226 ALBANY. 



of Point Possession. The entrance to this great 

 basin is by a narrow channel in the north-east corner; 

 a long spit extending off the inner western entrance- 

 point forms the chief impediment. Few vessels 

 escape touching it ; but although the passage is 

 thus contracted the Beagle was worked through 

 both ways. Inside, there is water sufficient for 

 the largest ship in the navy ; but only for a limited 

 space, a short distance within the entrance — merely 

 a hollow scooped out towards the north-west corner 

 of the harbour. Here, just above a dazzling white 

 sandy beach, a straggling village points out the 

 township of Albany. Mounts Clarence and Mel- 

 ville reared their bare granitic heads on either 

 side, and huge fantastically -shaped boulders were 

 strewn over their slopes. The origin of this settle- 

 ment may not be generally known : it was first 

 planned, in consequence of a report that the French 

 were about to establish themselves there ; which 

 turned out to be the truth, for they had actually 

 formed and abandoned a settlement before Major 

 Lockyer arrived from Sydney, in 1825. The gang 

 of convicts he brought with him was withdrawn, 

 when Albany became part of the government of 

 Western Australia. 



Among the few improvements that had taken 

 place since our visit in 1836, were a jetty and a 

 government store-house. The latter was close to 

 the spot where the observations were made, and 

 where I noticed some trappean dykes intersecting 



