ifficulty I could crawl in; when I had entered there
was nothing to gratify my curiosity.

NATIVE CLOTHING.

Hanging on trees round these habitations, were specimens of an article of
clothing, never before seen among the Aborigines of Australia, for which
reason I have been induced to give the woodcut of one.* It is a kind of
covering for the shoulders, a species of cape, made from coarse grass.

(*Footnote. I have since heard from Mr. Earl, that the women in the
South-East part of Van Diemen's Gulf, occasionally wear a covering round
their waist, somewhat similar to the representation given.)

Baskets were also left hanging on the trees, bespeaking the honesty of
the inhabitants of this part of the country.

The land near the huts was turned up in search of roots, and close by
were some large clubs. The thermometer fell in the night to 67 degrees,
producing the novel though pleasant sensation of cold.

July 27.

Although apparently we could trace the land, near the head of the opening
or bay, still the great set of tide in that direction, left hopes of its
being the mouth of a river. We have
already alluded to the difficulty of detecting the mouth of Australian
streams, and the doubts thus engendered occasioned the greater anxiety.

Impatient to learn the truth, Mr. Fitzmaurice was despatched to examine
the head of the bay, whilst the ship was moved towards it, anchoring
again one mile North-West from a very remarkable patch of low red cliffs
(which from startling circumstances, hereafter to be related, were called
Escape Cliffs) and only two cables length distant from the coral ledge,
by which this and the shores around were fronted.

VISIT THE SHORE.

Here another party visited the shore, and those whose occupation did not
render their presence necessary near the water, strolled into the
country, penetrating about four or five miles inland, but they were
rewarded by the sight of no novelty, or even variety in the scenery,
beyond what was presented to our view on the visit to Cape Hotham, which
it will readily be allowed was little enough. Indeed it will in general
be found, that in Australia, a change of formation is necessary to
produce any of the scenery, which otherwise exhibits a most monotonous
sameness.

A coarse kind of ironstone gravel was (if I may use the term) scattered
over the face of the country; some of it had a glazed appearance on the
surface, being hollow within, and about the size of a