Discoveries in Australia Volume I Part 35

George Moore, and afterwards on the North-west coast, and in South Australia by Captain Grey. Although known to range over a large expanse of the continent, this was the first time it was discovered in Northern Australia.

In the reaches where the bamboo grew, flights of large vampires (resembling the Pteropus rubricollis of Geoff.) were met with: they kept continually flying to and fro close over the boats as they pa.s.sed up, making a screeching disagreeable noise, which, however, was far less unpleasant than the mildewy odour with which they filled the air, calling to mind the exclamation placed by our immortal bard in the mouth of Trinculo. The heavy flap of the leathern wings of these monkey-birds, as the men called them, was singular, while sometimes a flight would darken the verdure of a bamboo, which, yielding to their weight, bent low, as if before a pa.s.sing gust of wind. To fix themselves appeared always a difficult, and was certainly a noisy operation, each apparently striving to alight upon the same spot. They first cling to the bamboo by means of the long claw, or hook attached to the outer edge of the wing, and then gradually settle themselves.

The river swarmed with alligators. Fish also abounded; and in the salt water, a kind commonly known in the river Plate by the name of Cat-fish, is plentiful. One that we caught was of the enormous weight of twenty pounds. A large kind of dark bream of excellent flavour was taken in fresh water.

WOOD-DUCKS.

Many of the reaches also swarmed with wildfowl, consisting almost wholly of ducks, which, from a habit of perching on the trees, have received the name of wood-ducks. They were very different and far superior in plumage to those found on the south-eastern parts of the continent, and as they have not yet been numbered among the Australian birds so vividly described by Mr. Gould, we may venture to be somewhat minute in describing them.

They are inferior in size to the common European wild duck, but are marked in much the same manner on the breast. The back is a dark brown, while the wings, still darker, are slightly bronzed at the tips. Their singularly long legs are of a pale flesh colour, while the web on the foot is very much arched near the toes, giving greater pliability to the foot and a power of grasping, which enables them to perch on trees. The head and bill, the latter of a pale ash colour, are both large. When on the wing they make a peculiar though pleasing whistling sound, that can be heard at a great distance,* and which changes as they alight, into a sort of chatter. Their perching on trees is performed in a very clumsy manner, swinging and pitching to and fro. We subsequently often found them on the rivers on the North coast, but not within some miles of their mouths or near their upper waters, from which it would appear that they inhabit certain reaches of the rivers only: we never found them in swamps. The farthest south they were afterwards met with, was on the Albert River in the Gulf of Carpentaria, in lat.i.tude 18 degrees South, which gives them a range of six and a half degrees of lat.i.tude over the northern part of the continent. Their nests never came under our notice, and consequently we are not aware either of the size or colour of their eggs; neither did we see any young birds during the period of our observation, ranging from July to November only.**

(*Footnote. Mr. Eyre has since informed me that there is a whistling-duck, something similar, on the Murray River, but is not aware that it has the peculiar habit of perching on trees.)

(**Footnote. Mr. Gould, who had previously described this bird (Leptotarais Eytoni) being desirous of figuring it in his splendid work, has been furnished with this account.)

EXPLORATION OF THE SOUTHERN BRANCH OF THE ADELAIDE.

August 4.

The southern arm of the Adelaide River, and about fifteen miles near the mouth of the other branch, still remaining to be explored, I started on this interesting service the day of the return of Captain Wickham, August 4th. We soon found that the one we ascended promised nothing, from there being no tidal stream of any consequence; still we hoped to trace its rejunction with the main branch, but after proceeding in a general South by West direction five miles, and East-South-East the same distance, it became so narrow that the mangroves on each side entirely blocked up the pa.s.sage, and stopped the boat's progress. I here again felt the inconvenience of our not being furnished with one of the pendulum horizons, invented by Captain Becher, R.N.* It being high-water, and as the sh.o.r.e was lined with an impenetrable growth of mangroves, we were unable to land. In vain did I try, by cutting down some of them, to find a rest for the artificial horizon on one of the stumps; they were so connected with each other beneath the water, by a perfect network of roots, that although several of the surrounding trees were felled, a tremulous motion was still conveyed from a distance, and I consequently lost the observation for lat.i.tude.

