reckoning, we are now only fifty miles from the
sea-coast, and therefore much nearer Dr. Leichhardt's track than I could
wish to traverse the country; but, however desirable a more inland route
might be, it is evident, from the small size of the watercourses hitherto
crossed, that we have been skirting a tableland which is doubtless a
continuation of the desert into which we followed Sturt's Creek, and the
small altitude of the country in which the watercourses trending towards
the Gulf take their rise precludes the existence of any considerable
drainage towards the interior.

Latitude by a Trianguli Australis 16 degrees 14 minutes 45 seconds.

THE MCARTHUR RIVER.

4th August.

The general course of the creek being northerly, and our distance from
the McArthur about 20 miles on the chart, steered south-east from 6.35
a.m., crossing many rocky sandstone ridges and hills, the strata of which
dipped 20 degrees to 40 degrees to the west. At noon from one of the
higher ridges saw the valley of the McArthur River to the south-east;
continuing our course, descended a small dry watercourse till 4.0 p.m.,
when we reached a large creek with a belt of casuarina, melaleuca and
eucalypti along its banks. The channel was dry and sandy, about twenty
yards wide, but showed the marks of high floods. Following the creek down
for three-quarters of an hour found a small pool just sufficient for the
supply of the party. Just below our camp a creek fifteen yards wide
joined the principal one from the south, and, from the general lay of the
country, it was evident that we were now on the McArthur River of
Leichhardt; but though from the steepness of the banks the floods
frequently rise thirty to forty feet, the creek did not bear the
character of one which would take its rise at any great distance inland
of our track. The country passed over was very thinly wooded with
eucalypti of small growth, seldom more than one and a half feet in
diameter and fifty feet high; a few leguminous ironbark, and sterculia
were scattered on the hills, with much triodia and little grass. After
crossing the highest ridge at 11.0 a.m. the sandstone strata were
variously inclined, but generally to the west or north-east at high
angles, except on the immediate bank of the McArthur, where the
sandstones were horizontal. To the south-west of our route the country
rose into stony hills of very barren aspect, but to the north the country
appeared to be wooded.

L