cant depth.

I stood for some time watching this dark turbid stream sweeping rapidly
along, and could not but wonder where so great a body of water could have
its source. I had then seen no other Australian rivers, but judging from
description this differed widely from them all.

I have since visited many of the most noted Australian streams and found
this distinguished by many peculiar characteristics; nor would I hesitate
to say that, with exception perhaps of the Murray, it will be found the
most important on that continent; and, taking into consideration its
geographical position, the fertility of the country on its banks, as far
as it is yet known, and the rise and fall of tide, it may perhaps not
yield in consideration even to the Murray.

TORRENTS OF RAIN.

I now examined the tributary stream which here joined the Glenelg, and to
my chagrin found that it was so much swollen by the late rains as to be
utterly impassable. To attempt to construct a bridge over it would have
been useless for the adjacent ground was now so swampy the horses were
bogged before we got them near it. I wandered up its banks as far as I
could before nightfall, but could not succeed in finding any place in our
vicinity at which we might hope to effect our passage. Just as it got
dark the rain again began to pour in torrents; thus, if possible,
rendering our position worse than before, and I returned late to the
tents much dispirited at the unfavourable weather we had encountered.

RISE OF THE WATERS. MARKS OF INUNDATIONS.

On going down to the Glenelg the next morning I found it so swollen by
the heavy rain of the preceding night as to render it impossible to get
near the main bed. The river was now far beyond its banks, and in the
forks of the trees above our heads we saw driftwood, reeds, dead grass,
etc., lodged at least fifteen feet higher than the present level; and
which could only have been left there during some great flood. Whether
these had frequently recurred we had of course no means of judging, but
during such floods the whole of the very low country which we here saw to
the south-west of us must be inundated. I need scarcely add that in a
tropical country no ground could be conceived better adapted to the
growth of rice than the extensive levels which border the Glenelg.

A detached party now went of to search for a route by which we could
proceed. The stock-keeper came and reported that the sheep were suffering
greatly