350 DR. LEICHARDT’S OVERLAND JOURNEY 
found at the head of the Gulf of Carpentaria, which might 
allow ships’ to approach and to moor in safety, it would not 
only open this fine country to colonisation, but would allow 
the produce of the high land of the York Peninsula to be 
brought down to the Gulf of Carpentaria as well as to the 
east coast. Cattle and horses could be easily driven from 
coast to coast, and they would even fatten on their route, as 
water and feed are every where abundant. | 
VI. The scrubby west coast of the Gulf, with the Van 
Alphen, the Abel Tasman, the Seven Emu, the Robinson, 
the Macarthur, the Limmenbight, and the Wickham Rivers, 
between 18°—15° S. latitude. : 
This portion of the journey was as remarkable for the 
number of large salt water rivers, as for the density of its 
tea-tree scrubs, and for the extent of its stringy-bark forests. 
They here came again to hills and ranges, and pebbles of 
granite and porphyry made it evident that the great arc of — 
high land which sweeps round the head of the Gulf of —— 
Carpentaria again approached the sea coast. The Var 
Alphen, the Abel Tasman, the Robinson, the Macarthur, 
and the Limnenbight Rivers, formed broad channels of water; 
and offered to our travellers a magnificent sight, when, after 
long and harassing stages through a dense scrubby monoto- 
nous forest, they came suddenly upon them. ; 
_ Captain Stokes, when exploring the head of the gulf, — 
_ struck with the comparatively low temperature in this 
. latitude. Though the want of a thermometer prevented Dr. 
a , t from making any exact observations, he was still 
able to collect a number of facts which tend to corroborate 
.. Captain Stokes's statements. In travelling along the east 
-~ Coast of the gulf, they had generally light easterly and south” 
. easterly airs during the day, but a strong cold wind from the 
t South-west and south by west, set in at night, from ` 
_ they suffered the more, as they avoided keeping a large 
~ being fearful of the hostile natives. — ^^ 00000 
-~ ` At the head of the gulf the night winds came more an 
. more from the southward, and changed to the south-east; 