(*Footnote. I strongly recommend this ingenious invention to every seaman. In foggy weather it will save hours of anxiety, and may often prevent the horrors of shipwreck.)

The salt.w.a.ter arm of the Adelaide we found had another branch, which took us eight miles in a South-West direction, terminating like the other, and at low-water being a mere ditch. There was nothing picturesque in following the windings of these creeks or inlets; a tall growth of mangroves with their stems immersed, rendering the view limited and wearisome. We, however, were urged on by hope, being in momentary expectation that each turn would bring some change, while to add to the zest of our proceedings we felt ourselves to be the first Europeans who had traversed these parts.

Now and then the deep stillness of nature would be broken by the mournful cry of a curlew, disturbed by the splash of the oars, while sometimes a heavy flapping of wings was heard amid the mangroves, and out would start suddenly three or four white ibises with black necks, giving utterance to a peculiar cry, which faintly resembles that of the male guinea fowl. All else was deep unbroken silence.

By evening we had again reached the entrance of the river, where we pa.s.sed the night, during which there was a very heavy dew.

August 5.

The lower part of the Adelaide having been already explored, prevented us from experiencing that depth of interest which we should otherwise have felt; still we were destined to enjoy our share of pleasurable sensations, as on the result of our examination depended the important fact of whether the river was navigable for large vessels. We therefore started to settle this momentous question, even before the eastern sky was tinted with orange from the rising of the sun, which in these lat.i.tudes gives no glimmering twilight: day fading and appearing instantaneously, the rapidity of the change presenting a remarkable effect.

EXTENSIVE REACHES.

Pa.s.sing a narrow part, formed by two low red cliffy projections, we entered a wide reach that had an extensive flat of 2 and 2 1/2 fathoms water on the south side. The next was similarly circ.u.mstanced, the shoal water of the same depth, being, however, on the west side. Still in both there was a 3-fathom channel at low-water, and in the reaches above, seven in number, trending in a general South-South-East direction, about twice that depth. This imparted to our discoveries the stamp of utility, and as Captain Wickham found it navigable for thirty miles higher up where the water is fresh, we may p.r.o.nounce the Adelaide the deepest river in Australia.

MEET A CANOE.

Proceeding upwards, we met a party of natives about seven miles from the mouth, in a very pretty bark canoe, fifteen feet long, and about two deep. The bark was sewn together with much neatness, and it was altogether the most artistic piece of workmanship I had seen among the Aborigines of Australia. It was the last of that description we met with in this direction, for we did not find canoes in use with the natives to the westward of Clarence Strait, but only rafts, a fact alluded to in an earlier portion of the work.

ALARM OF THE NATIVES.

Two young men only were in the craft, which ran close in under the mangroves, through which we could see other natives pa.s.sing. By proceeding cautiously and slowly, I got pretty close to them. They were evidently afraid that if they left it we should take their boat, and this gave them courage to face the strange white men. Terror, however, was marked in their countenances, and one of the two leaped on sh.o.r.e, as we approached, in a state of great excitement, jumping and flinging his arms about violently; whilst sometimes he would dip up a handful of water and squirt it out with great force from the corners of his mouth. The size of the boat appeared, as usual, to astonish the lad who remained in the canoe. He appeared less frightened than the other, and I induced him to accept a few presents from the end of a long stick. Though they had a deficiency in the upper front teeth, they had not disfigured any other part of their bodies. The stature of the two young men was small, perhaps 5 feet 7 inches, but those behind the mangroves were much taller.

Alligators being so very numerous I was surprised to notice what little dread the natives appeared to have of them, dancing and wading about in the water near the bank, as if they and the animal had entered into a treaty of amity.

Their alarm appearing to have worn off, we continued our journey, but by hoisting the sail, the good effect was in a great measure counterbalanced, as the sight of it called forth a yell from the whole of them, which catching the echoes, reverberated from side to side, and resounded in our ears for some time afterwards. Proceeding, we gained the end of the twelfth reach early in the afternoon, when we obtained observations for longitude, that being the highest part of the river not surveyed, and distant about fifteen miles from the mouth; we had also just reached the portion frequented by the peculiar whistling wild duck, of which we bagged about twenty, forming an agreeable addition to our evening and next day meals. After concluding the observations, we examined the country for some distance; a level tract met the eye wherever it wandered, broken here and there by patches of low trees. The plains were thinly dotted with a coa.r.s.e wiry gra.s.s. In places near hollows, where water had collected, the soil, which was a dark kind of clayey mould, cracked and curled up with the heat. A few sh.e.l.ls were found scattered over the plains, of the kind so common on the north-east coast (Helix).

