231 



I may enumerate seven species of Hakea, a species of Lam- 

 hertia^ four species of Isopogoji, three species of Leptospermum, 

 a species of Petrophila, and a liliacious plant not seen in 

 flower. Banksia grandis was remarked in a stunted state. 



The base of the mountains, (which was named Darling's 

 Range, in honour of General Darling,) is covered with 

 fragments of quartz and chalcedony ; the soil a red sandy loam. 

 Here I observed a species of Hakea with holly-shaped leaves. 

 Farther up, the soil improves to a light brown loam, but, 

 from its rocky nature, is incapable of cultivation. I saw a 

 beautiful species of Dryandra^ a species of Hakea, and several 

 syngenesious plants. The summit of the mountain is studded 

 with noble Aiigophoras. Here too I found a beautiful species 

 of Arthropodium, with filiform leaves, an arborescent species of 

 Hakea, a species of Dryandra, and two species oflsopogon. The 

 view from this summit is extensive, resembling that seen from 

 Princess Charlotte's Valley, which I witnessed in 1817, (vide 

 Oxley's Journal,) but divested of the permanent swamps. 

 The highest part of the range is of ironstone, and it is re- 

 markable that there is no underwood. The ranges are of 

 equal height, so that no view could be had to the eastward. 



At the source of the river, I observed thickets of an 

 arborescent species of Acacia, and gigantic thistles, eleven 

 feet in height. Here I found a magnificent species of 

 Hibiscus, with brilliant sky-blue flowers, and a species of 

 Euphorbia. The ridges on the banks are perforated with 

 immense numbers of deep pits, the origin or cause of which 

 we could not at first ascertain. They proved to be made by 

 the natives for the purpose of catching land tortoises, with 

 which those ridges abound. 



We found the river to be navigable until it almost ceases 

 to be a stream, or where there was not room for a boat to 

 pass. The water is fresh sixteen miles below its navigable 

 source, and that at the end of a very dry season ; what, there- 

 fore, must it be in a wet season ? Mons. Freycinet states 

 that he found no fresh water, although he was in the country 

 during the rains, a decisive proof that we must have pene- 

 trated at least twenty-five miles higher than he did. We 



