travelling about three
miles further on the banks of the Glenelg once more. Our route lay
straight across an open grassy valley at the foot of swelling hills of
the same description. Each of these valleys presented peculiar and very
romantic features, but I could not decide which looked most beautiful.
All contained excellent soil and grass, surpassing in quality any I had
seen in the present colony of New South Wales. The chase of the emu and
kangaroo, which were both numerous, afforded us excellent sport on these
fine downs. When about to cross the Wando I took my leave of the native
woman before mentioned, that she might not have the trouble of fording
the river, and I presented her with a tomahawk of which our females
explained to her the use, although she seemed still at a loss to conceive
the meaning of a present. The use of the little hatchet would be well
enough known however to her tribe so, leaving her to return to it and
assuring her at the same time of our friendly disposition towards the
natives, we proceeded.

The left bank of the principal stream was very bold where we reached it
on this occasion, but still open and covered with rich turf. The right
bank was woody and this was generally its character at the other points
where we had seen the Glenelg. It was flowing with considerable rapidity
amongst the same kind of bushes we had met with above, but they did not
appear so likely here to obstruct the passage of boats.

On the plains we found a singular acacia, the leaves being covered with a
clammy exudation resembling honey-dew. It differed from A. graveolens in
its much more rigid habit, shorter and broader leaves, and much shorter
peduncles.*

(*Footnote. A. exudans, Lindley manuscripts; ramis crassis rigidis
angulatis leviter pubescentibus, phyllodiis oblongo-lanceolatis
mucronatis oblique binerviis viscido-punctatis basi obsolete glandulosis,
capitulis 1-2 axillaribus, pedunculis lanatis, bracteolis rigidis acutis
pubescentibus alabastris longioribus (capitulis echinatis).)

August 11.

Passing along the bank of the river under the steep grassy hills which
consisted of very fine-grained, calcareous sandstone, we began two miles
on to ascend these heights; as well to avoid a place where they closed
precipitously on the Glenelg as to gain a point from which I hoped to
command an extensive view of its further course, and so cut off some of
the windings. From that point, or rather on riding through