504 NORTHMOST AUSTRALIA 



no doubt that at a greater depth the interspaces are filled with 

 " brownstone " and pyrites. 



Taking into consideration the long land carriage from Cook- 

 town, which must add about a shilling per pound to the price of 

 all the necessaries of life (except meat), the poor quality of the 

 gold (which had a very large proportion of silver, and in some cases 

 was actually worth no more than $os. per ounce), and lastly, the 

 limited quantity obtainable, I came to the conclusion that the 

 alluvial diggings of the so-called " Coen " would not employ white 

 men at a remunerative rate. They might, however, pay Chinese 

 labour. 1 The QUARTZ REEFS, however, MIGHT PAY TO WORK if 

 machinery were on the spot. 



September 14. Having taken stock of our flour, I determined to 

 push out to the north for two or three days. Leaving our camp 

 (No. 37), we passed the " Two-Mile Camp," and steered N. i6- 

 W. (true). In 2^ miles we were clear of the valley of the 

 Coen (or Kendall), our travelling being all through good second- 

 class pastoral country. The same hollow between the main range 

 and the isolated mountain mass to the west continued for 2 miles 

 further, when a long deep valley opened into it from the main 

 range. The creek (CROLL CREEK) which forms this valley, after 

 emerging from the mountains, falls to the north-north-west. 

 In 2 miles from the mouth of the lateral valley the hills on the 

 west die out. I ascended a little hill (white compact quartzite) 

 and saw clear open country for about 20 miles from NNW. to 

 WNW., when a not very high range subtended the greater part 

 of that angle. 



After 2 miles of travelling along the left bank of the creek, 

 we were abreast of the conspicuous pinnacle seen from the hill 

 behind the fortified camp. I named it MOUNT CROLL, after my 

 former colleague, Dr. James Croll, the distinguished author of 

 Climate and Time. 



At Mount Croll we crossed the creek. It was here of the second 

 magnitude, with a deep broad sandy bottom, divided into two 

 channels. It had, however, but little water. [The Cape York 

 Telegraph line (constructed 1886) follows our route from Balclutha 

 Creek to Mount Croll. R. L. J.] 



In a mile and a half to the north we touched a headland of the 

 main range (granite). We packed some washdirt from behind a 

 granite bar in a little dry gully to the next water, but on washing 

 it we got no gold. I ascended the point and took bearings. The 

 range appears to trend north-north-east. A headland about 

 12 miles off lay N. 18 E. A range, about the same distance off, 

 subtended an angle of from N. 12 E. to N. 10 W. 



We struck N. 18 E. by the track. In I mile we crossed a little 



1 Since the above was written (in 1880), a large number of Chinese tried the ground, 

 but were unable to make a living. 



