Title:      NARRATIVE OF AN EXPEDITION UNDERTAKEN UNDER THE DIRECTION OF
            THE LATE MR. ASSISTANT SURVEYOR E. B. KENNEDY (1849)
Author:     William Carron
* A Project Gutenberg of Australia eBook *
eBook No.:  0201121.txt
Edition:    1
Language:   English
Character set encoding:     Latin-1(ISO-8859-1)--8 bit
Date first posted:          December 2002
Date most recently updated: December 2002

This eBook was produced by: Col Choat

Production notes: Italics in the original text are shown
                  as upper case in this eBook

Project Gutenberg of Australia eBooks are created from printed editions
which are in the public domain in Australia, unless a copyright notice
is included. We do NOT keep any eBooks in compliance with a particular
paper edition.

Copyright laws are changing all over the world. Be sure to check the
copyright laws for your country before downloading or redistributing this
file.

This eBook is made available at no cost and with almost no restrictions
whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms
of the Project Gutenberg of Australia License which may be viewed online at
http://gutenberg.net.au/licence.html

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

A Project Gutenberg of Australia eBook

Title:      NARRATIVE OF AN EXPEDITION UNDERTAKEN UNDER THE DIRECTION OF
            THE LATE MR. ASSISTANT SURVEYOR E. B. KENNEDY (1849)
Author:     William Carron



NARRATIVE OF AN EXPEDITION UNDERTAKEN UNDER THE DIRECTION OF
THE LATE MR. ASSISTANT SURVEYOR E. B. KENNEDY,
FOR THE EXPLORATION OF THE COUNTRY LYING BETWEEN
ROCKINGHAM BAY AND CAPE YORK;
BY WM. CARRON, ONE OF THE SURVIVORS OF THE EXPEDITION.

TO WHICH ARE ADDED,
1. THE STATEMENT OF THE ABORIGINAL NATIVE JACKEY JACKEY, WHO
   ACCOMPANIED MR. KENNEDY.
2. THE STATEMENT OF DR. VALLACK AND CAPTAIN DOBSON, WHO RESCUED
   THE SURVIVORS OF THE EXPEDITION: AND
3. THE STATEMENT OF CAPTAIN SIMPSON, OF THE "FREAK," WHO
   PROCEEDED IN SEARCH OF MR. KENNEDY'S PAPERS, &C.

SYDNEY: 1849





CHAPTER I.



We left Sydney on the 29th of April, 1848, in the barque "Tam O'Shanter"
(Captain Merionberg); in company with H.M.S. "Rattlesnake."

Our party consisted of the following persons: Mr. E. B. Kennedy,
(leader,) Mr. W. Carron, (botanist,) Mr. T. Wall, (naturalist,) Mr. C.
Niblet, (storekeeper,) James Luff, Edward Taylor, and William Costigan,
(carters,) Edward Carpenter, (shepherd,) William Goddard, Thomas
Mitchell, John Douglas, Dennis Dunn, (labourers,) and Jackey, an
aboriginal native of the Patrick's Plains tribe.

Our supplies and equipment for the journey had been most fully
considered, and were estimated by Mr. Kennedy as amply sufficient for a
journey so short as that we then anticipated.

Our live stock consisted of twenty-eight horses, one hundred sheep, three
kangaroo dogs, and one sheep dog. Our dry provisions comprised one ton of
flour, ninety lbs. of tea, and six hundred lbs. of sugar. Besides these
necessary supplies for subsistence on the road, we took with us
twenty-four pack-saddles, one heavy square cart, two spring carts, with
harness for nine horses, four tents, a canvas sheepfold, twenty-two
pounds gunpowder, one hundred and thirty lbs. shot, a quarter cask of
ammunition, twenty-eight tether ropes, each twenty-one yards long, forty
hobble chains and straps, together with boxes, paper, &c., for preserving
specimens, firearms, cloaks, blankets, tomahawks, and other minor
requisites for such an expedition, not forgetting a supply of fish-hooks
and other small articles, as presents for the natives.

After a tedious passage of twenty-two days, we arrived at Rockingham Bay
on the 21st May; and even here, at the very starting point of our
journey, those unforeseen difficulties began to arise, which led us
subsequently to hardships so great and calamities so fatal.

On casting anchor, Mr. Kennedy, in company with Captain Merionberg,
proceeded in a boat to examine the shores of the Bay, and to determine on
a suitable landing place for the horses, but returned in the evening
without having been able to discover one.

The attempt was renewed the next morning, and continued during the entire
day; and on the morning of the 23rd of May Mr. Kennedy and Captain
Merionberg returned to the ship with the intelligence that they had
discovered a spot where the horses might be landed with tolerable safety,
and where, too, there was plenty of grass and water. This was an
important desideratum, as we had lost one horse and eleven sheep on the
voyage.

The water round the shores of the bay was very shallow, in consequence of
which the vessel could not approach close inland, but was compelled to
cast anchor about a quarter of a mile from the shore, and this distance
the horses had to swim.

In the afternoon the vessel was anchored off the landing place, and early
on the following morning (May 24th) the tents, tether ropes, and
sheepfold were taken ashore, with a party to take care of the horses when
landed. At ten o'clock AM., slings having been prepared, we commenced
hoisting the horses out of the hold, and lowering them into the water
alongside a boat, to the stern of which the head of each horse was
secured, as it was pulled ashore. One horse was drowned in landing, but
all the others were safely taken ashore during the day. The weather this
day was very cold, with occasional showers of rain.

During the time occupied by landing the horses, a number of aboriginal
natives assembled on the beach; they evinced no symptom of hostility, but
appeared much surprised at our horses and sheep. White men they had
frequently seen before, as parties have landed on the beach from
surveying vessels.

We found no difficulty in making them comprehend that we desired to be
friendly with them, and they advanced towards us with green boughs in
their hands, which they displayed as emblems of peace. We met them with
our arms extended and our hands open, indicating that we had no
implements of war with us. We made them a present of two circular tin
plates, with Mr. Kennedy's initials stamped upon them, with chains to
hang them round the neck; we also gave them a few fish-hooks, and they
accepted our presents with great demonstrations of pleasure. We made
signs for them to sit down about 200 yards from the spot where the horses
and sheep were being landed, and marking a line upon the sand we made
them understand that they were not to cross it to approach us. One of our
party was placed amongst them. to enforce this regulation, which he did
with little difficulty, although they expressed great curiosity as to
various articles brought on shore from the ship.

These natives appeared to be very fine strong men, varying much in
intelligence and disposition.

I entered into such conversation with them as we were enabled to hold,
and I soon found that while some were eagerly anxious to learn the names
of different articles and their uses, others were perfectly indifferent
about them.

We pitched our tents about two hundred yards from the beach, forming a
square, with the sheepfold in the centre. Mr. Kennedy came on shore in
the morning to superintend the arrangements, and after
giving the necessary directions and instructions, returned to the ship.
The party left ashore in charge, consisted of myself, Wall, Dunn,
Carpenter, and Douglas. Our provisions were supplied from the ship, in
order that no time might be lost in getting all our stores and implements
in proper order for starting.

A few yards from our camp was a fresh water creek, from which, although
the tide ran into it about one hundred yards, where it was stopped by a
small bank, we could obtain excellent water. The grass around was very
long, and mostly of very coarse descriptions, consisting chiefly of a
species of uniola growing in tufts, agrostis with creeping roots and
broad blades; the horses seemed to like the uniola best.

A little to the northward of our camp were very high and almost
perpendicular rocks, composed mostly of micaceous schist, covered with
various epiphytal ORCHIDES and ferns.

The labour of the day being ended, and most of our stores landed, the
greater number of our party came ashore to pass the night; and after
having tethered the horses in fresh places, we assembled at supper, the
MATERIEL of which, (beef and biscuit,) was sent from the ship. We then
took possession of our tents, one square tent being allotted to Mr.
Kennedy; Niblet, Wall, and myself occupied a small round one; Taylor,
Douglas, Carpenter, Mitchell, and Jackey, a large round tent; and Luff,
Dunn, Goddard, and Costigan, the other.

Mr. Kennedy's tent was 8 feet. long, by 6 feet, and 8 feet high, and in
it were placed a compact table, constructed with joints so as to fold up,
a light camp stool, his books and instruments. The two larger round tents
were pyramidal in shape, seven feet in diameter at the least, and nine
feet high. The small tent was six feet diameter, and eight feet high.

Every man was then supplied with one pair of blankets, one cloak, a
double-barrel gun or carbine, a brace of pistols, cartridge box, small
percussion cap pouch, and six rounds of ammunition.

The arrangement for preserving the safety of the camp from attack, was,
that every man, with the exception of Mr. Kennedy, should take his turn
to watch through the night--two hours being the duration of each man's
watch--the watch extending from 8 P.M. till 6 A.M. During the night the
kangaroo dogs were kept chained up, but the sheep dog was at large.

The position of this our first encampment was near the northern extremity
of Rockingham Bay, being in latitude 17° 58' 10" south, longitude 146° 8'
east. The soil, where our cattle and sheep were feeding, was sandy and
very wet, The land, from the beach to the scrub in the swamp beyond, was
slightly undulating and very thickly strewed with shells, principally
bivalves.

On the morning of the 25th May, a party commenced landing the remainder
of our stores; and it being a fine morning, I went out to collect
specimens and seeds of any new and interesting plants I might find. On
leaving the camp I proceeded through a small belt of scrub to the rocks
on the north; the scrub was composed of the GENERA FLAGELLARIA, KENNEDYA,
BAMBUSA (bamboo), SMILAX, CISSUS, MUCUNA, and various climbing plants
unknown to me: the trees consisting principally of EUGENIA, ANACARDIUM,
CASTANOSPERMUM (Moreton Bay chesnut), a fine species of SARCOCEPHALUS,
and a large spreading tree belonging to the natural order RUTACEAE, with
ternate leaves, axillary panicles of white flowers, about the size of
those of BORONIA PINNATA. At the edge of the rocks were some fine tree
ferns (DICKSONIA), with the GENERA XIPHOPTERIS, and POLYPODIUM; also
some beautiful epiphytal ORCHIDEAE; one beautiful specimen of
DENDROBIUM, (rock lily,) with the habit of D. SPECIOSUM but of stronger
growth, bearing long spikes of bright yellow flowers, the sepals spotted
with rich purple. I found also, another species with smaller leaves, and
move slender habit, with spikes of dull green flowers, the column and
tips of the sepals purple. Also a very fine CYMBIDIUM, much larger than
C. SUAVE, with brown blossoms, having a yellow column.

I proceeded along the edge of a mangrove swamp for a short distance, and
entered a fresh water swamp about a mile from the beach, covered with
very thick scrub, composed of large trees of the genus MELALEUCA,
running for the most part from forty to fifty feet high. Here also I
first found a strong growing climbing palm (CALAMUS), throwing up a
number of shoots from its roots, many of them 100 feet long, and about
the thickness of a man's finger, with long pinnatified leaves, covered
with sharp spines, long tendrils growing out of the stem alternately with
the leaves, many of them twenty feet long, covered with strong spines
slightly curved downward, by which the shoots are supported in their
rambling growth. They lay hold of the surrounding bushes and branches of
trees, often covering the tops of the tallest, and turning in all
directions. On some of these tendrils the blossoms and seeds are
produced, the seed bearing tendrils having at about two feet apart long
bunches of very small white apelatous hermaphrodite flowers, closely
crowded together, with six stamens, one pistil, and three cleft stigma.
The seed is a small hard nut, with a thin scaly covering, and is produced
in great abundance.

The leaves of this palm resemble those of the LIVISTONA, being about
three feet long, of a dark green colour, and cut at regular spaces to the
mid-rib. The shoots are remarkably tough, and I afterwards found were
used by the natives in making their canoes. These canoes are small, and
constructed of bark, with a small sapling on each side to strengthen
them, the ends of which are tied together with these shoots. They are
jointed, and resemble the common cane used in basket-making, and when cut
they exhibit the small pores in a similar manner.

The growth of this plant forms one of the greatest obstacles to
travelling in the bush in this district. It forms a dense thicket, into
which it is impossible to penetrate without first cutting it away, and a
person once entangled in its long tendrils has much difficulty in
extricating himself, as they lay hold on everything they touch. On
entering the swamp to examine plants, I was caught by them, and became so
much entangled before I was aware of it, that it took me nearly an hour
to get clear, although I had entered but a few yards.

No sooner did I cut one tendril, than two or three others clung around me
at the first attempt to move, and where they once clasp they are very
difficult to unloose. Abundance of the shoots, from fifteen to twenty
feet long, free from leaves or tendrils, could be obtained, and would be
useful for all the purposes to which the common cane is now applied.

At this spot also I met with a beautiful plant, belonging to the natural
order AROIDEAE, climbing by its rooting stems to the tops of the trees,
like the common ivy, (HEDERA HELIX). This plant has narrow pointed
leaves, four inches long, and produces at the ends of the shoots a red
spatha, enclosing a cylindrical spadix of yellow flowers.

In many parts the swamp was completely covered with a very strong growing
species of RESTIO (rope-grass.) On the open ground, between the beach and
the swamp, were a few large flooded gums, and a few Moreton Bay ash
trees. Near the beach I found a strong growing species of EXOCARPUS, (B.
LATIFOLIA, of Brown,) with glancescent oval leaves, about one inch long.

