smaller species of their own kind?

The third zone is the one with which I have commenced the journal of this day.

WATER SNAKES.

November 29. Latitude 15 degrees 26 minutes 32 seconds south; longitude 122 degrees 3 minutes east.

We saw six or seven water snakes (Hydrus) this day, all about three feet long, of a dirty yellow colour, with black stripes, the head black, they were furnished with fins like an eel, were of a very graceful form, and moved on the water exactly like a snake, with the head a little elevated; when they dived they turned up on their backs before they sank: we caught one of these snakes, also a moth and butterfly. A large bat (Pteropus ?) flew about the vessel this evening and pitched several times on the boat astern. I once struck it as it passed me, it appeared much fatigued; we were 150 miles from the main and thirty from the nearest small sandy island.

SHARKS.

We caught two sharks today; the sailors said that they saw fourteen or fifteen little sharks swimming round one of these, and that when the bait was thrown into the water and made a noise some of these swam into her mouth: directly after they had told me this the shark was caught. I had it opened and four young ones were found inside, two had never left the uterus, for they were attached to it at the time, the other two were not so attached, and were larger than the former, and swam well and strongly when put into the water: whether or not they had ever left the mother I cannot of course say. I have preserved two in spirits, one that was attached and one that was not; two intestinal worms were found in the stomach of one of the sharks.

CHAPTER 4. HANOVER BAY.

NEW AND DANGEROUS SHOAL.

November 29.

This morning at twenty minutes after nine, when in latitude 15 degrees 26 minutes 32 seconds and longitude 121 degrees 55 east, we suddenly made the very unpleasant discovery that we were in the midst of shoals, owing to some negligence in our lookout. This was not found out until we were hemmed in between two, one lying not more than fifty fathoms from our larboard quarter, and the other about three times the distance on the starboard beam. I went up to the mast-head, and distinctly saw the rocks, not more than two or three feet under water on the larboard side. We fortunately passed through this danger without accident; and, directly we cleared it, found bottom at twenty-five fathoms, coarse sand and shells.

RED ISLAND.

December 2.

I was called at four A.M. to keep my watch, and, as soon as I had ascertained that the men composing it were all present and at their stations, I went up aloft, and as I anticipated a speck of land soon appeared above the horizon. This was Red Island. Other points shortly rose behind it: hill after hill came up into view, at a distance looking like islands, which indeed many of them were; but, on a nearer approach, the parts connecting the others became visible, and the mainland of this vast insular continent gradually revealed itself to our anxious eyes.

MAKING THE LAND.

We stood on until eleven A.M.; but in making land there always rests a certain degree of anxiety upon the mind of the seaman and traveller, more especially when that land is imperfectly known. As there appeared to be every chance of our losing the sea-horizon, and consequently our noon observation, if we stood on and the breeze continued, our course was changed to the other tack until that hour; and then having correctly ascertained our position, Red Island bearing south-east by east, distance 8 miles, we once more stood in for the land.

Red Island is small, rocky, and of no great elevation; its colour is a very dark red; the sides are precipitous, and in its centre is a clump of trees which cannot be seen until you have run by the island, as it falls gradually from the south-west to the north-east, so that the north-east side is the least elevated. We sounded when about seven miles to the north-west of it, and found bottom at twenty-five fathoms, of green sandy mud.

The sandbank laid down on the Admiralty charts to the north-east of Red Island is small and barren; it is very low, and at some distance looks like a white rock in the water; being apparently an island formed of the same rock as the former, and topped with quartz or white sand. In entering Hanover Bay, or Port George the Fourth, a good course is to run nearly midway between this and Red Island. At sunset we anchored off Entrance Island (Port George the Fourth) in twenty-five fathoms water.

ARRIVAL OFF THE COAST OF AUSTRALIA. ASPECT OF THE COUNTRY FROM SHIP-BOARD.

At the first streak of dawn I leant over the vessel's side to gaze upon those shores I had so longed to see. I had not anticipated that they would present any appearance of inviting fertility; but I was not altogether prepared to behold so arid and barren a surface as that which now met my view. In front of me stood a line of lofty cliffs, occasionally broken by sandy beaches; on the summits of these cliffs and behind the beaches rose rocky sandstone hills, very thinly wooded. Whilst I mused on this prospect, all hands were busied in getting the vessel under weigh, which was soon accomplished; but there was little or no wind, and the ship lay almost motionless upon the waters.

