J. W. BOULTBEE. CLXVII. 
explanation. The general lay of the country is flat, the 
plains being of enormous extent, and a gradual fall across 
the State from east to west. This aridity and want of 
water have been the great drawback to closer settlement 
in the Western Division, which at the present time supports 
a scanty and scattered population, for the most part 
nomadic, consisting of carriers, rouseabouts, and shearers. 
Until the discovery of artesian water, the supplies were 
as I have stated before, derived from wells, for the most 
part brackish; dams upon the intermittingly flowing creeks, 
and large prismoidal excavations, in the form of tanks, in 
the flats and watercourses for impounding the rain-water 
as it falls. The first essay at artesian boring, as I stated 
in my first report issued on this subject, was made by Mr. 
David Brown, of Kallara Station, some twenty years ago, 
in the neighbourhood of one of the many mound springs 
. which dot this area, which resulted in flowing artesian 
water, did not then attract the general attention it de- 
served, and it was not until ten years later that the 
Government of the State purchased some boring plants, 
inefiective compared with those of the later type, and with 
them had some success, obtaining flowing wells also in the 
neighbourhood of mound springs. It was, however, reserved 
to an American driller and some spirited capitalists, to 
really exploit the industry, by introducing the Canadian 
pole-rig and contract system, which was followed by the 
Government, after a far seeing Crown tenant, Mr. W. W. 
Davis, of Kerribree Station, near Bourke, had demonstrated 
its superiority over the old existing methods. The work, 
both public and private, has progressed rapidly, and there 
are still vast areas yet untouched by the drill. How long 
they will remain so depends upon the energy and fore- 
thought of those interested, and upon the wisdom of the 
Legislature. 
