APPEARAINCE OF THE COAST. 143 



very partially dotted with vegetation. Behind these 

 was a margin of brown arid looking downs, receding 

 to the foot of the uplands. Twenty miles of the 

 coast line from Champion Bay trended N. 29° W. 



At noon we were in lat. 28° 26' S. ; the Menai 

 Hills, a group lying just off the north end of Mores- 

 by's Flat-topped Range, bearing S. 73° E. ten miles. 

 A valley or ravine, through which probably a 

 rivulet* runs in the wet season, bore N. 83° E. two 

 miles, and a singular large patch of sand, 270 feet 

 above the sea, N. 22° E. two miles and a half. 

 North of this patch the land changes its appearance ; 

 the bare sand-hills cease, and a steep-sided down, 

 300 feet high, faces the coast line. Our track was 

 from two to three miles from the shore, in 19 and 

 22 fathoms, fine white sand ; a heavy surf washing 

 the beach. South-east of the Menai Hills the 

 country appeared much broken, with high table 

 ranges of from 4 to 700 feet. 



It was now necessary to resume our examination 

 of the Abrolhos, and thirty-one miles on a W. | S. 

 course, brought us between two groups of them, where 

 we anchored for the night in 23 fathoms. The sound- 

 ings in standing across Gelvink Channel, were 22 

 and 26 fathoms, fine white sand ; the current ran 

 N. N. W., a mile an hour. 



* This (in lat. 28*^ 25' S.) may have been one of the rivers 

 discovered by Captain Grey, but which it was impossible for us to 

 determine, as no account of them had been left with the Sur- 

 veyor-general, Mr. Roe. 



