MISCELLANIES. 



587 



form an accurate judgment of its 

 importance, when it was neither 

 swelled by floods beyond its 

 natural and usual height, or con- 

 tracted within its proper limits 

 by summer droughts. Of its 

 magnitude, when it should have 

 received the streams we had 

 crossed, independent of any it 

 may receive from the east, which 

 from the boldness and height of 

 the country I presume must be at 

 least as many, some idea may be 

 formed, when at this point it ex- 

 ceeded in breadth and apparent 

 depth the Hawkesbury at Wind- 

 sor. Many of the branches were 

 of grander and more extended 

 proportion than the admired one 

 on the Nepean River, from the 

 Warragamba to Emu Plains. 



" Resolving to keep as near 

 the river as possible during the 

 remainder of our course to 

 Bathurst, and to endeavour to 

 ascertain, at least on the west 

 side, what waters fell into it, on 

 the 22nd we proceeded up the 

 river, and between the point 

 quitted and Bathurst, crossed the 

 sources of numberless streams all 

 running into the Macquarie ; two 

 of them were nearly as large as 

 that river itself at Bathurst. The 

 country from whence all these 

 streams derive their source was 

 mountainous and irregular, and 

 appeared equally so on the east 

 side of the JMacquarie. iThis 

 description of country extended 

 to the immediate vicinity of 

 Bathurst; but to the west of those 

 lofty ranges the country was 

 broken into low grassy hills and 

 fine valleys, watered by rivulets 

 rising on the west side of the 

 mountains, which on their eastern 

 side pour their waters directly 



into the Macquarie. These wes- 

 terly streams appeared to me to 

 join that which at first sight I 

 had taken for the Macquarie, and, 

 when united, fall into it at the 

 point on which it was first dis- 

 covered on the 19th inst. 



" We reached this place last 

 evening, without a single accident 

 having occurred during the whole 

 progress of the expedition, which 

 from this point has encircled, 

 within the parallels of 34-° 30' S. 

 and 32° S., and between the 

 meridians of 149° i3' E. and l-iS" 

 40' E., a space of nearly one 

 thousand miles. 



" I shall hasten to lay before 

 your Exc. the journals, charts 

 and drawings, explanatory of the 

 various occurrences of our diver- 

 sified route ; infinitely gratified, if 

 our exertions should appear to 

 your Exc. commensurate with 

 your expectations, and the ample 

 means which your care and libe- 

 rality placed at my disposal. 



" I feel the most particular 

 pleasure in informing your Exc. 

 of the obligations I am under to 

 Mr. Evans, the deputy. surveyor, 

 for his able advice and cordial 

 co-operation throughout the ex- 

 pedition ; and as far as his previ- 

 ous researches had extended, the 

 accuracy and fidelity of his narra- 

 tion was fully exemplified. 



" It would perhaps appear 

 presuming in me to hazard an 

 opinion upon the merits of per- 

 sons engaged in a pursuit of 

 which I have little knowledge. 

 The extensive and valuable col- 

 lection of plants formed by Mr. 

 A. Cunningham, the king's bota- 

 nist, and Mr. C. Frazer, the colo- 

 nial botanist, will best evince to 

 your Exc. the unwearied industry 



and 



