262 A. LIVERSIDGE. 



ance of the fog, and he states that he was surrounded by it the 

 whole way. He started on the journey about an hour after the 

 fog made its appearance here, and his impression was that the 

 mist was travelling at a rate of more than fifteen miles an hour. 

 After leaving the valley of the Page the wind was found to be 

 blowing stiffly from the west, but the fog remained at Scone until 

 nearly midday, when it gradually cleared off. 



" The manner of its disappearance from Murrurundi was some- 

 what sudden, and would give the impression that it was carried 

 by the wind over the country at a considerable speed. But the 

 fact of it having remained amongst the mountains so much longer, 

 leads me to think that it was driven out of the valley as from a 

 narrow passage by the increased force of the wind when com- 

 pressed within the limits of the pass. The occurrence of winds 

 in this part of different directions and force from those in more 

 open country is too common to need further mention, and it is 

 tolerably certain that in the open country the fog was not so 

 visibly and directly influenced by the wind as it appeared to be 

 at Murrurundi. It should be mentioned that the wind was not 

 noticed until some time after the fog made its appearance ; the 

 air was at first still, heavy, and oppressive, but afterwards the 

 wind rose quickly, with frequent gusts, which swept great quan- 

 tities of dust along the main road, giving colour to the supposition 

 of some persons that a similar wind had blown during the earlier 

 part of the morning, raising clouds of dust, the finer portion of 

 which were still being carried by upper currents of wind across 

 the country. But this is only one of many explanations invented 

 for the occasion, and without any knowledge of the extent of the 

 fog ; allusion to some others more distant from reason and experi- 

 ence is made in one or other of the extracts enclosed. 



"At Singleton the fog appears to have been witnessed at seven 

 o'clock, about half an hour later than at Murrurundi, while at 

 Scone, nearly half way between, it would appear to have not been 

 observed until a later hour than either — between half -past seven 

 and eight o'clock. If I remember rightly, its appearance at the 



