er-hole called by the natives Pernatty. to the north they
came upon Campbell's former discovery of the Elizabeth, but their
provisions failing they were forced to return.

A month afterwards Swinden started again from Pernatty. North of the
Gawler Range he found available pastoral country, which became known as
Swinden's country. During this year also, Miller and Dutton explored the
country at the back of Fowler's Bay. Forty miles to the north they saw
treeless, grassy plains stretching far inland, but could find no
permanent water. Warburton afterwards reported in depreciatory terms of
this region; but Delisser and Hardwicke, who also visited it, stated that
it would make first-class pastoral country if only surface water could be
obtained. During the whole of Warburton's career, his judgment of the
pastoral value of country seems to have been lamentably defective. He
made no allowance for the varying nature of the seasons. A suggestion
that he made to the South Australian Government to explore the interior,
which had turned back such men as Sturt and Gregory, with the aid of the
police, verges on the ludicrous.

In 1858, the South Australian Government voted a sum of money to fit out
a party to continue the northern explorations. This party was put under
the leadership of Babbage; but he was not given a free hand, being
hampered with official instructions, and there being no allowance made
for unforeseen exigencies. His instructions were to examine the country
between Lakes Torrens and Gairdner, and to map the respective western and
eastern shores of the two lakes, so as to remove for the future any doubt
as to their actual formation and accurate position. This alone, apart
from any extended exploration, meant a work of considerable time; but,
unfortunately for the surveyor in charge, the general public was just
then eager for fresh discoveries of available pastoral land, and was
inclined to regard survey work as of secondary importance. It took
several months to complete the survey work of the two lakes, and when
Babbage returned to Port Augusta he found that Harris, the second in
command of his depot camp, had started to return to Adelaide with many of
the drays and horses. Babbage rode one hundred and sixty miles before he
overtook him at Mount Remarkable, and there learned that the South
Australian Government had changed its official mind with regard to the
conduct of the expedition, and had decided that it should