pt two or three small birds, the refreshment
which they procured had nearly overcome them. Such were the difficulties
attending excursions in the interior of this country. With Wilson, who
knew much of the country, and was well qualified to conduct the party,
the governor sent a lad, a free servant of his, who was capable of giving
an account of the occurrences of the journey; and from him the following
particulars were collected:

From Mount Hunter (which was the highest land then known in that part of
the country, and distant from the township of Parramatta from about 30 to
34 miles in a SW direction) they took their departure on the 24th of last
month, travelling in a SSW course for 18 miles, 12 of which laid through
a fine open country. There they fell in with the river Nepean, which was
found winding to the southward and westward, close behind the cow pasture
plains. The banks of the river being at this place exceedingly steep and
rocky, they had some difficulty in getting across. On the other side the
ground wore a barren, unpromising appearance; and during the day they saw
only a few kangaroos of a particular kind, having long, black, and brushy
tails; with a few birds, which from the length of the tail feathers, they
denominated pheasants.

On the 25th they continued in their course, SSW for six miles, through a
country in general open, and apparently of a good black soil. In the
course of the day they saw many kangaroos and several emus; and fell in
with a party of natives, one of whom engaged to accompany them, on
condition of their halting for that night where they then were.
Consenting to this, they had leisure to examine a hill in that
neighbourhood, the face of which appeared white, and proved to be an
immense cliff of salt, a specimen of which they brought in.

On the 26th, they determined to incline more to the westward, and
travelled 16 miles in a direction WSW over a rocky country, covered with
brush wood, and a prickly kind of vine. They did not meet with any
natives; and that animals existed there, they only saw by their faeces.

They continued on the 27th travelling in the same direction about 16
miles; the first six of which were like those of the preceding day. From
thence they got into an open but mountainous country, where they crossed
a small river, and discovered a quantity of coal and limestone. Here
every mile they went the scene improved. The rocky and barren ground was
exchanged for a f