Discoveries in Australia, Volume 2 | Page 5

gradual
decrease in the soundings, on a sandy bottom materially diminished the
probability of its being the mouth of a river. Still, when we anchored as
near as we could approach, there remained a hope of its being so.
HOPE INLET. SHOAL BAY.
September 8.
Early in the morning Mr. Forsyth and myself started to explore the
opening. We soon discovered that it was nothing more than a shallow
creek at low-water. The tide here rising twenty feet, gave it the
important appearance it had yesterday evening. A tall clump of naked
trees was conspicuous at the east entrance point, towering above the
insipid mangrove shore. We gave it the name of Hope Inlet, to
commemorate the feelings it excited on its first discovery. From the
south point of Clarence Strait it is distant eleven miles, and the bay in
which it lies, from the shallow-water at the head of it, was called Shoal
Bay.
The boat being provisioned for four days, we pushed on to explore

another opening above fifteen miles to the westward. The seabreeze
setting in early, we did not reach it till after dark, when we landed for
observations at a cliffy projection near the eastern entrance point: this
we found to be composed of a kind of pipeclay, mixed with calcareous
matter. We had some difficulty in landing, and then in scrambling up
the cliffs by the light of a lantern. If any of the watchful natives
happened at the time to be on the lookout, they must have stood fixed
with astonishment at beholding such strange persons, who at such a
time of night, with no ostensible object were visiting their shores.
EXPLORE A NEW OPENING.
September 9.
Before the veil of darkness was quite removed, we could faintly
distinguish the mouth of the opening; and the sight at daylight was
most cheering. A wide bay appearing between two white cliffy heads,
and stretching away within to a great distance, presented itself to our
view. Far to the southward, between the heads, rose a small
table-topped hill. As we pulled in towards the eastern entrance point,
the river-like appearance began to wear off, more land making its
appearance towards the head of the opening. On reaching this point Mr.
Forsyth and myself climbed up the cliff, whilst the breakfast was
cooking. From the summit we had a good view of the bay, and were
delighted to find large openings in the south-east and south-west
corners of it. The table hill before mentioned, stood on the point
between them. To see the eastern part of it, however, it was necessary
to cross to the opposite point, where some talc slate, pieces of which
measured four inches in length, was found imbedded in quartz. The
point was called in consequence, Talc Head.
PORT DARWIN.
The other rocks near it were of a fine-grained sandstone: a new feature
in the geology of this part of the continent, which afforded us an
appropriate opportunity of convincing an old shipmate and friend, that
he still lived in our memory; and we accordingly named this sheet of
water Port Darwin. A few small bamboos grew on this head; the other

trees were chiefly white gums. I climbed to the top of one of them, and
obtained thence a view of another opening in the eastern part of the
harbour. It now being low-water, an extensive shoal was discovered,
reaching from abreast of Talc Head to the point separating the
South-East and South-West openings, an extent of nearly five miles.
This somewhat diminished the value of our discovery, as it limited the
capabilities of the bay as a harbour.
We now proceeded to explore the north-eastern and largest opening,
distant six miles from our station. A large islet and a reef left the
entrance only a mile wide. Expanding again, it formed two arms, one
running south, the other East-South-East, between small groups of
singular isolated haycock-shaped hills, about 250 feet high. Following
the latter, being the largest, we found that it soon curved round, taking
a southerly direction. A bank free from mangroves occurring in this
bend, we availed ourselves of it, as the day was closing in, to secure
some early stars for latitude and longitude. The intense pleasure
afforded by traversing water that had never before been divided by any
keel, in some measure compensated us for the annoyance from the
mosquitoes and sandflies, that took the opportunity of assailing us
while in the defenceless state of quiet necessary in making observations.
Pushing out into the middle of the stream, and each wielding a beater,
our tiny enemies were soon shaken off, and borne back to the shore by
a refreshing North-West breeze.
We found it necessary to keep a sharp lookout here for the alligators, as
they swarmed in