278 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH OF THE 



country for them to exert their agricultural abilities upon. 

 On communicating with the governor, Sir T. Brisbane, rela- 

 tive to his projected journey, he was most warmly met and 

 cordially assisted in the furtherance of his purpose. Sir T. 

 Brisbane, who had a short time previously visited Bathurst 

 and its immediate neighbourhood, instantly saw the great 

 advantage that would result to the colony, if easy access 

 could be attained to the vast plains discovered by Mr Oxiey 

 on his return from liis unsuccessful descent of the Macquarie 

 in 1818; and consequently gave orders for the equipment of 

 this new exploratory expedition to the full extent of Mr 

 Cunningham's requisitions. On the 31st of March, the 

 party, which consisted of Mr Cunningham and five men, and 

 five heavily laden packhorses with provisions for ten weeks, 

 left Paramatta for Bathurst, where they arrived on the 5th 

 of April ; and on the 15tb, they took their departure from 

 that station for the ultimate object of their journey. The 

 finding a practicable passage through the mountains that 

 form the southern boundary of Liverpool plains proved a 

 most toilsome and laborious experiment ; for, after a journey 

 of a fortnight along the southern face of these mountains, on 

 an easterly course, without any appearance of an available 

 opening in them, Mr Cunningham returned to the westward, 

 on a more southerly course, and struck his previous encamp- 

 ment on the Goulburn River again, on the 31st of May. 

 Although his horses were considerably reduced in strength, 

 and his provisions were running short, by reducing the 

 rations which gave him a little more time, he determined on 

 pushing forward north-westerly for a short period ; and at 

 length, on the 5th of June, he was rewarded for his toils 

 and anxieties by the discovery of a practicable opening m 

 the mountains, that afforded him the means of descending to 

 the long-sought Liverpool plains, and which he most appro- 

 priately called Pandora's Pass, from the hope it gave him 

 of its ultimately becominfj the crreat route of communication 

 between the settlers at Bathurst and on Hunter's River, and 

 the future inhabitants of Liverpool plains. The latitude of 



