to 35 fathoms, but still on the same kind of green sandy mud bottom.  At 10 P.M. we passed about seven miles from Cape Gloucester, which at that part was nearly 1600 feet high.  Yet the night was so hazy, that it was only visible at intervals.  Here we noticed many ripplings which we afterwards found indicated a North-North-West current of a knot and a half an hour, caused no doubt by the proximity of a part of the barrier, the distance between it and Cape Gloucester being only 13 miles.  I may here observe that the barometer was very high with these fresh South-East winds and hazy weather, and rather low during the light North-West winds we experienced in the neighbourhood of Cape Capricorn.

CAPE UPSTART.

June 25.

At daylight the Beagle was a few miles east of Cape Upstart, in 17 fathoms, having passed two miles from the north side of Holborn Island, in 28 fathoms.  The above headland received its name from Captain Cook, and peculiarly deserves it, appearing in fact from the lowness of the land behind, actually to start up out of the water.

Chronometers being chiefly affected by changes of temperature, it was necessary to ascertain the rates of those in the Beagle again before reaching Port Essington, for a correct measurement of the difference of meridians between that place and Port Stephens.  The bay on the west side of Cape Upstart had been recommended by Captain King for that purpose, as he had considered it likely to be the mouth of an opening.  This conjecture the low land in the head of the bay, together with a singular break in the distant hills seemed fully to justify.  We accordingly entered the bay and anchored half a mile within the North-East point.  This took us till the afternoon to reach, in consequence of our having a light land breeze until 3 P.M. when it became steady from North-East, drawing round to south, after sunset, and veering to South-West again in the morning.  This alternation of land and seabreezes continued during our stay, for three or four successive days.

In the evening we landed and ascended the North-East extremity of the Cape, from whence we saw at once that hopes of discovering any opening were delusive, the low shores of the Bay could be traced all round, except in the North-West corner, where a point shut out our view.

EXPLORATION OF A RIVER.

On sweeping the western shore with a spyglass, I discovered the mouth of a river about a mile to the north of a hillock marked in Captain King’s chart.  This river was made the object of an exploring party, and next day Captain Wickham and Lieutenant Eden, went on that interesting service.  It has two entrances, both very shallow, and is of little importance, being on a lee shore and fronted by a bar, which seems to break at all times of the tide.  However, as there is such very safe anchorage near, the discovery may hereafter prove of some value.  Captain Wickham found it fresh ten miles from the entrance, but at that point it is nearly lost in the sands, and so very shallow that the natives have a fishing weir across it.  The land, which appears to be much cut up with creeks, is very flat on both sides, and is subject to inundations.  This was evident from the signs of drift, to the height of six feet, on the trees that grew along the banks, themselves not more than a couple of yards above high-water mark.