orseback,
to reconnoitre Lake Torrens and the country to the north of the depot,
leaving the party in camp to rest the horses and enable the overseer to
get up, from the head of Spencer's Gulf, the supplies kindly sent by His
Excellency the Governor in the WATERWITCH--her arrival having been
signalised the evening previous to my leaving. I arrived on the shores of
Lake Torrens the third day after leaving the depot, and have ascertained
that it is a basin of considerable magnitude, extending certainly over a
space varying in width from 15 to 20 miles, and with a length of from 40
to 50, from its southern extremity, to the most northerly part of it,
visible from a high summit in Flinders range, (about ninety miles north
of Mount Arden). The lake is girded with an outer ridge of sand, covered
with salsolaceous plants, and with saline crusts, shewing above the
ground at intervals. Its waters appear to extend over a considerable
surface, but they are, seemingly, shallow. I could not approach the
water, from the soft nature of that part of its bed, which is uncovered,
and which appeared to reach from three to four miles from the outer bank
to the water's edge. There can be no doubt, however, of its being very
salt, as that portion of its bed which lay exposed to our view was
thickly coated with pungent particles of salt. There were not any trees
or shrubs of any kind near the lake where we made it, nor could either
grass or fresh water be procured for our horses. Lake Torrens is bounded
on its western side by high lands--apparently a continuation of the table
land to the westward of the head of Spencer's Gulf.--I should think that
it must receive a considerable drainage from that quarter, as well as the
whole of the waters falling from Flinders range to the eastward.

"From the very inhospitable nature of the country, around the lake, I
could not examine it so carefully or so extensively as I could have
wished. My time, too, being very limited, made me hurry away to the
northward, to search for a place to which I might bring on my party, as
the grass in the neighbourhood of the depot was very old, and much less
abundant than on either of my former visits there. It became, therefore,
imperative on me to remove the horses as speedily as possible. Should
circumstances permit, I shall, however, endeavour to visit Lake Torrens
again, on my return from the northern interior. After leaving the lake I
spent many days in examining the