﻿Botany. 
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  along 
  the 
  coast 
  of 
  Queensland, 
  giving 
  opportunity 
  for 
  a 
  hasty 
  

   glance 
  at 
  the 
  natural 
  features, 
  while 
  in 
  the 
  second 
  place, 
  the 
  

   waters 
  through 
  which 
  one 
  sails, 
  are 
  protected 
  by 
  the 
  long 
  barrier 
  

   reef. 
  These 
  coral 
  reefs 
  extend 
  from 
  24° 
  30' 
  south 
  latitude 
  as 
  far 
  

   as 
  Torres 
  Straits 
  at 
  the 
  North, 
  in 
  latitude 
  10°. 
  The 
  .distance 
  

   between 
  the 
  irregular 
  reef 
  and 
  the 
  shore 
  varies 
  greatly, 
  being 
  in 
  

   some 
  places 
  about 
  one 
  hundred 
  miles, 
  in 
  others 
  less 
  than 
  ten 
  

   miles. 
  For 
  a 
  good 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  voyage 
  near 
  the 
  upper 
  extremity 
  

   of 
  the 
  great 
  York 
  peninsula, 
  the 
  shore 
  is 
  plainly 
  in 
  sight, 
  while 
  

   on 
  the 
  other 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  ship 
  one 
  can 
  see 
  the 
  low-lying 
  islands 
  of 
  

   the 
  Barrier 
  Reef. 
  The 
  whole 
  distance 
  from 
  Brisbane 
  to 
  Thurs- 
  

   day 
  Island, 
  1430 
  miles, 
  is 
  under 
  the 
  direction 
  of 
  coast 
  pilots. 
  

  

  The 
  voyage 
  at 
  this 
  part 
  is 
  almost 
  like 
  a 
  sail 
  along 
  the 
  banks 
  of 
  

   a 
  wide 
  river. 
  The 
  shore 
  is 
  frequently 
  fringed 
  by 
  mangroves, 
  

   . 
  while 
  on 
  the 
  higher 
  land 
  the 
  tropical 
  trees 
  are 
  thickly 
  crowded. 
  

   For 
  considerable 
  distances, 
  the 
  steamer 
  keeps 
  so 
  close 
  to 
  the 
  

   shore, 
  that 
  one 
  can 
  discern 
  the 
  habit 
  of 
  the 
  larger 
  trees. 
  At 
  cer- 
  

   tain 
  straits 
  one 
  can 
  see 
  distinctly 
  even 
  the 
  hills 
  of 
  the 
  white 
  ants, 
  

   and 
  the 
  forms 
  of 
  the 
  lower 
  shrubs. 
  

  

  It 
  is 
  impossible 
  to 
  forget, 
  as 
  one 
  sails 
  along 
  this 
  coast, 
  how 
  

   closely 
  every 
  part 
  is 
  connected 
  with 
  the 
  discoveries 
  of 
  Capt. 
  

   James 
  Cook. 
  The 
  names' 
  of 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  headlands 
  and 
  bays 
  

   bear 
  witness 
  to 
  the 
  arduous 
  efforts 
  of 
  this 
  intrepid 
  navigator, 
  

   and 
  serve 
  as 
  the 
  lasting 
  memorials 
  of 
  the 
  perils 
  and 
  adventures 
  

   of 
  Cook's 
  " 
  first 
  voyage." 
  Among 
  these 
  names 
  are 
  : 
  Weary 
  

   Bay, 
  Cape 
  Flattery, 
  Cape 
  Tribulation, 
  Repulse 
  Island, 
  and 
  so 
  

   on 
  ; 
  together 
  with 
  many 
  which 
  simply 
  note 
  the 
  dates 
  on 
  which 
  

   the 
  places 
  were 
  touched 
  during 
  the 
  voyage, 
  such 
  as 
  Whitsunday 
  

   Passage, 
  Pentecost 
  Island, 
  Wednesday 
  Island, 
  Thursday 
  Island. 
  

   The 
  place 
  last 
  named 
  has 
  the 
  safest 
  harbor 
  in 
  the 
  region. 
  It 
  is 
  

   at 
  this 
  point 
  that 
  the 
  coast 
  pilot 
  relinquishes 
  his 
  charge 
  to 
  the 
  

   captain. 
  

  

  At 
  Thursday 
  Island, 
  our 
  ship 
  was 
  placed 
  in 
  quarantine, 
  owing 
  

   to 
  a 
  case 
  of 
  supposed 
  scarlatina. 
  This 
  disease 
  had 
  been 
  epidemic 
  

   'at 
  our 
  port 
  of 
  departure, 
  Brisbane, 
  and 
  a 
  single 
  slight 
  case 
  on 
  

   board 
  appeared 
  to 
  justify 
  the 
  health 
  officer 
  of 
  the 
  port 
  in 
  preventing 
  

   any 
  of 
  the 
  passengers 
  from 
  landing. 
  Therefore 
  we 
  remained 
  

   nearly 
  a 
  day 
  in 
  sight 
  of 
  an 
  interesting 
  shore, 
  with 
  no 
  opportunity 
  

   to 
  visit 
  it 
  or 
  receive 
  collections 
  from 
  it. 
  

  

  The 
  passage 
  through 
  Torres 
  Straits 
  is 
  considered 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  

   most 
  dangerous 
  bits 
  of 
  navigation 
  in 
  the 
  world, 
  owing 
  to 
  the 
  

   presence 
  of 
  numerous 
  small 
  islands 
  and 
  hidden 
  reefs, 
  with 
  cur- 
  

   rents 
  which 
  are 
  as 
  yet 
  not 
  fully 
  understood. 
  It 
  was 
  at 
  this 
  place 
  

   that 
  the 
  " 
  Quetta 
  " 
  sank 
  just 
  one 
  year 
  before 
  we 
  passed 
  the 
  spot 
  ; 
  

   her 
  commander 
  was 
  in 
  charge 
  of 
  our 
  own 
  steamer 
  and 
  gave 
  us 
  

   harrowing 
  details 
  of 
  that 
  disaster. 
  

  

  At 
  Torres 
  Straits 
  we 
  were 
  only 
  a 
  few 
  miles 
  from 
  the 
  southern 
  

   part 
  of 
  New 
  Guinea, 
  but 
  we 
  passed 
  it 
  at 
  night 
  and 
  did 
  not 
  catch 
  

   a 
  sight 
  of 
  land. 
  The 
  first 
  land 
  sighted, 
  but 
  still 
  at 
  a 
  considerable 
  

   distance, 
  was 
  Timor 
  Laut, 
  after 
  we 
  had 
  traversed 
  the 
  Arafura 
  

  

  