COASTS OF AUSTRALIA. 
411 
tough coats of mail without hurting or scarcely 
frightening them. A small trickling of water was Se P t 13 * 
noticed among the rocks, which they found to be 
fresh, but in too small a quantity to be of any 
use. The boat was six hours and a half pulling 
down, although for the first five hours the tide 
was favourable. 
The river was named after the rector of New- 
bury, the reverend father of my zealous and di- 
ligent assistant Mr. Roe. It appears to be a 
very considerable stream, and, as Mr. Roe justly 
observes, in the rainy season, or at any other 
time of the year than during the months of Sep- 
tember and October, which terminate the dry 
season, will doubtless afford a large quantity of 
fresh water. 
The opportunity that offered in Hunter’s River 
of filling our water-casks was not to be lost ; 
and the day after the boat returned from the 14 . 
examination of Roe’s River the cutter was 
moved to an anchorage, about half way up the 
first or sea reach of Hunter’s River ; and the 
next morning before daylight the boats were is 
despatched ; but, owing to the darkness of the 
morning, and the ebb-tide having left the shores 
dry and almost inaccessible, from the quantity of 
mud that lined them, they did not reach the spring 
until late in the day. In the mean time, how- 
