86 Lectures on the Geology , Botany, Sfc., of the 
and two and a half of longitude; that the elevation on its upper 
course renders the climate much cooler than might be expected 
from its latitude; and besides that several large tributaries, as the 
Cape, the Clarke, the Perry, drain in all probability large tracts of 
available country ; you will on consideration agree with me that if 
a settlement is to be established on the east coast it ought to be 
at the mouth of the Burdekin, which I suppose to be at Cape 
Upstart, on the southern extremity of Halifax Bay. Should the 
entrance of the river be barred, as is the case with all the rivers 
of the east coast south of Wide Bay, it must be remembered that 
the inner barrier, which extends from Cape York down to 
Bunker’s Islands, forms along the coast a channel of smooth 
water, which may be considered in the light of a river, the navi¬ 
gation of which has been repeatedly recommended by Captain 
King, the best authority to whom an appeal can be made. 
The flats along the river are chiefly formed by the detritus of 
coarse granitic rocks, the feldspar of which has been transformed 
into clay, mixed with grains of quart* derived from the same 
source. Stiff clay soil was limited, and confined to hollows and 
depressions, round which the poplar-gum generally formed a belt 
of bright green foliage. Rotten ground was not uncommon, but 
it always proved to be a mixture of clay with sand ; for the 
funnel-ant, which forms its habitations in such a soil, requires 
clay to cement the moving grains of sand. 
I wish I was capable of giving you an adequate idea of the 
beauty and richness of the basaltic table land. The open forest 
of narrow-leaved iron-bark and box, on a sound rather stony 
ground, alternated with plains of various extent, richly grassed 
and frequently watered by numerous running brooks and springs. 
Large and deep lagoons were scattered over the valley, 0 r 
were parallel to the river. The latter was still running strongly 
over its sandy, pebbly, or rocky bed, with a rich and luxuriant 
pasture everywhere around it. But the approach to this inte¬ 
resting country is intercepted by a very mountainous region, and 
by many deep creeks, over which more practicable roads will 
no doubt be found in the progress of colonization. The basalt 
