462 Geological Society'. 



ceeded northward and westward, omitting the Gulf of Carpen- 

 taria previously examined by Capt. Flinders, — and southward, 

 on the western shore, to abeut the latitude of 25°, — where the 

 coast had been examined by the French expedition under 

 Capt. Baudin. The chasm in Capt. King's specimens has 

 been supplied by those collected on the shores of the Gulf of 

 Carpentaria by Mr. Brown, who accompanied Capt. Flinders 

 in his survey of the coasts of New Holland. 



The land visible from tlie sea on the north- east coast, is in 

 general mountainous, as far north as Cape Weymouth, be- 

 tween the latitudes 12° and 13° (south). A high and rocky 

 range especially, which begins about latitude 25°, is continued 

 northward in a direction nearly parallel to the shore for more 

 than 150 miles without interruption. The outline and aspect of 

 this range, and of several other groups of mountains, are irre- 

 gular, and resemble those of primitive tracts: peaked summits 

 are of frequent occurrence both on the mainland and the ad- 

 jacent islands. Mount Dryander, about latitude 20° 12', one 

 of the chief mountains, is nearly 4500 feet high; Mount Hin- 

 chinbroke, lat. 8° 22', is more than 2000 feet; and several other 

 mountains on this coast are of considerable elevation. 



Along this part of the coast granite has been found, in de- 

 tached points, through a space of about 500 miles : and rocks 

 of the flcetz-trap formation occur in several of the islands of 

 the shore. 



The coast-line, on the north of latitude 14°, is thrown back 

 about 40 miles to the westward of its previous course ; and, 

 about the same point, the elevation of the land declines : the 

 general height of the mainland about Cape York, the north- 

 eastern point of Australia, is not more than 400 or 500 feet- 



The eastern shore of the Gulf of Carpentaria, occupying a 

 space of about 500 miles more, north to south, is very low, 

 and very uniform in its outline. The rock on the shore, at 

 Coens River, the only point examined upon this coast, was 

 found to be calcareous sandstone of recent formation. The west- 

 ern shore of the Gulf is more broken, and of higher level; and 

 the specimens fiom thence consist of granite and primitive 

 slaty rocks; upon which repose quartzose sandstone, and 

 conglomerate, identical in character with the rocks which are 

 found in great abundance further to the west on this northern 

 shore, and on the north-west coast, and also with the most an- 

 cient sandstones and conglomerates of Europe. Clink-stone, 

 and other rocks of the trap-formation, occur among the speci- 

 jnens from the islands in this part of Australia. The chains 

 of islands which form the north-western verge of the Gulf of 



Carpentaria, 



