Page:Narrative of a survey of the intertropical and western coasts of Australia, Volume 1.djvu/238

 176 SURVEY OF THE INTERTROPICAL mor substantially constructed, and more useful as dwellings than any to the southward, and will contain eight or ten persons; while those to the southward are seldom large enough to hold three; they are arched over and form a dome, with the opening on the land side; so that they are screened from the cold sea-winds, which, unless they bl(w in the character of the sea-breeze, are generally acccmped by rain. Kangaroos are very numerous, and, from their traces, ap- peared of large size; but we saw neither emus nor native do. As a pert, this place will never be the resort of vessels of larger burthen thsn 100 tons, there not being more t. hsr ten feet water on the bar; which, on account of the swell, will not admit vessels of a greater draught than nine feet: this is a great drawback upon its prosperity: but the small coatiug vessels from Sydney will be sufficiently large for the purposes of conveying produce to Port Jackson. It cannot long remain as a penal establishment, for its utility in that respect is s/ready .lost, since the convicts find their way back to the colony as soon as an oppor- tunity offers of escaping; and then, for fear of detection, remain concealed in its outskirts, and are necessarily driven to plunder and rob for subsistence.

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