On the beach, too, just above high water mark, was a beautiful spreading,
lactescent tree, about twenty feet high, belonging to the natural order
APOCYNEAE, with alternate exstipulate, broad, lanceolate leaves, six to
eight inches long, and producing terminal spikes of large, white,
sweet-scented flowers, resembling those of the white nerium oleander, but
much larger. I also met with a tree about twenty feet high belonging to
the natural order DILLENIACEAE, with large spreading branches, producing
at the axilla of the leaves from three to five large yellow flowers, with
a row of red appendages surrounding the carpels.

A fine species of CALOPHYLLUM, with large dark green leaves, six to eight
inches long, two and a-half to three inches broad, beautifully veined,
and with axillary racemes of white, sweet-scented flowers; the seed being
a large round nut with a thin rind, of a yellowish green colour when
ripe. There were many other interesting plants growing about, but the
afternoon turning out wet, I left their examination to stand over till
finer weather.

Growing on the beach was a species of PORTULACA, a quantity of the young
shoots of which I collected, and we partook of them at our supper, boiled
as a vegetable.

In the evening after watering our horses, we took them to the camp and
gave each of them a feed of corn, which we had brought with us for the
purpose of strengthening them previous to our starting from Rockingham
Bay, on our expedition; but although the grass on which they had been
depasturing was coarse, they were with difficulty induced to eat the
corn, many of them leaving it almost all behind them. We then tethered
them and folded our sheep, one of which we killed for food. The ration
per week on which the party was now put, was one hundred pounds flour,
twenty-six pounds sugar, three and a-half pounds tea, with one sheep
every alternate day.

This night too we commenced our nightly watch, the whole of the stores
being landed and packed in the camp.

During nearly the whole of the day a tribe of natives was watching our
movements, but they seemed to be quite peaceably inclined; the weather
was very cold, and at night the rain set in and continued to fall almost
without intermission, till morning.

The next morning (May 26th) was very wet and cold; but after securing our
horses, I again went out to search for, and examine plants, although it
was too rainy to collect seeds or specimens. On a CASUARINA near the
swamp, I saw a beautiful LORANTHUS with rather small oval leaves,
panicles of flowers, with the tube of the corolla green; segments of the
limbs dark red; of a dwarf bushy habit.

This beautiful parasite covered the tree, and was very showy.

The afternoon turning out fine and warm, I collected several specimens
and sorts of seeds. In the open ground grew a beautiful tree producing
large terminal spikes of yellow flowers, with broad, and slightly cordate
leaves, belonging to the natural order BIGNONIACEAE.

The open ground between the beach and the swamp varied in width from half
a mile to three or four miles; it was principally covered with long
grass, with a belt of bushy land along the edge of the beach; the bush
consisting principally of EXOCARPUS, with dark green oval leaves, near an
inch long; two dwarf species of FABRICIA, one with white, the other with
pink flowers; a species of JASMINUM, with rather large, white,
sweet-scented flowers; and a few acacia trees, with long, linear,
lanceolate, phyllodia, racemose spikes of bright yellow flowers. There
also grew the genera XANTHORRHEA, XEROTES, and RESTIO (rope-grass.)

There were a great many wallabies near the beach, but they were very
wild. Returning to the camp in the evening, I met several natives who had
been fishing. Most of the fish they had taken had been speared, but few
having been caught with hooks.

I remained with them some time, and learned some of their expressions.
Fresh water they call "hammoo," salt water, "mocull;" their dogs, the
same species as the native dogs found near Sydney, they call "taa-taa."

We had not as yet seen any of their women, as they were encamped at some
distance from us.

Near the beach, by the side of the salt water creek, I saw a beautiful
species of RUELLIA with terminal spikes of blue flowers, and
spiney-toothed leaves, and a bushy shrub eight or ten feet high, with
alternate extipulate simple oval leaves, bearing a solitary, axillary,
round fruit, resembling a greengage plum; the fleshy pulp covering the
hard round stone has rather a bitter taste, but it is not disagreeable
when ripe. It acts as a laxative if eaten in any quantity (probably MABA
LAURINA).

On the following morning, May 27th, when the horses were watered and fed,
I commenced digging a piece of ground, in which I sowed seeds of cabbage,
turnip, leek, pumpkin, rock and water melons, pomegranate, peach stones,
and apple pips. On the two following days, May 28th and 29th, I remained
in the camp all day.

The next morning, May 30th, Mr. Kennedy and three others of the party
rode out to examine the surrounding country, and to determine in what
direction the expedition should start, the remainder staying at the camp,
busily occupied with preparations for our departure into the wilderness.
The flour was put into canvas bags, holding 100lbs. each, made in the
shape of saddlebags, to hold 50lbs weight on each side. The sugar we put
into two large tin canisters, made to fit into one of the carts, and the
tea was packed in quarter-chests. The surplus stores, comprising horse
shoes, clothes, specimen boxes, &c., which would not be required before
our arrival at Cape York, were sent on board H. M. S. Rattlesnake, which
it was arranged should meet us at Port Albany. During the day one of the
party shot a wallaby on the beach, which made very good soup.

During the morning of the next day (May 31st) I was employed in procuring
specimens and seeds of various plants, and in the afternoon we all
resumed our preparations for starting, as we expected Mr. Kennedy back
next day. He however did not arrive in the camp, and in the afternoon (of
June 1st) I obtained specimens of a very pretty plant of the natural
order ONAGRARIAE, with opposite oblong simple leaves, and large purple
flowers.

The following day (June 2nd) Mr. Kennedy and his party returned to the
camp, with the intelligence that it was impossible to proceed in a north
or north-westerly direction, in consequence of the swamps. Mr. Kennedy
had penetrated them in some places, where the scrub was not too thick;
but could not get through them in any place, on account of the water, and
the dense scrub. He informed us that he found
we should be obliged to cross a river on the beach to the south-west of
the camp before we could hope to make any progress.

The two following days were occupied with completing our arrangements for
starting; as it wits determined on the following morning to strike our
tents and proceed at once on our expedition.




CHAPTER II.



As I may now consider our expedition as fairly begun, it may, for the
sake of clearness and arrangement, be advisable to continue my narrative
in the form of a journal; detailing from day to day, the various
occurrences which took place.

It must be remembered, however, that in narrating the particulars of our
journey, I am obliged to trust largely to memory, and to very imperfect
memoranda; and to these difficulties must I refer, in excuse for the
defects, with which I am well aware this narrative abounds.

Up to the present time, the whole of the party, and especially its
unfortunate leader, had remained in good spirits, and, buoyed up with
sanguine hopes of success, were eager to set out on their pilgrimage of
discovery.

June 5.--We breakfasted at an early hour this morning, and proceeded at
once to harness our horses to the carts, three to each cart. The carts
contained about seven hundred weight each. This business having been
completed, and the pack-horses saddled and laded, we started at nine
o'clock A.M., and proceeded along the beach. Mr. Kennedy and Jackey rode
in front, followed by the three carts. Wall, riding one horse and leading
two pack-horses, next Goddard, Douglas, Mitchell, and Dunn, leading three
pack-horses, Niblet in the rear, riding one and leading two horses,
followed by Carpenter driving the sheep, and myself on foot, carrying Mr.
Kennedy's mountain barometer, which he had given into my charge during
the journey; and I was also to take the time for that gentleman, in his
observations.

After travelling in this order about two miles, we came to
a large river, emptying itself into Rockingham Bay. This river was about
one hundred and fifty yards wide, and although the tide ran up it about a
mile, fresh water was procurable from it considerably nearer the sea.

At nearly high-water I tasted fresh water on one side of the river, and
salt on the other, and about two hours after high-water, there was no
difficulty in obtaining plenty of excellent water on either side of the
river, in different places. There is a great deal of fresh water running
into the sea here. and at the same distance from the sea as the mouth of
the river, it is in some places mixed with salt water, whilst in others
it is quite fresh. The banks of this river are low and sandy, and a short
distance above where we joined it, it is skirted on either side by a
thick mangrove swamp. for the distance of about a mile, where it joins
the fresh water swamps, covered with thick scrub. On my proceeding up the
river, it became narrower in its channel as it approached the swamps,
from which it appeared to be principally supplied. It had a tortuous
course. and when I left it, was turning to the Westward.

A boat was sent to us by Captain Stanley, of H.M.S. Rattlesnake, to
assist us in carrying our stores across, which we effected with some
difficulty by ten o'clock, P.M., the horses and some of the sheep
swimming across. while the remainder of the latter were taken in the
boat.

We pitched Mr. Kennedy's tent on sand, at the side of the river, and it
being dark. and not knowing where to obtain water on that side of the
river, I and five others recrossed it, and went back about three quarters
of a mile, to a small creek running parallel to the beach. We filled our
kegs, and returned to the camp in time to have supper by twelve o'clock,
after which we rolled ourselves in our blankets, and. wearied by the
fatigues we had undergone, slept soundly till daylight.

This was a very harassing day to us, as we were all constantly in the
water, loading and unloading the boat. It is but just to state, that
Captain Stanley, of the Rattlesnake, both in landing our horses and
stores, and in crossing this river, rendered us every assistance in his
power, and seemed throughout to take a strong interest in the expedition,
and its object.

While landing our things at the other side the river, the natives
assembled in great numbers about our luggage. As they appeared friendly,
we permitted them to come within about 150 yards of our landing place;
with some few we had a little difficulty, but for the most part they
would sit down quietly as soon as a sign was made for them to do so.

June 6.--Early this morning Lieutenant Simpson, of the Rattlesnake, left
us, he having stayed all night at the camp, and we were now left entirely
to our own resources. We loaded our carts and pack-horses, and proceeded
about three miles inland, but again finding it impossible to cross the
swamps, we returned to the beach, and about dusk came to another river,
also emptying itself into Rockingham Bay, about two miles south-west of
the first we had to cross. This river was much wider than the first,
being about two hundred yards wide where we crossed it near the mouth. At
the mouth of this river is a sand-bank, over which the water is about
four feet deep. Inside the bank the water is about ten feet deep. The
tide flows up for about a mile; there appears to be a great quantity of
fresh water discharged into the sea from this river, which, I think, is
principally supplied from the swamps. These swamps lie at the foot of a
high mountain range, and probably the rivulets descending from the range
spread over the flat ground, and form channels by which they reach the
sea. Fresh water can be obtained on either side the river very near the
sea. I tasted fresh water on one side, salt in the middle. and slightly
brackish on the other side, as we crossed over it. Small boats only can
enter this river, on account of the sand-bank at the mouth. Its course
turned to the south-west about two miles up. Its banks were sandy and
barren, at least close to the river; on the north side of the river
there is a mangrove swamp, extending some distance up the river; on the
south side the banks are higher, and are covered with CASUARINAS and
ACACIAS, the soil being sandy and pretty well covered with grass, the
land slightly undulating, for about one and a-half or two miles up the
river. It being too late to think of crossing the river to-night, we
hobbled our horses, and having pitched Mr. Kennedy's tent, slept on the
sand till morning.

June 7.--As soon as we had breakfasted this morning, we prepared to
cross, to assist us in which undertaking we contrived to construct a sort
of punt by taking the wheels and axletrees off one of the carts. We then
placed the body of the cart on a large tarpaulin, the shafts passing
through holes cut for them, the tarpaulin tightly nailed round them. The
tarpaulin was then turned up all round, and nailed inside the cart; by
this means it was made almost water-tight. We then fastened our
water-bags, filled with air, to the sides of the cart, six on each side,
and a small empty keg to each shaft. We tied our tether ropes together,
and made one end fast on each side the river, by which means our punt was
easily pulled from one side to the other. By this contrivance we managed
to get most of our things over during the day, and at night a party slept
on either side, without pitching the tents.

June 8.--One party continued employed in getting the remainder of the
things across the river, whilst the others went in search of the horses,
which had rambled to some distance to seek for better grass. The grass
had hitherto continued plentiful in places all the way. The horses were
brought up to the river by eleven A.M., and were with some difficulty got
across; after which they were hobbled, and we camped for the night near
the beach, in good grass.

June 9.--Mr. Kennedy, with Jackey and three others, left the camp this
morning for the purpose of ascertaining the most practicable route for
our carts. During the day a great number of natives came around our camp,
but appeared very friendly; they are a finer race of men than those
usually seen in the southern districts of the colony, but their habits
and mode of life seem very similar. They left us before dark, without
making any attempt at plunder.

June 10.--Mr. Kennedy returned to the camp this evening; he still found
the swamps were impassable, the water and mud lying on them in many
parts, from three to four feet deep; there were patches of dry land here
and there covered with good but coarse grass.

We saw here large flocks of black and white ducks, making a whistling
noise similar to some I have seen near Port Macquarie; Mr. Wall shot
three of them, and they were very good to eat, but they were not new,
belonging to the genus LEPTOTARSIS.

June 11.--We started early this morning and proceeded along the beach for
three or four miles, when we came to another river, similar in its
character to the one we crossed on the 8th, with low sandy banks, and dry
bushy land on each side. We unloaded and hobbled our horses, and prepared
our punt as before.