The tedious uniformity and sameness in the banks of the Adelaide, thus far, may be ill.u.s.trated by the fact, that to know the boat's position on returning, it was necessary to have the sketch of the river constantly before our eyes, and to reckon each reach as we pa.s.sed.

ALLIGATORS.

Taking the return tide, we pa.s.sed the night in the fourth reach; very stringent orders were given to the watch to keep a sharp lookout for alligators, as a great many had been seen during the day, while we knew that on the previous night a monster of this description had attempted to get into one of the boats. We had fired at several, but with one exception had done no mischief. To be roused by the noise of the boat's keel or side grating harshly against the scaly back of an alligator, is far from being a pleasant occurrence, and on such occasions I generally found myself clutching a pistol, always kept near me, for the purpose of executing judgment upon the very first flat head that showed his nose above the gunwale. Entertaining very vivid recollections of our experience on Fitzroy River, on the first start of the boats great preparations were made against the mosquitoes; to our agreeable surprise, however, we experienced but slight annoyance from them. The exemption, however, was fully made up by the swarms of flies which infest the Adelaide, and during mealtimes availed themselves of the opportunity of popping into our mouths.

There had been a fresh North-East wind the latter part of the day, which dying away was succeeded by a calm and cloudless night with a heavy dew.

The thermometer was down to 77 degrees, and in the day varied from 87 to 92.

RETURN OF THE BOATS.

August 6.

We got on board in the forenoon, when the result of our examination was heard with a satisfaction not easily expressed, but which may be readily imagined. We felt that we had discovered a river navigable for vessels of four and five hundred tons, for about fifty miles, and into fresh water, a thing hitherto unknown in Australia. We may then with justice congratulate ourselves on the importance of the discovery of the Adelaide.

ADAM BAY.

The bay into which it flows, named after Sir Charles Adam, is six miles deep and ten broad at the entrance, where there are 9 fathoms. The sh.o.r.es gradually approach each other, and at the head, where it receives the waters of the Adelaide, the width is only one mile.

The mouth of the river is fronted with shoals that extend out five miles; the channel between them is narrow, 3 and 4 fathoms deep, and lies on the western side of the bay. A guide for the mouth of it is the east entrance point of the river, bearing South 40 degrees East.

The generally discoloured state of the water prevents the shoals from being seen, as well as the coral reefs extending from half to three quarters of a mile off the east side of the bay, where there is excellent anchorage. Sea and land breezes prevailed; the former blowing from the North-West which gave it the advantage of being of easy access either from the westward through Clarence Strait, or from the eastward through that of Dundas. The spring tides sometimes rise 18 feet, when the time of high-water is six o'clock. The stream set North-East and North-West from half to one knot, changing to the latter direction two and a half hours after high-water. Our observations place Escape Cliffs (too remarkable and conspicuous to be overlooked, and which ships should anchor abreast of) in lat.i.tude 12 degrees 8 1/2 minutes South and longitude 0 degrees 15 minutes West of Port Essington. The variation of the compa.s.s was 2 degrees easterly. I was able at this anchorage, by a bearing of a distant point, to ascertain the local attraction in the ship, which in no instance exceeded 1 degree, being the amount we had found at Plymouth, previous to our departure from England. Our deeply interesting researches on the south side of Clarence Strait, leading to so important a discovery, were now concluded.

EXAMINE MELVILLE ISLAND.

The success which had rewarded our efforts, made us wish to cling to the spot, and it was therefore almost with regret that we found ourselves leaving to examine the southern sh.o.r.es of Melville Island, where we anch.o.r.ed two miles from the beach, and fifteen within the west entrance of the strait. A quarter of a mile off the sandy flat, extending some distance from the sh.o.r.e, there was one fathom of water, being a very gradual decrease from six where the ship lay.

The necessary angles and bearings for the survey, were taken from the top of some cliffs sixty feet high, composed of a red sand and ironstone, and a white kind of marl or pipe clay. The sh.o.r.e trended nearly South-West and North-East. Six miles in the former direction is an inlet which Mr.

