interior limits of the great Barrier Reefs are pretty dearly defined, and the passage is given within it, which is the principal benefit resulting from the survey of this part of the coast. Hitherto vessels bound to the northward, and through Torres Strait from Port Jackson, had invariably adopted the passage outside the reefs, and had endeavoured as much as possible to avoid them. By this route they increased their difficulties as they advanced to the northward, where the reefs become more numerous as well as extensive, and where it is necessary to enter them in order to pass through Torres Strait. Captain King seeing the danger attending this, and aware that Captain Cook had merely passed along this part of the coast, directed his attention towards finding another passage, and succeeded in discovering a route towards Torres Strait, which he says, ‘is infinitely preferable on every account to the dangerous navigation without the reefs.’ The only river which falls into this part of the coast, and which in itself is a trifling stream, is Endeavour River, in lat. 15° 27' S., famous for being visited, and receiving its name from Captain Cook. The coast about Cape Bowling-green, on the N.E. part of Australia, presented the appearance of a river being there, but was not explored by Captain King.
“The Gulf of Carpentaria, which received its name from James Carpentier, a Dutch commander, who explored it in 1627, had been examined by Captain Flinders. The coast line in his chart is not connected, but his track is sufficiently near it to set aside the possibility of any great error in the contour of the gulf, and Captain King recommences his survey at Cape Arnhem, its western limit. We now come to that part of Australia which had been discovered by the Dutch navigators, and we find the names of the various discoverers retained in the charts of the coast. The earliest of these is that named Endracht’s Land, which was visited in 1616 by the ship of that name, signifying the Concord, commanded by Dirk Hartog; an island on the west coast, lying in 25° 30', and forming Shark’s Bay, still bears the name of this commander.
“Arnhem’s Land of 1618, extending from the meridian of 129° to 137° E. occupies the fourth sheet of Captain King’s survey. The principal features in it are Arnhem’s Bay and Van Diemen’s Gulf, with Melville and Bathurst Islands. A low sandy point projecting from the former of these at its N.W. extreme is Cape Van Diemen. The Dutch charts represented these two islands as being connected with the continent; but Captain King found them separated from it by a strait, to which he gave the name of Apsley Strait.
“The Liverpool and Alligator rivers, are the principal that fall into this part of the coast. The mouth of the former, situated in long. 134° 15' E., is about four miles wide. This was explored to about forty miles within its entrance, where it was found to diminish gradually to an inconsiderable stream. The banks of it are flat and muddy, and found by Captain King to be infested with alligators, though not so large as those of
