13 
boniferous, Devonian, and Silurian, and Metamorphic. Of the 
alluvial, he says (see Proceedings or Quarterly Journal of 
Geological Society for 1872, p. 278) : — Fluviatile or freshwater 
deposits skirt all the present watercourses, but the accumulations 
are insignificant on the eastern watershed, except near the em- 
bouchures of large rivers, such as the Burdekin, Pitzroy, &c. 
On the shores of Carpentaria, however, and in the south-western 
portions of the colony, where the watercourses have scarcely any 
fall, and where in seasons of excessive rain the country is nearly 
all inundated, fluviatile deposits are very extensive. Although 
the sediments redeposited as alluvia between the Main Dividing 
Bange and the east coast are as stated comparatively insig- 
nificant, they represent the denudation of no insignificant amount 
of varied rock material, since the present physical contour of the 
eastern portion of the colony is probably due to the influence of 
meteoric action, such as rain, &c. Though the dense lavas of 
the Upper Burdekin (volcanic outbursts of a late tertiary epoch) 
are traversed by valleys of erosion, in some cases 200 feet deep 
and five miles broad, yet very narrow and shallow alluvial deposits 
skirt the immediate margin of the watercourses draining such 
valleys. The same conditions are met with in all the more 
elevated table-lands or ridges, which give a character to the present 
physical outline of the eastern Main Bange. It is only near the 
mouths of the larger rivers that any extent of alluvium has been 
deposited, and even these areas are at the present time in seasons 
of excessive rain liable to inundation, showing that little upheaval 
of this portion of Australia has taken place since the last 
volcanic disturbances terminated.” 
Mr. Daintree goes on to say that meteoric conditions were 
the same as the £>resent time with regard to the distribution of 
the rain in the seasons ; but this, I think, is an assertion which 
we are hardly in a position to prove, though there is no evidence 
to the contrary. 
As far as my observations have gone, the low-lying flats 
north of Townsville are of recent alluvial formation and are of 
freshwater origin. If they had been marine, we should expect 
to see signs of upheaval on these and other portions of the 
coast. There are, however, no such signs. This, I am aware, 
is a direct contradiction to the opinion of Dr. Battray, already 
cited. But that gentleman cites no evidence of upheaval, such 
as raised beaches and marine fossils. He also appears to have 
been imperfectly acquainted with the coast geology of New 
South Wales, for he refers to that region as also affording 
evidences of upheaval, whereas such things are quite unknown. 
In fact, there could not be a stronger contrast than is presented 
by the whole of the north-eastern or eastern coast to the 
southern, where upheaval is either now going on or has been 
going on until recently. There the appearances are unmistake- 
able. From the mouth of the Murray Biver to Cape Bridge- 
water we have raised beaches and thick beds of fossiliferous 
rocks full of marine remains. The most of these are extinct, 
