300 PKOCEEDIls^GS OF THE GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY. [May 26, 



New South Wales, and Northern Queensland, nor copper-mines like 

 those of Burra-Burra and the Peak Downs, nor in its sandstones 

 valuable and extensive coal-beds like those of the Illawarra and 

 Hunter-Eiver districts. But no reason is apparent why all these, 

 and perhaps other minerals, should not exist in this part of the range 

 as in its continuation further south. Coal has been found as far 

 north as Port Denison (lat. 20° S.), and gold and copper at the Peak 

 Downs (lat. 23° S.), the former 200 and the latter 350 miles from the 

 base of the peninsula, and they may extend well on towards Cape 

 York. We must remember that this by no means insignificant por- 

 tion of Australia has been very imperfectly explored, and, what is per- 

 haps of greater moment as far as useful discoveries go, is very thinly 

 peopled. True, Kennedy in 1848 advanced along the coast to the 

 eastward of the main range nearly as far as Cape York, which goal 

 the Jardines actually reached in December 1864, by traversing the 

 more passable region to the west of the range ; while Leichardt (1845) 

 and A. Gregory made a shght detour into the western part of its 

 broad base, on their westward way ; but these explorers, for various 

 reasons, had Kttle time or opportunity for prospecting. The exist- 

 ence of mineral treasures is most frequently discovered by private 

 enterprise, and often by the unscientific though practical hands of 

 settlers. As yet, however, only a trivial part of the south-west 

 region is occupied, and that scantily ; while one rudimentary town- 

 ship of sixteen persons exists near Cape York. Thus neither the 

 north nor the south is capable of furnishing men or money to in- 

 vestigate the extensive intermediate district, the barren character 

 and treacherous natives of which are obstacles sufiicient to deter all 

 but the most resolute and well provided from attempts of this na- 

 ture, and from engaging in labour the results of which are neces- 

 sarily very uncertain. 



The surface rock in the neighbourhood of Cape York, including 

 Albany island and the vicinity of Somerset, consists of ironstone 

 varying from a comparatively light friable clay- carbonate to a 

 heavier dense ferruginous conglomerate, usually vesicular, honey- 

 combed and channelled on its exposed surface from weathering. 

 Its density and hardness differ with the varying proportion of iron. 

 Sometimes it is nodular, very hard, highly metalliferous and mag- 

 netic. Under atmospheric and other physical agencies these nodules 

 separate from the clayey matrix, and lie scattered plentifully over 

 the surface in the form of rounded or oval pebbles, and small 

 boulders having a dark metallic lustre. On the other hand the soil 

 which is the principal result of this disintegration is fine-grained, 

 dirty-red, and sometimes unmodified, but oftener mixed with coarse 

 quartzose sand and vegetable mould, but in all cases scanty and poor. 

 This circumstance, conjoined with the protracted droughts of the 

 dry S.E. monsoon, lasting from eight to ten months, materially 

 influences the character of the vegetation, which is stunted and un- 

 dergrown, and seldom possesses the luxuriance we might expect 

 within 10|° of the physical and 8° of the thermal equator, except 

 along the banks of the Polo, Mew, and similar paltry streams and 



