206 CAPTAIN TUCKEY'S NARRATIVE. 



that, bounds the river, about eight miles above our last night's 

 station, where I hope to procure a couple of canoes to pro- 

 ceed up the river, as far as my means will permit. 



The river here expands to three miles in width; the banks 

 have in some places low strips of soil and sand, with cliffs of 

 clay slate, large masses of which are also scattered in the 

 river, but do not in the least impede its navigation. In other 

 parts low hills of gentle descent come down to the margin of 

 the river ; their summits clay, entirely bare of trees. Here 

 we also found considerable masses of fine blue li'mestone ; 

 and a quantity of chalk was brought to us by one of the na- 

 tives, Avhich we were told was procured from hills on the 

 opposite side of the river. 



The population is here more considerable than what we 

 have seen lower down. The gentlemen's towns forming 

 a continued chain of buildings from the spot where we 

 landed. Provisions seem to be also more plentiful. Several 

 goats, pigs and fowls, with manioc, ground-nuts, and peas, 

 having been brought to us for sale, as were also mats. 



Amongst the croud that surrounded our tent, two or three 

 of the foomoos or gentlemen only had any European clothes. 

 The women were here the most horribly dirty looking 

 wretches that can be conceived ; equalling the New Hollan- 

 .:<lers in filth, and nothing superior to them except in the 