LAND AT HIGH BLUFF POINT. WALK TO HANOVER BAY.

By ten o'clock however we were abreast of High Bluff Point and, as there appeared to be little chance of our having even a gentle breeze for some time, I determined to land with a party at the Point, and to walk from thence to Hanover Bay, where on our arrival we could make a signal to the vessel for a boat to reconvey us on board. By the adoption of this course I hoped to be able at once to select a spot affording water and forage, in the neighbourhood of which the sheep and stores might be landed; the vessel could then proceed without delay to the Island of Timor to procure the requisite number of ponies for our expedition, and, if she made a quick passage there and back, I trusted, notwithstanding the numerous unforeseen delays that had arisen, we might yet be able to start for the interior before the rainy season set in.

LANDING AND DISTRESS FOR WANT OF WATER ON THE ROUTE.

The necessary orders were soon given: the boat was lowered and, whilst the party prepared themselves, I went below to arrange with the master the precise spot at which the vessel was to anchor in order that no mistake might occur upon so vital a point. This done, I returned once more on deck, and found all ready for departure.

The party to land consisted of Mr. Lushington, Mr. Walker, and three men who were selected to accompany us. I also brought away three of the dogs, to whom I was anxious to give a run after their long confinement on board.

The shore for which we pulled was not more than half a mile distant, and we soon gained the edge of a sandy beach, on which I sprang, eagerly followed by the rest; every eye beaming with delight and hope, unconscious as we were how soon our trials were to commence.

DISTRESSING MARCH.

I soon found that we had landed under very unfavourable circumstances. The sun was intensely hot. The long and close confinement on board a small vessel had unfitted us all for taking any violent or continued exercise without some previous training, and the country in which we had landed was of a more rocky and precipitous character than any I had ever before seen; indeed I could not more accurately describe the hills than by saying that they appeared to be the ruins of hills; composed as they were of huge blocks of red sandstone, confusedly piled together in loose disorder, and so overgrown with spinifex and scrub that the interstices wore completely hidden, and into these one or other of the party was continually slipping and falling.

The trees were small, and their foliage so scant and slight that they afforded no shelter whatever from the burning rays of the sun; which appeared to strike up again from the sandstone with redoubled heat, so that it was really painful to touch or to stand upon a bare rock: we therefore kept moving onwards in the hope of meeting with some spot favourable for a halting place; but the difficult nature of the ground which we had to cross rendered our progress slow and oppressively laborious.

A feeling of thirst and lassitude such as I had never before experienced soon began to overcome all of us; for such a state of things we had unfortunately landed quite unprepared, having only two pints of water with us, a portion of which it was necessary to give to the dogs; who apparently suffered from the heat in an equal degree with ourselves. These distressing symptoms I can only ascribe to the extreme heat of the sun reflected from the sandstone rocks, and our previous long confinement on board.

LOSS OF OUR THREE DOGS.

Our small supply of water, although but sparingly used, was soon exhausted; and the symptoms of lassitude, before so excessive, now became far worse. As usual, the endurance of the animals gave way before that of the men. We had not completed more than a mile of our route (although it was far more if the ascents and descents were taken into account) when Ranger, a very fine young dog, dropped behind some rocks, and although we turned back to look for him directly he was missed he could not be found.

The next to give way was Ringhalz, a fine Cape buck-hound; he fell amongst the rocks, and died almost instantly. The only dog now left was a greyhound, who manifested his extreme distress by constantly lying down. For some time we dragged him along, but he was at last from necessity abandoned. The cry of water was at length raised by one of the party, and immediately afterwards we found ourselves on the edge of a deep ravine, the precipitous sides of which were composed of nearly horizontal layers of red sandstone. Down these some of us contrived to scramble, although not without difficulty; but on reaching the bottom we had the mortification to find the water salt; and as it would have been very laborious to follow its course along the bottom of the ravine over the mud, mangroves, and rocks which filled it, we had the pleasure of scrambling up again as we best could.

