Geographical Collections. 449 
the rivers and marshes are almost entirely regulated by the seasons, the time of 
the year must always form an important matter of consideration in the testimony 
we can draw from the accounts of travellers. The navigation from the Cape to 
the Swan River does not present any extraordinary difficulties, and it is well 
known that ships navigating the eastern seas, have constantly to beat down to a 
parallel with this river; but that the long belt of oceanic water that washes the 
Shores of Leeuwin’s, Edel’s, or Endracht’s Lands, is boisterous, and at certain 
seasons of the year with difficulty navigable, is certain from the experience of 
what few visits have been made to these shores. The coast in the neighbourhood 
of Swan River, presents also the usual difficulties met with in navigating the 
South Seas in coral reefs and islands, but not to a very dangerous extent. 
Swan River is not a very large river, not being, we believe, above a mile in 
width a little beyond its embouchure. It is, however, deep; and though the 
French navigators met with several mishaps, being twice stranded in their course, 
Captain Stirling’s party found the river navigable until it almost ceases to be a 
Stream, or where there was not room for a boat to pass. Port Cockburn is the 
place which is regarded as fittest for harbouring ships: it is distant eight miles 
from the river, and there is room for the largest fleet, with seven fathoms water, 
within twenty yards of the shore, and this perfectly land-locked. There is stated 
to be no surf, and Mr. Frazer is inclined to think that, as at the entrance of the 
river, there is not a perpendicular height of five feet from the line of low water 
to that of vegetation, there is never any very heavy weather in the Sound. On 
the bar at the entrance there is only one fathom of water, but that is always 
smooth. Between the isles of Berthollet and Buache is the entrance for ships 
drawing more than sixteen feet water into Port Cockburn. Vessels drawing less 
than sixteen feet, can run directly across the sound from the entrance of Swan 
River to Port Cockburn. Vessels of any burden, then, can proceed up the sound 
to the entrance of the river, where there is good anchorage, with plenty of room 
to heat out, should the wind come to blow hard from the north-west. 
After passing the rocky barrier which incloses the river at its mouth, it deve- 
lopes itself, and becomes much wider. The country is low, and this is the ter- 
mination of the limestone. The soil, consisting of a retentive argillaceous sub- 
stratum, is the part marked as Melville Water in the map, into which Canning 
River, mistaken by the French for an outlet, to which they gave the name of 
Moreau, falls on the one side, and there is abundance of fresh water on the other. 
The season the French visited the place was rather early after the wet season, 
and it was yet covered with little lakes and ponds, and traversed by numerous ri- 
vulets. There can be no doubt but that, during the winter season, the whole of 
this part of the country is one entire flood.* Wurther up the river are a number 
of small islands, called by the French, Isles of Herisson. These are composed of 
a rich deposit carried down by the floods. Captain Stirling’s expedition met 
with the same difficulties as the French at this part of the river, and had to drag 
the boats over the mud, and beds of oyster shells lay a foot deep in the mire, and_ 
lacerated the feet. 
There are several lagune in the island of Buache, which are all salt. Their 
shores were covered with deep beds of the only two kinds of shells met with; one 
a bi-valve, the other a rose-coloured species of Melania. On the coast near Swan 
River, Mr. Frazer met with an extensive mineral spring, issuing from beneath a 
mass of cavernous limestone rocks, in width about seven feet, and running at the 
rate of three feet in a second. 
There is no water on Berthollet Island. 
Botany.—On the south head of the entrance to Swan River, Mr. Frazer ob- 
served a considerable variety of interesting plants, amongst which were Anigo- 
* « The flats or levels (says Mr. Frazer) are very fertile, composed of a rich 
alluvial deposit, but evidently occasionally flooded, drift timber having been 
seen five feet above the surface.” 
VOL. I. oO L 
