In Many Places There Are Low Cliffs Of Hard Coralline
Limestone, More Or Less Worn By The Action Of Water; While
Sometimes Level Spaces Extend From The Banks To Low Ranges Of
Hills A Little Inland.
A few small streams enter it from right
and left, at the mouths of which are some little rocky
Islands.
The depth is very regular, being from ten to fifteen fathoms, and
it has thus every feature of a true river, but for the salt water
and the absence of a current. The other two rivers, whose names
are Vorkai and Maykor, are said to be very similar in general
character; but they are rather near together, and have a number
of cross channels intersecting the flat tract between them. On
the south side of Maykor the banks are very rocky, and from
thence to the southern extremity of Aru is an uninterrupted
extent of rather elevated and very rocky country, penetrated by
numerous small streams, in the high limestone cliffs bordering
which the edible birds' nests of Aru are chiefly obtained. All my
informants stated that the two southern rivers are larger than
Watelai.
The whole of Aru is low, but by no means so flat as it has been
represented, or as it appears from the sea. Most of it is dry
rocky ground, with a somewhat undulating surface, rising here and
there into abrupt hillocks, or cut into steep and narrow ravines.
Except the patches of swamp which are found at the mouths of most
of the small rivers, there is no absolutely level ground,
although the greatest elevation is probably not more than two
hundred feet.
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