For some short time we remained seated on the edge of the cliffs above the ravine; but as there was no shelter here from the sun's rays, and the pangs of thirst were pressing, I roused the men at last, and moved on again, following the course of the ravine upwards. We had not walked more than half a mile when the salt water inlet terminated and the bed of the ravine became thickly wooded. At the moment we gained this point some white cockatoos came soaring upwards from beneath our feet; and, as we knew that this was an infallible sign of the presence of water, we descended again to renew our search for it.

WATER DISCOVERED.

Our efforts this time were successful: in a few minutes we found a pool of brackish water which appeared, under the present circumstances, to afford the most delicious draughts, and, having drunk, we lay down by the pool to rest ourselves. Being however doubtful as to which was the best route to lead us out of the ravine we were now in, I walked up its course, accompanied by Corporal Coles, leaving the others to rest themselves, and soon reached its head; when we found ourselves in a small but fertile valley, surrounded on all sides by rocky hills. Here were many tracks of natives, and we came upon one of their regular haunts, where they had arranged a circle of large flat stones round a fireplace occupying the centre; on each of these stones was laid a smaller one, evidently used for the purpose of breaking small shellfish, for the remains of the shells were lying scattered about in all directions;* kangaroo bones were also plentifully strewed about, and beside each pair of stones was laid a large shell, probably used as a drinking cup.

(*Footnote. We found the marks of an encampment of a tribe of natives. Eight or nine spots were cleared away amongst the grass, and in the centre of each were the ashes of a small fire, close to which we noticed some loose flattened stones with a smaller one lying upon them, which the natives probably used for the purpose of bruising or grinding the seeds of plants and breaking shellfish. King's Survey of Australia volume 1 page 302.)

TRACES OF NATIVES. THEIR HUTS.

Natives had been at this spot within the last day or two, and we followed their traces, which were quite recent, across a dry watercourse till they led to a hut built of a framework of logs of wood, and in shape like a beehive, about four feet high and nine in diameter. This hut was of a very superior description to those I found afterwards to be generally in use in South-Western Australia, and differed from them altogether in that its low and narrow entrance rendered access impossible without stooping; and with the exception of this aperture the hut was entirely closed.

PROGRESS TOWARDS HANOVER BAY. ALARMING INCREASING DEBILITY OF THE MEN. EFFORTS TO REACH THE VESSEL.

Considering that the best route out of these ravines would be by this valley, I returned with Coles to the party, whom we found much refreshed and, having consulted with Mr. Lushington as to the route we should follow to the vessel after reaching the valley, we once more moved on; but the same symptoms of lassitude and thirst began very soon again to afflict us in an aggravated form; probably from the brackish water we had all swallowed. In less than two hours more these symptoms became so distressing that I could scarcely induce the men to move, and we therefore halted under the shade of some high rocks.

It was now growing late, and the nature of the country was so rocky and difficult that I thought it would be impossible for us to attempt to march in the night-time; whilst on the other hand the men seemed so completely worn out that I feared another day without fresh water would be more than they could bear. I therefore became anxious to make the sea coast before nightfall, considering that we could easily walk along the shore after dark and fire a gun as a signal to the schooner to send a boat for us. With this view therefore I moved on towards the sea, requesting Mr. Lushington, when I fired, to follow my course with the men.

As I walked ahead I found the country very rocky, with lofty bare pinnacles standing up every here and there in the forest, one or two of which I climbed, but could see nothing of the vessel. I now fired a signal shot which, being answered by another from the party, I knew that they were on my traces, and again moved on towards the sea. I presently fired again, as I thought that they might augur favourably from the report, and continued occasionally to do so until I had reached the shore.

The cliffs were so steep that I found some difficulty in descending, but directly I had gained the sea beach I pulled off my clothes and plunged into the water: the quantity of moisture taken into the system by absorption as I lay in the sea soon relieved my burning thirst, and by the time that the first of the party (Corporal Coles) came up I was quite recovered. He followed my example and soon began to revive also. The remainder of the party now arrived with Mr. Lushington, who had found much difficulty in getting them along. Of his exertions under these trying circumstances I cannot speak too highly. But for his persuasion and example I think two of the men were so exhausted that they would before this have given up in despair.

Corporal Coles being now nearly recovered I left the rest of the party under Mr. Lushington to follow the plan of refreshing themselves by immersion in the sea and, as two men appeared to me to be very ill, I arranged with him that he should keep the whole together and, as soon as he considered them sufficiently recovered, they should follow myself and Coles; whilst we preceded them along the beach for the purpose of sending a boat back from the Lynher to pick them up.

