222 INTERIOR OF THE COUNTRY. [1839. 



but it then inclines again to the north, and may be traced as 

 far as latitude 26° S. 



At the western extremity of the continent, there are three 

 parallel mountain ranges, all running northerly across the 

 continent. The easternmost range is not continuous, but 

 consists of two detached parallel chains extending longitu- 

 dinally, near the 118th meridian, and separated from each 

 other by a broad plain : they are comparatively unimportant, 

 and in no case attain a greater elevation than one thousand 

 feet. The second, called the Darling range, rises at Cape 

 Chatham, and runs in a direct course to the northern coast, 

 opposite Dampier's Archipelago : these mountains are from 

 thirty to forty miles in width, and their highest altitude is 

 about two thousand feet. The western chain runs close to 

 the shore from Cape Leeuwin, and is called Koikyennuruff 

 by the natives; one of its peaks, Toolbrunup, is three thou- 

 sand feet high, and is supposed to be the loftiest in West 

 Australia. 



In latitude 33° S., a series of irregular mountain spurs 

 or ranges branch off to the west, from the Blue mountains, 

 which soon divide into detached groups; and the interior of 

 the country, as far as has been explored, appears to be 

 studded with isolated hills and mountains. Some of these 

 are only of moderate elevation, but others are of great height. 

 The Canobolas, for example, one of the detached groups 

 branching off from the Blue mountains, are between four and 

 five thousand feet high. 



It was for a long time supposed that the interior of tho 

 continent was one vast desert ; and this supposition was 

 strengthened by the fact, that the wind which blew from that 

 quarter was often as hot, dry, and scorching in its effects, as 

 the African Harmattan. But after the repeated attempts to 

 cross over the rugged and abrupt wall of mountains border- 

 ing upon the coast country, had at length proved successful, 

 and the remarkable parallelism of the different ranges was 

 made known, it was thought a broad expanse of table-land 

 lay spread out between them. This opinion had scarcely 