Near to this spot we came to a native encampment, consisting of eighteen
or twenty gunyahs, (huts) of an oval form, about seven feet long, and
four feet high; and at the southern end of the camp, was one large
gunyah, eighteen feet long, seven feet wide, and fourteen feet high. All
of them were neatly and strongly built, with small saplings stuck in the
ground, arched over, and tied together at the top with small shoots of
the climbing palm, (CALAMUS,) which I have already described. They were
covered with the bark of the large MELALEUCAS, which grow in the swamps,
fastened to the saplings with palm shoots.

A small opening is left at one end, from the ground to the top, and the
floors were covered with long dried grass. The natives being absent from
the camp, I entered the large gunyah, and found in it a large shield of
solid wood, two feet in diameter, convex on one side, and flat on the
other.

The convex side was curiously painted red, in circular rings and crosses.
On the flat side was a handle, cut out of the solid wood. In the same hut
I found four wooden swords, three and a half feet long, and four inches
broad, sharp at both edges, and thick in the centre, with a slightly
curved round handle, about six inches long. They were made of very hard
wood, and were much too heavy to wield with one hand. I also found a
number of fishing lines, made from grass, with hooks attached of various
sizes, made from muscle shells.

After I had carefully examined all these things, I left them where I
found them. In the centre of the camp were four large ovens, for cooking
their food. These ovens were constructed by digging a hole in the ground,
about three feet in diameter, and two feet deep. The hole is then filled
to within six inches of the top with smooth, hard, loose stones, on which
a fire is kindled, and kept burning till the stones are well heated.
Their food, consisting principally of shell and other fish, is then
placed on the stones and baked.

There were no vessels in the camp in which they could boil anything, and
it is my opinion, from what I afterwards saw of their habits, that their
cookery is confined to roasting and baking.

In the camp were several large shells, for holding water, and some
calabashes, made by taking out the inside of a gourd, which grows
plentifully near the camp. These calabashes would hold from one to three
pints each.

June 12.--This morning Taylor endeavoured to cross the river with the
rope for working our punt, but although an expert swimmer, and very
strong man, he was unable to do so, from the strength of the tide which
was running out. We saw several natives fishing in the river from their
canoes, which are about five feet long and one and a-half feet wide, made
of bark, with small saplings tied along the side, and are paddled with
small pieces of bark held in either hand. We made signs to them to come
to us, with which three of them complied. We made them understand that if
they would take our rope across, and make it fast to a dead tree on the
other side of the river, we would give them a tomahawk. They consented to
undertake the task, and after great exertion succeeded in performing it,
and received their reward, with which they seemed quite satisfied and
highly pleased. We succeeded in getting everything across this river by
ten o'clock at night, for the moon being up we would not stop till we had
done. Our horses we took about a quarter of a mile up the river, and they
crossed where it was narrower and not so deep. Several natives, who had
not yet seen our horses, assembled on the banks of the river to see them
cross, and when they came out of the water commenced shouting to frighten
them, continuing their noise for about twenty minutes. Seeing at length,
however, that the beasts submitted to be led quietly along the beach,
they came near the camp, and we made them a present of a few fish-hooks.
They returned to their camp before sunset.

The river we crossed this day was not so deep as either of the former
ones. There is, apparently, a sandbank across all the rivers emptying
themselves into Rockingham Bay, near the mouth, and this one formed no
exception to the rule. The tide runs up very strongly, I should think
from a mile and a-half to two miles.

There is a mangrove swamp running up some distance on the northern side
of the river, till it joins the fresh water swamps. There is not so much
fresh water running out of this river as from the last, and fresh water
is only procurable from the south side of the river, near to the swamp;
it being impossible to penetrate the scrub on the northern side to obtain
it. At low water the river is very shallow, with a muddy bottom.

June 13.--On our mustering this morning, Carpenter was missed from the
camp. It was discovered that he had absconded during the night, carrying
off with him a damper, weighing about eleven pounds, two pounds of tea,
and ten pounds of sugar. We had breakfast as quickly as possible,
and Mr. Kennedy sent four men on horseback, to scour the country around
in search of him. They returned from an unsuccessful search, but had
received intelligence from the blacks that he was not far off.

June 14.--A party went out early this morning, in search of Carpenter,
and caught sight of him about two miles from the river, sharing his
damper with the blacks. As soon, however, as he saw the party
approaching, he decamped into the bush, and was again lost sight of. On
coming up to the spot where he was seen, the bags in which he had carried
away the tea and sugar, were found; the sugar was nearly consumed, but
the tea appeared untouched.

In the evening Carpenter returned, and on begging Mr. Kennedy's pardon,
he was forgiven. Throughout the expedition he was of very little service,
being, in fact, little better than an idiot.

This evening we saw a large alligator, rising to the surface of the
water, close to our camp. He seemed about twenty feet long, and appeared
to be attentively watching our sheep, which were feeding by the side of
the river, on the DOLICHOS and IPOMEAS which were growing on the sand.

The natives here had a great many dogs, which, towards evening, rushed
our sheep and drove them among the bushes in all directions. We had great
difficulty in getting them together before dark.

June 15.--We proceeded inland two or three miles. to the edge of the
fresh water swamps, and camped there. Mr. Kennedy went with a party into
the swamps to ascertain if it were possible to make a road for the carts
to pass through. Wall and myself went out collecting specimens.

I found a beautiful species of LORANTHUS, growing on acacia trees, and
producing on its long pendulous shoots, abundance of beautiful scarlet
flowers; the tube of the coralla was about two inches long, very short
limbs, with long lanceolate glossy leaves. This most interesting
parasite, covering the acacia trees, when in flower forms a most gorgeous
sight; presenting a beautiful contrast to the dull foliage of the
surrounding trees. I also found a scarlet passion flower, very beautiful,
with three lobed glaneous leaves; and a NYMPHAEA, (water lily,) growing
in the water holes and small creeks, producing large purple flowers, and
pellate leaves; besides a number of other new and interesting plants.

Mr. Wall succeeded in obtaining a specimen of a beautiful little
marsupial animal, resembling an opossum in form, but not larger than the
common rat, the colour pure white, with very small black spots.

Mr. Kennedy and party returned in the evening, after having been in the
water up to their knees all day. He reported that it was altogether
impossible to make a road.

June 16.--Mr. Kennedy and party proceeded again this morning to enter the
swamps, but in a different direction, in the hope of finding some spot
where a road might be made, but returned with no better success. This day
we killed the best sheep we had yet slaughtered; it weighed 53lbs., those
we had previously killed weighed from 40 to 48lbs.; they did not keep
fat, but up to this time we were enabled to fry all the meat, which mode
of cookery was more speedy and convenient for us than boiling or any
other way.

June 17.--We proceeded this evening along the edge of the swamps,
crossing several small creeks. In many places the wheels of the carts
sank to the axle-trees in consequence of the rottenness of the ground
near the creeks. We camped, after travelling about five miles.

June 18.--This day was Sunday, and at eleven o'clock Mr. Kennedy
assembled the whole party under the shade of some large trees and read
prayers. This was a practice always persevered in when practicable, and
unless for come very pressing reason, we uniformly set apart the Sabbath
as a day of rest, such an interval from our toils being in fact
absolutely necessary.

June 19.--Again Mr. Kennedy started this morning, accompanied by five
men, into the swamps, determined, if possible, to find a road by which we
might cross them, and get to the foot of the mountain ranges on the
south. He remained out during this and the two following days. The
natives appear to be very numerous in the neighbourhood of Rockingham
Bay. There was an old camping place with twelve or fourteen old gunyahs
near our camp, but it was not visited by the natives during our stay
there. They generally came to look at us every day, but always kept at a
distance; on some days we saw as many as from eighty to a hundred. The
women and children always kept farther from us than the men; I think more
from fear of our dogs and horses than of ourselves. The weather was cool,
with showers occasionally during the day, and at night steady rain set
in.

June 20.--The rain continued throughout the day.

June 21 and 22.--The rain still continued. Two of our horses were found
bogged in a creek near the camp, but were soon released without injury;
they had strayed into the creek to eat the aquatic grass, which is
plentiful in almost all the creeks between the swamps and the sea. The
soil here was rather stiffer than we had found it before, being a light
sandy loam, and in places clayey. There were not so many shells to be
seen, and what there were, were principally bivalves.

Mr. Kennedy returned this evening, and having again found it impossible
to cross the swamps we were obliged to return to the beach, where the
travelling was far better than among the trees. While travelling inland a
man was always obliged to walk before the carts, to cut down small trees.

At this time we had only two meals per day; breakfast at daylight, and
dinner when we had completed our day's work, and camped. The time for
dinner was therefore irregular, depending on the nature of the country
over which we travelled. Some days we dined at one o'clock, on others not
till dark. Whenever any birds were shot, they were boiled for supper; but
as yet we had killed very few.

Mr. Kennedy appeared to be admirably fitted for the leader of an
expedition of this character, in every respect.

Although he had innumerable difficulties and hardships to contend with,
he always appeared cheerful, and in good spirits. Travelling through such
a country as we were, such a disposition was essential to the success of
the expedition. He was always diverting the minds of his followers from
the obstacles we daily encountered, and encouraging them to hope for
better success; careful in all his observations and calculations, as to
the position of his camp, and cautious not to plunge into difficulties,
without personal observation of the country, to enable him to take the
safest path. But having decided, he pursued his deliberate determination
with steady perseverance, sharing in the labour of cutting through the
scrub, and all the harassment attendant on travelling through such a
wilderness, with as much or greater alacrity and zeal than any of his
followers. It was often grievous to me to hear some of the party observe,
after we had passed over some difficult tract, "that a better road might
have been found, a little to the right or to the left." Such observations
were the most unjust and vexatious, as in all matters of difficulty and
of opinion, he would invariably listen to the advice of all, and if he
thought it prudent, take it. For my own part, I can safely say, that I
was always ready to obey his orders, and conform to his directions,
confident as I then was, of his abilities to lead us to the place of our
destination as speedily as possible.

June 23.--We started early this morning, and proceeded along the beach
till we came to a small river, which was narrow and shallow, but the
bottom being muddy, and it being low water, we diverged towards the sea,
where the sand was firmer, and there crossed it with little difficulty,
without unloading the packhorses or carts. The tide runs but a short
distance up this river, and as far as it does run it is fringed with a
belt of mangroves. The banks are muddy, and so soft that a man sinks up
to his knees in walking along them.

A little above the mangroves the river divides into several small creeks,
in swampy ground, covered with small MELALEUCAS so thickly, that although
they are not at all bushy below, but have straight trunks of from three
to five inches in diameter, and from ten to twenty feet high, a man can
scarcely walk between them.

After crossing this river we again turned inland for a short distance,
and camped by the side of a small river south of the last; with steep
grassy banks on the north side, overhung by trestamas and arborescent
callistemons.

On the south side grew mangroves, and the large blue-flowered ruellia
seen at our first camp. The tide ran up to our camp, the fresh water
coming from the north-west. There were plenty of water-holes in the
valley, between the river and the higher sandy ground.

The grass here consisted principally of agrostis, near the river, where
the land is occasionally inundated, and of uniola, a little further back,
growing in tufts. On the sandy ridges, however, there was little else
than XANTHORRHEA, XEROTES, and RESTIO (rope grass).

Here we saw a great many native companions (ARDEA ANTIGONE), and swamp
pheasants (CENTROPUS PHASIANELLUS).

June 24th.--Mr. Kennedy and a party of five men again proceeded to
examine the swamps, but returned without finding any practicable way of
crossing.

June 25.--We started early this morning, proceeding towards the beach in
a southerly direction, the river turning again south by west, and camped
after travelling over five or six miles of rotten and rather sandy
ground.

June 26.--We proceeded along the beach till we came to a small river,
most probably the same we left yesterday, which we attempted to cross in
the same manner as we had done the one on the 23rd, but unfortunately the
horses and carts sank so deeply into the mud that they were completely
set fast. We were now obliged to unload, and carry the goods ashore. Some
of the flour-bags fell into the water, but were quickly taken out and but
little damaged. We had great difficulty in getting the carts out of the
mud.

A number of natives had accompanied us all day, and pointed out to us the
best place to cross the river. Some of them also assisted us in carrying
our things across, while one or two attempted petty thefts. I caught one
with two straps belonging to a saddle, and a pair of Mr. Kennedy's spurs
in his basket, which I took from him and sent him away. Many of these
natives were painted all over with a sort of red earth, but none of them
had visited us armed with spears for several days past. Some of them had
learned to address several of our party by name, and seemed pleased when
they received an answer. We frequently made them small presents, and
endeavoured to impress upon them the anxiety we felt to remain on
friendly terms with them.

After having crossed the river we turned inland; cutting our way though a
belt of mangrove scrub, about half a mile wide; we got the carts through
with comparative ease, the ground being harder than usual. We camped on a
rising ground, with good grass around us, by the side of a small creek
running here almost parallel with the beach, and coming from the
westward. At this camp I obtained seeds of a dwarf spreading tree, with
alternate exstipulate primate leaves, and axillary racemes of a round
flattened fruit, similar in size and shape to the small blue fig
cultivated in gardens, of a dark purple colour, and possessing a flavour
similar to an Orleans plum when hardly ripe, with a hard rough stone
inside.

June 27.--We proceeded about five miles in a westerly direction, passing
over two small creeks running to the south-east. The country here
appeared to be gradually rising, and the land to be growing drier; and we
now hoped to be enabled to prosecute our journey without any great
obstruction from the swamps.

