127 
Gulph of Carpentaria.'] TERRA AUSTRALIS. 
In the upper parts of the port the country was well covered 
with wood, mostly eucalyptus ; but near the entrance it was little better 
than bare sand, with some scattered trees of the casuarina and pan- 
dams: a stone of imperfectly concreted coral sand and shells formed 
the basis, foot marks of the kanguroo were imprinted on the sand, 
and a dog was seen ; drupes of the pandanus, which had been sucked, 
lay in eveiy direction, and small cockle shells were scattered on the 
beaches. I sought in vain for the canoe which had landed here, nor 
did I find any huts of the natives. 
Before quitting the shore, a hatchet was made fast to the 
branch of a tree, and set up conspicuously near the water side. We 
had scarcely shoved off', when the party of Indians, sixteen in num- 
ber, made their appearance and called to us ; but when the boat's 
head was turned toward them, they ran away. On the south side 
of the entrance v\cie four other natives, who also ran at our approach; 
we therefore set up another hatchet for them on the beach, and re- 
turned back to the ship. 
These people were all naked ; and in colour, as in every thing 
else, seemed to have a perfect resemblance to the inhabitants of the 
east and south coasts of Terra Australis. In Torres' Strait bows 
and arrows are the offensive weapons; but here we saw spears only: 
each man had several in his hand, and something which was sup- 
posed to be a throwing stick. 
This small opening appears to be the Coen River of the Dutch 
chart; but the entrance is too small and shallow to admit any thing 
larger than boats: its latitude is 12° 13' south, and longitude 14,1° 47' 
east ; and the variation of the compass, observed with the ship's 
head in the magnetic meridian, was 4 » 36' east. The tide was run- 
ning from south-west, at ten in the morning, and on entering the 
inlet it was found to be setting in with considerable strength; at two 
in the afternoon the flood was still running ; and admitting that it 
Mon d be high Mater an hour afterwards, as seemed probable, the 
time would be five hours and a half after the moon passed the lower 
IS02. 
November. 
Sunday 7. 
