NORTHMOST AUSTRALIA 



decreased interest of the geology. The valley we followed up 

 (ESE.) came to a head in I mile, and presented a wall of sandstone 

 about a hundred feet in height. It took us two hours to ascend 

 this wall, the horses having to be unpacked and led, one by one, 

 while their loads were carried on our shoulders. With all our 

 care, one horse missed his footing and rolled down the slope among 

 the rocks. Strange to say, he was but little hurt. 



The sandstone here is highly ferruginous a very hard, coarse 

 grit with ironstone nodules and indistinct plant remains. 



We were now on the top of what was named by Hann JESSIE'S 

 TABLELAND. [We were now on the top of a sandstone tableland. 

 I was, however, in error in applying the name of Jessie's Tableland 

 to it, as Hann only gave that name to an isolated sandstone table 

 between two of the heads of the Morehead River and east of his 

 Camp 24. R. L. J.] 



In half a mile east-south-east (magnetic), we crossed a valley 

 falling to the left. After I mile more to east-south-east, half a 

 mile south and half a mile east, we camped in a bottom with long 

 grass, and a chain of holes, with very hard chalybeate water, falling 

 to the south. A large NONDA TREE, loaded with ripe fruit, overhung 

 our tents. (CAMP 48. Latitude 15 8' i8"S.) [On a head of 

 DEAD HORSE CREEK. R. L. J.] 



September 25. Leaving Camp 48, we steered south-east (true) 

 for 8 miles, through well-grown close timber. The country was 

 fairly grassed and closely timbered with very large stringybarks, 

 ironbarks and nondas. It slopes gently to the north-east. We 

 crossed no creeks of any consequence, only a few green " bottoms." 

 The soil was reddish and sandy, as if derived from decomposed 

 ferruginous sandstone, but not a single stone was seen. At the 

 end of the 8 miles was a gentle rise to the top of a ferruginous 

 conglomerate bed, on which the timber suddenly changed to 

 stunted teatree and brushwood. Thence to the end of the day's 

 journey, the country was of the same description as that traversed 

 for the first 8 miles. 



In 5 miles we crossed from the left to the right bank of a fourth- 

 magnitude creek, with deep water-holes. [HEALY CREEK, a tributary 

 of the HANN RIVER. R. L. J.] 



Three and a half miles further, we crossed a creek of the third 

 magnitude, running like a mill-race to the north-east, 3 yards wide 

 and 1 8 inches deep. A cliff of very hard ferruginous sandstone 

 overhung the left bank. I have no doubt that this is MULLIGAN'S 

 HANN RIVER. [The Cape York TELEGRAPH LINE now nearly 

 coincides with my course from Camp 48 to the Hann. R. L. J.] 



In 3i miles more (with a fire raging on the right all the way), 

 we crossed a fourth-magnitude creek (a tributary of the Hann), 

 and camped on the right bank. (CAMP 49 : white gum, broad 

 arrow, 26/9/79.) [More probablv a tributary of THERRIMBURI 



