Page:Narrative of a survey of the intertropical and western coasts of Australia, Volume 1.djvu/321

 smoke, we reimbarked, and pulled five miles fur- ther up the river, when its further examination was given up; at this place its breadth was about twenty yards, and being high water, the greatest depth was twelve feet; at low water, the .cJmnnel must be nearly dry. We did not reach the cutter until six o'clock in the evening, much exhausted for want of rest, and from exposure to a powerful sun, and a hot land wind that prevailed all day. This river, which I have named the Liverpool, runs up from a well.formec port /bout forty miles,, taking in its way a very serpentine course; its breadth at Entrance Island, is about four miles; ten miles from the mouth its width is about half a mile, after which it very gradually ,decreases; at about fourteen'miles from our anchorage the water is fresh at half tide, but at low water it might pro- bably .be obtained four or five miles lower down. The bottom is muddy, as are also the banks; and in consequence the latter are only accessible at high tide, at which time they are seldom more than two or three feet. above the water's edge. The country within is very level, and appeared, during the wet season, to be occasionay inun- dated: the soil where we lded, is a sour stiff 'clay, on which grew an arundinaceous grass. At one place where the bank was about feet high, and formed of red clay, Mr. Cunning-

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