k, and although the water from the leather bottles
was full of impurities we found it agreeable to our parched palates. We
started again at 3.20, and made south-west one mile to Gregory's River,
where we formed our seventh camp. The river is here a quarter of a mile
wide, running strong in two channels. It is uncrossable for horses, and
the intervening parts are crowded with fine large weeping tea-trees,
large Leichhardt-trees, tall cabbage-palm, pandanus, and other trees. It
is the finest and greenest-looking inland river I have seen in Australia,
and the country it runs through consists of rich-soiled plains, just
sufficiently wooded for pastoral purposes. Since we left the depot we
have not seen any country on which sheep would not do well, excepting
during the wettest and driest seasons. In country such as this it is a
singular fact that sheep do better, on the whole, in a wet season than on
ridgy country. With one exception, where the soil was clayey, the country
we have seen on this river is of the very richest description. At present
it is parched up, with the exception of a few patches of young grass near
the river. In many places the old grass is three feet high.
Notwithstanding the parched state of the grass, the horses have done well
upon it, indeed they could not look better if they had been corn-fed.

Sunday November 24. Camp Number 8.

We rested ourselves and the horses. Mr. Alison made a traverse table of
our course and found that we had made 55 miles south and 25 miles west
from Post Office Camp, near the junction of the Barkly with the Albert
River, and the latitude 18 degrees 45 minutes. The sun is too vertical
for taking it with my sextant and artificial horizon. We were rather late
in making observations of the sun, and we only got one sight of it, which
was made by myself. I brought it to a point within 180 yards of me on the
level bank of the river, which altitude made our latitude 18 degrees 57
minutes. Thermometer showed 90 degrees at 7 a.m. and 103 degrees at noon.
We got a fine potful of cabbage-tree sprouts, which eat like asparagus.

Monday November 25. Camp Number 8. Situated on the Gregory River.

From this camp we started at 8 a.m., but had almost immediately to halt
for ten minutes to adjust a pack on a riding-saddle. The other
packsaddles were constructed on Gregory's principle, and required less
adjusting. At 8.45 made one mile and a quarter south by west along the
bank of the river.