ame extremely depressed and low. On
the following day we moved forward a distance of not more than nine
miles, through a country on which, at first, the acacia pendula alone
was growing on a light alluvial soil. The river had many back drains,
by means of which, in wet seasons, it inundates the adjacent plains. It
was evident, however, that they had not been flooded for many years;
and, notwithstanding that the country was low, the line of inundation
did not appear to be very extensive, nor were there any reeds growing
beyond the immediate banks of the river. Swamp-oak and rough-gum again
prevailed near the stream at our halting place, and the improvement
that had taken place, both in the country and in the Castlereagh, had
induced us to make so short a journey; for not only was there abundance
of the grass for the animals, but large ponds of water in the river.
Some natives had only just preceded us down it: we came upon their
fires that were still smoking; and upon them were the remains of some
fish they had taken, near which they had left a cumbrous spear. The
circumstances cheered us with hopes that an improvement would take
place in the country, and that some new feature would soon open upon
us. In the course of the following day, however, every favorable
change, both in the river and in the country, disappeared. The latter
continued extremely depressed, and in general open, or lightly covered
with acacia pendula; the former dwindled into a mere ditch, choked up
with brambles and reeds, and having only here and there a stagnant pool
of water. We travelled on a N.W. 1/2 W. course for about ten miles, and
again stopped for the night without water. In the course of the
afternoon, we traversed several flats, on which the rough-gum alone was
growing. These flats were evidently subject to flood; and contained an
alluvial soil.

They became more frequent as we travelled down the river, and the work
was so heavy for the animals, that I was obliged to keep wide of them,
in doing which we struck upon a creek of large size, coming from the
N.E. and, having crossed, we traversed its right bank to its junction
with the Castlereagh, and stopped close to it at a pond of water,
though the feed for the animals was bad. The country to the left of the
river, though somewhat high, was the same, in essential points, as that
to the right.

The Castlereagh seemed to have increased in size below the creek, but
still it had no resemblanc