MULLIGAN'S FIFTH EXPEDITION 461 



have been a painful one. It must, however, be admitted that 

 HANN, the only previous visitor, had held out no hope. Mulligan 

 reasoned that on the Coleman there was rough country, apparently 

 of a geological formation favourable to the occurrence of gold, 

 and that as Hann had been unduly pessimistic or timid regarding 

 the Palmer, he might have been equally so regarding the Coleman. 



Leaving Camp 74 on C)tb September, Mulligan and his companions 

 struck east, at some distance from the HOLROYD RIVER (which here 

 comes from the east), with the object of rounding the hills which 

 form the western wall of the MACDONALD VALLEY. Mulligan was 

 evidently out of sight of the Coleman, which he believed to come 

 from the north. In fact, he took for the main river the branch 

 which I followed up from its confluence with the Holroyd on I5th 

 December, 1879 (Camps 8 to 9, second trip). Having cleared these 

 hills in 4 miles, he altered his course to the south-east. In 8 miles 

 in this course, he crossed the granitic WATERSHED BETWEEN THE HOL- 

 ROYD AND KING, and saw, 7 degrees to the east of south, what 

 he took to be HANN'S MOUNT NEWBERY. In this conjecture he 

 was, I believe, correct, and if so, Mount Newbery is the elevation 

 east of Yarraden Town Reserve, which is given on the Queensland 

 4-mile map as MOUNT RYAN. Four miles further to the south-east, 

 he camped on good grass on the King waters. CAMP 75. 



The KING RIVER was crossed from right to left I mfle to 

 E. 25 5' on loth September. Here NATIVES were heard making a 

 " hideous din," but the cause of the commotion was not explained. 

 This crossing of the river was 10 miles below my crossing (Camps 

 43 to 44, first trip) of 2Oth September, and 15 miles above my cross- 

 ing (Camps 6 to 7, second trip) of 12th December, 1879. On the 

 same course 6 miles more brought the party to " a very nice sugar- 

 loaf, of good height, which we climbed, and named it MOUNT 

 WALSH, after John Walsh, Cooktown." This mount lay about 

 7 miles south of the mountain supposed by Mulligan to be Harm's 

 Mount Newbery. 



About 4 miles E. 25 S. of Mount Walsh, my Camp 44 (first 

 trip, 20th September, 1879) was close to Mulligan's track. One 

 mile further, Mulligan passed the southern boundary-line of the 

 present HAMILTON GOLDFIELD. Fifteen miles from Camp 75, 

 CAMP 76 was pitched on a creek which Mulligan believed to be 

 " the extreme head of the COLEMAN." The creek was prospected, 

 but NO GOLD was found. Here a white-haired NATIVE was surprised. 

 He was carrying a bundle of spears and instinctively " drew his 

 throwing-stick " on the appearance of the white men, but 

 ultimately retreated, " looking back occasionally and uttering 

 inarticulate words of horror." 



Still keeping the same course (E. 25 S.), on nth September the 

 party crossed, 4 miles from Camp 76, a low granite tableland, 

 which proved to be the WATERSHED OF THE CAPE YORK PENINSULA, 