June 28.--Proceeding on the same course as on the previous day, we
crossed two small creeks, running rapidly to the eastward. The bottoms of
these creeks were covered with granite pebbles, of various sizes.

The first creek we crossed at the entrance, and the other near the middle
of a thick scrub, extending nearly three miles, and through which we had
to cut a road.

The various plants of which this scrub was composed, corresponded with
those described as forming the scrub near our first camp in the Bay. The
greatest obstacles to our progress through these scrubs were the long
shoots of the FLAGELLARIA, and climbing palm (CALAMUS).

We camped in an open patch of forest land, covered with grass, and the
trees consisted principally of Moreton Bay ash, (a species of
eucalyptus,) casuarina, and a rather large growing acacia, with broad,
rhomboidal, sericeous phyllodia, and very broad, flat legumes.

Luff and Douglas were this day taken very ill with the ague.

June 29.--We found that some of our horses had strayed into the scrub,
and we did not succeed in finding them until nearly twelve o'clock, and
Luff and Douglas being no better, Mr. Kennedy with three others proceeded
to examine the country in advance of us.

June 30.--This morning Luff was a little better, but Douglas was able to
eat but little. In the scrub near our camp I found a species of MUSA,
with leaves as large, and the plants as high, as the common banana (M.
PARADISIACA), with blossoms and fruit, but the fruit was not eatable. I
also found a beautiful tree belonging to the natural order MYRTACAE,
producing on the trunk and large branches only abundance of white, sweet
scented flowers, larger than those of the common rose apple (JAMBOSA
VULGARIS), with long stamens, a very short style, slightly two-cleft
stigma, five very small semi-orbicular petals, alternate with the thick
fleshy segments of the calyx, broad lanceolate leaves, the fruit four to
six inches in circumference, consisting of a white fleshy, slightly acid
substance, with one large round seed, the foot-stalk about one inch long.
This is a most beautiful and curious tree (fruit perhaps not always
one-seeded). Some specimens I saw measured five feet in circumference,
and were sixty feet high, the straight trunks rising twenty or thirty
feet from the ground to the branches. being covered with blossoms, with
which not a leaf mingled. There were ripe and unripe fruit mingled with
the blossoms, the scent of the latter being delightful, spreading perfume
over a great distance around; I had frequently noticed the fragrance of
these blossoms while passing through the scrub, but could never make out
from whence it arose. It resembles the scent of a ripe pineapple, but is
much more powerful.

There are not many of the trees to be found, and those only in the scrub,
in a stiff loamy soil. The small animals eat the fruit, and I ate some,
but it was not so good as the rose apple; we called it the white apple.

A short distance to the south-west of our camp, is a range of round
hills, of moderate height, covered with grass, and thinly timbered with
box and other species of eucalyptus, resembling the iron-bark. These
hills are composed of huge blocks of coarse granite, with a stiff soil,
and appear to stretch a long distance to the west.

July 1.--Mr. Kennedy returned this morning, having explored the country
for about forty miles, over which he thought we might travel safely.
There being plenty of grass however at the camp, and the men no better,
he determined to defer our advance till Monday.

July 2.--Being Sunday, prayers were read at eleven o'clock.

July 3.--Early this morning we prepared to start, but Luff and Douglas
being seized with a fit of ague, we were compelled to stop. Although our
horses had all the way had abundance of feed, they began to grow very
thin; several of them very weak; and one getting very lame, from bad
feet. The sheep also had fallen away very much, which I attributed to the
wet journey they had had; being almost always wet, from crossing rivers
and creeks.

July 4.--Mr. Kennedy and three others roamed this morning to some
distance from the camp, when they were followed by a tribe of natives,
making threatening demonstrations, and armed with spears; one spear was
actually thrown, when Mr. Kennedy, fearing for the safety of his party,
ordered his men to fire upon them; four of them fell, but Mr. Kennedy
could not ascertain whether more than one was killed, as the other three
were immediately carried off into the scrub.

July 5.--Luff and Douglas now began to get better, but being still unable
to walk, we could not break up our camp.

July 6.--We started early this morning, and crossed two creeks with
narrow belts of scrub on each side, running north-east. I have little
doubt these creeks run into the river we crossed on the 8th of June. The
banks of the second creek were pearly twenty feet high, so that we were
obliged to lower down the carts into the bed of the creek with ropes and
pulleys, fastened to the branches of the trees which overhung the creek.
The horses were got into the creek with a great deal of difficulty, then
harnessed to the carts. and we proceeded along the bed of the creek till
we arrived at a spot where the banks on the opposite side of the creek
were not so steep. Here, by harnessing six horses to each of the carts,
we managed to get them all out of the creek without any accident. The bed
of the creek was composed of granite pebbles. We encamped on the northern
side of it, the soil being a strong clayey loam, well covered with grass
two or three feet high, so thick that it was difficult to walk through
it. The country here was hilly open forest-land, with a high range before
us, running north-east. The trees were principally Moreton Bay ash, box,
and another species of eucalyptus, resembling the common iron bark, but
with long narrow leaves. I also found a magnificent species of GREVILLEA,
with fine pinnatified silvery leaves, and beautiful racemes of
orange-coloured flowers; also another tree belonging to the natural order
PROTEACEAE, rivalling the GREVILLEA in the beauty of its flowers,
producing an abundance of cream-coloured blossoms, on compound terminal
racemes. In the scrub by the side of the creek, I found a most beautiful
scitamineos plant, the foliage, root, and habit of which resembled
HEDYCHIUM. The beauty of the plant consisted in its large, stiff, shining
BRACTEAE, which continue to grow after the small pink blossoms have
fallen. The BRACTEAE are about half an inch broad at the base, slightly
curved inwards, and tapering to a point. The heads of the flowers,
resembling a pineapple in shape and size, and of a beautiful crimson
colour, are produced on the top of a strong flower-stem, 18 inches high,
and they will retain their shape and colour a month after being cut. This
plant appears to be very local in its habits, as I only caught sight of
it by the side of three creeks, and always in moist, shady places. I
obtained seeds, and also packed some of its fleshy, tuberous roots in a
tin case.

We saw but few wallabies; and not one kangaroo or emu had as yet been
seen by any of the party. The country was not open enough for them to
inhabit.

July 7.--We started at daylight, proceeding over open forest ground
covered with long grass, very thick and luxuriant. Travelling was
rendered still more difficult by the large logs of dead wood which
strewed the ground in every direction, and which much impeded the
progress of the carts. We camped by the side of a creek, with a narrow
belt of scrub on the south-east side, but apparently a wide extent of it
on the other.

This creek had a large sandy bed; with large castanospermums, tristanias,
and sarcocephali, growing on its banks, which were rather steep. It had a
very tortuous course, coming from south-west and turning east a little
below our camp, which was in a bend of the creek.

July 8.--We were employed nearly all this day in cutting through very
thick scrub on the other side of the creek. Whilst doing so we had to
cross several other smaller ones, all turning east, and in the evening we
camped on a small patch of open forest land, covered with long coarse
grass, and large blocks of coarse granite rock jutting out here and
there.

July 9.--This being Sunday we halted for the day, and prayers were read
at eleven o'clock.

July 10 and 11.--We continued throughout these days cutting through belts
of scrub and crossing small creeks, running from the west and northwest,
and turning east. During the latter day we were visited by a small tribe
of natives, who appeared very friendly and did not stop long. I found a
large quantity of castanospermum seeds in one of the creeks, apparently
put there to steep by the natives, who use them for food. They informed
me that they steep them in water for five days, and then cut them into
thin slices and dry them in the sun; they are then pounded between two
large stones, and the meal being moistened with water is baked on a flat
stone, raised from the ground a few inches, with a small fire burning
beneath. I afterwards saw some of the meal baked, but it was not very
palatable.

July 12 and 13.--Our journey still continued through scrub, intersected
by small creeks, which we had to cross, and by patches here and there of
open forest ground, covered with long grass, the soil a stiff loam. We
were not able to make much progress, travelling on the average from three
to five miles a day. We were compelled to cut away the scrub, and the
banks of some of the creeks, before we were able to cross them, and
frequently obliged to run a creek up and down some distance before we
could find a place where it was passable at all.

July 14.--We started very early this morning, and commenced travelling
over very uneven ground, full of small hillocks, and having the
appearance of being frequently inundated, the grass growing very high and
luxuriantly over it. Owing to the irregularities of the surface the
axletree of one of our carts gave way this day. We were forced to leave
the cart and harness behind, and load the horses with the spare
pack-saddles we had brought with us, covering the load of each horse over
with a piece of tarpaulin. We travelled on till dusk, when we arrived at
a small creek, overgrown with grass, which we imagined we should cross
with little difficulty; but the carts were set fast in the mud, and some
of the horses bogged. We were forced to carry the loading of our carts
and saddle horses over on our shoulders, a task of no small difficulty
and labour, the mud giving way up to the knee at every step. The horses
were then safely taken across, and we lifted out the carts and carried
them to the other side, finding that it was useless to attempt to draw
them out. It was ten o'clock at night before we had got the things over,
and as soon as we had partaken of our late dinner we made a large fire to
dry our clothes, which had become completely saturated by the labours of
the day.

Mr. Kennedy arrived at the determination this day, to leave the carts
behind at this camp, as they caused so much extra labour and delay in
travelling.

July 16.--Sunday, we halted, and had prayers read at eleven o'clock.

July 17.--We got up early, and prepared all the loads ready for starting,
but we were obliged to leave many things behind, that would have been
very essential to the successful prosecution of all the objects of the
expedition; my specimen box, a cross-cut saw, pickaxes, and various other
articles which it was considered were too heavy to be carried on
horseback.

We however took good care that not an ounce of provisions of any
description should be left behind. The sugar and tea were more compactly
packed than heretofore, and the packages in which they were formerly
carried left behind.

Near this camp a large swamp extended south-westward, but it was clear of
scrub, containing nothing but MELALEUCAS of moderate size.




Chapter III.



July 18.--Having loaded the horses, we started at eight o'clock this
morning, in good hope and high spirits, rejoicing to have got rid of one
great impediment to our progress. The blacks regarded us with curious
interest as we proceeded on our way, forming a train of twenty-six
horses, followed by the sheep, and Mitchell occasionally sounding a horn
he had brought with him.

We all felt the inconvenience of leaving the carts behind, and I in
particular. I was now obliged to make two strong bags to fit my specimen
boards, and to hang them, over a horse's back, one bag on each side, a
very inconvenient method, as it rendered them liable to much damage going
through the scrub. The sheep at this time had grown very thin and poor,
not averaging more than thirty pounds when skinned and dressed; they had,
however, become so habituated to following the horses that they cost us
very little trouble in driving them.

After travelling about six miles through open forest land we camped near
a creek on the skirts of a thick scrub.

July 19.--We were cutting through scrub all day, skirting numerous small
creeks which we met with here, most of them running to the eastward. The
soil was rather stiff, and indicated a rocky formation, blocks of granite
projecting from it in various directions.

July 20, 21, and 22.--During these three days we travelled over an
irregular, mountainous country, intersected by numerous creeks, running
in all directions, but all of them with belts of scrub on each side. We
sometimes crossed the same creeks two or three times a day, owing to the
tortuous directions they took, and our clothes were kept wet all the day;
some of them too had very steep banks, which presented another obstacle
to the progress of our horses. Between the creeks, small patches of open
forest land intervened, with large blocks of rock scattered over them;
most of the creeks had a rocky bottom, and were running to the eastward.

July 23.--Sunday, we had prayers read as usual at eleven o'clock, and
halted for the day.

July 24.--We resumed our journey through the same description of country,
cutting through scrub, and occasionally travelling through open land,
timbered principally with Moreton Bay ash, box, and flooded gum, and
covered with very long grass. We crossed two creeks running to the
northward, on the side of the last of which we camped. We were here
compelled to shoot one of our horses, which had fallen lame. During the
week we had made very little progress, being forced to turn in every
direction to avoid the deep gulleys, and the scrub which invariably
prevailed in the bends of the creeks. A tribe of natives visited us at
this camp, and appeared very friendly; they did not stop with us long. I
saw to-day several trees of the "white apple," as we called it, and which
I have before described.

July 25.--We entered the scrub on the side of the creek, and proceeded
along its banks with difficulty, being obliged to cut our way through,
but it grew less dense after we had skirted the creek a short distance.

We found the creek to be the branch of a river, which here divided-one
branch running to the south-east (by which we had camped yesterday)--the
other running east. It is rocky, and shallow where it divides, but grows
deeper in its course towards the coast. It is about two hundred yards
wide, and its banks are overhung with trees on each side. After following
it about a mile up, it grew much more shallow and narrow, and had a rocky
bottom.

On the opposite side were patches of open forest ground, but they did not
extend to any distance. After skirting the river about three miles, we
crossed it in a shallow place, the bed of it being composed of blocks of
water-worn granite.

The impediment offered by these blocks rendered it very difficult for our
horses to pass, although the water was only from one to three feet deep.
Several of the horses fell in crossing this river; the one carrying my
specimens fell three times, and my specimens and seeds received much
damage, if they were not entirely spoiled.

The river here runs from the north-west. We crossed it and entered the
scrub, but not being able to get through it before dark, we tied our
horses to trees, and slept by them all night.

