, he has been
compensated by promotion and a pension. By this melancholy accident the
service sustained a great loss, which was at no time felt more than when
it occurred.

COMPLETION OF THE SURVEY OF SOUTH SHORE OF THE GULF.

Mr. Fitzmaurice had fortunately, before he was disabled, completed his
examination of the coast between the Flinders and Van Diemen's Inlet,
with his usual praiseworthy activity. On leaving the former he found that
the shore trended North 47 degrees East, with a large inlet at the end of
ten miles. This was only examined a short distance in a south direction;
but from the bank being thrown out six miles from its mouth, with a
channel nearly halfway through, it evidently disembogues a large volume
of water, and we may reasonably infer it to be a river. It is named in
the chart Bynoe's Inlet. Seven miles beyond was another inlet, with a
sandy beach extending for two miles to the south-west of it. Five miles
further, the trend of the coast changed to North 4 degrees East,
continuing almost straight in that direction to Van Diemen's Inlet,
distant twenty-five miles; and, with the exception of the first five, is
sandy throughout. Thirteen miles from Van Diemen's Inlet is an opening of
some magnitude, near the south entrance point of which are ponds of fresh
water. Two and four miles south of it were small openings; and two and
seven miles north of it, two others.

During his excursion Mr. Fitzmaurice had killed one of the rare species
of kangaroo, seen for the first time by us at King Sound, called Macropus
unguifer; this was a somewhat important discovery, as it showed the
extent to which the animal is diffused over the continent. I may here
mention, that the night before we reached Van Diemen's Inlet a flight of
rose-coloured cockatoos,* several of which were caught and kept alive for
some time, alighted on the rigging.

(*Footnote. Cacatua eos.)

Thus terminated our exploration of the southern shores of the Gulf of
Carpentaria, nearly two hundred miles of which had been minutely examined
in the boats.* Twenty-six inlets had been discovered, of which two proved
to be rivers, whilst three more were nearly as promising. That all the
others may contain fresh water in the rainy season there is every reason
for supposing, from the fact of deep channels being found in their banks;
from what I have already observed regarding the water being less salt
towards the heads at low tides; and from the report