value
either for agricultural or pastoral purposes.

Port Albany is a narrow, but deep channel between Albany Island and the
mainland of Cape York. It is easy of ingress and egress; but is neither
safe or convenient, owing to the great rapidity of the current which sets
through with the tide.

Some canoes with natives came to the vessels. They evidently have
frequent communication with vessels passing through the Straits, and are
well acquainted with the use and name of tobacco, which they smoke in
large bamboo pipes. Their arms consisted of spears, bows, and arrows. The
canoes, formed of a single tree, rudely hollowed out, and fitted with
outriggers.

27th August.

Left Port Albany, and, passing through Endeavour Strait, were favoured
with a light easterly wind as far as Port Essington, which was sighted on
September 1st, and after passing through Dundas Strait anchored for the
night.

The following morning passed Vernon Island with a light breeze. At 9.50
p.m. the Monarch grounded on a rocky reef off the entrance of Port
Patterson, the master of the vessel not having made due allowance for the
indraught of the tide. Unfortunately this occurred at the top of the
spring tide, and the result was that, though every exertion was made to
warp the vessel off, the tide did not rise sufficiently to float her
until the 10th September, when, by cutting off the false keel and
levelling the surface of the rock, we succeeded in hauling her off, with
comparatively little damage, as the weather continued calm during the
whole of this anxious period.

As the vessel lay on her side at low tide, the position of the horses was
extremely inconvenient, and they suffered a greater amount of injury
during these eight days than on the whole of the preceding voyage, and it
is to this that the subsequent loss of so large a number of the horses is
to be attributed; for though only two died on board the vessel, the
others became so excessively weak that some had not the strength to go
through the fatigue of landing and the journey from Point Pearce to the
Victoria River, and at the same time the supply of forage was so reduced
that it became necessary to land the horses immediately on reaching Point
Pearce, and before the place could be examined for the best landing.

LAND AT THE ENTRANCE OF VICTORIA RIVER.

After getting off the reef, light winds and calms delayed the voyage to
the Victoria River; but as the Tom Tough worked along the