38 EXPLORATION OF THE MURCHISON, LYONS, AND [Nov. 8, 1858. 



' supply of grass for our horses ; the streams being generally divided 

 from each other by low stony ridges or plains of red sandy loam, 

 yielding a rather scanty supply of grass. 



ord May. — Having rested the party the previous day, it being 

 Sunday, in latitude 25° 33' 48", at a fine pool of fresh water in a 

 stream running south, and apparently tributary to the Murchison, 

 we resumed our course for 3 or 4 miles up a branch of the stream 

 upon which we had been encamped, which terminated at a gentle 

 stony ascent ; another mile brought us to its summit, which proved 

 to be the water-line between the Gascoyne and Murchison ; its 

 elevation was found to be 1500 feet above the sea. From this ridge 

 a short descent northward led us to the head of a water-course, 

 which we followed in the same direction for 17 miles, augmented 

 by several small tributaries ; turning to the westward it foiined a 

 junction with another river coming from the eastward, in latitude 

 25° 14' 23", at an elevation of 1144 feet above the sea. 



The country through which we had passed was a nearly level 

 and barren plain, evenly and closel}^ paved with small stones, 

 among which a few stunted acacia found a precarious existence ; 

 to this portion of country we gave the characteristic name of Mac- 

 Adam Plains. 



4th May. — The river we had encamped upon the preceding night 

 had a level sandy channel 35 yards wide, with several shallow pools 

 in its bed ; a narrow belt of flooded gum lined either bank, which 

 also produced abundance of excellent feed ; several of the grasses 

 were new to us, yielding a large quantity of seed ; farther back 

 the pasture was more scanty, and of an inferior variety of grass, the 

 trees consisting almost entirely of small hakea or acacia. 



The features of the country are generally very tame, with the 

 exception of a prominent hill of considerable altitude nearly 20 

 miles to the northward, to which we gave the name of Mount Gas- 

 coyne. The summit of another range of less elevation, a little 

 to the northward of west, distant 15 miles, was called Mount 

 Puckford. 



Having decided upon following the left bank of the river, with the 

 view of ascertaining what tributaries might join it from the south- 

 ward, we, this morning, took our course for Mount Puckford, 

 touching frequently upon the bends of the river, which soon formed 

 a junction with a large channel coming from the eastward, which 

 ultimately proved to be the main Gascoyne ; it Avas still running in 

 a small stream in the bottom of a sandy bed 80 yards wide, traces of 

 recent heavy floods being plentiful. At 10 miles the river has 

 broken, through a ridge of ancient opaque white lava, lying north- 



