TIME OF TIDE WAVE. 51 



Northumberland Islands. Mr. Evans, master of 

 the Fly, informed me that the tide wave strikes the 

 whole East coast of Australia, from Sydney to Torres 

 Strait, much about the same time, namely, eight 

 o'clock, at the full and change of the moon. He 

 also told me that in the tract about the Palm Island. 

 Rockingham Bay, and Endeavour River, there is no 

 tide at all. I have never heard any explanation of 

 the high tides on the North-west coast of Australia. 

 As no other point on the west side of the South Pacific 

 that I am acquainted with — certainly none near the 

 colonies — has tides anything like so high as this 

 tract of coast between Broad Sound and Whitsunday 

 Passage, it seems destined at some future time to be 

 the spot where the great ship-yards of that part of 

 the world shall be situated ; but whether the time 

 is come when such an establishment would be ad- 

 visable, I am not competent to judge.* 



* After twice circumnavigating Australia, and visiting all its 

 colonies, especially those of the southern coast, I lookback upon 

 this tract between 22° and 20°, with still higher expectations 

 than before, and certainly have never seen any part of Australia, 

 near the sea, of equal fertility, or of nearly equally pleasant and 

 agreeable aspect, or combining so many natural advantages. 



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