THE INTEUIOR OF WESTERN AUSTRALIA. 213 



taining excellent grass, and more or less water, mostly too brackish for 

 use. The trap formation through which the upper branches of the Phillips 

 had been observed to flow, was now changed to granite, which showed 

 itself extensively in the highest and lowest levels of an open country, 

 without timber, and covered with low heathy vegetation, amongst 

 which was much good feed for cattle, 



On the eve of Christmas-day I was enabled to give the party along- 

 promised rest by reaching a well-gvassed little tributary to a stream- 

 bed in brackish pools, which was winding its way south-eastward to- 

 wards the coast in a bed of granite and trap. Here we brought forward 

 our best, for the enjoyment of Christmas in the bush, and dined off au 

 unexceptionable roast saddle of kangaroo, followed up by a pudding 

 which Buck had manufactured out of soaked biscuit and sugar, and an 

 allowance of brandy out of the small stock which we had carried as 

 medicine. There was reason to believe that our repast was overlooked 

 by a party of natives from the rising ground above, whose suppressed 

 voices reached the acute and practised ears of Bob, but whose presence 

 could be nowhere discovered on our searching and calling out. Numerous 

 traces of emu and kangaroo were about our camp, as well as of horned 

 cattle; but the latter were not recent. Of emus we saw but few as 

 we passed through the country, but kangaroos were very numerous on 

 the open downs, and caused rae to feel less regret than otherwise at 

 having to mark this day by a considerable reduction in our future ra- 

 tions ; a measiu-e rendered necessary by the reduced quantity now re- 

 maining on hand, and the uncertain time it would occupy to accom- 

 plish the large amount of work still before us. The latitude of our 

 camp was found to be 33° 45' 41' S., but the cloudy showery weather 

 greatly interfered with observations of this kind, although otherwise 

 Welcome, as affording us a good supply of water among the rocks. 



On the 26th our journey south-westward was resumed with renewed 

 spirits and energy, and at noon we felt that another important stage in 

 it was performed by our gaining a misty indistinct view of the Stirling 

 Kange, about eighty miles to the W.S.W. We had then reached the 

 system of waters belonging to the river on whose estuary our native 

 supposed we should find surface-coal, and observed increasing indica- 

 tions of its vicinity in red and yellow cliffs, and in the sandstone bein 

 in connection with granite,— a watercourse in a deep valley alone se- 

 parating them. Here we also saw West Mount Barren, about thirty 





