the horror of thirst with the
European explorer, who has not experienced the constant watchfulness of
Providence, and does not know that he may collect from the leaves, with a
sponge, on some mornings, as much as a pint of water. This has, however,
been done, even on the south coast, where the dews are not so copious as
on the north-west. The natives themselves are never at a loss for that
indeed precious article, water. They sometimes procure it by digging up
the lateral roots of the small gumtree, a dusty and fatiguing operation:
they break them off in short bits, and set them up to drain into a piece
of bark or a large shell. By tapping also the knotty excrescences of
trees they find the fluid, which they suck out. Many of these modes of
obtaining water are of course known to experienced bushmen, like Mr.
Eyre, whose deeply interesting narrative of his hardships and perils has
already enlisted the sympathy of the public.

September 12.

We moved the ship into Port Darwin, anchoring just within the eastern
cliffy head which, to commemorate Lieutenant Emery's success in finding
water by digging, we named after him.

SURVEY OF THE HARBOUR.

All the surveying force was now put in instant requisition; Captain
Wickham went to examine an opening in the coast mentioned by Captain
King, lying about twelve miles further to the westward, whilst the other
boats explored the openings at the head of the harbour.

That on the eastern part, Mr. Fitzmaurice traced ten miles in a
south-easterly direction, being the greatest distance it was navigable
for a boat. The remaining branch in the large opening, in the
south-eastern corner of the harbour, Mr. Forsyth and myself explored
South-South-East three miles, and South-South-West five more, the extent
to which it was possible to advance. Beyond, it was strewed with large
blocks of granite; a fact, for which we were in some degree prepared, as
in the vicinity of the Adelaide River we had proof of the primary
formation of this part of the continent. As the boat lay scarcely afloat
between two of these lumps of rock, numbers of white ibises, with black
necks, kept flying over us from the southward, indicating that a swamp
lay in that direction. We also disturbed several alligators, who slid off
quietly into the water at our approach. There was no variety in the
shores of this inlet, composed like all the others, of an impenetrable
network of mangroves. A ridge of the same conical-shap