FITZMAURICE RIVER. 45 



discovered a river that carried his boat thirty miles 



in an east direction from the south end of M'Adam 



Range. Towards the upper part it was scarcely 



half a mile wide ; but for an Australian stream was 



remarkably free from bends, pursuing a straight 



course between rocky heights, wath a depth varying 



from two to seven fathoms. Many shoals occurred 



towards the entrance, where in some places it was 



more than two miles wide. This river was named 



Fitzmaurice River after its discoverer ; and the 



mouth or inlet of it, after his companion, Keys Inlet. 



In sounding the channel, I found that when the hill 



Captain Wickham and myself were first on, behind 



Entrance Isle, was in a line with the north end of 



the high land at the south side of the entrance, it 



formed a good lead up. In consequence we named 



it Leading Hill, and the end of the range alluded 



to, Indian Hill, from our constantly seeing smoke 



near it. A flat of three or four fathoms at low 



water extended across the channel, with River Peak 



bearing between N. 35 E. and N. 64 E. I visited 



Indian Hill, but failed to meet with any of the 



natives, although I saw their fires not far off in 



the hills to the south-west. It is a ridge covered 



with blocks of sandstone, with a few trees here and 



there. From its summit I had an extensive view 



of the low land stretching away to the northward, 



and formino; the western side of the channel. It 



appeared so cut up with creeks as to form a mass 



of islands and mud flats, which appeared from 



