Page:Narrative of a survey of the intertropical and western coasts of Australia, Volume 1.djvu/363

 COMerS OP-AUffI'RALIA.  301' eighteen feet at three-quarters: flood. At .eleven o'clock, having crossed the basin, we landed. on sett. .' an islet:which, like the. rest, had'been.covered by the las high-tide. The river had now con- tracted .to the width of one hundred to one hm,: dred and. ffty'yards, and trended by. a' winding. course. to. the south and south-east,' but the water was still as saltas ever, although we were at least sixty miles from the sea. As there was, now, no probability of our extending the eami. nation .of this river .for any useful purpose, we stopped at.high water, and landed on the bank to, examine .the country .whilst the people dined. We were about two or. three miles from the base of a most remarkable quadrangular-shaped mass of hills, rising abruptly from .an extensive flat plain, covered with salt.: the, sides sloped with a very steep descent to the.base, and the top of the. range was. circumvented with cliffs, which, protruding at intervals,. so perfectly re. serobled the bastions and ramparts of a formida- bl fortress, that it wanted only the display of a standard to render the illusion complete.. It was named Mount Cockbum, in compliment to Vice- Admiral Sir George Cockburn, G.C.B., one of the Lord Commissioners of the Admiralty. The. accompanying drawing of' this ,remaxkable range,

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