harbour in 1878, and accompanying Bedwell on his missions, Connor also spent time surveying the coast of New Guinea, the Brisbane River and Cook Harbour (1873), and the Gulf of Carpentaria (1875). In 1877, while surveying Broadsound in command of HMS Pearl, Connor had a severe attack of "acute rheumatism", and had to be let off at Mackay. During Connor's time with the Queensland survey the steam launch Sabina was built in 1872 to assist HMS Pearl, and in 1878 the 195-ton screw steamer Llewellyn was chartered to replace Pearl. The surveying staff transferred from Pearl to Llewellyn in July 1878. Bedwell reported that the steamer could cover much more ground in less time than the schooner. Other survey ships that operated in Queensland during the 1860s and 1870s included , and . By end of 1879 the Admiralty survey had reached Cape Conway north of Mackay, but Queensland decided to withdraw from the Admiralty agreement for financial reasons. Total expenditure on the Admiralty survey in 1879 was (the increase being due to the use of Llewellyn) of which the British government only contributed . However, the Pearl continued survey work for the Queensland Government, under Captain CE Pennefather, surveying ports and rivers in the Gulf of Carpentaria in the early 1880s. Despite the withdrawal of the Queensland Government from the project, the British Admiralty continued its own surveying of Queensland waters, and the ships involved included from 1881, and from 1883. The agreement with Queensland was renewed in 1885, although this time the Admiralty accepted the larger share of costs, and the new Queensland gunboat HMS Paluma was lent to the Admiralty for survey work, charting the coast north of Bowen. This agreement expired on 31 March 1895, but co-operation between Queensland and the Admiralty continued, as a bill was introduced in the Queensland Parliament in late 1894 to continue funding the Admiralty survey (while using a British ship) at a rate of per year, for six years from 1 April 1895. In the late 1880s assisted with surveying the Great Barrier Reef, and in 1897 joined northern surveying operations. During surveys Admiralty crews planted edible plants, and released pigs and goats on islands for shipwreck survivors. After Australian Federation in 1901 the Admiralty continued to work off Queensland into the 1920s, using HMS Dart, , and . The Hydrographic Branch of the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) was formed