Page:Narrative of a survey of the intertropical and western coasts of Australia, Volume 1.djvu/240

 178 SURVEY Or Tile INTERTROPICAL lso. able weather; but we were enabled to make May m. some useful observations upon the coast-line, as far as the next point to the .southward of Smoky Cape; when night obliged us to steer more off shore. The country behind the beach was lined with natives' fires, which were kindled as we passed to attract our notice. To the southward of Smoky Cape the land is very low and, probably, occu. pied by large Iagoans. . The next evening, Mount Warning was seen from the deck, although we were at least seventy; eight miles from it. m. On the 23cl, at noon, our latitude was 28 when the Mount bore S. 58 �(Magnetic.) At sunset the wind died away; and, from the laud in the vicinity of the mountain indicating every appearance of the existence of either a large sheet of water or an opening of cons quence, I was induced to remain_ two days to examine the beach more narrowly; but, after beating about with a strong south-easterly current which prevented my tracing the beach to the northward of the Mount, and having only seen an inconsiderable opening that communicates by a shoal channel with a small lagoon at the back of the beach, I gave up the search; st/l] without sa- tisfying myself of the non-existence of an inlet,