FURTHER COURSE OBSTRUCTED.

I accordingly started with Coles and had not proceeded more than a mile when we found two huts (one in ruins and the other complete) of exactly the same size and form as that which we had seen in the morning: the recent track of a native along the beach close to these was also visible. In another half mile our progress was arrested by an arm of the sea, about four or five hundred yards across, from which the tide was running out with fearful rapidity; and on the opposite cliffs we observed a native watching our movements.

As night was coming rapidly on it was necessary for me to decide at once what I should do. Coles was unable to swim. If therefore I crossed the stream it must be alone: to do so with natives on the opposite bank, of whose intentions towards us we were entirely ignorant, was not without considerable danger; yet I was very unwilling to leave the men in such a state of suffering from thirst when I was so near the schooner, from whence their wants could be supplied. Whilst I was debating what to do Coles kept firing his gun in hopes that they might hear the report on board and send a boat to our relief; in vain however we strained our ears, the report of Coles's gun was reverberated from cliff to cliff and from hill to hill, but no answering sound came back across the tranquil water.

In the meantime I felt more and more anxious about the portion of the party who were with Mr. Lushington, having left with them certain orders and promised to send a boat up to them; on which promise all their further movements would be regulated. The beach near us afforded no wood wherewith to make a fire as a signal to the schooner; the cliffs hereabouts were too precipitous to climb; and it was evident that but very few of the party could swim so broad a space of water; granting that they ever reached so far as the point where Coles and myself now were.

SWIM AN INLET OF THE SEA. DANGER IN THE PASSAGE ACROSS AND AFTER LANDING.

I therefore determined to run all risks, and swim the arm of the sea which stopped our way.

I directed Coles to wait until the others came up and then to remain with them until I returned in a boat. From the rugged nature of the shore I could not have walked a yard without shoes, so I kept them on, as well as my shirt and military cap, and I took a pistol in one hand as a means of defence against the natives, or else to fire it when I reached a spot where it could be seen or heard from the vessel.

I plunged in and very soon found myself caught in a tideway so violent that resistance to its force, so as either to get on or return, appeared at the moment hopeless.* My left hand, in which I held the pistol, was called into requisition to save my life; for the stream washed the cap from my head and, the cap then filling with water, and being carried down by the strong current, the chin-strap caught round my neck and nearly throttled me as I dragged it after me through the water; whilst the loose folds of my shirt, being washed out to seawards by the tide, kept getting entangled with my arm. I grew weak and faint but still swam my best, and at last I providentially reached a reef of rocks which projected from the opposite shore, and to which I clung until I had somewhat regained my strength.

(*Footnote. I should state that the rise and fall of tide here is thirty-eight feet.)

DANGER FROM NATIVES.

I then clambered up on the rocks, and from thence made my way to the beach; but no sooner had I gained it than I heard a native call from the top of the cliffs, and the answering cries of his comrades rang through the wood as they followed me along; my pistol was so thoroughly soaked in my passage across the inlet that it was quite useless except as a club. To attempt to swim back again after the narrow escape I had just had would have been madness; besides which if I had succeeded I should have lost the object for which I had put my life at hazard. Nothing therefore was left but to walk along shore to the schooner, trusting, in my defenceless state, that I might not fall in with any natives. It was now dark and the shore was so broken and rocky that I got terribly cut and bruised, and was, moreover, so weak from my exertions in swimming that when I arrived opposite the vessel I could scarcely hail. Some of those on board however heard me (as I found afterwards) and shouted in reply; but their voices never reached my ears, and I imagined they were too far for I could not now see the vessel.

I made one or two more efforts to hail the Lynher, but the noise I made had now attracted the notice of the natives and I heard their cries in several directions round me; this rendered my situation an unpleasant one for I was worn out, naked, and defenceless: at first I thought to return and rejoin my party, and even turned back for a short distance with this intention, but I found myself too weak for such an undertaking and changed my plans; resolving to remain nearly opposite to the vessel until the morning, and resting my chance of safety upon being discovered from it before the natives found me.

TAKEN UP BY THE LYNHER'S BOAT.

