urally arose to my mind on examining these decaying
vestiges of a former expedition, whether I should be more fortunate
than the leader of it, and how far I should be enabled to penetrate
beyond the point which had conquered his perseverance. Only a week
before I left Sydney I had followed Mr. Oxley to the tomb. A man of
uncommon quickness, and of great ability, the task of following up his
discoveries was not less enviable than arduous; but, arrived at that
point at which his journey may be said to have terminated and mine only
to commence, I knew not how soon I should be obliged, like him, to
retreat from the marshes and exhalations of so depressed a country. My
eye instinctively turned to the North-West, and the view extended over
an apparently endless forest. I could trace the river line of trees by
their superior height; but saw no appearance of reeds, save the few
that grew on the banks of the stream.

Mount Foster, somewhat higher than Mount Harris, on the opposite side
of the river, alone broke the line of the horizon to the North N.W. at
a distance of five miles. From that point all round the compass, the
low lands spread, like a dark sea, before me; except where a large
plain stretching from E. to W., and lying to the S.E. broke their
monotony; and if there was nothing discouraging, there certainly was
nothing cheering, in the prospect.

ILLNESS OF TWO OF THE MEN.

On our return to the camp, I was vexed to find two of the men, Henwood
and Williams, with increased inflammation of the eyes, of which they
had previously been complaining, and I thought it advisable to bleed
the latter.

In consequence of the indisposition of these men, we remained
stationary on the 21st, which enabled me to pay a second visit to Mount
Harris. On ascending the smaller hill, I was surprised to find similar
vestiges on its summit to those I had noticed on the larger one; in
addition to which, the rollers still continued on the side of the hill,
which had been used to get the boat up it. [Mr. Oxley had two boats;
one of which he dragged to the top of each of these hills, and left
them turned bottom upwards, burying a bottle under the head of the
larger boat, which was conveyed to the more distant hill.]

Mount Harris is of basaltic formation, but I could not observe any
columnar regularity in it, although large blocks are exposed above the
ground. The rock is extremely hard and sonorous.

MOUNT FOSTER AND ITS NEIGHBOURHOOD.