97 



The pines have a peculiar limitation in tlicir distribution 

 worthy of remark ; growing on the margins of small streams 

 or in the alluvial flats along the rivers, they seem to bo 

 derived only from the west or south-west sides of the ranges. 

 The leading mountain chains run nearly parallel with the 

 coast, about N.N. W., and no pines arc found along the streams 

 running from tbcir eastern slopes. In like manner, when the 

 Davey is divided into two branches, about sixteen miles up, 

 the Avestern branch is called the Hardwood River, because no 

 pines have been found along its course. The other branch 

 which is fed from the south-west slopes of the Frankland 

 Eange, is -well supplied, and from it the great bulk of the 

 timber is now being procured. Again, the range from which 

 the Hardwood River derives most of its tributaries, is pine- 

 clad on its south-western slopes, the streams from which run 

 into the sea near Eocky Point. In Spring River the samo 

 feature is observed, and also in the originally named " Spring 

 Eiver " at the extreme eastern end of Bathurst Harbour ; 

 and I have no doubt from the formation of the country and 

 my knowledge of the Arthur and Huon Plains, that the 

 Craycroft presents the same peculiarity. Of the Picton, 

 Gordon, Franklin, and Pieman I do not know enough to 

 hazard an opinion. 



At the highest point I visited up the Davey Eiver, 

 where Doherty is at work, are some King William Pines 

 (Athrotaxis selaginoides) whose wood is much more open- 

 grained than Huon pine, and of a red colour. I have no 

 doubt that towards the Frankland Eange they will be found 

 in great numbei's. 



The pine is not met with near the margin of the salt 

 water, though one spot was pointed out to me on the bank 

 of the tidal portion of the Davey, about half way between 

 the Settlement and Hell's Gates, which had been a thicket 

 of small pine trees of several acres in extent, not observed 

 until a large fire swept through and killed them. Some 

 distance up the Crossing Eiver there is an untouched bed 

 of pines, but below it the steep banks of the river have 

 fallen in and blocked up all passage for floating the logs 

 down, affording complete protection to that bed of timber, 

 unless a short tramway is made to surmount the obstacle. 



The river has been followed up and the timber along its 

 course gradually cleared out until the beds which produce 

 the present supply are reached, from fourteen to eighteen 

 miles up. To visit them I took the course usually followed 

 by the piners, except on special occasions ; going from the 

 settlement by boat up the river as far as the Pen at Brooke's 

 Bay, we then shouldered knapsacks and walked about four 



