MISCELLANIES. 



5S5 



" Further progress westward, 

 liad it been possible, was now 

 useless, as there was neither hill 

 or rising ground of any kind 

 within the compass of our view, 

 which was only bounded by the 

 horizon in every quarter, entirely 

 devoid of timber, except a few 

 diminutive gums on the very edge 

 of the stream might be so termed. 

 The water in the bed of the la- 

 goon, as it might now properly 

 be denominated, was stagnant, its 

 breadth about twenty feet, and 

 the heads of grass growing in it 

 showed it to be about three feet 

 deep. 



" This originally unlocked for 

 and truly singular termination of 

 a river, which we had anxiously 

 hoped and reasonably expected 

 would have led to a far different 

 conclusion, filled us with the 

 most painful sensations. We 

 were full 500 miles west of Syd- 

 ney, and nearly in its latitude ; 

 and it had taken us ten weeks of 

 unremitted exertion to proceed 

 so far. The nearest part of the 

 coast about Cape Bernouilli, had 

 it been accessible, was distant 

 about 150 miles. We had de- 

 monstrated, beyond the shadow 

 of a doubt, that no river whatever 

 could fall into the sea between 

 Cape Otway and Spencer's Gulph, 

 at least none deriving their 

 waters from the eastern coast, 

 and that the country south of the 

 parallel of 34", and west of the 

 meridian of 147° 30' E. was unin- 

 liabitable and useless for all the 

 purposes of civilized man. 



" It now became my duty to 

 make our remaining resources as 

 extensively useful to the colony 

 as our circumstances would allow. 

 These were much diminished : an 



accident to one of the boats in 

 the outset of the expedition had 

 deprived us of one-third of our 

 dry provisions, of which we had 

 originally but eighteen weeks, 

 and we had been in consequence 

 for some time on a reduced ra- 

 tion of two quarts of flour per 

 man per week. To return to the 

 depot by the route we had come 

 would have been as useless as 

 impossible ; and seriously con- 

 sidering the spirit of your Exc.'s 

 instructions, I determined, upon 

 the most mature deliberation, to 

 take such a route, on our return, 

 as would I hoped best comport 

 with your Exc.'s views, had our 

 present situation ever been con- 

 templated. 



" Returning down the Lachlan, 

 I recommenced the survey of it 

 from the point in which it was 

 made the 23rd June, intending to 

 continue up its banks until its 

 connexion with the marshes, 

 where we quitted it on the 17th 

 May, was satisfactorily establish- 

 ed, as also to ascertain if any 

 streams might have escaped our 

 research. The connexion with 

 all the points of the survey pre- 

 viously ascertained, was com- 

 pleted between the 19th July and 

 the 3rd August. In the space 

 passed over within that period, 

 the river had divided into various 

 branches, and formed three fine 

 lakes, which, with one near the 

 determination of our journey 

 westward, were the only consider- 

 able pieces of water we had yet 

 seen ; and I now estimated that 

 the river, from the place where 

 first made by Mr. Evans, had run 

 a course, taking all its windings, 

 of upwards of 1,200 miles, a 

 length of course altogether ua- 

 precedented, 



