Page:Narrative of a survey of the intertropical and western coasts of Australia, Volume 2.djvu/628

 GSOLOOT.] NATURAL H181ORY. e horn-like projection of the !and, on the east of the Gulf of Carlentaris, is a very prominent feature in. tim general map of Australia, and may Poibly have some connexion with the structure just pointed out. The western shore of this horn, from the bottom of the gulf to Endcavour t. ralts, being very low; while the land on the east coast rises in proceeding towards the south, and after passiug Cape Weymouth, lat. 12 �, is in general mouutainons and abrupt; end Captain King's specimens from the north-east coast, shew that granite is found in so many places along this line, as to make it probable that primitive rocks may form the genera] basis of the country in that quarter; since a lofty chain of mountains 18 soutinned on the south of Cape Tri- bulation, not far from the shore, throughout a space of more than five hundred miles. It would carry this hypothesis too far, to infer that these primitive ranges are conected with the mountains on the west of the English settlements near Port Jackson, c., where Mr. Scott has described the coal-measures as occupying the coast from Port Stevens, about lat. 3.3 �Cape Howe, lat. :37 �nd as succeeded, on the eastern ascent of the Blue Mountains, by sand-stone, and this again by primitive strata* :ml3at it may be noticed, that Wilsou's Promontory, th most southern point of New South Wales, 'and the principal islands in 13ass's Straits, contain granite; end that primitive rocks occur exnsiveJy in Van Diemen's Land. The uniformity of the coast lines is remarkable also in some other quarters of Australia; and their direction, as well as that of the pincipai openings, has a general tendency to a course from the west of south to the east of north. This, for example, is the general range of the south.east coast, �Annals of PiloseiJy, June,

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