July 27.--We were cutting through scrub nearly all day, and having
recrossed the river, cut our way to the top of a high hill, which we
could not avoid. We found a patch of open ground on the hill, with grass
for our horses and sheep. The trees growing on the hill were casuarinas,
and acacias, with a few box. Here we camped and tethered our horses, for
fear they should fall down the steep bank of the river. At the foot of
the hill, on the opposite side of this river, the rocks were of great
height, and almost perpendicular. The river runs through a range of hills
coming from the eastward, joining a very high range, over which our
journey now lay. This range is composed of a dark coloured granite, very
hard; near the water ran a vein of talc schist, running north-west and
south-east. On the top of the hill we found large pebbles of quartz.

July 28.--This morning, having loosed our horses from the tether, one of
them fell from the hill on to a ledge of hard rock at the edge of the
river, a descent of thirty feet; he was so much injured by the fall that
he died during the day. We came down the hill through the scrub towards
the mountains, and camped but a short distance from where we rested the
previous evening. We were now at the foot of the range.

July 29.--Mr. Kennedy proceeded to explore the range, to ascertain the
best spot to cross it, it being covered with thick scrub. It runs from
the southward and turns eastward. I dug up a piece of ground here near
the edge of the scrub, and sowed seeds of cabbage, turnip, rock and water
melons, parsley, leek, pomegranate, cotton, and apple pips.

I here found a beautiful orchideous plant, with the habit of BLETIA
TANKERVILLIAE. flowering in the same manner, with flower stems about
three feet high, and from twelve to twenty flowers on each stem. The
sepals were much larger than those of Bletia, and of a rich purple
colour; the column yellow, with a spur at the base of the flower about
three-fourths of an inch long. I packed some of its thick fleshy roots in
a tin case. I also here obtained specimens of a beautiful Hoyea, with
long lanceolate leaves, a much finer shrub than H. CELSII. Also a species
of HIBISCUS, with rough palmate leaves, large bright sulphur-coloured
flowers, with a rich purple spot at the base of each petal, the stamens
and stigma bright red, the blossoms when fully expanded eight inches in
circumference; the plant has a very erect habit. Also another HIBISCUS.
with obcordate tonentose leaves, and pink flowers; both these last were
very handsome shrubs. The trees on the open ground were casuarinas and
flooded gums, with a few BALFOURIAS; although we had a very difficult
task before us--the ascent of the hills-our spirits did not fail us; but
the horses began to look very poor and weak, although they had always had
plenty of grass.

July 31.--Early this morning Mr. Kennedy, Jackey, and four others left
the camp, and began clearing up the mountain. They remained out the whole
of the day.

August 1.--Mr. Kennedy and his party returned to the camp, having
determined on a route by which we should proceed up the mountain. Mr.
Kennedy spoke very highly of Jackey, and thought him one of the best men
of the party, for cutting away scrub and choosing a path; he never seemed
tired, and was very careful to avoid deep gullies.

August 3.--We started early this morning, and proceeded up a spur of the
range, in a north-westerly direction, but could not get so far as they
had cleared. We managed to get twenty-three horses and their loads up to
a flat place on the range, but, after several efforts, being unable to
drive or lead the other horse up, we left him tied to a tree in the
scrub. We found him all right the next morning, but as there was nothing
but scrub before us, Mr. Kennedy thought it prudent to send the horses
back to where there was grass and water for them, whilst some of the
party cleared a path. After we had entered the scrub, we crossed a small
creek, running rapidly, and which joined another running from the
north-eastward, and which at their junction, form the river we had been
camped at for the last few previous days.

The creeks ran over precipitous rocky falls, and it was Mr. Kennedy's
opinion, that all the creeks we have met with on this side (coast side)
the range, run into the swamps, and there spread, and gathering again,
form into channels and run into Rockingham Bay. There is a large tract of
land opposite Rockingham Bay which is occupied by swamps, intersected by
patches of open ground, and a few peaked hills. The swamps extend about
forty-five miles, to about 145° 20' east longitude. It seemed that a
great deal of rain had fallen over this country, and it rained at
intervals all the time we were in the vicinity of Rockingham Bay--from
the 21st May to the middle of August. It was Mr. Kennedy's opinion that
the rainy season occurred very late this year. The whole peninsula seemed
to fall from the east to the west.

August 4.--Mitchell, Dunn, and myself, took the horses and sheep to grass
and water, and having hobbled the former, we made ourselves a small
gunyah with saplings, and covered it with a small tarpaulin. We divided
the night watch into three parts, being four hours each.

August 5.--We mustered the horses morning and evening, and drove the
sheep close to the fire, having one of our kangaroo dogs chained up
beside them, and the other one with the sheep dog loose. We were
apprehensive that the natives might attack us.

August 6.--Shortly after we had mustered the cattle this morning, seven
or eight natives appeared at the edge of the scrub, in the direction from
which we had come.

Just as they approached, an Australian magpie perched upon a tree, and I
shot it to show the effect of our fire-arms. On hearing the report of the
gun they all ran into the scrub, and we saw them no more. On all
occasions it was Mr. Kennedy's order--not to fire on the blacks, without
they molested us. I was anxious on this occasion not to let the natives
know how few we were, and was glad to send them away in so quiet a
manner. One of our sheep died this day, and as we had lost several
before, and had but little to employ us, we opened it to see if we could
ascertain the cause of its death. We found its entrails full of water.
Our party was now divided into three bodies: Mr. Kennedy, Jackey, and
four others, clearing a way up the mountain; Niblett and three others
guarding the stores; whilst myself, Dunn, and Mitchell, had charge of the
sheep and horses. It was necessary, therefore, for us to keep a good
look-out, and two of us watched together.

August 7.--Early this morning a man came down to help us with the horses
and sheep. We loaded our horses, with the exception of one, which was too
weak and too much bruised from falling to travel. We turned him toward
the open ground, and having packed our horses went on till dark, when we
tied our horses to a tree and lay down for the night beside them,
although it rained all night. We had each of us a water can which held
five pints, which we filled, and our two water kegs, at the foot of the
range, fearing we might not find water in the journey over.

August 8.--At daylight we were afoot and breakfasted, and started
immediately after. We travelled up the hills all day, but made very
little progress, owing to the great labour of clearing, and the numerous
steep ascents we met with.

We fortunately found water in a low place, and with difficulty lighted a
fire, everything being saturated with rain. We then laid down and
endeavoured to sleep, but were unable to do so from the number of small
leeches which attacked us. I was obliged to get up several times in the
night, and in the morning I found myself covered with blood.

August 9.--We started at daylight, although it was raining, and continued
to do so all day; about six o'clock in the evening we reached a small
river, running rapidly over rocks, and deep in some places. Its course
was north-easterly, but it turned north, a little below where we first
came upon it. We camped by the side of it, it being too late to cross,
although there was open forest ground on the other side. The open ground
on the coast side the range, was considerably lower than that on the
other, the highest part of our track being, according to Mr. Kennedy's
barometrical observations. upwards of two thousand feet above the level
of the sea. The soil was a strong loam of a dark colour, owing to the
admixture of a great deal of decomposed vegetable matter; rock projected
in many places., and in those parts where the. rocks were near the
surface, CALLITRIS (pine cypress) grew. In the deeper soil were large
trees of the genera CASTANOSPERMUM, LOPHOSTEMON., and CEDRELA, mingled
with ACHRAS AUSTRALIS, CALAMUS. (climbing palm,) SEAFORTHIA DICKSONIA
OSMUNDA, large shrubs of ALYXIA, and several very interesting EPIPHYTAL
ORCHIDAE were also found in this place. We also discovered a great many
snails, with very large shells of a greyish colour. One I found on the
bushes with an aperculum, which I gave to Wall.

August 10.--This morning we took the sheep and horses to a spot in the
river where the current was not so strong, and drove them across. The
sheep followed the horses like dogs. We then cut down three small
straight trees, and made a bridge across a deep channel which ran between
two rocks which projected out of the water, across which we carried our
stores on our backs. All the things were got over before dark, after
which we made a large fire to dry ourselves, having been wet to the waist
all day. Niblett, who had been very unwell for three or four days, was
taken much worse to-day. The position of our camp here was about 17° 48'
S. latitude, 145° 20' E. longitude. We this day crossed the range, and
prepared to commence our journey on the other side.

August 11.--We remained this day at the camp to give the horses a rest
after their harrassing journey over the range.

August 12.--Proceeding about five miles over uneven open forest ground,
with isolated blocks of rock, we camped by a chain of rocky water-holes.
The trees growing here were casuarina, box, apple gum, and ironbark.

August 13--Sunday. Prayers as usual at eleven o'clock.

August 14.--Complaint was made to Mr. Kennedy of the waste and
extravagant use of the flour and sugar by Niblett, who had the charge of
the stores. Mr. Kennedy immediately proceeded to examine the remainder of
the stores, when he found that Niblett had been making false returns of
the stores issued weekly. Up to this time Mr. Kennedy, Niblett, and
Douglas, (who waited on Mr. Kennedy,) had messed together, apart from the
other ten. Niblett took charge of the ration for the smaller mess, and
usually cooked it himself, the ration being taken out weekly from that
weighed for the whole party. Besides issuing a larger ration to his own
mess, Niblett had taken a great deal from the stores for himself.

On finding this out, Mr. Kennedy requested me to take charge of the
stores, and issue them to the cook for the week, and from this date we
all messed together. We had at this time about seven hundred lbs. flour
left. Everything was weighed in the presence of the whole party before I
took charge, and I always weighed out every week's ration in the presence
of the cook and two other parties. At this camp it was found necessary to
reduce our ration to the following scale per week; fifty lbs. flour,
twelve lbs. sugar, two and three-quarter lbs. tea, and the sheep as
before--one every second day.

After the ration was cooked, it was divided by the cook at every meal. We
this day burned our sheepfold to lighten our loads a little.

August 15.--We were cutting through scrub nearly all day, and crossed
several small creeks running westward. This day the horse carrying my
specimens had become so poor and weak that he fell five different times,
and we were obliged to relieve him of his load, which was now placed on
one of Mr. Kennedy's horses; but we soon found that even without a load
he could not travel. We took off his saddle, bridle, and tether rope, and
left him behind on a spot of good grass, where plenty of water was to be
found.

The country here had a rugged and broken appearance; huge blocks of rock
were lying on the open ground, sometimes one irregularly placed on the
top of another, and of curious shapes. The hills as well as the valleys
were generally covered with good grass, excepting in the scrub. On some
of the hills the rocks were shivered into irregular pieces, and displayed
crystals of quartz, small laminae of mica, and occasionally hornblende.
This evening we camped by the side of a fine casuarina creek, coming from
the north-east. Immediately over our camp its waters ran over a very hard
"trap-rock" of a black colour, the soil a stiff loam.

August 16.--We travelled on for the most part of this day over irregular,
barren, stony ridges, and gullies, intersected by numerous small creeks,
and abounding in rocky holes, all containing plenty of water.

Two more of our horses fell several times this day; one of them being
very old, and so weak that we were obliged to lift him up. We now made up
our minds for the first time, to make our horses, when too weak to
travel, available for food; we therefore killed him, and took meat enough
from his carcass to serve our party for two days, and by this means we
saved a sheep. We boiled the heart, liver, and a piece of the meat to
serve us for our breakfast next day. We camped in the evening in the
midst of rocky, broken hills, covered with dwarf shrubs and stunted gum
trees; the soil in which they grew appearing more sandy than what we had
yet passed on this side of the range. The shrubs here were DODONAEA,
FABRICIA, DAVIESIA, JACKSONIA, and two or three dwarf species of ACACIA,
one of which was very showy, about three feet high, with very small
oblong, sericeous phyllodia, and globular heads of bright yellow flowers,
produced in great abundance on axillary fascicles; also a very fine
leguminous shrub, bearing the habit and appearance of CALLISTACHYS, with
fine terminal spikes of purple decandrous flowers, with two small
bracteae on the foot stalk of each flower, and with stipulate, oval,
lanceolate leaves, tomentose beneath, legumes, small and flattened, three
to six seeded, with an arile as large as the seed; these were flowering
from four to twelve feet high. There was plenty of grass in the valleys
of the creeks.

To the S.W. on the hills the grasses were RESTIO, XEROLES, and a spiney
grass, which neither the horses nor the sheep would eat.

August 17.--This morning we commenced to prepare our breakfast of
horse-flesh. I confess we did not feel much appetite for the repast, and
some would not eat it at all; but our scruples soon gave way beneath the
pangs of hunger, and at supper every man of the party ate heartily of it,
and afterwards each one claimed his share of the mess with great avidity.
The country to the north and north-west--the course we intended to
proceed--looking very rugged and broken, we were discouraged from
proceeding further this day, as the weak state of our horses prevented us
making almost any progress. We therefore camped by the side of a small
rocky creek, winding through the mountains in all directions.

August 18th.--Shortly after starting this morning we crossed a creek,
running south-west, with a few arborescent callistemons growing out of
the rocks here and there. The horse which Mr. Wall had been riding had
grown so weak that it was unable to travel, even with nothing to carry
but the saddle. As we were passing along the side of a hill, he fell and
rolled down into a gully. Being quite a young horse we thought he might
regain strength, and did not like to kill him. so we left him and
proceeded to find a good place for camping, which we did after travelling
about four miles in the north-west direction, by the side of a fine
river, with steep reedy banks, lined with large casuarinas and flooded
gum trees, and abundance of grass growing in the valley of the river. At
this camp the feet of our horses were all carefully examined by Costigan,
who was a blacksmith: it was also his duty to mark the number of each of
our camps on some adjacent tree.

