53 



although we passed many spots favourable to its growth. There 

 were many tracks of kangaroo, some of large size. 



A short walk brought us to the Peak, which is of trap 

 rock, very much laminated, many large stones being not more 

 than an inch thick, and the exposed boulders all showed 

 signs of regular cleavage. Many were clothed with the native 

 cherry, Exocaiyus humifusa, like a covering of moss. The 

 Peak is surmounted by a trigonometrical-survey Tower of 

 stones, telescope shape in two tiers, with 6 or 7 stakes fixed 

 on the top, altogether about 20 feet high. I remarked that 

 the stakes and also all the shrubs on the Tableland have 

 a decided leaning towards the south-east. 



The view from the top is very extensive. Mount Wellington 

 and its range to Mount Field West, with the Dromedary 

 showing through a gap. Mount Picton and the Arthur 

 Range seemed quite close, and the broken mountain scenery 

 from La Perouse to the south-west was very grand. On the 

 other side was the Huon at Victoria and Franklin, and the 

 southern part of D'Entrecasteaux Channel, a coast line re- 

 markably beautiful, but almost destitute of signs of civili- 

 zation. But for a few bush fires and small green specks near 

 some point or bay I could hardly realise the fact that I was 

 looking over a district so long inhabited. 



We would not have been Britons if we had not marked our 

 names ; and accordingly they may be found, written on paper 

 and corked up in a bottle, under a heap of stones at the base 

 of the Tower, on the eastern side. We found a line of stakes 

 placed in crevices of the rocks, evidently to mark a track, 

 leading to the south-east. They were well bleached by the 

 weather, and must have been there a long time. 



The weather frustrated my intention of proceeding farther 

 west, so we returned by the track we had cut, reaching the 

 main road by a walk of 8 hours. We were out once on the 

 Table-land during a wet windy night, under the lee of a bush, 

 having left our camp and rugs at the foot of the hill, and 

 being overtaken by darkness before we could get back. Except 

 on that night leeches and mosquitoes were abundant and 

 voracious as usual. The birds were very tame and confident, 

 especially a yellow-breasted honey-eater. 



I have tried to keep this paper short, a most difficult task 

 in writing about scenery or personal adventures, as one feels 

 inclined to expatiate upon incidents and mention occurrences 

 of little interest to any except the members of the party. With 

 regard to the fern,which has been the cause of my writing, 

 — if it proves to be an Alsophila, and not the A. Australis 

 (^the only species hitherto known to inhabit Tasmania), I will 

 be delighted, in summer time, to conduct any gentleman, 



