tationary on the 8th, in hopes that Riley would have met
the soldier who had been sent back to Wellington Valley, and that he
would have forwarded any letters to us, of which he might have been the
bearer. The day, however, passed over without realizing our
expectations; and we started once more for the interior, and cut
ourselves off from all communication with society.

MORRISSET'S PONDS.

We made for Morrisset's chain of ponds, and travelled over rich and
extensive plains, divided by plantations of cypress, box, and
casuarina, in the early and latter period of the day. About noon we
entered a dense forest of cypresses, which continued for three miles,
when the cypresses became mixed with casuarina, box, and mountain-gum,
a tree we had not remarked before in so low a situation. We struck upon
the creek after a journey of about 15 miles. It had a sandy bed, and
was extremely tortuous in its course, nor was it until after a
considerable search, that we at length succeeded in finding water, at
which a party of natives were encamped. The moment they saw us, they
fled, and left all their utensils, &c. behind them. Among other things,
we found a number of bark troughs, filled with the gum of the mimosa,
and vast quantities of gum made into cakes upon the ground. From this
it would appear these unfortunate creatures were reduced to the last
extremity, and, being unable to procure any other nourishment, had been
obliged to collect this mucilaginous food.

The plains we traversed, were of uniform equality of surface. Water
evidently lodges and continues on them long after a fall of rain, and
in wet seasons they must, I should imagine, be full of quagmires, and
almost impassable.

On the 10th, we passed through a country that differed in no material
point from that already described. We stopped at 10 a.m. under some
brush, in the centre of a large plain, from which Arbuthnot's range
bore S. 84 E. distant from 50 to 55 miles, and afterwards traversed or
rather crossed, those extensive tracts described by Mr. Evans as being
under water and covered with reeds, in 1817. They now bore a very
different appearance, being firm and dry. The soil was in general good,
and covered with forest grass and a species of oxalia. We did not
observe any reeds, or the signs of inundation, but, as is invariably
the case with plains in the interior, they were of too even surface, as
I have so lately remarked, to admit of the waters running quickl