he
colony of New South Wales. The summit was full of wombat holes and,
unlike that side by which I had ascended, it was covered with the dead
trunks of enormous trees in all stages of decay.

PORT PHILLIP DIMLY SEEN FROM IT.

I had two important objects in view in ascending this hill; one being to
determine its position trigonometrically as a point likely to be seen
from the country to which I was going, where it might be useful to me in
fixing other points; the other being to obtain a view of Port Phillip,
and thus to connect my survey with that harbour. But the tree-fern,
musk-plant, brush, and lofty timber together shut us up for a long time
from any prospect of the low country to the southward, and it was not
until I had nearly exhausted a fine sunny afternoon in wandering round
the broad summit that I could distinguish and recognise some of the hills
to the westward; and when I at length obtained a glimpse of the country
towards the coast the features of the earth could scarcely be
distinguished from the sky or sea, although one dark point looked more
like a cape than a cloud and seemed to remain steady. With my glass I
perceived that water lay inside of that cape and that low plains extended
northward from the water. I next discovered a hilly point outside of the
cape or towards the sea; and on descending the hill to where the trees
grew less thickly I obtained an uninterrupted view of the whole piece of
water. As the sun went down the distant horizon became clearer towards
the coast and I intersected at length the two capes; also one at the head
of the bay and several detached hills. I perceived distinctly the course
of the Exe and Arundell rivers and a line of mangrove trees along the low
shore. In short I at length recognised Port Phillip and the intervening
country around it at a distance afterwards ascertained to be upwards of
fifty miles from Indented Head, which proved to be the first cape I had
seen; that outside (at A) being Point Nepean on the east side of the
entrance to this bay. At that vast distance I could trace no signs of
life about this harbour. No stockyards, cattle, nor even smoke, although
at the highest northern point of the bay I saw a mass of white objects
which might have been either tents or vessels. I perceived a white speck,
which I took for breakers or white sand, on the projecting point of the
north-eastern shore. (B.) On that day nine years exactly I first beheld
the heads of Port J