west side of Whitsunday Passage, is a very high peak.  In the Appendix to Captain King’s Voyage, Dr. Fitton describes the islands, from the specimens which were submitted for his inspection, to be of primitive formation; and notices the following rocks:  Compact felspar of a flesh-red hue, enclosing a few small crystals of reddish felspar and of quartz; Coane porphyritic conglomerate of a reddish hue; Serpentine; Slaty clay—­which forms the general character of the Percy Islands.  Repulse Island produced a compact felspar—­a compound of quartz, mica, and felspar, having the appearance of decomposed granite. (King’s Voyage, Appendix, p. 607.) Captain King also describes this portion of the coast to be more than usually fertile in appearance; and Captain Blackwood, of Her Majesty’s Ship Fly, saw much of this part, and corroborates Captain King’s opinion as to its fertility.  It is hereabouts that the Araucaria Cunninghamiana grows in such abundance.]

Being too weak to travel, I sent Mr. Roper and Brown to the northward and to the north-east, to examine the country.

By my lunar observations, I made our longitude 148 degrees 19 minutes; our latitude was 22 degrees 57 minutes; so that our distance from Keppel Bay was 175 miles, and from Broad Sound 100.  The Mackenzie probably disembogues into Keppel Bay, and if so, it will form the inlet to a fine country; for I suppose that all the creeks going down to the south and south-west, either fall into the Mackenzie itself, or join one of its tributaries.

Mr. Gilbert found the skull of a large kangaroo, the nasal cavity of which appeared unusually spacious.  He brought home a new Malurus, and a Rallus:  he also shot another species of Rallus on the water-hole near our encampment; he also brought in a true Caprimulgus.

On Mr. Roper’s return, he informed me that he had met with a creek at the other side of the hills to the east of us; that the hills were covered with dense scrub, teeming with wallabis; and that the creek went to the north-east, several other creeks joining it; that, lower down, it was lined with Casuarinas, and that about seven miles from the hills, he found fine water-holes.

CHAPTER V

Difference of soil as to moisture—­Phillips’s mountain—­allowance of
flour reduced again—­Hughs’s creek—­Tombstone creek—­Charley and brown
become unruly—­the Isaacs—­native women—­Coxen’s peak and range—­
geological character—­Charley rebels again and leaves—­brown follows
him—­both return penitent—­variations of the weather—­skull of
native—­friendly natives visit the camp.