Alligators abound, and one of the marines had a very narrow escape from them. It appears that one of these monsters who had come out of the water in the night, in search of food, found him sleeping in his hammock, which he had very injudiciously hung up near the water. The alligator made a snap at his prize; but startled at this frightful interruption of his slumbers, the man dexterously extricated himself out of his blanket, which the unwieldy brute, doubtless enraged at his disappointment, carried off in triumph. For some time this story was not believed, but when afterwards the huge reptile, on a similar excursion, was shot, a portion of the blanket was found in his stomach with the paw of a favourite spaniel, taken when swimming off the pier head. Extensive hauls of fish were made on Point Record, amongst which one species, there called salmon, was most excellent eating. It is unnecessary for a transient visitor to enlarge upon the birds of Port Essington, as in Mr. Gould's work we have the result of the labours of an individual who spent months collecting in the neighbourhood. The spot selected for our observations was Government House, where nearly a hundred observations with the sun and stars were made for latitude, the mean result being 11 degrees 22 minutes 21 seconds South, which strange to say, was nearly 15 seconds greater than Captain Stanley and Mr. Tyers' determination: this difference to me was quite unaccountable, as the instruments used in the Beagle were before and subsequently, satisfactorily tested at well determined places. The longitude being affected by the doubtful meridian distance between Sydney and Port Stephens, we can only give an approximate result; and therefore for the sake of the longitudes of those places referred to the meridian of Port Essington, we consider it 132 degrees 12 minutes East of Greenwich. From the quantity of iron in the rocks at Victoria, it was impossible to get any satisfactory observation for the variation of the compass. Those obtained varied from 3/4 to 2 1/2 degrees east. We found that Mr. Tyers had made about seven months' observations on the tides, which gave a very irregular rise and fall, varying from two to thirteen feet. The time of high-water being half past three, at the full and change. Oxide of iron is found in some places in large quantities, and is used by the natives to adorn themselves when dancing. This it is which gives to the coast the peculiar red hue noticed between Cape Croker and Port Essington. Many of the cliffs were composed of a light-coloured marl; but the formation is chiefly old arenaceous rocks. Two of the highest and most remarkable hills on the Peninsula, known as Mounts Bedwell and Rose, have singular flat tops, bearing some resemblance to the curious appearance of Cape Bedford. I am inclined to believe this formation to be floetz trappe. Their elevation is about four hundred feet, being twice the general height of the Peninsula. RAFFLES BAY.