August 19.--Wall rode back to see if he could bring up the horse we had
left behind, but on reaching the spot found him dead; one of our kangaroo
dogs had also stopped behind by the horse, being unable to follow us to
the camp. We had the good luck to succeed in catching several fish in the
river, and what was better shot a fine wallaby, which saved us another
sheep. We had all along been particularly unfortunate in getting any
thing from the bush to add to our mess, not having been able either to
shoot or catch any thing for some time past except a few pigeons and two
or three brown hawks.

The river by which we were camped was running west by south: below our
camp it was not near so wide as at the spot where we came upon it. Where
it turned through the hills its banks were rocky and steep, and the bed
narrow, but running rapidly. The hills here as well as the valley of the
river were well covered with grass. The position of the camp was about
17° 30' south latitude, 145° 12' cast.

August 20, 21, and 22.--During the whole of these three days we
travelled over undulating open land, wooded pretty thickly with
stringy-bark, box, and apple gum, interspersed with occasional sandy
flats, producing a broad leafed MELALEUCA, and a pretty species of
GREVILLEA, with pinnatified silvery leaves. Neither the MELALEUCA nor the
GREVILLEA grew more than twenty feet high.

On the flats we found a great number of ant-hills, remarkable for their
height and size; they were of various forms, but mostly conical, some of
them rose ten feet high. From the appearance of the ant hills I should
take the sub-soil to be of a reddish clay.

August 23.--We camped by the side of a creek running to the westward,
with rather a broad bed and steep banks of strong clay. There was no
water in the creeks except in holes.

A tribe of natives, from eighteen to twenty in number, were seen coming
down the creek, each carrying a large bundle of spears. Three of our
party left the camp and went towards them, carrying in their hands green
boughs, and making signs to the blacks to lay down their spears and come
to us. After making signals to them for some minutes, three or four of
them laid down their spears and approached us. I went back to the camp
and fetched a few fish hooks, and a tin plate marked with Mr. Kennedy's
initials; having presented them with these they went away and appeared
quite friendly. Shortly after we had camped, Goddard and Jackey went out
for the purpose of shooting wallabies; they parted company at the base of
a hill, intending to go round and meet on the other side, but missing
each other Jackey returned to the camp without his companion. To our
great alarm Goddard did not return all night, although we kept up a good
fire as a beacon to show him where we were camped, and fired a pistol
every five minutes during the night.

August 24.--Three of the party, accompanied by Jackey, rode to the spot
where the latter had left Goddard on the previous day, intending, if
possible, to track him, and succeeded in doing so for some distance to
the eastward, but then coming to some stony ground, they lost the track.

They returned in about six hours, hoping to find him at the camp, but
were disappointed. We now began to fear that our companion was lost, and
poor Jackey displayed great uneasiness, fearing that he might be blamed
for leaving him, and repeatedly saying that he did not wish Goddard to
leave the camp at all, and that he had waited for him some time on the
opposite side of the hill, where they were to meet. Four fresh horses
were saddled, and Jackey, with Mr. Kennedy, Wall, and Mitchell, were just
on the point of starting to renew the search, when to our great joy we
observed him at a distance, approaching the camp. It would have been
sadly discouraging to the whole party to have lost one of our companions
in so. wild and desolate a spot. We made but a short stage to-day in a
northerly direction, and camped by the side of a creek running west by
south, which, with the last two creeks we had passed, we doubted not,
from the appearance of the country, ran into the river we had crossed on
the 20th inst. The country appeared to fall considerably to the westward.
All the rivers and large creeks we had seen on this side the range (we
crossed on the 10th instant) rose in or near the coast range, and
appeared to run westerly across the peninsula into the Gulf of
Carpentaria.

Although few of them appeared to be constantly running, yet there is an
abundance of water to be found in holes and reaches of the rivers and
creeks. Where there was any scrub by the side of the creeks, it was
composed principally of the climbing palm, (CALAMUS,) GLYCERIA, KENNEDYA,
MUCUNA, and a strong growing IPOMEA, with herbaceous-fibrous roots and
palmate leaves; and in a few places bamboos were growing.

The trees were, EUGENIAS TERMINABIAS, CASTANOSPERMUMS, with two or three
kinds of deciduous figs, bearing large bunches of yellowish fruit on the
trunks. Although we frequently partook of these figs I found they did not
agree with us; three or four of the party who frequently ate a great
quantity, although advised not to do so, suffered severely from pain in
the head and swelling of the eyes. The forest trees on the iron stone
ridges were stringy-bark, and on the grassy hills box, Moreton Bay ash,
and a tree belonging to the natural order LEGUMINOSAE, with axillary
racemes of white apetalous flowers, long, broad, flat, many seeded
legumes, large bipinnate leaves, leaflets oval, one inch long, and having
dark fissured bark; on the flat stiff soil, grew iron-bark, apple tree,
and another species of ANGOPHORA, with long lanceolate leaves, seed
vessels as large as the egg of a common fowl and a smooth yellow bark.

August 27.--This day being Sunday we had prayers at eleven o'clock. We
saved the blood of the sheep we had killed for today's food, and having
cut up the heart, liver, and kidneys, we mixed it all with a little flour
and boiled it for breakfast. By this means we made some small saving, and
it was a dish that we were very fond of. We saved all the wool that we
could get from our sheep, for the purpose of stuffing our saddles, a
process which was frequently required, owing to the poor condition of our
horses.

August 28.--We started early this morning, but had not travelled far when
one of our horses fell from weakness; we placed him on his legs four
times during the day, but finding the poor animal could not walk; we shot
him and took sufficient meat from him with us to last us two days.

After making but a short stage, over iron-stone ridges, covered with
stringy-bark, and loamy flat, producing MELALEUCAS, and GREVILLEAS, we
camped beside a small creek, in the sandy bed of which there was no
water, but from which we soon obtained some by digging a hole about two
feet deep. We afterwards found there was plenty of water in the creek
higher up to the eastward.

August 29.--We were obliged to leave another horse behind us this morning
as he was quite unable to travel.

We camped by the sandy bed of a very broad river, with water only in
reaches and holes. There is, however, evidently a great deal of water
running here occasionally, as the bed of the river was six or seven
hundred yards wide, with two or three channels.

The flood marks on the trees were fifteen feet high; it has a
north-easterly course; its bed was composed in places of large blocks of
granite and trap rock, which was very difficult to walk upon, being very
slippery. Fine MELALEUCAS were growing on each side, which with their
long pendulous shoots and narrow silvery leaves, afforded a fine shade
from the heat of the sun. There was plenty both of grass and water for
the horses, but most of them continued to grow weaker.

August 30 and 31.--The country was very mountainous and so full of deep
gullies, that we were frequently obliged to follow the course of a rocky
creek, the turnings of which were very intricate; to add to our
difficulties, many of the hills were covered with scrub so thickly that
it was with much difficulty that we could pursue our course through it.
We had intended to have kept along the bank of the river, thinking it
might lead us to Princess Charlotte's Bay, and although unable to do so,
we did not as yet lose sight of the river altogether.

September 1.--All this day we continued travelling over very uneven
country, full of precipitous rocks and gullies, until we came to a bend
of the river: we now followed it in its tortuous course through the
rocks, till we came to a flat country where its channels were divided by
high green banks, on which were growing large drooping tea trees
(MELALEUCAS); growing on these I found a beautiful species of loranthus,
with large fascicles of orange coloured flowers, the leaves cordate, and
clasping the stem.

On the hills I found a BRACHYCHITON, with crimson flowers; the tree had a
stunted growth, and is deciduous. I collected as much of the gum as I
could, and advised the others to do the same; we ate it with the roasted
seeds, but were unable to find much of the gum or of the seeds.

September 2.--We travelled over uneven rocky ground, and crossed several
gullies, and camped by the bed of a river, at a spot where there were
fine reaches of water, full of NYMPHAEA and VILLARSIA. There was plenty
of good grass in the valley of the river, which was not very wide here,
but on the hills many parts had been recently burned, and the grass was
just springing.

September 3.--Sunday. We had prayers at eleven o'clock, and afterwards,
during the day, we shot a small emu and a kangaroo. Being camped by the
side of the river, we were able to catch a few fish, which were a most
acceptable change to us.

The country through which we had passed for the last two days consisted
of a good stiff soil, well covered with grass, openly timbered, and well
watered.

September 4 and 5.--The country continued much the same, making
travelling most difficult and laborious. We were now in the vicinity of
Cape Tribulation. In passing through the bed of the river, in which we
were in many places obliged to travel, we passed two very high peaked
hills to the westward.

September 6.--We now found the river beginning to run in all directions
through the hills, over which it was impossible to travel. We were
consequently forced to keep the bed of the river, our horses falling
every few minutes, in consequence of the slippery surface of the rocks
over which they were obliged to pass--consisting of dark granite.

The sterility of the hills here is much relieved by the bunches of
beautiful large yellow flowers of the COCHLOSPERMUM JASSYPIUM, (the
native cotton of Port Essington,) interspersed with the large balls of
white cotton, just bursting from. the seed vessels. I collected a bag
full of this cotton, wherewith to stuff our pack-saddles, as our sheep
did not supply us with wool enough for that purpose. On these hills. too,
I saw a beautiful calythrix, with pink flowers, and two or three very
pretty dwarf acacias. As Mr. Kennedy and myself were walking first of the
party, looking out for the best path for the horses to travel in, I fell
with violence, and unfortunately broke Mr. Kennedy's mountain barometer,
which I carried. I also bruised one of my fingers very much, by crushing
it with my gun.

September 7 and 8.--We continued following the river through its westward
course, through a very mountainous country. On the hills I saw a very
handsome BANHENIA, a tree about twenty feet high, with spreading branches
covered with axillary fascicles of red flowers, long broad flat legumes,
pinnate leaves, leaflets oval, about one inch long; an ERYTHRINA, with
fine racemes of orange coloured flowers, with long narrow keel, and broad
vexillum, leaves pinnate, and three to five lunate leaflets, long round
painted legumes, red seeds; also a rose coloured BRACHYCHITON, with
rather small flowers, a deciduous tree of stunted habit, about twenty
feet high. We also passed narrow belts of low sandy loam, covered with
BANKSIAS, broad leafed MELALEUCAS, and the orange coloured GREVILLEA I
have before spoken of. In these flats we again met with large ant-hills,
six to ten feet high, and eight feet circumference; the land at the base
of a reddish colour.

September 9.--We had a fine view of the surrounding country from the top
of a high hill, in the midst of a range over which we passed. To the west
and round to the south the country appeared to be fine undulating forest
land, intersected by numerous creeks and small rivers falling
considerably to the westward, as in fact all the water had been running
for some days past. Doubtless there must be plenty of water in the holes
and reaches of these rivers and creeks in all seasons, but in the rainy
season many of them must be deep and rapid streams. as the flood marks on
the trees were from fifteen to twenty feet high.

The river along the course of which we had been so long travelling varied
in width from two hundred to eight hundred yards. It has two, or, in some
places, three distinct channels, and in the flat country through which it
passes these are divided by large drooping MELALEUCAS.

It is singular that the country here should be so destitute of game; we
had seen a few wallabies and a few ducks, but were seldom able to shoot
any of them; we had riot seen more than four or five emus altogether
since we started; a few brown hawks we occasionally shot, were almost the
only addition we were enabled to make to our small ration. To-day we got
an iguana and two ducks, which with the water in which our mutton was
boiled would have made us a good pot of soup, had there been any
substance in the mutton. Even thin as it was, we were very glad to get
it. The rivers also seemed to contain but few fish, as we only caught a
few of two different kinds, one of which without scales, resembled the
cat-fish, caught near Sydney; the other was a dark thick fish with
scales.

September 10.--Finding that the river continued running to the westward,
and not as we had hoped towards Princess Charlotte's Bay. we left it and
turned in a northerly direction, travelling over very rocky ridges
covered with cochlospermums and acacias, interspersed with occasional
patches of open forest land, and strewed with isolated blocks of course
granite containing crystals of quartz and laminae of white mica.

We had not seen natives for several days, but this night, whilst one of
the party was keeping watch. a short distance from the fire, about eleven
o'clock, he heard the chattering of the blacks. Three spears were almost
immediately thrown into the camp and fell near the fire. but fortunately
without injuring any of the party. We fired a few shots in the direction
from which the spears came; the night being so dark that we could not see
them. We entertained fears that some of our horses might be speared, as
they were at some distance from the camp, but fortunately the blacks gave
us no further molestation.

Prayers as usual at eleven o'clock.

September 11 and 12.--We pursued our northern course, the ground becoming
very rotten; by the sides of small creeks in sandy flats were belts of
broad leafed MELALEUCAS and GREVILLEAS. We met with scrubs of
SEPTOSPERMUM, FABRICIA, and DODONAEA. By the creeks. when the ground was
sandy, we saw ABRUS PRECATORIUS, and a small tree about fifteen feet
high, with bi-pinnate leaves, the leaflets very small, with long flat
legumes containing ten or twelve black and red seeds, like those of ABRUS
PRECATORIUS, but rather larger.

