sed of a hard flaggy horizontally stratified rock. Higher
ranges were seen to the W.N.W. and west; and I found myself fairly caught
between rocky hills when I least expected them, but hoped to enter upon a
country corresponding in its character with the low coast marked down in
the map, in this latitude. I turned to the northward, and found a
practicable path between the hills, and came, after crossing a small
sandy creek to a fine salt-water river, as broad as any we had seen. High
hills were at its left bank; and, as we followed it up in a direction S.
60 degrees W., the right became more broken, and the vegetation richer. A
very conspicuous foot-path led us through heaps of cockle shells to a
fishing station of the natives, where they seemed to have a permanent
camp; the huts being erected in a substantial manner with poles, and
thatched with grass and the leaves of Pandanus; there were extensive fire
places containing heaps of pebbles; and an abundance of fish bones. The
weir was, as usual, formed with dry sticks, across a shallow part of the
river. A spring of fresh water was below the camp at the edge of high
water. As the tide was high, and an abundant supply of fresh water was
found in a creek which joined the river a few hundred yards from the
fishery, we encamped on the creek, in lat. 16 degrees 28 minutes 57
seconds, lon. 137 degrees 23 minutes. I consider this river to be the
"Abel Tasman" of the Dutch navigators: and that it is probably joined by
the Calvert. Its flats were well-grassed, and very openly timbered with
bloodwood, stringy-bark, leguminous Ironbark, then in blossom, and a
large tree with white smooth bark, spreading branches, and pinnate
leaves. The salt water Hibiscus (Paritium) and Acacia (Inga
moniliformis), were also in blossom.

Charley, Brown, and John, went to spear some fish, but the tide was out,
the water shallow, and the fish were gone. Charley saw here, for the
first time, the Torres Straits pigeon (Carpophaga luctuosa, GOULD.)

The little creek, at which we were encamped, had formed its channel
through sandstone rock; and its narrow bed, containing a ferruginous
water supplied by springs, was crowded with high reeds, and shaded with
various trees of a dense green foliage. Frogs croaked, and crickets
chirped, the whole night; and the call of goat-suckers, and the hooting
of owls, were heard in every direction; large fish were splashing in the
water; wallabies were bleating as they c