IN NEW SOUTH WALES. 369 
were still on the seaward side of the division of the interior 
Waters; or rather that the eastern coast range, hitherto 
supposed to extend from Wilson's Promontory to Cape 
York, is only imaginary; while the estuaries of two im- 
portant rivers, affording easy access from the eastern coast 
to the rich plains of the interior, are realities which have 
remained undiscovered. That there was no feature deserving 
the name of a coast range to the westward of the Belyando 
was but too evident from the absence of any tributaries of im- 
portance; the sandy channels of water courses from that 
quarter having had no effect in changing the course, or 
Character of the river, which last was very ‘peculiar and 
remarkable, especially in its habit of spreading iuto several 
chains of ponds, surrounded by brigalow scrub, apparently a 
provision of nature for the preservation of surface water, 
resembling the network of rivers in the south. On the 
ks of one of the tributaries we found some trees seen by 
us nowhere else ; one was a true fig-tree, having small leaves, 
and with the fruit fully developed and ripening." 3 
No time was lost by the party in retracing their steps to 7 
the camp on the Salvator, to resume their search for waters — 
flowing to the Gulf of Carpentaria. At this part of his nar- 
Tative Sir Thomas pauses to observe: > 07 a 
“Tought to mention here that I have found the Syphon 
‘Tometer of great utility in these researches, affording the 
.. Snly means of judging of the relative height of the various 
"anges; thus I ascertained when far up the Balonne, that we 
_ Were but little higher than the bed of the Darling; that the 
, *Narran bas scarcely any inclination at all; that the Belyando — — 
m at the lowest point attained by me was not 600 feet above — 
"e 56a; and in the present case, that the range under thes — 
Parallel of 250 §. is the highest we have crossed, extending — 
_ Into the western interior; our route across it is in long, 147° _ 
Li 
ae E Where the mean height above the sea exceeds 2000 
5:5 Yet this we were only made aware of by the extreme 
es or by the barometer, for there is nothing in the appe 
ance of the country to lead to such a conclusion; on al 
vou, vii i dE i E ; 
