1838.1 



Progress^ of Geography hi 1836-7* 



465 



and within these few days we have learnt that he has succeeded in 

 tracing the Darling into the Murray ; has crossed to the southward, and 

 struck the coast near Portland Bay, in 141 east longitude, about 150 

 miles to the westward of Port Phillip, where the party had received 

 supplies from the whalers, and were to return by land to Sydney, a dis- 

 tance, in a direct line, of 600 miles* The details of this expedition 

 have not yet reached England. 



Another journey,_by Mr. Hamilton Hume, already well known as 

 having been the first to strike out a route from Sydney to Port Phillip 

 jn 1824, has been effected from Sydney to the south-eastern extreme of 

 Australia at €?ape Howe, and thence to Wilson's Promontory at its 

 southern point. The details are not yet known. 



South Australia. — The colony recently established in Spencer's. 

 Gulf has sent home a cheering account of its prospects, and of the 

 g^uality of the land. 



Western Austr alia,— ¥vom the colony at Swan River, the Surveyor- 

 General has lately penetrated upwards of 150 miles east, and then 

 eighty miles to the northward, but the results are not known. A road 

 has been traced to the settlemeat at King George's Sound, and is said 

 to pass through a fine country. 



North- fVestern Australia.. — Nothing has hitherto been done on this 

 perhaps the most promising spot for discovery in the continent of Aus- 

 tralia; but the expedition shortly about to leave England for Swan 

 River will doubtless be enabled to throw more or less light on some 

 of the great geographical problems which attract attention to this^ 

 remarkable country. 



The nauticaL part under the command of Captain Wickham, R. N., 

 will probably proceed at once to Dampier's Archipelago, and prosecute 

 examination in that quarter before proceeding to the survey of Torres 

 Straits. In the mean time, two young officers of His Majesty's army, 

 Lieutenant Grey, 83d regiment, and Lieutenant Lushington, 9th regi- 

 ment, volunteers in the cause of discoveryj. will be landed with their 

 party at Swan River, and there make arrangements, guided by the best 

 local information,^for prosecuting researches in the quarter which it 

 is considered most probable may lead to important geographical dis- 

 coveries. 



Facijic Ocea?2.— This, as has been well remfirkedj is the domain of 



