84 



NATURE 



{Dec. 2, 1875 



object is concerned, though he brought back much 

 valuable information concerning the country traversed. 

 The latter portion was over comparatively unknown 

 ground ; and Mr. Forrest discovered a remarkable series 

 of salt lakes extending from about 119° to 122° E. long., 

 and between 28° and 29° S. lat. The country is some- 

 what hilly along the 29th parallel, with granite and sand- 

 stone rocks. Here he was on the edge of the dreary 

 spinifex desert which has daunted so many explorers. 



Mr. Forrest's second journey was n much more im- 

 portant and extensive as well as hazardous one ; it was 

 indeed along the same route as that in which the daunt- 

 less Eyre suffered so terribly thirty-five years ago. With 

 a small party, and after making excellent arrangements 

 with a vessel to meet them at a certain point, he set out 

 from Perth on March 30, 1870, came S.E. to the coast, 

 and travelled along the great Australian Bight, reaching 

 Adelaide on Aug. 24, without loss. He kept considerably 

 more inland than did Eyre, and was in every respect more 

 fortunate, though there was frequently considerable sufifer- 

 ing from want of water. His report of the country tra- 

 versed is much more favourable than Eyre's ; large grassy 

 tracts, extending many miles inland, being found along 

 nearly the whole length of the Bight. Water is the great 

 want, yet, since Forrest's journey, settlers have been 

 attracted to the region, and we believe preparations are 

 being made to connect West Australia with the eastern 

 colonies by means of the telegraph. 



Mr. Forrest's third journey was a much more formidable 

 undertaking, and in all respects of more importance than 

 either of the two previous ones. Its object was to discover 

 decisively the real nature of the mysterious interior, and 

 thus make an important contribution to scientific know- 

 ledge, as well as to let the Australians know what are 

 the resources of their immense continent, not much less 

 in area than continental Europe. The expedition was 

 carefully organised, though it did not cost much above 

 600/., and consisted of four white men, two blacks, and a 

 large number of horses to carry provisions, equipment, 

 &€., as well as for riding. The party set out from Perth 

 oa March 18, 1874, and after reaching 26° S. lat. in 

 117° E. long., proceeded in a generally eastward direction 

 along that parallel, until on Sept. 27 the telegraph line 

 was struck in 27° 7' 50" S. lat. Mr. Forrest's route was 

 thus on an average about 400 miles S. of that of Colonel 

 Warburton. After the first few entries in his journal, 

 Mr. Forrest's narrative becomes somewhat tedious from 

 its sameness, though the intelligent and energetic leader 

 is not to blame for this. As has been the case with 

 nearly all previous inland Australian expeditions, the 

 daily occupation of the present one was to hunt for 

 water ; this is the burthen of every day's entry in the 

 journal. Mr. Forrest has the same tale to tell as Colonel 

 Warburton had of the more northerly route — apparently 

 endless spinifex plains, varied with sand-hills, sandstone 

 cliffs, granite rocks, a few trees, and, in Forrest's case, 

 with rare grassy plains, but with scarcely enough of 

 water all the way to fill a fair-sized mill-pond. Forrest's 

 party, however, notwithstanding that they had no camels, 

 fared much better, both in the matter of food and drink, 

 than did Warburton's \ only one of the horses actually 

 died, and comparatively few had to be abandoijed. Once 

 only were they attacked by the natives, who were dis- 



persed by a shot or two that did little damage. Not 

 many natives were met with, though signs of them were 

 frequently seen, and they seem to have been watching the 

 expedition along most of the route. 



Mr. Forrest sums up the results of his third journey as 

 follows : — 



" The whole of the country, from the settled districts 

 near Champion Bay to the head of the Murchison, is 

 admirably suited for pastoral settlement, and in a very 

 short time will be taken up and stocked j indeed, some 

 already has been occupied. 



" From the head of the Murchison to the 129th me- 

 ridian, the boundary of our colony, I do not think will 

 ever be settled. Of course there are many grassy patches, 

 such as at Windich Springs, the Weld Springs, all round 

 Mount Moore, and other places ; but they are so isolated, 

 and of such extent, that it would never pay to stock them. 

 The general character of this immense tract is a gently 

 undulating spinifex desert — Festuca {Triodia) irritans, 

 the spinifex of the desert explorers, but not the spinifex of 

 science. It is lightly wooded with acacia and other small 

 trees, and, except in a few creeks, there is a great absence 

 of any large timber. 



" The prevailing rock, which crops out on the rises and 

 often forms low cliffs, in which are receptacles for holding 

 water, is light red sandstone (desert sandstone, tertiary). 

 The only game found in the spinifex is a kangaroo rat, 

 commonly called the ' wirrup ; ' but in the grassy open- 

 ings there are many kangaroos, and often emus, also a rat 

 known as the ' wurrung.' These animals are very good 

 eating, and formed a valuable addition to our store depart- 

 ment. At the permanent waters there were always my- 

 riads of bronze-winged pigeons, and also the white cocka- 

 too with scarlet crest, called the ' chockalott ; ' also the 

 ' beaccoo,' or slate-coloured parrot. Generally, however, 

 with the exception of the crow and hawk, birds were not 

 very numerous except round water. Whenever a sheet of 

 water was found we found ducks, and in Lake Augusta 

 swans and ducks were innumerable." 



Though the expedition became ultimately a race for 

 water and life, yet Mr. Forrest found opportunities of 

 carefully noting some of the principal features and pro- 

 ductions of the country passed through, and the geologist 

 and botanist especially will find a good deal in all the 

 three narratives to interest them. There are a few spots 

 on the cross-country route of Forrest where a well-pro- 

 visioned expedition could encamp for months ; and if 

 the Colonial Government were to follow the advice re" 

 cently given by the German Commission in reference to 

 Arctic exploration, and send out a properly equipped sci- 

 entific expedition to a suitable centre from which varied 

 observations could be made, the scientific, and therefore 

 the practical results, would, we believe, be of great value. 

 This, we think, is the method that ought now to be pur- 

 sued, at least in conjunction with ordinary exploring 

 expeditions. 



Mr. Forrest has made in his three narratives a contri- 

 bution of high value to the .literature of Australian explo- 

 ration. We are glad to see he has met with so much 

 honour in his own country, though there was no occasion 

 to increase so largely the bulk of his work by newspaper 

 reports of the various meetings held in his honour. Ap- 

 pended are a scientific list, by Baron von Mueller, of the 

 plants collected in the third expedition ; a report, by 

 Mr. Brough Smyth, on the geological specimens ; and 

 General Weld's report, of September 1874, on the con- 

 dition of Western Australia, with three pages of statistics. 



