THE CAPE YORK DISTRICT 661 



Had Captain Cook caught sight of the gold which lay beneath 

 his feet when he landed on Possession Island, could the boldest 

 flight of fancy have ventured to predict the future history of 

 Australia ? If, instead of convicts in the southern part of the 

 continent, the first settlers had been gold miners pushing their 

 relentless way from the extreme north and making stepping-stones 

 of one fresh goldfield after another, along what lines would the 

 occupation of the island continent have developed ? 



After 1895, Mr. Embley's pastoral interests more and more 

 occupied his attention, and in course of time he only undertook 

 occasional commissions from the Government because other 

 qualified surveyors were temporarily not available. Still the passion 

 for charting new country never loosed its grip on him, and he lost 

 no opportunity, as long as he was on the spot, of " filling in " the 

 geographical features of the Cape York Peninsula. He sold out his 

 interest in York Downs in 1914, and now resides in Melbourne. 



