DOUBTFUL BAY. 201 



surement 900 feet above the sea level, and by far the 

 highest land yet noticed on this part of the con- 

 tinent ; the prospect here was very cheerless ; 

 similar but lower ranges met the eye in every direc- 

 tion towards the interior, those overlooking the 

 eastern shore of the bay, were from 6 to 7OO feet 

 high. There appeared to be a large island in its 

 N.E. corner, which fell back about 10 miles, and 

 like many other parts of it was lined with a growth 

 of mangroves. A string of smaller islands extended 

 three miles from the north point, leaving an entrance 

 only two miles wide. A sandstone ridge similar to 

 that on which we stood, rose abruptly from the 

 north point, but of less elevation. I was not a little 

 surprised to find that Lieut. Grey had seen land 

 from 2 to 3000 feet high, only about 30 miles from 

 the height on which we stood, but as he had not the 

 means of measuring these great elevations, and as 

 Captain King, who was within 20 miles of the high 

 land alluded to, does not notice it, yet mentions some 

 hills from 3 to 400 feet high, 15 miles further to the 

 N.E., I am induced to believe that Lieut. Grey may 

 have over-estimated the height of the land he saw.* 

 From subsequent information, I called this Doubtful 

 Bay ; the tide ran into it at the rate of from 1 to 3 

 knots, but the clear appearance of the water, and 

 entire absence of drift wood, afforded strong grounds 



* Mounts Trafalgar and Waterloo, which are not nine hundred 

 feet high, are the first points of the continent that meet the eye 

 from seaward. 



