COASTS OP AUSTRALIA. 
403 
landed in many parts on search of fresh water, isao. 
but were on all occasions unsuccessful. At the Sept - l2 - 
end of this reach the river, for such it now ap- 
peared to be, gradually narrowed, and wound 
with a more serpentine course under the base of 
the hills, which still continued to be rugged and 
steep; but the banks were now thickly lined 
by mangroves, whereas in the first or sea reach 
they are formed principally of large rounded 
masses of rock that had been detached from the 
summits of the over-hanging hills by the effect 
of the cascades, some of which must have fallen 
from a height of 200 feet without interruption 
in their descent. During the rainy season it 
would be dangerous to expose a vessel to the 
strength of the freshes in this river. 
At the distance of six miles from the end of 
the first reach, we arrived at the termination of 
the river, where its width was not more than 
twenty-five yards. Here its bed was blocked 
up by large water-worn masses of sand-stone, 
and, as the boat could not proceed farther, we 
landed to await the turn of the tide. 
About a mile below this part we had unex- 
pectedly found a spring of fresh water bubbling 
up among the mangroves, and yielding a very 
considerable quantity : whilst we were examin- 
ing it, the tide was nearly up, so that we had 
2 D 2 
