ome lightning in the north.

...

DISTRICT IMMEDIATELY TO THE NORTH OF SWAN RIVER.

The third district lies immediately to the north of Perth. It contains
four rivers:

The Norcott,
The Moore,
The Smith,
The Hill.

The Norcott and Moore Rivers, about fifty miles to the north of Perth,
were before known; and about twenty-five miles to the north of Moore
River is the Smith. The Hill comes out of Gairdner's Range, the natural
northern limit of this district, which is connected with Perth by a chain
of freshwater lakes, the greatest distance between any two of them being
not more than from five to six miles. The whole of this district is
therefore fit for location, and affords a gratifying proof that the
flourishing colony of the Swan is by no means deficient in good and
immediately available land.

The circumstance also of this district being so abundantly supplied with
water, even at the end of an uncommonly dry season, which was the period
I traversed it in, much enhances its value. It must, as the number of
horned stock in the colony of Western Australia increases, be the first
occupied; for it is nearer to a market than any other open to location,
and affords both water and food for cattle in good supply.

CHAPTER 7. VOYAGE HOMEWARDS.

Before quitting the Mauritius, in August 1838, I had written to the
Secretary of State for the Colonies, reporting my intention to proceed to
the Swan River, and then, as circumstances might guide me, either to
return from thence at once to the north-west coast, or, should that not
be feasible, to await further instructions from England; adding that, in
the latter event, I should attempt in the meantime to pass the range to
the north-east of the Swan, and endeavour to ascertain in what direction
the streams thrown off from this range towards the interior might flow.

I have already stated the incidents that prevented me from following out
the first of these plans, as well as those which led me to adopt the
project of the voyage to Shark Bay in lieu of an inland journey such as
the second; and now that this last expedition was brought to a close I
had yet to await, for some time, the answer to my communication from the
Mauritius, which was to guide my future proceedings. The interval between
my return to Perth and the period at which a reply might be expected
appeared too short to allow of my carrying out any comprehensive plan of
exploration, and I therefore resolved to em