September 13 and 14.--Most part of these days we travelled over a country
of stiff soil, covered with iron-bark, and divided at intervals by belts
of sandy ground, on which grew BANKSIAS, CALLITRIS, and a very pretty
LOPHOSTEMON, about twenty feet high, with long narrow lanceolate leaves,
and very round bushy top.

By the side of the small streams running through the flat ground, I saw a
curious herbaceous plant, with large pitchers at the end of the leaves,
like those of the common pitcher plant (NEPENTHES DISTILLATORIA). It was
too late in the season to find flowers, but the flower stems were about
eighteen inches high, and the pitchers would hold about a wine-glass full
of water. This interesting and singular plant very much attracted the
attention of all our party.

We here fell in with a camp of natives. Immediately they saw us they ran
away from their camps, leaving behind them some half cooked food,
consisting of the meal of some seeds, (most likely Moreton Bay Chesnuts,)
which had been moistened, and laid in small irregular pieces on a flat
stone with a small fire beneath it. We took a part of this baked meal,
leaving behind some fish hooks as payment. In the camp we also found a
considerable quantity of Pandanus fruit, which grows very plentifully
here. Although however it is sweet and pleasant to the taste, I found
that the natives did not eat largely of it, as it possessed very relaxing
qualities, and caused violent headache, with swelling beneath the eyes.

Some narrow belts of land we passed here betrayed indications of having
been frequently inundated by fresh water. The ground was very uneven,
full of small hillocks which were hidden by long grass, which caused our
weak horses to fall very frequently.

September 15.--This day we had better travelling, the soil becoming a
strong greyish loam; the forest land open and free from scrub, the trees
principally consisting of iron bark, box, and the leguminous tree, with
bi-pinnate leaves, and dark fissured bark I have before alluded to. We
saw here a great many pigeons of various kinds; Mr. Wall shot one pair of
GEOPHAPS PLUMIFERA, which he preserved; also a pair of small pigeons of a
greyish colour, with red round the eyes, which he considered new.

I also saw a large tree and obtained specimens of it, belonging to the
natural order BIGNONIACEAE, with terminal spikes of yellow flowers, and
rough cordate leaves; and a proteaceous plant with long compound racemes
of white flowers, and deeply cut leaves, resembling a tree with true
pinnate leaves. The large seeded ANGOPHORA mentioned by me before, also
grew in this district.

About ten o'clock we came upon the banks of a very fine river, with very
broad bed, and steep banks on both sides. No doubt this was the river we
had seen to the eastward from our camp on the 9th instant. Mr. Kennedy
considered this river to rise somewhere near Cape Tribulation, and after
running northward about thirty miles, to turn to the south-west, the way
it was running when we came upon it. In this place it appeared a fine
deep river, and we followed it in its southwest course, at a short
distance from its banks, for six or seven miles. The south-east bank was,
for the last three or four miles we traced it, covered with a narrow belt
of scrub, composed of FLAGELLARIA, JASMINIUM, PHYLLANTHUS, and a rambling
plant, belonging to the natural order VERBENACEAE, with terminal spikes
of white, sweet-scented flowers.

The trees were principally CASTANOSPERMUM, MELIA, RULINGIA, and
SARCOCEPHALUS, and a beautiful tree, belonging to the natural order
BOMBACEAE, probably to the genus ERIODENDRON, with large spreading
branches, which, as well as the trunk, were covered with spines. These
trees are from thirty to fifty feet in height, and produce large crimson
camponulate flowers, composed of five large stiff petals, about two
inches long; stamens numerous, all joining at the base, and divided again
into five parcels; the fillaments are the same length as the petals; five
cleft stigma; large five-celled capsule, many seeded cells, the seeds
being wrapped in a white silky cotton. This tree was deciduous, the
leaves being palmate, and grew on stiff soil: its large crimson flowers
attracted universal admiration. We crossed the river at a spot where its
banks were not so steep, and where there was but from one to three feet
of water; in some places the bottom was sandy and in others rocky, but we
could only see rock in the bed of the river. We camped on the side of the
river, on some recently burned grass; five of the party went fishing a
short distance up the river, and caught a few fish. The country here to
the west and the south-west was open undulating forest land, which had
been burned some short time before, and the grass just growing again,
formed beautiful feed for our horses and sheep. Towards evening about six
or eight natives made their appearance, on the same side of the river as
our camp; when about two hundred yards from us they shipped their spears,
and with other warlike gestures gradually drew near to us, making a great
noise, doubtless thinking to frighten us.

There being a wide deep gully between the natives and our camp, we drew
up along the edge of it, with our firearms all ready to give them a warm
reception, should they endeavour to approach to closer hostilities.

We endeavoured to make them understand that our intentions were friendly,
and that we wished them to be peaceable; but they seemed to construe our
signals to make them comprehend this, into indications of fear on our
part; this increased their courage, and strengthened their determination
to drive us away if possible, although they would not come within reach
of our guns. We however fired at them, and although none were hurt, they
appeared much frightened at the report of the fire arms. They left us and
went in the direction taken by the five of our party who had gone
fishing, and for the safety of whom we began to be alarmed; our fears
were, increased, by hearing the report of a gun a few minutes afterwards.
It seemed they had seen our party fishing by the side of the river, and
instantly ran at them, to attack them; but one of the party placed on the
bank as a look-out, fired at them as they came up, just as they were
preparing to throw their spears, on which they turned their backs, and
took to flight as fast as they could.

September 16.--This morning after breakfast, myself and Mitchell took two
horses and re-crossed the river. We went about two miles back to a spot
where I had seen some PORTULACAE, intending to bring some of it back to
the camp to boil as a vegetable, it being the only description of food of
the kind that we had been able to obtain throughout our journey. We
filled a bag with it and returned to the camp, when I found half a
damper, one meal's bread had been stolen from the stores during my
absence. This was not the first theft of the kind that had been committed
and it was found necessary to watch the provisions night and day. Mr.
Kennedy was anxious to discover the thief in this instance, as it was
stolen in open daylight while Mr. Kennedy himself was keeping a look-out
in his tent, not twenty yards from where the provisions were stolen;
every man's load was searched, but in vain, and Mr. Kennedy, knowing that
a party left the camp for the purpose of fishing a short distance up the
river, and another party a few yards down the river to wash some
clothes--took Jackey with him, who, by detecting some crumbs on the
ground, discovered that the damper had been eaten at the place where the
clothes were washed.

So careless were some of the party of the fatal consequences of our
provisions being consumed before we arrived at Cape York, that as soon as
we camped and the horses were unpacked, it was necessary that all the
provisions should be deposited together on a tarpaulin, and that I should
be near them by day and by night, so that I could not leave the camp at
all, unless Mr. Kennedy and Mr. Wall undertook to watch the stores. I was
obliged to watch the food whilst cooking; it was taken out of the boiler
in the presence of myself and two or three others, and placed in the
stores till morning.

It was seldom that I could go to bed before nine or ten o'clock at night,
and I had to be up at four in the morning to see our tea made and
sweetened, and our breakfast served out by daylight. The meals we cut up
in thirteen parts, as nearly equal as possible, and one person touched
each part in succession; whilst another person, with his back turned,
called out the names of the party, the person named taking the part
touched. The scrupulous exactness we were obliged to practice with
respect to our provisions was increased by our misfortune in getting next
to nothing to assist our scanty ration; while the extreme labour to which
we were subjected increased our appetites. Two of the party always went
out at daylight to fetch the horses in, and it was necessary we should
start at early morning on account of the great heat in the middle of the
day. We always endeavoured to make a fair stage by ten o'clock, and then,
if in a convenient place, to halt: sometimes we were obliged to halt at
nine o'clock, but we started again generally about three or four o'clock
p.m., and travelled on till six.

Twelve or fourteen natives made their appearance at the camp this
evening, in the same direction as on the previous day. Each one was armed
with a large bundle of spears, and with boomerangs. Their bodies were
painted with a yellowish earth, which with their warlike gestures made
them look very ferocious. The grass in the position they had taken up was
very long and very dry, quite up to the edge of the gully; they set it on
fire in three or four places, and the wind blowing from them to us, it
burned very rapidly. Thinking we should be frightened at this display
they followed the fire with their spears shipped, making a most hideous
noise, and with the most savage gestures. Knowing the fire could not
reach us, as there was nothing to burn on our side the gully, we drew up
towards them with our firearms prepared. They approached near enough to
throw three spears into our camp, one of which went quite through one of
our tents. No one was hurt, but a few of our party fired at them; we
could not tell whether any were wounded, as they disappeared almost
immediately. We kept three on watch this night for fear of the natives.

September 17 to 21.--Leaving the river, we turned northwest, and had
occasionally fair travelling over stiff soil, intersected by many creeks,
most of them dry, but were everywhere able to find water at intervals of
a few miles. We passed over some ironstone ridges, and rocky hills,
covered with CALLITRIS, COCHLOSPERMUM, and STERCALIAS. On the stiff soil
the trees were ironbark, box, apple, gum, and some large acacias, with
long lanceolate phyllodia, and large spikes of golden coloured flowers.
The grass here in the valleys between the hills had been burned, and was
grown again about eight or ten inches high.

September 22.--We crossed a creek running eastward, overhung by
MELALEUCAS and arborescent callistemons, with plenty of grass on both
sides; the soil appeared to grow more sandy than that over which we had
hitherto passed.

September 23.--We proceeded in our course, travelling over sandy ridges
covered with EUGENIA, EXOCARPUS, and a very pretty EUCALYPTUS, with
rose-coloured flowers and obcordate leaves, and yellow soft bark, also a
dwarfish tree with dark green leaves, and axillary racemes of round
monospermons, fruit of a purple colour, with a thin rind of a bitter
flavour; also a great many trees of moderate size, from fifteen to twenty
feet high, of rather pendulous habit, oval lanceolate exstipulate leaves,
loaded with an oblong yellow fruit, having a rough stone inside; the part
covering the stem has, when ripe, a mealy appearance, and very good
flavour. I considered from its appearance it was the fruit which
Leichhardt called the nonda, which we always afterwards called it; we all
ate plentifully of it.

The weather for the last few days had been very hot, the thermometer
ranging in the shade from 95° to 100° at noon; still there was generally
a breeze in the morning from the eastward, and in the evening from the
west. We camped by the same creek as on the previous day, but in our
present position it was running S.W., with several lagoons in the valley,
full of NYMPHEA and VILLARSIA; our latitude here was 15° 33' south.

September 24.--We crossed the creek and proceeded northward, till we
camped by a dry creek, from the bed of which we obtained water by
digging. During the day's journey, we passed over some flats of rotten
honeycomb ground, on which nothing was growing but a few stunted shrubs,
and a blue herbaceous plant belonging to the order BORAGINEAE. We also
passed over other sandy flats covered with broad-leafed MELALEUCAS and
Grevillias, and a few Banksias. On these flats ant hills occurred, and in
their vicinity there was seldom much grass. The grasses generally growing
there were annual grasses. It was Mr. Kennedy's opinion that the creek we
crossed this morning joined the river we left on the 16th, and formed the
Mitchell, although the country hereabouts did not resemble the banks of
the Mitchell, as described by Leichhardt; but the appearance of the
country varies so much every few miles, particularly to the westward,
that it is impossible to support an opposite opinion on this ground.

September 25.--As three of the horses could not be found this morning,
four men were left behind to search for them while the rest of the party
travelled on. They had not come up with us at about four o'clock, and
being anxious to find water before dark, we proceeded along a narrow open
valley covered with long grass, and large pandanus, skirted on each side
by rather scrubby forest land. At dark we reached a large water hole. One
of the men left behind shortly arrived, and stated that the rest had
halted for the night. Mr. Kennedy being anxious to bring all the horses
to water, and to have the party together, sent me back to conduct them to
the camp, which I very soon did, even though it was dark, the track being
very plain. We collected a great many nondas to-day and baked some of
them with our bread, which was the only way we could eat them cooked;
they were much better fresh from the trees, but we found them rather
astringent. Spring, our best kangaroo dog, was unable to come up to the
camp this day, being overpowered by the heat of the sun, a circumstance
we all regretted, as he was a most excellent watch dog.

September 26.--We travelled a good stage this morning before we found
water in a sandy creek, where the country seemed to fall slightly to the
north-east. We still hoped to find a river running into Princess
Charlotte's Bay.

September 27.--We proceeded N.E. over alternating sandy ridges and marshy
flats; the latter, though dry where we passed over them, presented the
appearance of being generally inundated. We camped by the side of a rocky
creek, containing very little water.

September 28.--Just as we were about to start this morning, two natives,
carrying a bundle of reeds and a basket, passed within a short distance
of our camp, and seemed to take no notice of us. Our sheep were not to be
found, having rambled to a distance: although without a sheepfold, this
was the first instance in which the sheep had strayed; generally
remaining by the fire, towards which they were driven at night, till
morning.

We had never seen a wild native dog during the journey. Our dog that we
had left behind came into the camp to night, very much exhausted, having
travelled about thirty miles; he must have subsisted on nondas, as it was
impossible he could have caught anything, and we had seen him cat them
before. He died the following morning.

