Blue Mountains in New South Wales. 165 



at Bathurst two days. Mr Morinet, who commanded there, 

 received us witli urbanity, and afforded us all the assist- 

 ance in his power. Bathurst Plain is watered by Macquarrie 

 River, which is the same as Fish River. Its height above the 

 level of the sea is 1970 English feet. It contains about 6000 

 acres of good arable or meadow ground, which allows a large 

 stock of cattle to be reared. It is here in particular that the 

 Spanish breed of sheep has been propagated, which affords a 

 beautiful wool, but which has never to this day been transported 

 to England without being damaged. A hundred miles from 

 Bathurst, in the interior, Wellington Valley has been cleared, 

 and here a post of incorrigible convicts has been established. 

 In the south-west, far beyond Mount Molle, common limestone 

 has been discovered, a mineral substance of which New South 

 Wales seems destitute, and of which the English are in the 

 greatest need for the building of their houses, as the shores do 

 not afford enough of shells for that purpose. This article was 

 ardently sought for, and it was not without the greatest satis- 

 faction that the cave was discovered which lies to the north of 

 Bathurst, at the distance of sixteen miles, of which the roof is 

 lined w ith thick stalactites of a calcareous alabaster, furnishing 

 an excellent lime. Ten miles from this establishment, at Pine- 

 ridge, there is a forest entirely composed of cedars, (CalUtris 

 spiralis of Brown), the wood of which is excellent for building. 

 Macquarrie River, which is neither deep nor broad, has its 

 banks covered with European plants. There are found here po- 

 tamogetons, aquatic Ranunculi, the Ly thrum Salicaria, the So- 

 molus, the Verbena officinalis, the Polygonum aviculare, or a 

 species closely allied to it, &c. I found fishes in this river 

 which form two new genera ; the first species, named Gryptes 

 Brishanii of the family of perches, and the second named Mac- 

 quarria Australasice *. They attain a large size, and are much 

 esteemed as food. The Gryptes is often three feet long, and 

 nearly sixty pounds weight. An Emys (the Testudo longicoU 



■ So named by MM. Cuvier and Valenciennes, in the catalogue of the 

 Collections which we brought to the IMuseuni. I have proposed the name 

 of Gryptes Brishanii for the first, in honour of the Governor of New South 

 Wales, who received us with the greatest kindness. 



