4 
NORTH AUSTRALIAN EXPEDITION. 
[Nov. 9, 1857. 
had fair breezes from the south and south-east, with smooth water ; 
and though the necessity of anchoring at night, during the latter 
part of it, somewhat delayed us, we were inclined to think that the 
dangers of the outer passage would have more than counterbalanced 
this disadvantage. We saw four or five canoes at different times in 
the vicinity of Cape York : they were of single logs, hollowed out, 
and fitted with outriggers, also of wood and boat-shaped, to prevent 
their capsizing. 
The natives seemed to unite the characteristics of the Australian 
and Papuan races. They were ornamented with regularly formed 
scars, which, being pulled open as they healed, allowed the new 
flesh to rise and form a prominence as thick as a man’s finger. 
They had spears of hard wood, with pieces of bone, forming points 
and barbs, lashed on with strips of bark, and bows of bamboo with 
strings of the outer rind of the same, and arrows of wood or reed 
tipped with hard wood. These, as well as pieces of tortoise shell, 
they bartered for sticks of tobacco, handkerchiefs, &c. 
The country here was covered with ant hills of red clay, twenty 
feet in height. We searched on Albany Island for the graves of those 
who perished on Kennedy’s Expedition, but I believe none of our 
party saw them. I painted a record of our visit in black letters on a 
rock near the beach. 
On the evening of September 2nd, the Monarch, which was 
leading at the time, ran upon a reef ; and the schooner, which 
anchored near, grounded for two hours at low water. We found 
the barque on a flat bed of rock, the inequalities of which we picked 
away, to lessen the chance of injury to her keel, but were not able 
to get her off till Monday, the 10th. We obtained a little water 
from the well mentioned by Captain Stokes on Quail Island. 
On Friday the 14th of September we anchored near Point Pearce, 
having seen nothing of the Monarch for the last three days ; 
and on the 15th we ran up with the flood tide between the broad 
shoals in the estuary of the Victoria. At night we entered the 
river, and anchored in Blunder Bay, where, on Sunday the 16th, 
Mr. Gregory landed with a party to search for water, and found 
a rocky pool containing several hundred gallons. We sailed 
immediately, and, on Monday afternoon, again anchored near 
Point Pearce, where we found the Monarch landing the horses, 
which, for want of fresh water, could no longer be kept on board. 
We of course assisted; and though we had to swim them three 
miles, forty-one were safely landed, seven or eight having been 
drowned, one irrecoverably fixed in the mud, and another lost after 
he was brought ashore. 
