interior of Australia, in a north-westerly direction from Spencer Gulf, a large extent of well-watered country.
With regard to the rounded hillocks which Mr. Stuart discovered, he believed they were of volcanic origin, an offshoot of the great volcanic band which ran through the whole of the Indian Archipelago. Then, as to the existence of gold, he had much confidence that that would turn out to be a solid discovery. There was certainly gold in South Australia, as well as in Victoria. He brought home some specimens in 1841, and, reasoning from analogy, he thought it likely gold would be found stretching across the Australian continent to the Indian Archipelago, just as it had been discovered stretching along the whole length of the American continent. Therefore, he saw every reason to think well of the prospects of that portion of Australia, and he hoped it would not be long before telegraphic communication was established between the south-eastern colonies and the mother country by the line of the north-western coast, Java and Singapore.
The second Paper read was —
2. Discovery of a New Harbour on the North-East Coast of Australia.
Communicated by Sir G. F. Bowen, F.R.G.S., Governor of Queensland, through
the Duke of Newcastle, F.R.G.S.
A new and capacious harbour is stated to have been discovered in the new colony of Queensland, North-Eastern Australia, to the north of the FitzRoy. The party who made the discovery consisted of Captain Sinclair (the master of a little schooner of nine tons), accompanied by one seaman and two passengers. His exploratory cruise was planned mainly in the hope that a reward would be given for the discovery of a secure harbour north of Port Curtis.
Captain Sinclair started from Rockhampton in September, 1859, and followed the shore, anchoring each night and being continually pestered by the natives. On October 14th he had arrived at Gloster Island; the next day he sailed close up to Mount Edgeumbe, and anchored for the night in a sheltered bay. The subsequent night he anchored inside an island, and when the morning broke found, to his astonishment, that the schooner was lying in a fine capacious harbour, sheltered from all winds. Within a cable-length of shore there is from 3 to 4 fathoms; in the middle of the bay, from 7 to 10. There is plenty of fresh water. The harbour is formed partly by islands and partly by sand-banks. One of the islands was between 5 and 6 miles in circumference. Beyond these facts no data of any sort have yet reached this Society. The harbour was named Port Denison.
The Chairman said he saw present an old friend of his, Mr. J. Beete Jukes, a distinguished geologist and traveller. Mr. Jukes took part in the survey made during some years by one of Her Majesty's ships round the coasts of Australia, and particularly examined the coral islands stretching away from
