Of a Country on the Climate. 205 
Warreneep, Mount Greenock, Mount Macedon, &c. Of other 
formations—the Carboniferous and the Tertiary, it may be 
proper to mention that the former is found to extend over 
very limited areas, while the latter is constantly met with, 
but rarely of considerable thickness. 
The secondary series is supposed to be wholly wanting, 
but our knowledge of the geology of the province is insuffi- 
cient to determine this with accuracy. I beg to ask inspec- 
tion of section No. 1, which is intended to show the structure 
of the country, and the general arrangement of the strata. 
How far it tends to explain the phenomenon of river beds 
without rivers, and the absence of the numerous springs 
which are found in countries of a different character, I shall 
presently proceed to explain. 
General Configuration—The physical character of the 
country is low and level. 
The Great Dividing Range which separates the tributaries 
of the river Murray from the waters flowing southward, is 
elevated about two thousand feet above the level of the sea. 
There are hills much higher than the general elevation of the 
chain—as Mount William, 5,300 feet or more, in the western 
district, and in the north-eastern part of the country the 
Australian Alps reach a height of 7,000 feet above the sea, 
according to the observations of Mr. Tyers and others who 
have surveyed the district. 
There are a number of spurs at right angles to the Great 
Range, the culminating poits of which are from 2,000 to 
3,000 feet in height. These minor spurs are flanked by 
steep narrow ranges, often densely timbered with stringy 
bark (Eucalyptus Fabrorum), or covered with dense scrub. 
When we examine the vast extent of country lying be- 
tween the Dividing Range and the river Murray, we notice, 
as a remarkable feature, the imconsiderable height of the 
ranges, and the continual recurrence of intervening plains, 
many of which are twenty and thirty miles in extent. The 
Wimmera district, towards the west, is very low and flat. 
From the Glenelg northwards there is a succession of sandy 
plains, covered with Mallee scrub (Eucalyptus dumosa), 
which alone must exercise a powerful influence on our 
climate. 
The country south of the Dividing Range is broken into 
hills, ranging from 500 to 1,500 feet in height. And, 
again, there are plains of large areas, differing but slightly 
from those to the northward. ‘This is the proper place to 
remark that the country south and east of the Great Range 
