45 
from Moreton Bay to Port Essington. 
The lagoons were surrounded by magnificent tea-trees, and this 
outlet was lined by pandanus. Myriads of ducks and wild geese 
covered the water. The whole country had been burnt, and the 
late thunder showers had produced the most luxuriant grass. 
We experienced the first thunder shower on the 14th November, 
at the table-land, after having been without rain from March, 
1845, with the exception of a shower in June and a drizzling rain 
on the 1st September. 
In latitude 12deg. 51 min. large plains accompanied the river; 
either grassy, with a rich loose black soil, or entirely bare with a 
stiff clayey soil. On plains of the latter kind we first met a salt¬ 
water creek lined with mangroves. The river bank was covered 
with a thick vine brush, gigantic tea-trees, palms, and bamboo. 
In latitude 12 deg. 49 min. I came apparently to a river with 
fresh water, lined with pandanus, palm-trees, &c., which joined 
the South Alligator. I was compelled to go up its course in order 
to head it. After about three miles’ travelling, we found that it 
was the outlet of a remarkable swamp, which, according to the 
statement of friendly black fellows, extended far to the eastward. 
The swamp was, with a few exceptions, dry, its bed a stiff clay, 
cracked by the heat of the sun. Out of its bed small islands of 
pandanus and of tea-tree rose, either round, like a tuft of green 
grass, or long and irregular. Fortunately we were able to cross 
it. The black fellows gave us to understand that a big lake of 
water is at its head. In the rainy season a passage would be 
impossible; and the traveller would have to keep out far to the 
north-east from the upper part of the South Alligator, or on the 
table-land, not only to avoid this big water, but to avoid being 
caught by the East Alligator, which, as I shall mention, compelled 
me to go far to the south again in order to cross it. 
In an almost northerly course I passed over iron-stone ridges, 
covered with rather scrubby forest, in which the small fan-leaved 
palm-tree became so abundant that it formed almost for itself the 
forest. A small tree, which we called the gooseberry-tree, as the 
taste of its ripe fruit resembled that of the gooseberry, was very 
frequent. We had found it all along the outside of the gulf. We 
crossed numerous creeks. The first to the south-east probably 
