Thomas Mitchell’s work on Australia, is almost identical with this fruit, it must be indigenous to a great extent of country, since Sir Thomas Mitchell found it in latitude 29 degrees 50 minutes South whilst by us it was discovered in 15 degrees 40 minutes South.  We did not observe any other change in the vegetation on this point; of birds we saw but few, chiefly parrots, some of which we shot.  A coast range of brown grassy hills prevented our seeing anything of the interior.  To seaward there was neither islet nor reef to interrupt the blue surface of water that bounded our view in the far north-west.

Descending we embarked from a cove on the North-East side, where the boats had been ordered to meet us; between this and one on the opposite side there was only a narrow neck of low land.  It is singular that we should not have seen any natives, or even traces of them anywhere excepting at Raft Point, during the whole of this cruise.

THE SLATE ISLES.

Pursuing our northerly course, we reached a small group of islands, named from their formation, Slate Isles.  Finding that all the material required here for the chart could not be collected this evening, I desired Mr. Helpman to go on to Brecknock harbour, to sound and examine its southern shore the next morning, whilst Mr. Fitzmaurice and myself remained to complete the survey hereabouts.

April 15.

We were on the top of the northern Slate Island early; a small islet with a reef off its northern extreme, bore north a mile and a half, and a low sandy isle, West 1/4 North about 15 miles; this was a most unwelcome discovery, as it lay in the track of vessels approaching Brecknock Harbour, and which Captain King must have passed very close to in the night without being aware of it.  We were fortunate in being able to intersect our lines to the extremes of all the islands forming the north side of Camden Sound from this station, which rendered it one of great importance.  Of the interior we saw even less than from Point Hall, and the prospect if possible was more cheerless.

Our again meeting rocks of transition origin, led us to infer that the soil in the neighbourhood was of a better quality, as the decomposition of rocks of this class furnishes a much more fertile soil than sandstone of recent formation.

Leaving the Slate Islands, we reached Entrance Isle, in Brecknock Harbour, in time to secure observations for the rates of the chronometers, which we found had been performing admirably; they placed the sandy bay on the east side of Entrance Isle, in longitude 124 degrees 30 minutes East; the latitude as before given, 15 degrees 27 1/4 minutes South.

FERTILE COUNTRY.

At this place Mr. Helpman rejoined us, having completed the examination of the south shore of the harbour; from a high hill over it he discovered some fine country, bearing East-South-East about eight miles.  In speaking of it, he says, “I was invited to the top of this hill by the certainty of a good view of the interior over the low land forming the south-eastern shore of the harbour, and most amply was I repaid for the toil of ascending it, by feasting my eyes on a most luxuriant well-watered country, lying at the eastern foot of a remarkable peak, visible from Port George the Fourth.  To the North-East there lay a range of hills,* apparently of no great elevation.