SECOND CAPE YORK SURVEYING VOYAGE 163 



neighbourhood of Point Parker, although admirably protected from the weather, 

 does not afford the depth of water required by ocean-going steamers. A better site 

 for a harbour would have to be looked for further west. R. L. J.] 



The " Beagle " left INVESTIGATOR ROADS on 2ist July, and at 

 the same time Lieutenants Fitzmaurice and Pascoe set out in boats 

 to examine a portion of the mainland which it was unsafe for the 

 ship to approach too closely. The officers on the boats reported 

 on 3oth July to Captain Stokes (who by this time had brought the 

 ship to Flinders Inlet) the occurrence of a cape which was called 

 POINT TARRANT (139 31' E. ; 17 24' S.), and, 2 miles west of it, a 

 " promising inlet," up which a boat was taken for about a league 

 to the south-west. (EE MAP M.) Ten miles south-east of Point 

 Tarrant was a " large inlet," which was named the PASCOE INLET 

 (17 30' S.). [It is now known to be the mouth of the NICHOLSON 

 RIVER. R. L. J.] Seven miles further in the same direction was 

 an " important inlet," afterwards named the ALBERT RIVER. 



The " Beagle " herself, which had left Investigator Roads on 

 2ist July, anchored on the 2^th off GORE POINT, on the mainland, 

 where (in 139 56' 30" E. ; 17 38' S.) a sand-hill rises to a height of 

 40 feet. Between the sand-hill and a quoin-shaped l clump of 

 mangroves to the south-east, is an opening, which was explored in 

 boats by Stokes and Gore for 27 miles by the windings (9 miles 

 direct, to SW.-i-W.), up to " plains with open woodlands." It was 

 named DISASTER INLET, owing to a gun accident with injured the 

 hand of Lieutenant Gore, who was shooting at white cockatoos. A 

 pedestrian excursion for 6 miles S.-i-E. appears to have been devoid 

 of interest or incident. There can be little doubt that Disaster 

 Inlet is a mouth of the LEICHHARDT RIVER. 



On 26th July, the " Beagle " went eastward, approaching the 

 low " head " of the Gulf of Carpentaria as closely as the soundings 

 permitted (about 13 geographical miles off), to MIDDLE POINT 

 (140 12' E.), 2 miles east of which is MORNING INLET. 



On 2%th July, the ship anchored in about 140 35' E. ; 17 35' S., 

 off the mouth of a large inlet, which was named the FLINDERS 

 RIVER (which I believe to be Tasman's CARON REVIER), and which 

 was explored southward in a boat on the 29th and the morning of 

 the 3oth to 17 5ii' S. Here the river split up into two branches, 

 one of which came from the east and the other from the south. 

 The former is now regarded as the " main " channel of the FLINDERS 

 RIVER, and, in fact, joins, or rather " leaves," the " BYNOE " MOUTH 

 of the river ; while the latter is known as" ARMSTRONG CREEK. 

 The reach below (north of) the conjoined Armstrong and Flinders 

 was named Burial Reach, because an unburied aboriginal corpse 

 was observed exposed in the fork of a tree. 



1 A quoin is the wedge which used to be placed below the breech of a cannon to 

 give the desired elevation. 



