SECOND EXPEDITION 527 



CROSBIE CREEK. [It has since proved to be a tributary of the 

 PHILP RIVER, a tributary of the Alice, which falls into the Mitchell.] 



December 10. We left Camp 4, the lame horse having now 

 somewhat recovered. 



In a mile and a half the schist and gneiss country came to an 

 end, and granite began. Half a mile further a third- magnitude 

 creek was crossed, running north-west, with water-holes in granite. 

 We traversed granite country, gently undulating, for the next 5i 

 miles, when we mounted some ridges of schist and bluish quartzite. 

 From these ridges a view of the ranges to NW. and NNW. was 

 obtained. In 5 miles more we reached the COLEMAN RIVER, whose 

 valley had been parallel to our course (NW.) for the last 2 miles. 

 The bed of the Coleman was dry, but we found water in lagoons 

 on the left bank, and camped. On the right bank were ridges of 

 slate, striking NW. (CAMP 5 : bloodwood, J. loD. 79. Latitude, 

 by observation of Achernar, 14.) [The Coleman River was named 

 by William Hann on 27th August, 1872, and was further explored 

 by J. V. Mulligan in 1875. R. L. J.] 



December n. We struck due north from the Coleman. After 

 3 miles through level country we crossed some low, grassy ridges of 

 porphyry, timbered with bloodwood, and shortly afterwards passed 

 a dry second- or third-magnitude creek, falling to the south-west 

 (towards Dismal Creek). The prospectors tried this creek, but 

 found NO GOLD. Ferruginous gneiss, greywacke and quartzite 

 (the latter granular, evidently a not much altered sandstone) 

 were the prevailing rocks. [Here we must have crossed MULLIGAN'S 

 TRACK of 1875, near his Camp 70. R. L. J.] 



In 2 miles more, among ridges of schist and slate, striking north 

 and south, with coincident QUARTZ REEFS, we passed a pinnacle of 

 siliceous greywacke on our right. The greywacke was traversed 

 by numerous and large north-and-south REEFS, generally bluish- 

 white and vitreous. From the reefs I carried away a quantity 

 of brown ironstone, but on being crushed and washed it yielded 

 NO GOLD. 



The next 3 miles were in ridges of greywacke, slate and 

 quartzites, with many iron-stained QUARTZ REEFS, which I should 

 have liked to spend some time among, as they appeared like 

 auriferous reefs. 



For 3 miles more we traversed rolling downs of slate, weathering 

 yellow. Here our course was changed to north-west. 



In a mile and a half (rolling downs of slate and greywacke, 

 striking north-west) we crossed the confluence of two dry creeks of 

 the third magnitude, falling south-west [DISMAL CREEK]. Our 

 course was here altered to NNW., and in 3i miles (slate and grey- 

 wacke) we found a little water in a fourth- magnitude creek falling 

 to the south-west, and camped. (CAMP 6. Cloudy ; no observa- 

 tion.) 



