but sufficiently examined.  In most parts of Munster Water there is good anchorage amongst several small rocky islands, on one of which we landed, and climbed its summit, but saw nothing to repay us for the trouble or the danger of the ascent:  the surface was composed entirely of loose blocks of sandstone, which, when trod upon, would crumble away or roll down the nearly perpendicular face of the rock; and it was only by grasping the branches of the acacias and other trees that were firmly rooted in the interstices of the less-decomposed rocks that we were saved from being precipitated with them.  On our return we passed through the channel on the west side of the Midway Isles which we found to be very deep and the stream very strong.

August 4.

The next day we pulled through the strait that insulates Greville Island, and found that it communicated with Munster Water at a part where we had yesterday concluded it likely to exist, and had in consequence steered towards it; but as we proceeded the probability became less and less, and we gave up the search when we were within three hundred yards of being actually in it.

We then pulled up Munster Water and afterwards through the strait to sea; and, landing on some dry rocks on a reef which projects off the west head of the strait, found that we were at the entrance of the bight, which was last year named Hanover Bay:  after taking a set of bearings, we re-embarked and proceeded to the bottom of the bay which terminated in a shoal basin.

On our return we entered an opening in the rocky cliff which bore the appearance of being the outlet of a torrent stream; being low-water, there was not in many parts sufficient depth to float the boat; but after pulling up for half a mile, a muddy channel was found, which, at the end of another half mile, was terminated by a bed of rocks over which the tide flows at high-water.  The ravine is formed by steep precipitous rocks which are at least two hundred and fifty feet high; it appeared to extend to a considerable distance, and as the farther progress of the boat was prevented by the stones and want of water, Bundell and two of the boat’s crew were despatched to examine a place farther on, where, from the green appearance of the trees, it was thought not unlikely that there might be a fresh stream.  In this they were not disappointed, for after much delay and trouble, from the difficulty of passing over the rocks, they returned with two baricas full of fresh water, which they found in holes of considerable size.

In pulling up the river, an alligator was seen crawling slowly over the mud banks, but took to the water before we came near it and did not afterwards reappear.  Many kangaroo-rats and small kangaroos were seen skipping about the rocks, but they were very shy, and fled the moment they saw us.

Hanover Bay thus proving to afford good anchorage and an opportunity of increasing our stock of water, as well as presenting a sandy beach on which we could haul the seine, it was determined that we should visit it as soon as the brig could be moved out of Prince Regent’s River.