CHANNEL BEHIND MOUNT HINCH1NBROOK. 91 



Tt is cut off from the mainland by a narrow channel 

 or arm of the sea, as was suspected by Captain King. 

 This arm was explored in a boat by Lieutenant Shad- 

 well, Mr. (now Lieutenant) Porcher and myself. 

 Its southern opening is unfortunately blocked by a 

 sand bar covered with breakers, and its northern 

 entrance has a great dry sand-spit on one side, and 

 only a depth of three fathoms on the other at low 

 water. Inside, however, there is often from six to 

 twelve fathoms depth over a large part of the 

 channel, it is perfectly land-locked and sheltered 

 from all possible storms. It is surrounded by a 

 broad border of mangroves, which, towards the 

 south, stretches far into the flat land behind Halifax 

 Bay. On the main land an unbroken range of high 

 land, none of which is less than 2,000 feet in height, 

 stretches along shore, as far as we could see, to the 

 southward, and after sweeping round Rockingham 

 Bay, rises and spreads to the northward into still 

 loftier and more broken and mountainous elevations. 

 The summit of this range, near Rockingham Bay, is 

 very level, but there are many projecting buttresses 

 and ridges on its seaward slope, which is everywhere 

 very steep, and seems furrowed by many gullies and 

 ravines and narrow-winding valleys penetrating its 

 sides. From these flow several streams of fresh 

 water; one of which, in the north-western part of the 

 bay, explored by Captain Blackwood, is stated by 

 him to be of considerable size. Two others, traced 

 by Lieut. Ince, Mr. Pym, and myself, after winding 



