COASTS OF AUSTRALIA. 
13 
as we passed, but the distance was too great i 82 i. 
to take any notice of him. June ir. 
In the afternoon we landed upon the small 
island in the bay, and found it to be separated 
from the main land by a very shoal channel, 
through which our boat had some difficulty in 
passing ; the island is small, and formed of loose 
fragments of granite, over which the decomposed 
vegetable matter had formed a soil, which, al- 
though shallow, was sufficient to nourish some 
luxuriant grass (panicum), and a robust species 
of eucalyptus: among these large flights of cock- 
atoos and parroquets were hovering, but they 
were very shy, and did not allow us to approach 
them : a small dove, common to other parts of 
the coast, was killed. A native was seen walking 
along a sandy beach behind the island, but pro- 
ceeded without noticing our boat, which was at 
that time passing. 
The following day the weather was so clear is. 
that, in the early part of the morning, we dis- 
tinctly saw the summit of the land at the back of 
Cape Tribulation, bearing N. 43° W. (mag.) ; it 
must have been fifty-five or sixty miles off ; the fall 
of the land towards the extremity of the cape was 
also seen, bearing N. 35° 50' W. fifty-six miles. 
In the afternoon I went on shore near the 
