ed banks of the
creek; but, on examining the bed of the latter, I could find no water,
although I followed it two miles down. There I arrived at a cattle
station named Toogang, where there was water. It was nothing to the old
hands of the Darling to go only TWO miles for water. We suffered no
inconvenience from this; but it was deplorable to see the bed of what
must in some seasons be a fine little stream so completely dry and dusty.
This day we met with a new species of Psoralea.* At the camp I
ascertained the magnetic variation to be 9 degrees 10 minutes 15 seconds
East, by an observation of the star Beta Centauri.

(*Footnote. A genus chiefly inhabiting the Cape of Good Hope, India, the
Levant and North America, of which no species have before been published
from Australia. I was subsequently fortunate enough to discover two more
species of this genus; which with one as yet unpublished, found by Mr.
Allan Cunningham in 1818 in the rocky islands of Dampier's Archipelago on
the north-west coast, makes the number inhabiting Australia to be 4: all
of which are remarkable for their resemblance to the North American form
of the genus. The species we observed on this occasion was a small
spreading herbaceous plant. P. patens, Lindley manuscripts; herbacea,
pubescens, foliis pinnatim trifoliolatis, foliolis dentatis punctatis
lateralibus oblongis obtusis intermedio ovato obtuso basi cuneato, racemo
pedunculato laxo multifloro foliis multo longiore, bracteis subrotundis
striatis obscure multipunctatis, ramis divaricatis.)

March 20.

We proceeded, crossing the channel near the cattle station where I learnt
that it was joined immediately below by that which I had named King's
creek on my last journey; also that water was abundant in it below the
junction. Some natives joined us and Piper prevailed on one of them to be
our guide, as far as he knew the country. The use of such a guide in
following an unexplored watercourse is that bad places for the carts may
be avoided, and the doubles of the stream cut off by the easiest routes.

BREAK A WHEEL.

In crossing a gully which entered the creek near another station, called
Chilberengaba, we broke a wheel, and though we had travelled only about
seven miles we were obliged to encamp, and remain until the carpenter and
the smith could repair it.

ATTEMPT TO ASCEND MARGA.

In the meantime I set out with the native guide for the summit of Marga,
which proved to be one of my old f