Fitzmaurice has visited from the Vernon Isles, and another much smaller, about a third of the intervening distance from where we stood. The high land which was almost level, lay about three miles in our rear, following the trend of the sh.o.r.e. Two peaks rising in hollows on it attained an elevation of 260 and 290 feet. There were no rocky points visible at low-water--a clean sandy beach, which appeared, strange to say, to have been washed occasionally by a heavy surf, forming the coastline. A singular clump of Casuarina was close to the westward of the cliffs, and its dark naked aspect contrasted with the stunted gumtrees and scattered palms, sparingly sprinkled over this sterile tract of country. With the exception of a few seabirds, there was nothing living stirring to change the opinion we have just expressed of this part of Melville Island. Our visit, however, was not to be forgotten in an instant, although no very pleasing recollections were connected with it.

GREEN ANTS.

Whilst taking a few angles near the cliffs, we suddenly experienced a series of severe bites or nippings in several parts of our body, and looking round to discover whence arose this unexpected attack, found ourselves under a tree covered with large green ants. Their bites were exceedingly painful, and it was only by beating and tearing off our clothes that we could rid ourselves of these unwelcome visitors. From a distance our appearance must have been sufficiently amusing. One moment soberly intent upon our duties, and the next jumping like madmen, and hastily stripping off our garments. The name of Ant Cliffs records our visit to the south sh.o.r.es of Melville Island. The tide on this side of the strait ran nearly two knots an hour, following the direction of the sh.o.r.e; the time of high-water being a quarter of an hour earlier than in Adam Bay.

August 15.

Recrossed Clarence Strait to obtain observations for rating the chronometers, and examine the extensive shoal off Cape Hotham. On anchoring near its edge, a patch with only five feet was discovered close to the ship; the muddy and restless state of the water, caused by a meeting of the tides, setting out of Van Diemen's Gulf and Adam Bay, renders it necessary to approach Cape Hotham from the northward, with caution. However, the unusually great depth, for this strait, of twenty fathoms, will give warning of a ship's proximity to this danger, the limits of which have been given on the occasion of our first visit to Cape Hotham.

WANT OF WATER.

Our stock of water being now much reduced, it was necessary before proceeding further, that we should procure a supply. As it was a matter of no certainty that we should find sufficient on the coast to the westward, it was at first suggested that we should take the ship up the Adelaide and fill the tanks from alongside. This would have been a grand feat, having never before been accomplished in any river in Australia.

Indeed it was the only one on the whole continent, which could carry up a vessel of the Beagle's draught into fresh water. An idea, the realization of which would so completely crown our exploration with success, naturally gave rise to a great degree of enthusiasm and excitement. Soon, however, more sober thoughts prevailed, when we reflected on the time this proceeding would consume, on account of the tortuous* course of the river: time which we could, with our scanty stock of provisions, ill spare. At Port Essington it was possible we should be able to get a supply of both, as a ship might have arrived during our absence. Moreover it was highly important, that we should make known without delay, the discovery of a river of such magnitude as the Adelaide, distant only seventy miles from the settlement.

(*Footnote. Nothing shows the flat nature of a country more than the tortuous course of a stream pa.s.sing through it. It is a want of change in the level, which causes a river to twist and wind about in search, as it were, of the weakest spot for its exit.)

RETURN TOWARDS PORT ESSINGTON.

It was then finally resolved that we should return to Port Essington, and in the forenoon of the 17th, the Beagle was drifting along the western sh.o.r.e of Dundas Strait, out of Van Diemen's Gulf. The day happening, very remarkably for the locality at this season, to be calm throughout, the anchor was dropped at sunset in 22 fathoms; Cape Fleming the North-East point of Melville Island, bearing North-West 1/2 West eight miles. A deep sandy bay bore South-West five miles, which promised good anchorage. The appearance of the north-east part of Melville Island was still very triste, presenting to the eye nothing save patches of mangroves, behind which rose a range of ill-defined hills, 300 feet in elevation.

(*Footnote. The tide out of Van Diemen's Gulf takes a North-West direction, until coming in contact with Cape Keith, it branches off along the east and south side of Melville Island.)