290 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH OF THE 



every appearance of a stormy boisterous night, induced us to 

 halt at 6 p.m., in the open forest, near to a water-gnlly about 

 two miles short of my intended stage ; heavy rains having 

 drenched us, and a succession of showery clouds continued 

 rising from the southern horizon, sliowed us the description 

 of weather we might expect during the night. 



" 4th. Leaving the tent at dawn of day, we reached the 

 encampment in the brush at 7 a.m., where I determined to 

 remain the whole of the day in order to afford rest to my 

 horses, there being also some little grass and abundance of 

 water, although in a scrubby desert. In a circuitous walk 1 

 took in the afternoon among the brush in the neighbourhood, 

 I observed several common described plants having young 

 fruit, among which I gathered ripe seeds of Dodoncea trigue- 

 troy Metrosideros costata, Lissanthe sapida, Acacia sfricta, 

 and Prostanthera violacea, — evening clouded, but fair. 



" 5th. About 7 A. M., we broke up our encampment, and 

 proceeded easterly another stage, dividing the loads between 

 the two packhorses according to their respective degrees of 

 strength. With great exertion and fatigue both to my 

 people and horses, we reached the foot of the range at 1 1 

 A.M., a distance of four miles from our fires, and there 

 we were obliged to lighten the burdens of our beasts to 

 enable them to reach the summit of Bell's View, sending 

 them down again for the remaining portions of their loads. 

 At 3 P.M., we had descended the range easterly through the 

 forest to the spot whereon we had first encamped upon quit- 

 ting Richmond, and where we again pitched our tents, in- 

 tending to remain there a day should my horses require 

 further rest. 



" 6th. At dawn of day the weather was fair, although the 

 sun rose in a watery cloud. At length some small showers 

 fell in the forenoon, and distant thunder was heard to the 

 southward. I continued at my present encampment through- 

 out the day, more particularly to afford a further rest to my 

 government horse, who it appeared this morning, had suffered 

 much by his great exertions of the week. I traced a water- 



