nd to turn the Burdekin to the north of east. Continuing our route
nearly south-east over steep rocky ridges, we encamped in a fine grassy
flat, a quarter of a mile from the Suttor River, at 1.50 p.m., Mount
McConnell bearing north 172 degrees east magnetic. About 10.0 a.m. we
heard some blacks calling in our rear, and soon after came in sight, but
would not allow any of the party to approach them, till one of the
horsemen cantering up quickly, some of the blacks climbed into trees,
where, after making signs to them that it was desirable that they should
pursue an opposite route to ours, we left them to descend at leisure. The
country passed this day was of a broken character, with deep gullies and
rocky hills near the river, but was generally well grassed and openly
timbered with ironbark and Moreton-Bay ash. Granite rock forms the base
of the hills, and was covered by masses of porphyry, forming hills with
rocky summits of columnar structure, as at the head of the Gilbert River
a dark-coloured trap changing into porphyry formed some of the lower
ridges, and was largely developed on the bank of the Suttor. Thin veins
of calcareous spar and quartz intersected the granite. The bed of the
Burdekin where we last saw it, one mile above the junction of the Suttor,
was about half a mile wide with a stream of water varying from twenty
yards wide to the whole breadth of the channel, which was very level and
sandy. The Suttor is but a small river compared with the Burdekin. Near
the camp it formed some fine reaches of water 180 yards wide, but of no
great depth. The trees on its banks were much broken and bent by a
violent flood which had occurred within the year. Considering the number
of miles we have travelled along the banks of the Burdekin, few
impediments have been encountered, while the extent of country suited for
squatting purposes is very considerable--water forming a never-failing
stream throughout the whole distance.

Latitude by a Gruis and a Pegasi 20 degrees 36 minutes 20 seconds;
variation of compass 70 degrees east.

THE FIRST BRIGALOW SCRUB.

31st October.

A rainy night was followed by a thick fog in the morning, so that when we
started at 6.30 a.m. it was with difficulty the deep gullies on the banks
of the Suttor were avoided; steering south-west for one hour, crossed to
the right bank of the Suttor, and then by an average south course passed
to the west of Mount McConnell, which, by its isolated characte