COASTS OF AUSTRALIA. 
295 
from the destructive effects of recent fires, and i 8 ia. 
springing up in great luxuriance. In our ascent Sept. 19. 
we passed through several deep gullies, which 
bore the marks of having once yielded abundance 
of water, but were now quite dried up. 
The next day Mr. Cunningham accompanied 20. 
me on an excursion round Adolphus Island, 
taking from the anchorage an easterly direction ; 
and passing to the north of the two mangrove 
islands. On the eastern side of Adolphus Island, 
we landed on one of two rocky islets, and took 
some bearings from its summit. It is composed 
of loose blocks of decomposed sand-stone. On 
the summit we observed a large hawk’s nest, 
but it was deserted by its constructor. The 
only plants that were found upon this rock were 
a prickly capparis and a leafless ficus , the lat- 
ter bearing clusters of small, whitish, globular 
fruit: these plants, with a . small hibiscus , were 
the chief productions of the rock ; and have pro- 
bably been produced from seeds deposited there 
by birds. 
On leaving these rocks, I hoped to have 
reached in time some part of the north-east 
shore of Adolphus Island, where I could ob- 
serve the sun’s meridional altitude on the sea 
horizon; but we were detained in the arm by 
strong ripplings and a fresh sea-breeze, until it 
