pear to join from the north, as a valley extends
several miles in that direction. The rain does not appear to have been
general over the country, as it often occurs that after travelling over
two or three miles of green grass where the gullies show signs of recent
flood, that this beautiful verdure suddenly ceases, and we again
encounter a dry and parched country which exhibits all the signs of an
Australian summer.

11th December.

Left our camp at 5.45 a.m., and, steering west, crossed the low ridge of
the Fitzroy Range, and having taken bearings of the features of the
country, steered north 260 degrees east through the level plain which
occupies the space between Wickham Heights and the Fitzroy Range, and
which was named Beagle Valley by Captain Stokes. The soil of this plain
is a brown clay, which in the dry weather crumbles into small pieces, so
that the horses sink deeply into it; but in the wet season the whole is
deep mud; it, however, appears to be very fertile, and produces an
abundance of grass; the trees consist of bauhinia, acacia, and some
eucalypti. Halting from 10.0 a.m. till 4.0 p.m. changed course to north
245 degrees east, and after traversing a grassy box flat for two hours,
camped at a small watercourse with pools of rainwater in a rocky
limestone channel.

BEAGLE VALLEY.

12th December.

Started at 5.30 a.m., and steered north 245 degrees east for one and a
half hours, when we passed the high bluff of the range and changed the
course north 330 degrees east, keeping three-quarters of a mile east of
the remarkable hill called the Tower, by Captain Stokes, from a
remarkable rock on the summit. The country was very rough and stony,
though the ridge we passed over was not more than 200 or 300 feet above
the river. Continuing a north-north-west course, at 9.45 reached the bank
of the Victoria, which was followed on a course of 200 degrees till
10.10, when a large creek joined the river; this creek drains nearly the
whole of Beagle Valley, and takes its rise in the north-west slope of
Stokes' Range. The course was then westerly till 12.15 p.m., when we
encamped in a grassy flat one-third of a mile from the river. Marked a
large adansonia tree 12 on its south side.

13th December.

Leaving our bivouac at 5.30 a.m., followed the valley of the river,
passing the ridge at back of Steep Head at 10.0., and halted at Timber
Creek at 11.0. The heavy rains which occurred in Beagle Valley do not
appear to