ITS SHALLOW N ESS. 
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of land. The channel was immediately below us, and con- 
tinued to the E. S. E. as far as we could trace it. The hills 
we were upon, were the sandy hills that always bound a 
coast that is low, and were covered with banksias, casua- 
rina, and the grass-tree. 
To the south of the channel there was a flat, backed by 
a range of sand-hummocks, that were covered with low 
shrubs ; and beyond them the sea was distinctly visible. 
We could not have been more than two and a half miles 
from the beach where we stood. 
Notwithstanding the sandy nature of the soil, the fossil 
formation again shewed itself, not only on these hills, but 
also on the rocks that were in the channel. 
A little before high water we again embarked. A seal 
had been observed playing about, and we augured well from 
such an omen. The blacks had been watching us from the 
opposite shore, and as soon as we moved, rose to keep 
abreast of us. With all our efforts we could not avoid the 
shoals. We walked up to our knees in mud and water, to 
find the least variation in the depth of the water so as to 
facilitate our exertions, but it was to no purpose. We 
were ultimately obliged to drag the boat over the flats ; 
there were some of them a quarter of a mile in breadth, 
knee-deep in mud ; but at length got her into deep water 
again . The turn of the channel was now before us, and 
we had a good run for about four or five miles. We had 
completed the bend, and the channel now stretched to the 
E. S. E. At about nine miles from us there was a bright 
