East Coast, $ V. D 's Land.] INTRODUCTION. clxiii 
hour before the moon passes over the meridian; and the rise of tide is flinders 
from six to eight, or it is said to ten, feet. The ebb sets out seven r ' n f-o« ss * 
hours ; and both ebb and flood run with much rapidity in the narrow 
parts, but the particular rate was not ascertained. 
Port Dalrymple and the River Tamar* occupy the bottom of a 
valley betwixt two irregular chains of hills, which shoot off' north- 
westward, from the great body of inland mountains. In some places, 
these hills stand wide apart, and the river then opens its banks to a 
considerable extent ; in others, they nearly meet, and contract its 
bed to narrow limits. The Tamar has, indeed, more the appearance 
of a chain of lakes, than of a regularly-formed river; and such it 
probably was, until, by long undermining, assisted perhaps by some 
unusual weight of water, a communicating channel was formed, and 
a passage forced out to sea. From the shoals in Sea Reach, and 
more particularly from those at Green Island which turn the whole 
force of the tides, one is led to suppose, that the period when the 
passage to sea was forced has not been very remote. 
Of the two chains of hills which bound the valley, the eastern one 
terminates at Low Head ; the other comes down to the sea, five or 
six miles from it, on the west side of the port. The ends of these 
chains, when seen from directly off the entrance, appear as two 
clusters of hills having some resemblance to each other ; and in fine 
weather, the distant blue heads of the back mountains will be seen 
over the tops of both clusters. These appearances, joined to the 
* So named by the late lieut. colonel Paterson, who was sent from Port Jackson to 
settle a new colony there, in 1804. The sources of the river were then explored, and the 
new names applied which are given in the chart. The first town established was York- 
town at the head of the Western Arm, but this proving inconvenient as a sea port, it was 
proposed to be removed lower down, near Green Island. Launceston, which is intended 
to be the capital of the new colony, is fixed at the junction of the North and South Esks, 
up to which the Tamar is navigable for vessels of 150 tons. The tide reaches nine or ten 
miles up the North Esk, and the prod uce of the farms within that distance may be sent 
down the river by boats ; but the South Esk descends from the mountains by a cataract, 
directly iuto the Tamar, and, consequently, is not accessible to navigation of any kind. 
