684 PROUEEDINGS OF SECTION E. 
the Rawlinson a sandy waste was encountered which defied every 
effort to traverse. At this point, in his endeavour to cross to the 
westward, his only companion (Gibson) lost his life. The hard- 
ships of that journey may be conceived when we remember that 
the return journey of 100 miles to the Rawlinson was completed 
by Giles on foot and alone. In the following year, however, 
Giles, provided with camels, crossed with comparative ease from 
the west. 
This waterless waste appears to extend, perhaps, to the water- 
shed of the River System, which flows northward to the Timor 
Sea. It was traversed by Colonel Warburton in 1873. The 
record of that journey is one of privation, anxiety, and distress. 
The few native watering places found barely sufficed to supply 
the wants of the party even for a day. 
The private expedition fitted out, maintained, and led by the 
Hon. David Carnegie, which has just returned to the settlements, 
has largely added to our knowledge of the country northward of 
the Rawlinson Range. It appears to be the most successful of 
= recent desert journeys. The diaries are not yet available, but 
e learn that the party of four men and a black-boy left Cool- 
gardie in July, 1893, and travelled to the Margaret River, latitude 
18° south longitude 126° east, and to Termination Lake of Gregory, 
1856. From this point the party travelled south-westerly to 
Lake MacDonald, to Alfred and Marie Range, thence to Lake 
Darlot and Coolgardie, where they arrived in August, 1897. The 
country between Termination Lake and the west end of the Raw- 
linson is described as of the ‘worst class, holding out no hope 
of being either of mineral or pastoral value.” 
It is worthy of remark that a native population, necessarily 
very scattered, will be found living in the sandy wastes which 
occupy so vast an extent of country in the interior. The few who 
granted us an interview were sinewy, lithe, and well made, possibly 
they are compelled to travel great distances without water, but 
they had not the appearance of being at any time reduced to 
want. 
The only part of the Australian continent of any extent which 
appears unable to support a native population is the Lime- 
stone plateau, north of the Great Bight already referred to. 
The trigonometrical survey of South Australia has been 
extended to the 129th meridian upon the Musgrave and Mann 
Ranges ; these have recently been visited by Mr. 8. G. Hiibbe, 
an experienced officer of the Lands Department of South Aus- 
tralia. His very carefully prepared maps and journals have been 
kindly forwarded to me ;—they give valuable detailed information 
regarding the waters in these ranges. The object of this survey 
was to ascertain the possibility of establishing a stock route from 
the settlements of South Australia to those of the west. 
