22 Dr. Fitton on the Geology of Australia. 



yet been observed. One large inlet especially, on the south- 

 east of Cape Leveque, appears to afford considerable promise 

 of a river; and the rise of the tide within the Buccaneer's 

 Archipelago, where there is another unexplored opening, is 

 no less than thirty-seven feet. 



The outline of the coast about Cape Leveque itself is low, 

 waving, and rounded ; and the hue for which the cliffs are re- 

 markable in so many parts of the coast to the north, is also 

 observable here, the colour of the rocks at Point Coulomb 

 being of a deep red : — but on the south of the high ground 

 near that Point, the rugged stony cliffs are succeeded by a 

 long tract, which to the French voyagers (for it was not ex- 

 amined by Captain King,) appeared to consist of low and sandy 

 land, fronted by extensive shoals. It has hitherto been seen, 

 however, only at a distance; so that a space of more than 

 three hundred miles, from Point Gantheaume nearly to Cape 

 Lambert, still remains to be accurately surveyed. 



Depuch Island, east of Dampier's Archipelago, about lati- 

 tude 20° 30', is described by the French naturalists as consist- 

 ing in a great measure of columnar rocks, which they supposed 

 to be volcanic ; and they found reason to believe that the ad- 

 joining continent was of the same materials *. It is not im- 

 probable, however, that this term was applied to columns be- 

 longing to the trap formation, since no burning mountain has 

 been any where observed on the coast of New Holland : — nor 

 do the drawings of Depuch Island, made on board Captain 

 King's vessel, give reason to suppose that it is at present 

 eruptive. Captain King's specimens from Malus Island, in 

 Dampier's Archipelago, (sixty miles further west) consist of 

 green-stone and amygdaloid. 



The coast is again broken and rugged about Dampier's 

 Archipelago, latitude 20° 30' ; and on the south of Cape Pres- 

 ton, in latitude 21°, is an opening of about fifteen miles in width, 

 between rocky hills, which has not been explored. From 

 thence to the bottom of Exmouth Gulf, — more than one hun- 

 dred and fifty miles, the const is low and sandy, and does not 

 exhibit any prominences. The west coast of Exmouth Gulf 

 itself is formed by a promontory of level land, terminating in 

 the North-west Cape ; and from thence to the south-west, as 

 far as Cape Cuvier, the general height of the coast is from 

 four to five hundred feet; nor are any mountains visible over 

 the coast range. 



Several portions of the shore beween Shark's Bay and Cape 

 Naturaliste have been described in the account of Commodore 

 Baudin's expedition ; but some parts still remain to be sur- 



* Peron, vol. i. p. 130. 



veyed. 



