42 EXPLORATION OF THE RIVER. 



and dreary appearance, shewing at a glance its 

 utterly sterile character. 



Taking a hasty breakfast, we pulled up the 

 river ; the tortuous nature of the first reaches, 

 changing their directions suddenly from north to 

 east-south-east with a depth of seventeen and twenty 

 fathoms, produces violent eddies and whirlpools. 

 Passing these, a splendid sheet of water lay before 

 us, trending south-east by south, as far as the eye 

 could reach from the boat, and more than a mile 

 wide. In the first part of this we had a few shoal 

 casts of the lead, but afterwards the depth was 

 eight and ten fathoms, it being near low w^ater. 

 In order to catch a glance at what was beyond, and 

 to spell the oars, we landed at a point on the east 

 side, from which Endeavour Hill bore W. ^ S. 

 three miles. Here the river, by taking a slight 

 turn more to the southward, was again lost sight 

 of. We were sorry to perceive that it was much 

 occupied by shoals, that shewed themselves at this 

 time of tide. The first began five miles beyond our 

 station, commencing from abreast of a rugged 

 ridge, on the west bank. The singular manner in 

 which the blocks of sandstone were strewed over 

 this height, caused it to bear a strong resemblance 

 to old ruins. The appearance of the country had not 

 as yet improved, though the sandstone had lost that 

 reddish hue we had noticed in the morning, while 

 preserving the very marked dip to the south-east. 



Continuing we found the change in the direction 



