394 NORTHMOST AUSTRALIA 



defined in his mind as the " KENNEDY RIVER " indicated in Carron's 

 sketch-map. The river seen by Kennedy on 9th October, 1848, 

 was, however, the ANNIE RIVER. The reach of the river on which 

 Hann was now camped, between his Camps 37 and 38, is now named 

 on the 4-mile map the " NORTH KENNEDY RIVER," and the same 

 name is given to Therrimburi Creek, a water-course coming from 

 the south and passing KOOLBURRA STATION ; and I have elsewhere 

 suggested the propriety of avoiding the confusion resulting from 

 the MULTIPLICATION OF " KENNEDY " RIVERS by calling the whole of 

 this creek THERRIMBURI. 



On his return to Camp 38, Hann had come to the correct con- 

 clusion that the river at that camp was " WATER NEVER SEEN BY 

 KENNEDY, it being many miles to the east of his track." He adds : 

 " As this is a large and remarkable river, and one discovered by this 

 expedition, I have named it the NORMANBY, after Lord Normanby, 

 the present Governor of Queensland." 



Local usage has fixed beyond recall the name of " KENNEDY " 

 to the river up which the coach road from the head of the railway, 

 at the Laura, goes to Maytown, on the Palmer Goldfield. The 

 name must stand, but the river, it must be understood, is NAMED 

 IN HONOUR OF KENNEDY, although Kennedy never saw it. The idea 

 that Kennedy came down the river which now bears his name is 

 sufficiently refuted by Carron's narrative. 



Local usage has also attached the name " NORMANBY " to the 

 river crossed by the COOKTOWN-LAURA RAILWAY between ALDER- 

 BURY and BATTLE CAMP stations. 



Hann's perplexities arose from the fact that the phenomena 

 of ANASTOMOSING RIVER MOUTHS which puzzled the Brothers Jardine 

 on the western littoral of the Peninsula were repeated, on a smaller 

 scale, in the coastal plain south of Princess Charlotte Bay. Follow- 

 ing the rivers from east to west, the NORMANBY is first joined by 

 the KENNEDY RIVER. The conjoined river, on approaching the 

 Bay, splits into at least THREE MOUTHS, the eastmost bearing the 

 name of the NORMANBY on the 4-mile map, a second named the 

 BIZANT, and the westmost named the NORTH KENNEDY. The 

 NORMANBY, above the branching-off of the Bizant, leaks into the 

 so-called NORTH KENNEDY. 



On i/^th September, the expedition followed the river up for 

 3 miles to the south-east, when it branched (the western 

 branch being THERRIMBURI CREEK), and he followed the eastern 

 branch. On the south-east reach of this eastern branch Hann 

 noted " numerous ALLIGATORS' HEADS all stuck on a sapling tree, 

 but whether as trophies of the chase or some superstition enter- 

 tained by the natives with respect to these animals is unknown. All 

 the other parts of the body appeared to have been well cleaned, 

 showing no compunctions as far as a feast was concerned supposing 

 the brutes to have been eaten." Incredible as it may have appeared 



