24 VOYAGE IN SEARCH 



crofling, without too much difficulty, to the 

 other bank. 



We then proceeded to the north-eaft, and 

 without inconvenience traverfed a large plain, 

 part of the vegetables of which the natives had 

 recently burnt. We foon reached the head of 

 the great lake, the banks of which we followed 

 as far as the fea; and after having gone over a 

 great extent of ground, we returned to its ex- 

 tremity, in order to pafs the night near a rivulet 

 that we had already crofTed. As the weather 

 was very fine, we flept in the open air, flickered 

 only by fome large trunks of trees lying on the 

 ground; but prefently the cold, which we felt 

 very fenfibly, forced us to light a great fire. 



It is remarkable, that in the temperature of 

 the atrr.ofphere at this extremity of New Hol- 

 land, there was fometimes a variation of 17 be- 

 tween the day and the night, namely, from the 

 6th^' to the 23d. (I am ftill fpeaking of the 

 mercurial thermometer, graduated according 

 to Reaumur's fcale). Indeed, this narrow land, 

 fituatccl in fo high a latitude, is little ca- 

 pable of long retaining the heat imparted to it 

 by the rays cf the fun. This great difference 

 in the temperature failed not to incommode us, 

 becaufe jt forced us to load ourfclves with 

 clothes, which were very troublefome during 

 UK' day, I mull alio mention, that the varia- 

 tion 



