quired.
The instruments employed were an eight-inch sextant, box-sextant,
prismatic compasses, pocket compasses, double axis compass, aneroid
barometers, thermometers, and artificial horizon, etc. Including forty
sets of horse-shoes, farrier's and carpenter's tools, together with
sundry material for repairs, etc., the total weight of the equipment was
about 4,600 pounds, exclusive of the saddles and harness, which gave an
average load of 150 pounds as the net load carried by each pack-horse.

THE PARTY START FROM JUANDA STATION.

24th March to 27th March.

These arrangements being complete, the expedition left Juanda, and
proceeded by the road to Mr. Cardew's station at Euroomba, from which,
under the guidance of Mr. Bolton--whose local knowledge was of material
service--we made our way through the dense scrubs and broken country to
the west for about thirty miles, to the head of Scott's Creek, a small
tributary of the Dawson River.

29th March.

The general course was now west-north-west through a country with rich
grassy valleys and dense scrubs of brigalow acacia on the higher ground.
Green grass was abundant at this time; but I fear that in seasons of
drought few of the waterholes are permanent; the timber consists of
ironbark, box, and a few other species of eucalyptus--the brigalow acacia
attaining the height of thirty feet; soft brown sandstones of the coal
measures are the prevailing rock, forming hills with table summits.

2nd April.

With some difficulty, owing to the dense scrubs, we crossed the basaltic
ridge which divides the eastern waters flowing to the Dawson River from
those trending to the west into the basin of the Maranoa River, a
tributary of which--probably the Merivale River--was followed westward.
The country became more sandy, timbered with ironbark, cypress, etc. The
whole was, however, well grassed, and suited for grazing, if not too
heavily stocked.

5th April.

Reaching the Maranoa River in about latitude 25 degrees 45 minutes, water
was scarcely procurable in the sandy bed, and we had to dig wells to
obtain a supply.

7th April to 12th April.

Warned by the fact that Messrs. H. Gregory and Haly had been unable to
penetrate the country to the west from scarcity of water, even three
months earlier in the season, we followed up the Maranoa to Mount Owen,
and having found a sufficient supply of water and grass for a few days'
halt, I proceeded to reconnoitre the country to the we