vermuyden's journal. 
187 
beating about for a week, and trying many creeks 
and infalis, he at length fixed upon the channel 
coming from the E. S.E. " Up the buffing stream, 
" with sad labour they wrought," and found no- 
thing to reward their toil till they came to the 
first fall. Here 47 grains of gold were drawn 
from 10 pounds of sand. On passing the upper 
fall, an operation attended with much difficulty, 
matters assumed a still more flattering aspect. 
Not only did the sand, when washed, yield gold 
in abundance ; but, on reaching the top of a rock, 
they discovered, at a little distance, " the very 
" mouth of the mine itself;" and he is convinced, 
that those who are provided with proper instru- 
ments could not desire a richer vein. It is im- 
possible, however, to form the least conjecture 
where this source of wealth is situated. He apo- 
logizes for his " miserable ignorance of the ma- 
" thematics," which made him unable to give 
any indications of latitude or longitude ; but he 
does not give the least idea how high it is situ- 
ated up the river, nor of its relative position to 
any one place situated on its banks. 
The writer, however, now begins something like 
a regular journal of his voyage. On the 4th De- 
cember (the year nowhere mentioned), he began 
to ascend the river. On the 7th, he arrived at 
Setico. He kept the middle of the river, as most 
secure from annoyance ; but the sea-horses and 
