Page:Narrative of a survey of the intertropical and western coasts of Australia, Volume 2.djvu/125

 104 SURYEY OF'THE INTERTROPICAL 181. truly'desolate appearance, being nothing but Au'. o. ridges of bare white sand, scantily crowned with' a few shrubby bushes. Behind Point Gantheaume the' land appeared to be formed by downs'of very white sand; and between this point and Cape Boileau is a bay, which at first, from the direction'oF the flood stream at 'the anchorage, was conjectured to be an inlet; but as the tide afterwards set to the Northward and N.E., it was concluded to be occasioned by the stream sweeping round the shores of.the bay: according to the depth along- side, there was a rise of ten feet; after high water the ebb set between N.W. and N.N.E., at the rate. of a quarter to three-quarters'of a aot. During the' whole day the horizon. was oc- cupied by b,.e, and produced a very remark- able effect upon the land, which was so raised above the horizon by refraction, that many distant objects. became visible that could not otherwise have been seen. This rirag had been fre- quently observed by us on Various parts of the coast, but never produced so extraoniinary an etfect as on the present occasion. The coast line appeared to be formed. of high chlly cliffs, crowned by a narrow band of woody hillocks; and the land of Cape Villaret was so elevated

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