NOTES OF A JOURNEY ON THE DARLING. 65 
Tt may be that the underground water finds its way out along 
e bed of an ancient inland sea or gulf, something like the Baltic, 
in which case there would not be any well-definded drainage 
system, but it would pass along through the most permeable strata, 
and in either case would tend to rise above the surface wherever 
obstructions were met with. So little is known of what is under 
Queensland, or on the western coast of Australia, I cannot say much 
as to the probability of either of those connections having existed, 
but as far as I 
Which, though not very deep, seems to be connected with some 
Part of the underground drainage system. This well is 40 feet 
Water, 26 feet of hard cemented sand which crumbles down on 
. posure to the air, contains some waterworn pebbles, and is also 
impervious to water, and 5 feet of loose running sand; and the 
water on being reached rose to within 10 feet of the surface, 
foming up through the bottom in a thick spout. Mr. Meddlicot 
a. rod 14 feet long down through the hole out of which 
© water comes without meeting with any obstruction. 
Water brings with it some sand and fills the well up to the level at 
ich the loose sand was first struck, so that it has to be cleaned 
— from time to time. There is now in the well a ee 
F pump and a steam-engine attached, with which it 1s 
Possible: to eit oot the water in ra half a day; but the fact 
si the water can be reduced does not arise from a lowering of 
well ce of supply, but only from the sand which comes into the 
obstructing the inflow of water. 
the #4! Proved by the fact that a well, situated 100 yards from 
first, sunk through the same strata, except that the cemented 
H 
