John Murphy Brought The Flower Of A Yellow Hibiscus From Roper's Peak:
It
is certainly a new species.
Jan. 30. - Last night clouds gathered into a thunder-storm to the
south-west, but it passed by with very little rain: heavy clouds hung
round us, in every direction, but it seemed as if even their passage over
the parched plains exhausted their moisture. In the east and south-east a
heavy thunder cloud, with incessant lightning, was seen, but so distant
that we could not hear the thunder. In the morning, loose clouds spread
over the whole sky: this was the first cloudy day we had experienced for
the last three weeks. Nature looks quite refreshed; the grass is so
green, and the modest blue Ruellia so plentiful; whole fields of Crinum
are in full blossom; and the Ironbark and flooded-gum with a denser and
richer foliage than usual, afford us a most agreeable shade. I wish I
could sufficiently describe the loveliness of the morning just before and
after sunrise: the air so clear, so transparent; the sky slightly tinged
with roseate hues, all nature so fresh, so calm, so cool. If water were
plentiful, the downs of Peak Range would be inferior to no country in the
world. Mr. Calvert collected a great number of Limnaea in the
water-holes: its shell is more compact than those we have before seen,
and has a slight yellow line, marking probably the opening at a younger
age. Several insects of the genera Mantis and Truxalis were taken, but
did not appear different from those we had previously collected.
Jan. 31. - We had a thunder-storm from the west, and thunder clouds in all
quarters; but, as usual, very little rain. Mr. Gilbert returned from his
exploratory ride, and stated that the plains extended far to the
westward, and that they rose in that direction, forming a succession of
terraces; and that another fine range of peaks, even more imposing than
those of our Peak Range, reared their heads to the westward of the
plains, converging towards the latter [Note at end of para.]; that all the
creeks went down to the south and south-west; but that he found no water,
except one fine lagoon about fifteen miles to the south-west, which was
covered with ducks. He had observed the sign of an anchor, or broad-arrow,
cut into a tree with a stone tomahawk, and which he supposed had been
done, either by a shipwrecked sailor, or by a runaway convict from Moreton
Bay, when it was a penal settlement: the neighbouring trees were variously
marked by Blackfellows.
[Note. Captain P. P. King, who surveyed this part of the coast, informs me
that the coast hills as seen from the sea, are generally of peaked form,
particularly the remarkable elevation of Mount Funnel, at the back of
Broad Sound - which is apparently not connected with the neighbouring
ranges - and also that of Double Mount, which is visible from a distance
of 60 miles. The Cumberland Islands also, which front the coast in the
same vicinity, are of peaked shape, and one, Mount Dryander, on the west
side of Whitsunday Passage, is a very high peak. In the Appendix to
Captain King's Voyage, Dr. Fitton describes the islands, from the
specimens which were submitted for his inspection, to be of primitive
formation; and notices the following rocks: Compact felspar of a
flesh-red hue, enclosing a few small crystals of reddish felspar and of
quartz; Coane porphyritic conglomerate of a reddish hue; Serpentine;
Slaty clay - which forms the general character of the Percy Islands.
Repulse Island produced a compact felspar - a compound of quartz, mica,
and felspar, having the appearance of decomposed granite. (King's Voyage,
Appendix, p. 607.) Captain King also describes this portion of the coast
to be more than usually fertile in appearance; and Captain Blackwood, of
Her Majesty's Ship Fly, saw much of this part, and corroborates Captain
King's opinion as to its fertility. It is hereabouts that the Araucaria
Cunninghamiana grows in such abundance.]
Being too weak to travel, I sent Mr. Roper and Brown to the northward and
to the north-east, to examine the country.
By my lunar observations, I made our longitude 148 degrees 19 minutes;
our latitude was 22 degrees 57 minutes; so that our distance from Keppel
Bay was 175 miles, and from Broad Sound 100. The Mackenzie probably
disembogues into Keppel Bay, and if so, it will form the inlet to a fine
country; for I suppose that all the creeks going down to the south and
south-west, either fall into the Mackenzie itself, or join one of its
tributaries.
Mr. Gilbert found the skull of a large kangaroo, the nasal cavity of
which appeared unusually spacious. He brought home a new Malurus, and a
Rallus: he also shot another species of Rallus on the water-hole near our
encampment; he also brought in a true Caprimulgus.
On Mr. Roper's return, he informed me that he had met with a creek at the
other side of the hills to the east of us; that the hills were covered
with dense scrub, teeming with wallabis; and that the creek went to the
north-east, several other creeks joining it; that, lower down, it was
lined with Casuarinas, and that about seven miles from the hills, he
found fine water-holes.
CHAPTER V
DIFFERENCE OF SOIL AS TO MOISTURE - PHILLIPS'S MOUNTAIN - ALLOWANCE OF
FLOUR REDUCED AGAIN - HUGHS'S CREEK - TOMBSTONE CREEK - CHARLEY AND BROWN
BECOME UNRULY - THE ISAACS - NATIVE WOMEN - COXEN'S PEAK AND RANGE -
GEOLOGICAL CHARACTER - CHARLEY REBELS AGAIN AND LEAVES - BROWN FOLLOWS
HIM - BOTH RETURN PENITENT - VARIATIONS OF THE WEATHER - SKULL OF
NATIVE - FRIENDLY NATIVES VISIT THE CAMP.
Feb. 2. - Being much recovered, I took both Blackfellows with me, and
again passed the defile east of Roper's and Scott's Peaks, and followed
the watercourse rising from it to the northward. About two or three miles
lower down, we found water in deep rocky basins in the bed of the creek.
The rock was sandstone, fissured from south-west to north-east.
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