to Vice-Admiral Sir George Cockburn, G.C.B., one of the Lord
Commissioners of the Admiralty. The accompanying drawing of this
remarkable range of hills was taken from the west point of the south
entrance of the gut.

All around us bore the most desolate appearance. The grass, which was
quite dry, wanted but a spark and a breeze to set the whole country in
flames. The soil on which it grows, which is about two feet above the
high watermark, is a stiff clay; covered with a slight incrustation of
salt on which the tracks of native dogs were noticed; several smokes were
observed at a distance but no natives were seen. The tide had now began
to ebb; and as there was no inducement to detain us for the next day to
examine it farther we set off on our return; and on our way landed for
bearings on the small islet in the middle of the Inner Basin. We also
went on shore in two places on the west bank within the Gut; at the first
we found the marks of an encampment of a tribe of natives: eight or nine
spots of circular form were cleared away amongst the grass and in the
centre of each were the ashes of a small fire, close to which we noticed
some large flattened stones with a smaller one lying upon them, which the
natives probably use for the purpose of bruising or grinding the seeds of
plants and breaking shellfish. The impressions of dogs' feet were
observed about the fireplaces, as well as the recent tracks of kangaroos.
The only animal that we saw during our excursion was a small
kangaroo-rat; it was skipping about the rocks near the sea. A ravine, of
appearance the most favourable for our search for water, was selected
from a great many as most likely to afford it; and we landed for that
purpose; but we met with our usual bad success; torrents had once poured
down it, the effects of which alone were left. Recent traces of kangaroos
were again seen here: these animals can require but little drink unless
the dew that is nightly deposited is sufficient for the purpose of