d the country ahead appeared very barren and
rocky, we encamped.

8th August.

Steering a south-east course from 6.50 a.m., crossed a sandy tableland,
with paper-bark and melaleuca with broad leaves; passed a small creek
with pools trending north-east, and at 10.0 a low rocky ridge; then
descended into a wide valley, with melaleuca and a few box-trees. At 1.25
camped on a large sandy creek with two channels ten yards wide, with low
sandy banks; one channel was dry, but the other had a few small pools in
it; a line of melaleuca and flooded-gum trees marked its course along the
valley. When in flood the waters of the creek are 100 yards wide and ten
to fifteen feet deep. The grass was inferior, but from having been burnt
had grown up fresh and green.

Latitude by a Trianguli Australis 16 degrees 34 minutes 44 seconds.

IRON TOOLS USED BY NATIVES.

9th August.

Starting at 6.40 a.m., traversed an undulating sandstone country on a
south-east course till 1.15 p.m., when we came on a large dry sandy
creek, which we followed to the north-north-east till 1.50, when we found
a shallow pool, at which we encamped. This creek had a sandy channel ten
yards wide, with low banks, subject to flood to the breadth of fifty to
eighty yards. Pandanus, melaleuca, and flooded-gum grow on its banks. The
country generally is poor and stony, with paper-bark, gum, bloodwood, and
narrow-leafed melaleuca. Shortly after reaching the creek the horse
Monkey knocked up, though only carrying a pack-saddle since the 30th
July; I therefore left the saddle, having removed all such portion of the
fittings which might hereafter be useful. A few yards from our camp we
found some spears and water vessels, which had been hidden under some
sheets of bark by the blacks, who evidently were out hunting, as we heard
them calling to each other in the afternoon, though they were not seen.
These water vessels were formed by hollowing out a block of wood in the
shape of a canoe, and had a capacity of three gallons, and it was evident
that they possess tools of iron as also of stone.

Latitude by a Trianguli Australis 16 degrees 42 minutes 50 seconds;
longitude by lunar distances 136 degrees 28 minutes.

10th August.

As there was a sufficient supply of grass and water, remained at the camp
to rest the party. The morning was cloudy, but cleared up about 9 a.m.,
and I observed a set of lunar distances. Dean brought in some jasper from
a hill one mile north-wes