September 30.--After travelling a short distance we crossed a small river
running eastward: for some distance down it, the water was brackish, and
at spring tide the salt water came up to our camp; but we obtained good
water from a small lagoon near the camp. We proceeded over a large plain
well covered with good grass, the soil stiff clay. We proceeded about
five or six miles on a plain, turning westward towards a lagoon
surrounded by stravadiums and a few very large palms. We hoped to find
water in it, but it was dry, and fearing we should not be able to find
water before dark if we proceeded in this direction, we thought it better
to return to our camp.

October 1.--We had prayers this day as usual on Sundays, at eleven
o'clock. We saw native fires at a distance to the north-east of our camp,
but the natives did not come near us. I went up what we fancied was the
river by which we had camped, but found it only a creek; but it had
plenty of water in it at this season. There were several small lagoons
near it. There were large drooping tea trees (melaleucas) growing on its
banks, and large palm trees, of the same kind as those I had seen in the
plain the day before, and which were by far the finest palms I had ever
seen; the trunks were not very high, varying from fifteen to thirty feet,
but very large in bulk, varying from six to eight feet in circumference:
they had large fan-shaped leaves, with slightly curved spines on the
footstalk. It is a diaecious palm, the female plants bearing an immense
quantity of round fruit, about the size of a green-gage plum, of a purple
colour, and rather disagreeable flavour; the pulp covering the seed was
very oily, and not a leaf to be seen on any of the fruit-bearing plants;
the whole top consists of branches full of ripe and unripe seeds. Bushels
of seeds were lying beneath some of the trees, it seeming that but few
were eaten by birds or small animals. One of our party suffered severely
from eating too freely of them as they brought on diarrhoea. I measured
two or three of the leaves of the male plants, and those not of the
largest size, and found them to measure six feet in the widest part, and
four feet and half in the narrowest. These leaves were split by the wind
into segments of various widths. The grass growing to the westward of our
camp was not so high as that to the eastward, and appeared to consist of
a larger proportion of annual grasses, the perennial grass growing only
in tufts; near the river it was covered with an annual IPOMEA, of very
strong growth; the leaves and blossoms were withered, but I obtained
seeds. We shot three ducks to-day, and Wall shot a wallaby of a light
grey colour, long soft fur, and rather bushy tail; he thought it new, and
preserved the skin. I also obtained specimens of a beautiful plant, a
shrub about two feet high, with white sweet scented blossoms, belonging
to the natural order "Rubiaceae," and several other interesting plants.
Lately however my specimens had been very much spoiled, being torn from
the horse's back so frequently, and I grew disheartened to see all the
efforts I had made, made in vain, although I still took every method to
preserve them from injury.

October 2.--This morning we proceeded across the plain, and when we had
advanced about two miles upon it, we discovered that the natives had set
the grass on fire behind us and the wind blowing from the eastward, and
the grass growing thick and high, it rapidly gained upon us; we made all
possible haste to some burned ground which we had seen on Saturday, and
only reached it a few minutes before the fire. We were enveloped in smoke
and ashes, but fortunately no one was burned. The natives did not come
near us, although no doubt they watched us, and saw us proceeding to the
part of the plain that was burned. The plain extended a great distance to
the westward, and crossing it one of our horses knocked up and could
travel no longer; Mr. Kennedy ordered him to be bled, and we not liking
to lose the blood, boiled it as a blood-pudding with a little flour, and
in the situation we were, enjoyed it very much.

October 3.--We killed the horse this morning as he was not able to stand,
and dried the meat to carry with us; we made a small stage of saplings on
which to dry the meat; the meat was cut off to the bone as clean as
possible, and then cut in thin slices, and laid on the stage in the sun
to dry, and the sun being very hot, it dried well; the heart, liver, and
kidneys were parboiled, and cut up fine, and mixed with the blood of the
horse and about three pounds of flour; they made four puddings, with
which, after they had boiled about four hours, we satisfied our appetites
better than we had been able to o for some time: it was served up in the
same manner as our usual rations, in equal parts, and each man had a
right to reserve a portion of his mess till the next day, but very little
was saved; Mr. Kennedy found that it was even necessary to have the horse
flesh watched whilst drying, finding that two or three of the party had
secreted small quantities amongst their clothes; such precautions were
quite necessary as well in justice to the whole of the party, as to keep
up the strength of all, which seemed to be very fast declining. At night
we made a fire to smoke the meat, and to destroy the maggots, which wore
very numerous in it; we packed the meat in empty flour bags.

October 4.--We proceeded northward over small sandy plains, covered with
annual grass, which was now very much withered, and through belts of
dwarf bushy MELALEUCAS and Banksias. We were not far from Princess
Charlotte's Bay, Jane's Table Land being in sight. We came to the side of
a salt lagoon, very nearly dry; we found it covered with salt, of which
we took about 20lbs., which was as much as we could carry, but even this
was a very seasonable help; we rubbed about two pounds of it in our meat.
We encamped by a small creek, but the water was brackish, and not being
able to find any other we were obliged to make use of it. One of our
horses was slightly hurt by a stump of a mangrove tree. All we got from
the horse we last killed was sixty-five pounds of meat.

October 5 and 6.--We travelled over sandy soil, but with little grass,
meeting frequently with salt lagoons, surrounded by various salsolaceous
plants. Near the edge of a salt water creek we found a native camp,
composed of about seven or eight gunyahs, curiously and neatly built of a
conical form; all very nearly of the same size, about five and a half
feet diameter at the base, and six and a half feet high. They were made
by placing saplings in the ground in a slanting position, which were tied
together at the top and woven inside like wicker work, with strips of
small bamboo canes. The whole was then covered with palm leaves, over
which was a coating of tea tree-bark, very neatly fastened by strips of
cane. They were substantially built, and would no doubt keep out the wet
effectually. They seemed to be occupied by the natives only in the rainy
season, as, from their appearance, they had not been inhabited for some
time. I entered one of them through a small arched opening of about
twenty inches or two feet high, and found three or four nets, made with
thin strips of cane, about five feet long, with an opening of about eight
inches in diameter at one end, getting gradually smaller for about four
feet, where there was a small opening into a large round sort of basket.
These nets were laid by the natives in narrow channels to catch fish, as
well as in the tracks of small animals, such as rats and bandicoots, for
the purpose of catching them. There were also some pieces of glass bottle
in the gunyah, carefully wrapped in bark and placed in a very neat
basket, made in the shape of a lady's reticule. The glass is used by the
natives in marking themselves: all of them being marked on the arms and
breast, while some were marked on the cheeks and forehead.

In the camp we thus discovered were small stone ovens, similar to those
we had found in the camp at Rockingham Bay, as well as one with a large
flat stone raised six or eight inches from the ground, and a fire place
of loose stones beneath. Near to one of the tents was a large stone
hollowed out in the middle, and two or three round pebbles for pounding
dried seeds, &c.

October 7 and 8.--Flat sandy ground, with occasional patches of scrub,
composed of bushy MELALEUCAS, HIBISCUS, BANKSIA, and several rambling
plants, with a few large palms scattered in places; there was not much
grass, except at intervals.

October 9.--This morning we came to a river, running into Princess
Charlotte's Bay, in lat. 14° 30' S., long. 143° 56'. It was deep, and
about 100 yards wide, the water salt, and the tide was flowing. up fast,
and the banks were high. A few scattered mangroves, and a leguminous
tree, with rough cordate leaves, and large one or two seeded legumes,
were growing on the banks. We were obliged to turn southerly for a short
distance, and found what we had fancied to be a river only a small creek.
We crossed it about twelve or fourteen miles from the sea, but the water
was brackish. The trees on the sandy ground were broad leafed MELALEUCAS,
GREVILLEAS, nondas, and by the water holes which we occasionally saw were
stravadiums and drooping MELALEUCAS. I also saw a species of stravadium
with racemes of white flowers, much longer than the others, with leaves
ten inches long by four inches broad, and the trees thirty feet high.
Keeping at a distance from the sea-coast to avoid the salt water creeks,
and to obtain good grass for our horses, we halted in the middle of the
day, and were visited by a great many natives, coming in all directions,
and making a great noise. They appeared to have been collecting nondas,
as a great many of their women were carrying large (dillis) baskets full
away. After the women were out of sight they made signs to us to go away.
We got our horses together, and endeavoured to make them friendly, but
our entreaties were disregarded, and the presents we offered them were
treated with contempt. When we found they would not allow us to come near
them we packed our horses and prepared to start. They followed us at some
distance, continually throwing spears after us for some time; one was
thrown into the thigh of a horse, but fortunately not being barbed it was
taken out, and the horse was not much injured. We then rode after them in
two or three directions and fired at them, and they left us, and we saw
no more of them.

October 11.--To-day when halting in a place where there was no water, but
good grass, a tribe of natives made their appearance, and appeared
disposed to be friendly. We carefully collected our horses, and shortly
after the natives drew near to us. We made them presents of a few
fish-hooks and tin plates, and made signs to them that we wanted water.
several of them ran off, and in a few minutes returned with water in a
vessel (if it may be so called,) composed of pieces of bark tied together
at each end, and they continued going backwards and forwards until they
had brought enough to fill our cans, besides what we drank. They left us
quite quietly.

October 12.--We proceeded along the creek by which we had encamped the
night before; the water was brackish. We attempted to go through some
mangroves to the beach, but did not succeed.

October 13.--Jackey, Taylor, and myself took three horses, and tried to
get to the beach more to the northward than yesterday. We passed through
a belt of mangroves, where the ground was pretty firm, the tide coming up
only occasionally; we then proceeded along a sandy ridge to the
northward, when we found it ended by a salt water lagoon, surrounded by
salsolaceous plants and mangroves, which it was impossible to get
through. We returned to our camp, and here Mr. Kennedy abandoned the
thought of going to the beach, as he felt sure H.M.S. Bramble (which was
to have met us at the beginning of August) would have gone; our journey
having occupied so much longer time than we could have possibly
anticipated. This consideration, combined with the great difficulty which
seemed likely to ensue in obtaining water and feed for our horses,
determined him to take a different direction.

October 15.--We had prayers as usual this day, being Sunday, at 11
o'clock; this day we finished the consumption of all our sugar, except a
very small quantity, which was reserved for any particular case of
sickness.

October 16.--This morning a horse fell into a rocky water hole, and
finding it impossible to get him out alive, we killed him, and cured the
flesh as before, drying it in the sun on a stage; the blood, heart, and
liver furnished us with a good day's food. Our meat being well dried by
five o'clock in the afternoon, we sprinkled some salt upon it, and put it
in bags for the convenience of carrying. We left one of our round tents,
and such other things as we could possibly spare behind us at the camp,
as our horses were now so weak they could not carry their loads.

October 17 and 18.--Our travelling was very uneven, our horses giving us
continual trouble from their frequent falls; we had a few narrow belts of
scrub to cut through, but they were not very thick.

October 19.--Several of our horses were now quite unable to carry
anything but the saddle; we passed through open forest land, with a light
soil, sub-soil clay, with isolated blocks of granite rock scattered
about.

We encamped by a rocky creek, with water in holes only; it ran westerly,
and had fresh green feed on each side, the grass having been burned
shortly before, and was now growing again.

October 20.--We passed over a piece of stiff ground about two miles in
extent, which appeared to have been the scene of a devastating hurricane.
It was covered with fallen timber, which rendered it very difficult to
cross. The wind must have swept from the south-west to the north-east,
and from the appearance of the saplings which were growing from the
stumps of some of the trees which had been broken, this terrific storm
appeared to have taken place about two years ago. Not a tree had been
left standing in the part where we crossed, nor could we tell how far the
devastation had extended to the south-west; but the ground to the north
and east being swampy, and covered only with small MELALEUCAS and
Banksias, the wind had not taken much effect. Many of the trees in the
middle of the fallen timber measured two feet in diameter. Some were torn
up by the roots, and the trunks of others were snapped at various heights
from the ground. The latitude of our camp here was 13° 35'.

October 21.--We killed another of our horses to-day, as he was too weak
to stand.

October 22.--We got our meat well dried to-day, and having smoked it a
little, packed it as before. Our stock of flour was now reduced to two
hundred pounds weight, and many of the men growing very weak, we were
obliged to increase our weekly ration a little. Three of the party,
Douglass, Taylor, and Costigan, were suffering from diarrhoea, in
consequence of having eaten too freely of the pandanus fruit. Their
spirits began to fail them, and they frequently complained despairingly
to Mr. Kennedy that they should never be able to reach Cape York.
Although our horses were so very weak, these men were obliged to ride,
being quite unable to walk far at a time.

The country before us was very mountainous, but between the hills we
found plenty of grass and water: to the south the whole country appeared
to be on fire.

October 23 to 25.--We travelled during these days over a rocky
mountainous country, interspersed with deep gullies and creeks, fringed
with belts of scrub. In these scrubs I saw the white apple and the
crimson scitamineous plant seen near Rockingham Bay; scattered over the
country were a few cedar trees and Moreton Bay chestnuts, and some very
fine timber trees belonging to the natural order MYRTACEAE, upwards of
sixty feet high, and three to four feet in diameter, with fine straight
trunks.

October 26 to 28.--We travelled over stony hills, the tops of which were
occasionally composed of white flint, with rusty veins running through
it. On the rides of the hills were broken rocks containing mica,
hornblende, and crystals of quartz. The grass on these hills had all been
newly burned.

October 29.--Sunday; prayers at eleven o'clock. We this day shot three
small wallabies, which were a great treat to us.