48 INTERIOK OF WESTERN AUSTRALIA. 



By two stars on the meridian, the latitude of this spot was 33° 23' 6" 

 south. I should gladly have set apart the next day (Sunday, 39th of 

 October) as a day of rest, for many reasons, including that of drying 

 our provisions, which had become very wet on their passage during the 

 last three or four days through the rain and wet bushes ; but, inde- 

 pendently of the small patch of grass immediately round our camp 

 having been all eaten close off, the weather continued too unsettled to 

 hold out a prospect of my being able to accomplish the desired object 

 effectually. I therefore moved on N.E. in the morning, and at the end 

 of two miles and a half obtained an extensive prospect from the sum- 

 mit of a sandy plain, of the country in advance between K by W. and 

 N.E. by N. We were however neither grafified nor encouraged by observ- 

 ing that, to the distance of 16 or 18 miles, which limited our view, the 

 country appeared of the same description as that just passed over, the 

 extensive undulating plains being occasionally diversified by dark lines 

 of vegetation, probably only marking the thickets which separated 

 them ; but two miles further N.E. we sighted some extensive white 

 sandy lakes five or six miles to the N.W., evidently salt, as also 

 a lofty red granite hill, at the same distance, bearing N. 80"^ E. De- 

 spatching Messrs. Eidley and Gregory to ascertain the nature of the 

 lakes, I conducted the party to the granite hill, which I had the plea- 

 sure to name Mount Madden, in compliment to my honourable friend 

 the Colonial Secretary of Western Australia, who had taken a warm in- 

 terest in the expedition. On my way, I passed several large gi'anitc 

 sheets, with only short mossy grass about them, but abundance of rain- 

 water collected in the cavities, and in some places forming small run- 

 nmg streams, the result probably of the recent rains, A clear open 

 lake, three miles in length, was left a mile to the northward, soon after 

 which we crossed with considerable difficulty over a broad wooded 

 flat three miles wide, evidently connected with its waters during very 

 wet seasons, but now dry, and much encumbered with dead trees 

 and brushwood, both erect and prostrate, A long and very fat 

 ascent of a mile and a half, through close thickets or soft boggyland, 

 brought us at length to the base of the gi-anite mass, where our disap- 

 pointment was great at finding only sufficient grass to give our horses 

 a scanty feed during the night. 



{To he continued.) 



srumff 