With this intent I returned to the position from which I had lately hailed, and crept into a hole in the rocks whence I could still occasionally hear the calls of the natives; but, being thoroughly worn out, I soon forgot my toils and dangers in a very sound and comfortable sleep. I might have slept for some two hours when I was roused by hearing a voice shout "Mr. Grey;" still however feeling rather distrustful of the truth of my mental impressions, and unwilling to betray my whereabouts to the natives, I returned no answer, but, putting out my head from my secret place of rest, I waited patiently for a solution of my doubts. But again I certainly heard the same voice shout "Mr. Grey," and I moreover now distinctly recognised the noise of oars working in the rowlocks; I therefore hailed "Lynher, ahoy," and all my doubts were completely put at rest by the hearty cheers which greeted my ear as Mr. Smith, the mate of the schooner, called out, "Where shall we pull in, Sir?"

FORTUNATE DELIVERY AND THE PARTY REGAIN THE LYNHER.

In a few minutes more I was in the boat, and rejoiced to find all the party safely there before me. My next question was, "Have you a little water here?" "Plenty, Sir," answered Corporal Cole as he handed me a little, which I greedily swallowed.

Their adventures were soon related to me. The party under Mr. Lushington, being on an exposed part of the coast, the flash of their guns had been seen after dark, and the Captain despatched a boat from the schooner to pull along shore. This boat first of all found Coles near where I had quitted him, and he directed them to the others; the boat, having picked them up, then returned for Coles, and heard from him the intentions with which I had attempted to swim the arm of the sea; but as he had never seen me reach the opposite bank, and the inlet was of very considerable width, they had, up to the moment of finding me, felt very serious misgivings as to my fate.

I did not know till afterwards that the water Corporal Coles had handed to me on entering the boat was all they had on board when he was picked up, and that, although suffering severely from thirst, Coles would not touch a drop as long as he retained any hope that I might be found and be in want of it.

RETURN OF ALL ON BOARD.

We were now however safe again, and as all had borne themselves well under the difficulties to which they had been exposed, more particularly Mr. Lushington, to whom the credit is due of having, by his personal example and influence, successfully brought on the party to the point of their embarkation, it was now pleasant to revert to the trials we had passed, and to recall to one another's recollection each minute circumstance of our day's adventures; and when we were again on board and had turned in for the night I could not help feeling a deep sense of gratitude to that Providence who, in so brief a space, had preserved me through so many perils.

CHAPTER 5. AT HANOVER BAY.

PLAGUE OF FLIES.

December 4.

To sleep after sunrise was impossible on account of the number of flies which kept buzzing about the face. To open our mouths was dangerous. In they flew, and mysteriously disappeared, to be rapidly ejected again in a violent fit of coughing; and into the eyes, when unclosed, they soon found their way and, by inserting the proboscis and sucking, speedily made them sore; neither were the nostrils safe from their attacks, which were made simultaneously on all points, and in multitudes. This was a very troublesome annoyance, but I afterwards found it to be a very general one throughout all the unoccupied portions of Australia; although in general the further north you go in this continent the more intolerable does the fly nuisance become.

Sunrise offered a very beautiful spectacle; the water was quite unruffled, but the motion communicated by the tides was so great that, although there was not a breath of air stirring, the sea heaved slowly with a grand and majestic motion. On two sides the view was bounded by lofty cliffs, from three to four hundred feet high, lightly wooded at their summits, and broken by wide openings, into which ran arms of the sea, forming gloomy channels of communication with the interior country; whilst on each side of their entrances the huge cliffs rose, like the pillars of some gigantic portal.

In front of us lay a smooth sandy beach, beyond which rose gradually a high wooded country, and behind us was the sea, studded with numerous islands of every variety of form.

ENTRANCE TO PRINCE REGENT'S RIVER.

I was too much tired by the fatigues of the night before to enjoy the scene with the full delight I should otherwise have done; the bruises I had received made me feel so stiff and sore that the slightest movement was painful; the rainy season was however now so near that it would not do to lose a single day of preparation. Directly after breakfast therefore, whilst one boat went off to search for fresh water and a convenient spot to land the stores at, I accompanied the Captain of the vessel in another up Prince Regent's River.

EFFECT OF TIDES.

