gh, seeming to indicate an approach to the ranges in which the stream
takes its rise.

Latitude by a Cygni 18 degrees 15 minutes 21 seconds.

GRANITE, PORPHYRY, AND SLATE.

28th September (Sunday).

Walked out from the camp to a low hill about one mile south-south-east.
It was composed of granite at the base and capped with horizontal strata
of sandstone, some of the beds containing large water-worn pebbles, and
the superstratum highly ferruginous. To the south-west of this hill the
rock was slate, the strata nearly vertical; the strike north and south,
but much contorted, and large pebbles of porphyry, quartz, slate,
granite, sandstone, and agate formed banks in the bed of the river. The
country, as seen from the hill, was generally level in appearance, but
consisted of numerous low ridges and detached hills of granite, with
sandstone on the summits. The valley of the river extended to the east
and south, and a large branch appeared to join from the south about ten
miles lower down, as a valley and some ranges of hills trended in that
direction. The whole face of the country had an arid and desolate aspect,
as there were no large trees except along the principal watercourses, and
many of the hills appeared destitute of any other vegetation besides
small acacias and scrub trees, the bare rock showing through its scanty
covering.

29th September.

At 7.15 a.m. again steered east up the river, the country level and
timbered with stringybark, box, bloodwood, leguminous ironbark, and rusty
gum; the soil a red sandy loam, thinly grassed; at 10.30 a.m. came to low
hills and ridges of granite and porphyry, timbered with box, leguminous
ironbark, terminalia, and the grass somewhat improved. Altered the course
at 11.0 a.m. to the south to close in with the river; but after crossing
a great number of dry watercourses, and even steering west, only reached
the bank of the river at sunset. The channel was dry, and all the
vegetation had disappeared, only a barren waste of coarse sand and gravel
180 yards wide, with bare rocky banks, showed that it had once been a
running stream. A few small hollows in the rocks retained water from the
late rain, but not sufficient for our horses, and though we found a small
pool in the sand, it was insufficient for the supply of the party.
Encamped at 6.0 p.m. The geological structure of this portion of the
country is wholly dissimilar to any other part of North Australia we have
yet traverse