1816.] Jowrney into the Interior of New South Wales. 75 
tive view of the overhanging mountain is magnificently grand. 
Although the present pass is the only practicable point yet disco- 
vered for’ descending by, yet the mountain is much higher than 
those on either side of it, from whence it is distinguished at a-con- 
siderable distance, when approaching it from the interior, and in 
this point of view it has the appearance of a very high distinct hill, 
although it is in fact only the abrupt termination of a ridge. The 
Governor gave the name of Mount York to this termination of the 
ridge, in honour of his Royal Highness the Duke of York. 
On descending Cox’s Pass the Governor was much gratified by 
the appearance of good pasture land and soil fit for: cultivation, 
which was the first he had met with since the commencement of his 
tour. The valley at the base of Mount York he called the Vale of 
Clwyd, in consequence of the strong resemblance it bore to the 
vale of that name in North Wales. The grass in this vale is of-a 
good quality, and very abundant, and a rivulet of fine water runs 
along it from the eastward, which unites itself at the western extre- 
mity of the vale with another rivulet containing still more water. 
The junction of these two streams forms a very handsome river, 
now called by the Governor Cox’s River, which takes its course, as 
has been since ascertained, through the Prince Regent’s Glen, and 
empties itself into the river Nepean; and it is conjectured, from 
the nature of the country through which it passes, that it must be 
one of the principal causes of the floods which have been occasion- 
ally felt on the low banks of the river Hawkesbury, into which the 
Nepean discharges itself. The Vale of Clwyd, from the base of 
Mount York, extends six miles in a westerly direction, and has its 
termination at Cox’s River. Westward of this river the country 
again becomes hilly, but is generally open forest land, and very 
good pasturage. 
Three miles to the westward of the Vale of Clwyd Messrs. Blax- 
land, Wentworth, and Lawson, had formerly terminated their ex- 
cursion ; and when the various difficulties are considered which 
they had to contend with, especially until they had effected the 
descent from Mount York, to which place they were obliged to pass 
through a thick brush-wood, where they were under the necessity of 
cutting a passage for their baggage horses, the severity of which 
labour had seriously affected their healths, their patient endurance 
of such fatigue cannot fail to excite much surprise and admiration. 
In commemoration of their merits, three beautiful bigh hills joining 
each other at the end of their tour at this place, have received their 
names in the following order, viz. Mount Blaxland, Wentworth’s 
Sugar Loaf, and Lawson’s Sugar Loaf. A range of very lofty hills 
and narrow vallies alternately form the tract of country from Cox’s 
River, for a distance of 16 miles, until the Fish River is arrived at ; 
and the stage between these rivers is consequently very severe and 
oppressive on the cattle. To this range the Governor gave the name 
of Clarence Hilly Range. 