In general the openings to these rivers from the sea are very narrow, forming gorges which terminate in extensive basins, some fifteen or twenty miles inland; the levels of these reservoirs are subject to be raised thirty-seven feet by every tide through their funnel-like entrances, along which the waters consequently pour with a velocity of which it is difficult to form any adequate idea. By such a tide were we swept along as we entered this river by its southern mouth.

On each side of us rose lofty red sandstone cliffs; sometimes quite precipitous, sometimes, from ancient landslips, shelving gradually down to the water, and at these points covered with a dense tropical vegetation.

GREEN ANTS.

At several such places we landed, but always found the ascent to the interior so covered with large loose rocks that it would have been impossible to have disembarked stores or stock on any. The thickness of the vegetation made it difficult to force a way through, and whenever, in attempting so to do, a tree was shaken, numbers of a large green sort of ant fell from the boughs on the unhappy trespasser and, making the best of their way to the back of his neck, gave warning by a series of most painful bites that he was encroaching on their domain. Yet it was sometimes ludicrous to see one of the party momentarily stamping and roaring with pain, as he cried out to a companion to hasten and assist him in getting rid of an enemy at once so diminutive and so troublesome.

PARRAKEETS.

We saw a great number of beautiful parakeets, as well as a remarkable hawk of a bright cinnamon colour, with a milk-white head and neck. As there was no apparent probability of our finding hereabouts a spot suited to land our stock and stores at we returned in the afternoon to the schooner, and found that the party in the other boat had been as unsuccessful as ourselves.

DESCRIPTION OF LANDING-PLACE, AND ENCAMPMENT AT HANOVER BAY.

December 5.

The long-boat was this morning despatched to the ravine where we had procured water on the first day of our landing to bring a few casks for immediate use, and to examine the country again in that direction; whilst I accompanied the Captain to examine the inlet at which Captain King had watered in his visit to these parts, in 1821.

WATERING PLACE AT HANOVER BAY.

The approach to this watering-place was through a deep narrow channel, bounded on each side by high cliffs, against which our voices echoed and sounded strangely; whilst from the quantity of light which the cliffs excluded a solemn sombre hue was imparted to the scene. Channels similar to the main one branched off on each side; they were however so narrow that the dense vegetation which grew on their sides nearly met in the centre, giving them an appearance of dark and refreshing coolness; most of these terminated in cascades, now dry, but down which the water in the rainy seasons pours in torrents: at the foot of some of these cascades were deep cavities, or natural basins, worn in the solid rock by the falling of the water, and these were still full of the clearest cool water, in which sported small insects and animals of kinds quite unknown to me.

As we were swept up the main opening by the tide and sea-breeze its width gradually contracted, till at last we came to a small island bearing a single large mangrove tree, which we named One Tree Island. The shores now became thickly wooded with mangroves, from the boughs of which depended in clusters small but well-flavoured oysters, and soon after passing the island we found our farther progress arrested by large rounded blocks of sandstone, from amongst which fresh water came pouring in a hundred little cascades.

BEAUTIFUL RAVINE.

We here quitted the boat to enter a deep and picturesque ravine, of which the mean breadth was only one hundred and forty-seven feet, bounded on each side by perpendicular cliffs from one hundred and fifty to two hundred feet high; in the centre ran a clear stream, sometimes forming deep and extensive pools, sometimes divided into innumerable little rills which gurgled along through a dense and matted vegetation; and bordered on each side of the main bed by a lofty species of Eucalyptus, with a bark resembling layers of coarse white paper, and a foliage pendant and graceful; whilst the great height of these trees for they raised their heads above the cliffs, contrasted strangely with the narrowness of the ravine in which they grew. The space between these trees and the cliffs was filled by a dense forest, principally composed of the Pandanus and wild nutmeg trees. Rich grasses and climbing plants occupied the interval and twined around the trees, whilst parakeets of the most vivid colours filled the wood with their cries. Nothing could be more striking than this singular and novel scene; and we were all delighted as we wound our way up the beautiful ravine.

The same character continued for the next mile or two, whilst occasionally branch valleys of similar character ran off from a main one, giving it at these points a much greater width. The summit of the cliffs was found to be generally a rocky sandy tableland, thinly wooded; and from what I had seen it appeared to me that I was not likely to find a place better adapted for landing the stores than the main ravine.

On embarking to return we could perceive no sign of One Tree Island; and as we swept down towards the sea the leafy top of a tree seen in the clear water under the boat was the only evidence of its existence; though a few hours ago it had formed so prominent an object.

