14 NORTH AUSTRALIAN EXPEDITION. [Nov. 9, 1857. 
chips off the trail of our bow-gun, cooked our meals when the 
weather permitted. 
We were entangled at daybreak of the 16th among the shoals 
near the Forsyth Islands, but after working all day cleared them, 
and passing Points Bayley and Parker, steered for Investigator 
Eoad, anchoring at daybreak on the 17th, about half a mile S. of 
Inspection Hill, on the S.E. extremity of Sweers Island. 
After an hour’s rest we looked into Investigator Eoad, and, find- 
ing no vessel there, steered for the Albert, off the mouth of which, 
shortly after noon, we saw the Messenger getting under weigh, and 
about 2 p.m. were cordially welcomed to her decks. 
The Messenger had been obliged to call at Sweers Island for 
water, but that in the Beagle’s well, which Lieut. Chimmo, the 
commander of the Torch, had considerately re-opened for our use, 
proved so salt as to be quite unpleasant even when boiled with rice. 
The few buckets of water in our cask were, therefore, fairly dis- 
tributed, and I served cocoa nuts to every one on board. 
The Messenger had reached the mouth of the river on the 12th 
of November, or about five days before us, and Captain Devine 
went in with the gig to look for the marks I had agreed to leave, 
but of course found none. From the very gradual deepening of 
the water, he had not more than 11 feet at low tide nearly 8 miles 
from the shore, when Mr. Flood, being furnished with a boat, went 
up the Albert, which he found quite salt up to the farthest point 
reached by the Beagle’s boats. He found letters which stated that 
Mr. Gregory, having reached the rendezvous in 60 camps from the 
Victoria, and having nearly four months’ provisions still in hand, 
did not consider it prudent to wait the arrival of the schooner, and 
was to start on the 3rd of September for the settled districts. 
The discrepancy between the account given by our party and 
that of Captain Stokes, of the Albert Eiver may be easily accounted 
for when we remember that the boats of the Beagle visited it at 
the close of the rainy season, and ours after a long continuance of 
dry weather, and will not seem extraordinary when it is stated that 
we observed a difference of 15 or 20 miles in the lower limit of the 
fresh water of the Victoria in the wet and dry seasons. 
One of the crew had died, and was buried at the anchorage. 
On the 18th we anchored in Investigator Eoad, and, landing on 
Sweers Island, cleared out Flinders’ well, which is in the bed of a 
dry gully, about 80 yards from its mouth ; the upper soil being 
light black mould, and the lower stratum rocky. The water flowed 
as quickly as the men could bale it up. 
