miles through a level country without
receiving any tributary to support their first impulse, became too
sluggish, long ere they reached the marshes, to cleave through so
formidable a barrier; and consequently spread over the surrounding
country--whether again to take up the character of a river, we had
still to determine. Unless, however, a decline of country should favour
its assuming its original shape, it was evident that the Macquarie
would not be found to exist beyond this marsh, of the nature and extent
of which we were still ignorant. The loss of my barometer was at this
time severely felt by me, since I could only guess at our probable
height above the ocean; and I found that my only course was to
endeavour to force my way to the northward, to ascertain, if I could,
from the bottom of the marshes; then penetrate in a westerly direction
beyond them, in order to commence my survey of the S.W. interior. I was
aware of Mr. Hume's perseverance, and determined, therefore, to wait
the result of his report ere I again moved the camp, to which we
returned late in the afternoon of the second day of our departure. We
found it unsufferably hot and suffocating in the reeds, and were
tormented by myriads of mosquitoes, but the waters were perfectly sweet
to the taste, nor did the slightest smell, as of stagnation, proceed
from them. I may add that the birds, whose sanctuary we had invaded, as
the bittern and various tribes of the galinule, together with the
frogs, made incessant noises around us, There were, however, but few
water-fowl on the river; which was an additional proof to me that we
were not near any very extensive lake.

MR. HUME'S REPORT.

Mr. Hume had returned before me to the camp, and had succeeded in
finding a serpentine sheet of water, about twelve miles to the
northward; which he did not doubt to be the channel of the river. He
had pushed on after this success, in the hope of gaining a further
knowledge of the country; but another still more extensive marsh
checked him, and obliged him to retrace his steps. He was no less
surprised at the account I gave of the termination of the river, than I
was at its so speedily re-forming, and it was determined to lose no
time in the further examination of so singular a region.

FALSE CHANNEL; PERPLEXITIES.

On the morning of the 28th therefore we broke up the camp, and
proceeded to the northward, under Mr. Hume's guidance, moving over
ground wholly subject to flo