FATE OF TWO OF THE DOGS.

The long-boat returned to the vessel half an hour after us and brought eighty gallons of water; but the spot whence it was obtained had been found very inconvenient for the purpose. At the waterhole they had met Ranger, the dog we lost the first day; but he appeared quite mad, and without recognising any of them ran wildly away into the woods. The body of poor Ringhalz was also found, who had died on the spot where he fell.

LABOUR OF DISEMBARKING STORES.

December 6.

A party landed with me soon after dawn at the same point as yesterday, for the purpose of selecting the spot at which to fix our temporary encampment. We traced the valley for about four miles through scenery precisely similar to that which we had found before; many branch valleys ran of from the main one and differed from it in no other respect but that they were much narrower. The most favourable spot I could find for our purpose was distant about half a mile from the landing-place and situated at the junction of two valleys, upon a neck of land which ran out from the base of the cliffs. This was the nearest point to the sea at which we should have been safe from any sudden inundation; it combined, moreover, the advantages of affording a good supply of food and water for the stock, of not being within reach of missiles thrown from the cliffs, and at the same time of being situated close to an easy ascent to their summit. I should have preferred pitching the encampment on the tableland at the top, but the labour of carrying the stores up so precipitous an ascent would have been too great for the men, and would have delayed our movements for a longer time than I thought prudent.

PREPARATIONS FOR ENCAMPING.

Having selected the point for our encampment the next task was to form a pathway to and from the landing-place; and this, on account of the rocky, broken nature of the ground, was one of no slight difficulty. We first set fire to the bush, and being thus enabled to see our way a little we commenced moving the rocks and stones, and continued this operation until near sunset, when we returned on board.

NATIVES SEEN.

December 7.

We landed again early this morning and went on working at the pathway. The men dined on shore at noon, about which time it was nearly low-water. We had repeatedly seen footmarks of the natives in the mud, and this probably was a favourite fishing resort of theirs, for this day they came upon the cliffs over our heads and shouted at us, as if to try and frighten us away. Finding however that this produced no effect, they threw down some large stones at us and then decamped.

In the course of the night (2 A.M.) we had one of those sudden heavy squalls from off the land which are so common on this coast. I slept on deck and was called to hear a loud roaring on the shore: this was evidently the noise of a rushing wind, which gradually drew nearer and nearer and at last reached us, accompanied by lightning, thunder, and heavy rain; it did not however last for more than twenty minutes, and we received no damage from it.

December 8.

Whilst the party continued the pathway I landed on the sandy beach and explored the interior of the country for several miles. We found but very little fresh water and the country was dreadfully burnt up; the heavy rain which had fallen last night however gave signs of the approach of the wet season. We passed several dry watercourses, in many of which we dug for it, but all that we obtained was brackish. We had another squall this afternoon, similar to last night's.

LANDING STOCK. LABOUR IN LANDING STORES.

December 9.

This day we pitched the tents, disembarked the sheep and goats, and some of the stores. It was no slight pleasure to see for the first time those animals landed on a new country, and they appeared themselves to rejoice in their escape from the close confinement on shipboard.

We here first hoisted the British flag, and went through the ceremony of taking possession of the territory in the name of Her Majesty and her heirs for ever.

The next few days were passed in moving the stores from the landing-place to the tent; as it was necessary that before I allowed the schooner to start we should be amply provided with all necessaries so as to be able to maintain ourselves for some time, in the event of anything happening to the vessel: this was very fatiguing work for the whole party but they all exerted themselves with the most strenuous energy, especially Mr. Lushington; and our labours were varied by several amusing novelties which relieved the monotony of the employment.

REMARKABLE FISHES.

Sometimes as we sat at our dinner near the landing-place we watched a strange species of fish (genus Chironectes, Cuvier). These little animals are provided with arms, at least with members shaped like such as far as the elbow, but the lower part resembles a fin; they are amphibious, living equally well on the mud or in the water; in moving in the mud they walk, as it were, on their elbows, and the lower arm or fin then projects like a great splay foot; but in swimming the whole of this apparatus is used as a fin. They have also the property of being able to bury themselves almost instantaneously in the soft mud when disturbed. The uncouth gambols and leaps of these anomalous creatures were very singular.