those of the rivers
in the south; leaving it doubtful, again, whether this river could belong
to the system of the Barwan. Thermometer, at sunrise, 53 deg.; at noon, 48 deg.;
at 4 P. M., 45 deg.; at 9, 45 deg..

21ST MAY.--The morning being clear, frosty, and serene, induced me to
ride towards an elevated point, about thirteen miles to the north-west,
in hopes of obtaining a view of more distant mountains. Crossing the
river near our camp I met with no obstruction, but found open forests,
and a good grassy country throughout; the soil being, however, rather too
loose and sandy, for the easy passage of wheel carriages. I crossed three
channels of water-courses all dry, but evidently receptacles of water in
ordinary seasons. They now contained a most luxuriant crop of oat-grass
(Anthistiria). The hill was rocky and open on the summit, the chief trees
being very remarkable; especially a species of FICUS, of a unique kind,
but not in fruit, closely resembling the English ash; but growing wholly
on rock. Bottle trees (DELABECHEA) grew also in a romantic nook, such as
they seem to delight in, in the neighbourhood of minor shrubs, equally
strange. The rock consisted of a sandstone with vegetable impressions,
such as I had never seen on the sandstone of the ranges. From this
summit, the crests of very distant ranges appeared to the northward; the
highest bearing nearly north, by compass, and apparently distant 70 or 80
miles. The course of the river, or at least of a river, judging by a line
of smoke, came from the north-westward, between that mountain, and others
to the westward of it. More to the right, or eastward, the horizon
presented flat-topped ranges; increasing in elevation as they receded
from that side of the country whence we had come. That sort of level
horizon seemed always to bound our view to the southward, the little gap
was the only relieving blue break in the whole of that side. The eye
ranged over a vast extent of country, however, at its base, extending
eastward, where open plains or downs shone bright in the remote distance;
in which direction, much smoke arose from fires of the natives. I
returned from the hill but little wiser than I went, except that I had
observed the strata dipping southward, and that we might, therefore,
still look for their synclinal line to the northward; and beyond that,
for the heads of other rivers. These hills, overlooking the valley of the
river, resembled rocky bergs, at a di