plied to a part of the world's geography, than that it was to do honour
to Australia, as well as to them. I called this hill Mount Owen; a bald-
forest hill to the N.E. of it, Mount Clift; a lofty truncated cone, to
the eastward of these, the centre of a group, and one of my zero points,
Mount Ogilby; a broad-topped hill far in the north-west, where I wished
to continue my route, Mount Faraday; a high table land intervening,
Hope's Table Land; the loftiest part of the coast ranges, visible on all
sides, Buckland's Table Land, etc. etc. The part of Mount Owen on which I
stood, consisted of basalt, which had crystallised cubically so as to
form a tottering pile on the summit, not unlike the ruins of a castle,
"nodding to its fall," and almost overhanging their base. Curious bushes
grew amongst these rocks, unlike those in the lower country; amongst
them, a climber, resembling a worm, which wholly enveloped a tree. On
returning to the camp, I learnt that the bullock-driver had found a
spacious basin in a rocky part of the bed, some miles down the river;
having thereat watered his cattle and returned; also, that Corporal
Graham had met with a pond ten miles higher up the river than our camp:
thus it was evident that many miles intervened between these two ponds in
the river. The other men left at the camp had fortunately found in the
crevice of a rock beyond the river-channel, enough of water for the
horses and themselves. But, had this river-channel contained much more
water, I could not have followed it in its upward course, and so go to
the north-east, instead of the north-west; neither had this been possible
from the precipitous rocks overhanging it at almost every turning. I had
found, in Mount Owen, a nucleus, which was a key to these sandstone
gullies radiating about it, and I had also perceived from it that towards
Mount Faraday, the north-western interior was tolerably clear of
mountainous obstructions; three small or very distant cones, seemed the
principal features beyond it. I wished much to have explored a route for
our carts in that direction; but it was necessary that I should first
establish the party near water. I accordingly determined to conduct it
along the range towards Mount Owen next day, as far as might be
necessary, in order to turn off to the right, and encamp, overlooking
some rocky gully within a convenient distance of Mount Owen; and, again
to explore these recesses for water, or send for it to Cor