ising grounds were thinly wooded with a
small sort of gum tree, called in the Isle of France the Bois noir.

We soon reached low marshy land intersected with large dry mud flats and,
as it was impossible, from the nature of the country, to get the pony
further, I tethered it, and we tried to make the river on foot. The
position which we had selected was however so unfavourable that we did
not succeed in reaching the river, and my wound became so painful that I
was scarcely able to crawl back to the pony.

We then returned to the tents, which we reached in the afternoon, and I
sent another party out to examine the country and to see if they could
find a more favourable position for the tent where we might be less
exposed to the mosquitoes. The remainder of the men were employed in
repairing the packsaddles and in mending our shoes, which were in a very
dilapidated condition. The detached party, on their return, reported that
they could not find a more favourable position for the tents; and that we
appeared to be on a low marshy tongue of land which the river nearly
flowed round. We this day saw the tracks of an emu, and of several large
dogs, and kangaroos.

ASCEND A HILL.

March 4.

By sunrise I had gained the foot of the highest hill near our encampment.
It is a very remarkable rocky eminence; in height above the immediate
base it was only 250 feet, but it rose by a regular steep slope from the
river, which was distant about four miles. I do not think therefore that
its height above the level of the sea was less than 800 feet. I was
unable to ride up this hill, from the rocky nature of the ground, which
was composed of a basalt resembling that of the Isle of France; its sides
were slightly wooded and clothed with a fine grass nearly as high as
myself. From the heaviness of the dew, walking through a river would have
been about as agreeable as walking through this grass; but when I had
reached the summit the view amply repaid me for the trouble of the
ascent.

VIEW OF THE GLENELG FROM IT.

The river flowed through a rich and fertile country at the base of the
hill, having in some places hereabouts a triple channel formed by large
and apparently fertile islands, and its width must have been at least
three or four miles; it however ran away so much to the north-eastward
that I began to fear it might be a great salt-water inlet, communicating
in some manner with Prince Regent's River, and that we might thus find
o