DESCRIPTION OF COUNTRY. 209 



g'one up about a mile, when further progress was 

 stopped by a ridg-e of rocks stretching- across from 

 side to side marking the limits of the tidal influence. 

 Over this the rush of fresh water formed a strong- 

 rapid backed by a deep, slug'g'ish, winding- stream, 

 draining- a larg-e basin-like valley bounded behind 

 by the central ridg-e of the island, the principal 

 hills of which attain an elevation of from 992 to 

 1421 feet, and one, Mount Eattlesnake, is 2689 

 feet in heig-ht. At times the body of water dis- 

 charged here must be immense, judging from the 

 quantity of drift wood and other detritus lodged 

 in the trees twelve feet above the present level of 

 the stream, probably during the inundations of the 

 rainy season. These floods must also spread over 

 the low land on the margin of the river to a con- 

 siderable distance, the deep red clay there, evidently 

 the washings of the hills, bearing the marks of 

 having been under water. The jungle in places is 

 very dense, but, with the exercise of a little patience 

 and labour, it can be penetrated at almost every 

 point. On rising ground it is often bordered by a 

 thicket of creeping and climbing plants mixed up 

 with bushes and patches of Hellenia ccerulea. The 

 low wooded hills are covered with tall grass 

 growing on very poor soil — of partially decomposed 

 mica-slate with lumps of quartz. 



It being considered practicable to water the ship 

 at this place, we returned on board. In the after- 

 noon the first load of ^Y?itev was brought o% and in 



VOL. I. P 



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