COASTS OF AUSTRALIA. 
301 
eighteen feet at three-quarters’ flood. At eleven 1819. 
o’clock, having crossed the basin, we landed on Sept. 25. 
an islet which, like the rest, had been covered by 
the last high tide. The river had now con- 
tracted to the width of one hundred to one hun- 
dred and fifty yards, and trended by a winding 
course to the south and south-east, but the water 
was still as salt as ever, although we were at 
least sixty miles from the sea. As there was, 
now, no probability of our extending the exami- 
nation of this river for any useful purpose, we 
stopped at high water, and landed on the bank to 
examine the country whilst the people dined. 
We were about two or three miles from the base 
of a most remarkable quadrangular- shapfed mass 
of hills, rising abruptly from an extensive flat 
plain, covered with salt : the sides sloped down 
with a very steep descent to the base, and the 
top of the range was circumvented with cliffs, 
which, protruding at intervals, so perfectly re- 
sembled the bastions and ramparts of a formida- 
ble fortress, that it wanted only the display of a 
standard to render the illusion complete. It was 
named Mount Cockburn, in compliment to Vice- 
Admiral Sir George Cockburn, G.C.B., one of 
the Lord Commissioners of the Admiralty. The 
accompanying drawing of this remarkable range 
