The discoveries hitherto made on the coasts of Australia only served to increase the mysterious interest that invested the interior of the country; no great river, in short, had yet been discovered. During the continuance of the war little could be done to complete the task which Flinders had left unfinished; but among the numerous expeditions despatched from the shores of Great Britain on the restoration of peace, for the purpose of geographical discoveries, one was directed to survey the coasts of Australia. In four voyages, made between 1817 and 1822, captain Philip Parker King has made most important additions to our knowledge of the intertropical coasts of Australia.

If we review the results of his expeditions in continuation of the discoveries of Flinders, the first object worthy of attention which presents itself, is a river of considerable size on the northern coast, which was named the Liverpool River. The discovery of Port Essington in the peninsula to the north of Van Diemen's Gulf, promises still greater advantages. “As a harbour, Port Essington is equal, if not superior, to any I ever saw; and, from its proximity to the Moluccas and New Guinea, and its being in the direct line of communication between Port Jackson and India, as well as from its commanding situation with respect to the passage through Torres Strait, it must, at no very distant period, become a place of great trade, and of very considerable importance.”