167
numerous, well armed and powerful, yet good-humoured-looking men, we deemed it prudent to proceed without them. If he should reach his tribe in safety, the circumstance may be of great service to us, as he may be the means of opening a friendly intercourse between us and the natives of this district. Whales frequent King George's Sound. Mr. Lukin who went with us to examine the Sound, in order to ascertain whether it be adapted to the whale-fishing, considers it highly eligible for that purpose, and intends to attempt it immediately.
I hope he will succeed; it would be a chief means of giving stability to the colony. I trust that we shall yet be enabled to avail ourselves of the advantages, quæ larga, profundit fœcundo Natura sinu. As we were working out of Augusta Bay, we saw many seals of the most valuable species upon the rocky islands of Cape Lewin: in truth, this colony only requires that its natural advantages should be turned to account, in order to vie with any other.
It was the intention of Captain Irwin to call at Vasse; and he also contemplated a visit to the Murray River, for the purpose of inspecting that outport, but a foul wind frustrated these purposes.
A river called the Donnelly, fresh at the mouth, and having ten feet of water at the bar, is said to have been seen by Mr. Preston, falling into the sea, about thirty miles east of Augusta. If this be the case (which I doubt) it differs very much from every other known river in this climate; to counteract the force of the salt water at the mouth, it must have a powerful stream. I was anxious to persuade Captain Irwin to trace it; but as the captain of the Ellen informed us that his boats were not calculated for such service, we were obliged to relinquish the attempt, and leave to others the fame of exploring it.
It was not until the evening of the 3rd that we cleared Flinder's Bay, off Augusta; next day we arrived at Fremantle
