244 MOUNT MURCHISSON. [CH. V. 



of water. The heights towards the south-west appeared too 

 detached also to promise any ; more resembling islands in a 

 sea, or pinnacles, only halt" emerged from a deluge, so level 

 was the general surface. Towards the north-west, however, 

 the heights did seem connected, and had the appearance of 

 being the loftier summits of very distant ranges; especially 

 an eminence bearing 21° north of west, which I named 

 Mount Lyell. There was also an isolated and remarkable 

 summit, which bore 50|° north of west, to which I gave the 

 name of my friend. Dr. Daubeny. The lower ground seemed 

 to undulate, but no part of it was intersected by open plains, 

 or any lines of large river trees, indicating the permanent 

 existence of water. On the contrary, as far as I could judge 

 from colour and outline, the same thick dwarf scrub ap- 

 peared to be the universal covering of the land ; neither 

 could I distinguish any smoke or other trace of human in- 

 habitants, nor even the track of a single emu or kangaroo 

 in that trans- Darling region. Still, it was impossible to 

 ascertain from the hill, whether any streams did flow through 

 the country beyond, although appearances were by no means 

 in favour of such a conclusion. Neither could I distinguish 

 from that summit, as I hoped to do, the ultimate course of 

 the Darling, as the line of large trees upon its banks 

 continued, as far as I could distinguish, in the same direc- 

 tion. Another low but extensive range, exactly resembling 

 that to the eastward of our camp, was visible on the horizon 

 beyond it, and seemed to be the limit of its bed or basin, 

 on the casterii or left bunk, and the range certainly did 

 differ most essentially in its outline from the hills on the 

 right bank, being the last and lowest termination of the 

 higher ranges in the east. As we descended, I named the 

 first hill beyond the Darling, ever ascended by any European, 

 after my friend Mr. Murchisson, a gentleman who has so 

 greatly advanced the science of geology. We re-crossed the 

 river at the ford, just as the sun was going down, and 1 had 

 the satisfaction Id Hud, that no natives had visited the camp 

 during my absence. 



