NORTH AUSTRALIA.

Southland Times, Issue 862, 9 December 1867, Page 3

NORTH AUSTRALIA.

Considerable interest has been created by the report of Captain Cadell of his explorations of Northern Australia, and the question of northern colonisation forms the principal topic of discussion at Adelaide. Captain Cadell, writing from Burke Town, August 26, states that he reached the Liverpool on the sth of May ; that he found " a splendid estuary " "to that river ; that . the natives were overjoyed to see the white men ; that the horses belonging to the expedition were landed ; and that on the same night they were rushed by the famous aligator which has been mentioned in previous reports. Then the captain describes his visit to Mount Norris Bay, where he was disappointed in not meeting with Bob White, the native who could speak English, and where the explorers were unable to capture the buffaloes which they wanted, though they succeeded in wounding two. Then the report describes how the party returned to the Liverpool, which river was partly examined — the result being that luxuriant feed was found on the banks, and that good land was met with in some places. After this there is an account of a new river, named the Bly th, " flowing into Boucaut Bay," a few miles to the eastward of the Liverpool. This, it is believed, may turn out a valuable discovery ; but there is nothing at all in the report to show that the new river is more important than many others which are known to exist on the same coast. The next portion of the report relates to the examination of a part of the country near Blue Mud bay, in East Arnheim's Land. Thid ia the country which Captain Cadell in his telegram spoke of as a ' ' perfect Polynesia," and much credit has been claimed for his discovery of its true character. From such credit no one would think of detracting ; but after all it does not appear that the examination of this Polynesia has done anything towards discovering suitable land for a new settlement in North Australia. Captain Oadell's report is certainly not at all complimentary to the character of the said Polynesia, for he reports, under date July 20 : — " "We had been passing through a wretched sonderbund, or collection of islands, tenanted apparently by aligators. They (the islands) were fringed with narrow but luxuriant belts of mangroves, whilst their

interiors— dead flats— were Decupled by clay pan 9, or supported scanty salsolaoeous plants, 11 > After this excursion among the islands, the explorers, in August, examined the Soper River. The report says :-r" A party proceeded up the Roper for about forty miles, when they were stopped by a sandbank stretching right across the river — a bar, on the inner side of which wa3 a fine freshwater river, with the uniform depth of two fathoms. The banks were much bolder than usual, without the everlastiug mangroves, whilst the adjacent country partook of the nature of open plains." G-ranite and quartz were found in the course of the exploration, and it was up the river that " the bearded white man was heard of." The report says : — " A native made signs from the opposite bank, and finally waded across to. the boat. Before reaching it, however, he began telliag the men, in his own pantomimic way, about a man — 'one man' — with a beard down to his waist, who was, or had been, in the neighborhood, but had since gone a long way up another branch of the Eoper, seeking turtle." In reference to this rather vague report the captain draws the following conclusion: — "I am not without the suspicion that the man is silly, as the natives appeared to show that this ' lone wanderer of the wilds, was constantly going about prodding the ground with a spear." A great many natives have been met with, and on the whole they had been friendly though one hostile encounter of a trifling character had taken place. Many Malay proas, too, had been seen ; and trepang had been found in considerable quantities on several parts of the coast. Taking the report altogether, its most valuable contents are apparently those which relate to the new river, the examination of the mouth of the Eoper, and the exploration of the Polynesia in East Arnheim's Land. On these points there are unquestionably facts of interest and importance, though they may have but very little bearing on the question of founding a settlement in North Australia. As regards the rivers mentioned by Captain Cadell, the mouth of the Eoper has not hitherto been well known, though Leichardt examined the stream further up. He came upon this river in the month of October, about twenty miles from the sea, and found the country along, its left bank well grassed and openly timbered, chiefly with the " Australian box." Waterfowl, especially ducks and geese, were exceedingly numerous, and the river abounded with fish, which the natives, who possessed iron cutting implements, caught in traps made of the wild rattan. Mussels were also abundant, and formed an important article of consumption among the natives. Leichardt followed the river up in a westerly direction for several days, the country rather improving as he ascended. A strong sea breeze blew up the valley of the river every afternoon, and proved very refreshing to the 1 :avellers. — Argus.