46 



WHITSUNDAY passage. 



March 25.— Anchored in Port Molle, at the 

 N.W. end of Whitsunday Passage. At four this 

 afternoon I accompanied Captain Blackwood to 

 explore the head of the harbour, where, to our sur- 

 prise, we found a broad passage right through by Pine 

 Head, leading round again into Whitsunday Pas- 

 sage. We never got less than eight fathoms water, 

 but met with strong tide ripplings once or twice. 

 We slept on a little rocky island at the opening of 

 this strait, and the next day landed on the main, but 

 found the woods too dense and the hills rising too 

 abruptly to admit of much exploration. The shores 

 here rise in a very steep slope, with occasional pre- 

 cipices to a height of several hundred feet, and are 

 completely covered by a magnificent forest, the 

 greater part of which are pine trees. This pine is 

 closely allied to the Norfolk Island pine, but is a 

 distinct species and much handsomer in appearance. 

 It is found occasionally along the east coast of 

 Australia, especially on rocky hills, from Port 

 Bowen to Cape Melville, but Whitsunday Passage 

 seems to be its head-quarters. The timber is rather 

 encumbered by knots, but reported on very favour- 

 ably by the carpenter of the Fly for many ship's pur- 

 poses. Captain King made a spar of it, and speaks 

 well of it. 



On returning to the ship, we found a melancholy 

 occurrence had taken place. Dowling, the cox- 

 swain of the pinnace, and an excellent man, had 

 been some days ill with a low fever. He hum* in a 



