untry for
some miles differs in no material point from that through which we had
already passed. The same rich tracts of soil near the river and the
same inferiority in the tracks remote from it. Near Dibilamble,
however, the limestone formation terminates, and gives place to barren
stony ridges, upon which the cypress callities is of close and stunted
growth. The ridges themselves were formed of a coarse kind of freestone
in a state of rapid decomposition. The Tabragar (the Erskine of Mr.
Oxley) falls into the Macquarie at Dibilamble. It had long ceased to
flow, being a small mountain torrent whose source, if we judge from the
shingly nature of its bed, cannot be very distant. Our descent was
considerable during the day; the rapids were frequent in the river, but
it underwent no change in its general appearance. Its waters were hard
and transparent, and its banks, in many places, extremely lofty; with a
red sandy loam and gravel under the alluvial deposits. It generally
happened that where the bank was high on the one side it was low and
subject to flood, to a limited extent at least, on the other. Upon
these low grounds the blue-gum trees were of lofty growth, but on the
upper levels box prevailed.

SCENERY NEAR THE RIVER.

The views upon the river were really beautiful, and varied at every
turn; nor is it possible for any tree to exceed the casuarina in the
graceful manner in which it bends over the stream, or clings to some
solitary rock in its centre.

It here became necessary for us to cross to the left bank of the river,
not only to avoid its numerous windings, and thus to preserve as much
as possible the direct line to Mount Harris; but also, because the
travelling was much better on the south side. We therefore availed
ourselves of a ford opposite to the ground on which the tents had
stood; and then pursued our journey, in a south-westerly course, over a
country of a description very inferior to that of any we had previously
noticed.

Iron-bark and cypresses generally prevailed along our line of route on
a poor and sandy soil, which improved after we passed Elizabeth Burn, a
small creek mentioned by Mr. Oxley.

TAYLOR'S RIVULET.

We approached the river again early in the day, and pitched our tent on
the summit of a sloping bank that overlooked one of its long still
reaches. We were protected from the sun by the angophora trees, which
formed a hanging wood around us, and, with its bright green foliage,