l-shaped
hills, to lofty table ranges about 500, or 600 feet in height, trending
about South-West and by West.

LIZARD ISLAND.

Having still a little moonlight, we were enabled to keep underweigh part
of the night, and during the first watch came to in 13 fathoms, in a bay
on the west side of Lizard Island, the extremes bearing from South 1/2
East to East-North-East. During the day we experienced a northerly
current, varying from three quarters to half an knot an hour.

July 3.

We remained at this anchorage, until the following morning, for the
purpose of determining the position of the island, and of visiting the
peak, which we found to be nearly twelve hundred feet high. I ascended by
a slope rising from the shore of the small bay where our observations
were taken, and which may be easily distinguished, from being the second
from the north point of the island. Their result was to place it in
latitude 14 degrees 40 3/4 minutes South longitude 13 degrees 17 3/4
minutes East of Port Essington. Variation by the mean of five or six
needles was 7 3/4 degrees East being half a degree more than it was at
Cape Upstart. Other magnetic observations were also made, consisting of
those for the dip and intensity.

In a valley to the left of the slope by which we ascended the peak, were
noticed several very remarkable, low and spreading trees, with a dark
green foliage, and leaves large, ovate, and obtuse. The branches, from
which, when broken, a milky juice exuded, were thick and glossy, of an
ash colour; at their extremity they were thin, with long pendulous stems,
supporting a bell-shaped flower, of a rich crimson hue; these hung in
great profusion, and contrasting with the surrounding dark green verdure,
presented a very beautiful and striking appearance. The diameter of the
trunk of the largest tree was 20 inches, and the height 25 feet.
Lieutenant Emery painted a most faithful representation of one of them,
by means of which we found on our arrival at Port Essington, that neither
the professional nor amateur botanists, had any knowledge of it. To them
and to ourselves it was alike perfectly new.

CAPTAIN COOK.

On the preceding evening I had refreshed my memory by reading Cook's
account of his visit to the same spot, and was thus able minutely to
follow in the footsteps of the immortal navigator. There is an
inexpressible charm in thus treading in the track of the mighty dead, and
my feelings on attaining the summit