THE INTERIOR OF WESTERN AUSTRALIA. 243 



merly, 45"^ to the S.E. The general direction of the river was here to 

 S, by E. ^ E., for nearly three miles; its valley was narrow, and filled 

 with slaty shales, blending with quartz ; all the water in its long pools 

 was bad, and the banks were so contracted, precipitous, and rugged, it 

 was frequently necessary to reconnoitre far ahead before we could ven- 

 ture to advance with our weary horses. 



Two tributaries now fell in from the right, within a short distance 

 from each other, leaving a projecting grassy hill between them ; and 

 down a long reach of the river itself. East Mount Barren appeared in 

 sight, bearing S. 13° 30' W., at the distance of sixteen miles. Two 

 miles below this the river cuts its way through a bed of shales, leaving 

 them in perpendicular walls on each side, 100 feet apart, and little less 

 in height, with red sandstone above the shales, and scrubby vegetation 

 on the top of all. From the strong and decided echo among these 

 singular cliffs, I called the place Echo Glen, and immediately below it 

 had the satisfaction to observe the valley of the river open out, and 

 again become grassy. From north-eastward at the glen, its direction 

 changed to S.E. ; well-grassed flats, 200 yards in width, occasionally 

 occurred, and in a steep cliff of considerable elevation on the left bank, 

 we thought the dip of the shales had increased from 45*^ to 60% but 

 could not afford to cross over for a more mmute examination. Half a 

 mile below this no shales appeared at the surface, but red sandstone 

 took their place for 300 or 400 yards, and then the white and yellow 

 cliffs re-appeared, with a dip not exceeding 2^ to the south-eastward, 

 and the river at their base. Here the country became much more 

 open i good grass appeared along the valley of the river to the S.E. and 

 eastward, and we appeared to be rapidly receding from all indications 



of the coal formation. 



It was hereabouts we again fell in with some horse-tracks of Mr. 

 Drummond, together with the remains of one of his encampments ; but, 

 from their appearance, we had little hope of falling in with that enter- 

 prising botanist himself, except by accident. From the dip, and open 

 character of the country to the S.E., it was evident the estuary was not 

 far off, and I therefore took up the best situation we could find, with 

 good water and grass, where our exhausted cattle could recover a little, 

 while we effected its examination. This camp was on a chain of low 

 swamps, filled with sampliire and green rushes, in a brond flat valley, 

 which drained into the river about a mile lower down, and Middle 



