14 SURVEY OF THE HARBOUR. 



the other boats explored the openings at the head 

 of the harbour. 



That on the eastern part, Mr. Fitzmaurice traced 

 ten miles in a south-easterly direction, being the 

 greatest distance it was navigable for a boat. The 

 remaining branch in the large opening, in the south- 

 eastern corner of the harbour, Mr. Forsyth and 

 myself explored S. S. E. three miles, and S. S. W. 

 five more, the extent to which it was possible to 

 advance. Beyond, it was strewed with large blocks 

 of granite ; a fact, for which we were in some degree 

 prepared, as in the vicinity of the Adelaide River 

 we had proof of the primary formation of this part 

 of the continent. As the boat lay scarcely afloat 

 between two of these lumps of rock, numbers of 

 white ibises, with black necks, kept flying over us 

 from the southward, indicating that a swamp lay in 

 that direction. We also disturbed several alligators, 

 who slid ofl' quietly into the water at our approach. 

 There was no varietv in the shores of this inlet, 

 composed like all the others, of an impenetrable 

 net- work of mangroves. A ridge of the same 

 conical-shaped low hills before alluded to, as exist- 

 ing in this neighbourhood, rose upon our right as 

 we came up, and bore from our furthest N. by W. 

 two miles ; from the highest part up the inlet in 

 the south-west corner, east two miles. 



The latter we found very tortuous, extending 

 in a general direction south nine miles. No 



