great disastrous <c rush ” for gold took place in 
1858, when many thousands narrowly escaped 
death from starvation. 
The site of the gold-field is situated about 
nine miles north-east of Canoona station, in 
an alluvial flat. This place bears very strong 
indications of being auriferous ; near at hand 
there are some moderately high ranges, with 
numerous broken gullies. The surface of this 
range is strewed with debris of quartz — and I 
traced reefs traversing the range parallel with 
the line of cleaveage in the slate. The slate 
rock dips north-easterly, rather finely laminated, 
and is very friable. 
The geological features and rocks about 
Princhester evidently belong to the stratified 
class, and extensive indications point to the 
presence of “ mountain limestone,” thick bedded 
grayish stones, and shales. 
I found this rock crossing or flanking some 
trap hills which are in the neighbourhood, and 
immense boulders lie about in places, and occa- 
sionally piled one over another as if in the ante- 
diluvian age they had been placed there by the 
hands of giants. Here and there it is traversed 
by beautiful veins of calcareous spar ; it has a 
variety of colours, but is mostly grey, and 
varying in intensity of shade. 
I found it also associated with calcareous 
sandstone rock and shales ; abounding in 
organic remains, and portions of the coral, and 
the encrinite were found which point to a 
marine origin. 
After crossing the first branch of the river 
Mackenzie - the Isaacs, a beautiful stream — 
I came upon a great belt of dense mixed scrub, 
which extended to the other branch of the 
river, a distance of something over twelve miles, 
and so dense was this scrub in parts, that a 
passage through it was a physical impossibility ; 
however, the squatters beyond had succeeded 
in cutting an imperfect narrow track through 
it, for the couvenience of bringing down their 
bullock teams of wool ; but a passage along 
this track, with a drove of horses or cattle, 
must be no easy task. 
The trees and plants in this scrub are of 
immense variety, so great, indeed, that a 
botanist would find himself bewildered at its 
extent. 
In some parts the scenery i3 charming in the 
extreme — one could almost imagine himself to 
he among the delightful shrubberies of fairy- 
land, with here and there a sandal-wood tree 
shedding its luxurious perfume around ; indeed, 
they very much resemble — the absence of 
ilowers excepted — some of the most beautiful 
shrubberies I ever saw, even to the light gravel 
walks among them. 
I was struck with the extraordinary character 
of one species of large tree, which bore in 
great profusion a kind of bean, somewhat like 
the French bean in shape, but larger, being 
about ten inches long and a full inch broad. 
On examination, I found the inside to resemble 
the broad bean, containing about seven large 
oval beans, with the interstices filled up between 
them with solid vegetable matter. Having 
been without vegetables for many days, I felt 
very much tempted to cook and eat some of 
these beans, but caution restrained me, not 
knowing their nature, and being beyond the 
reach of medical aid in case of accident. 
Two days more brought me within sight of 
one of the most magnificent and imposing 
scenes to be found in the interior, one that is 
calculated to inspire with awe the beholder 
when it first meets his view. A gigantic 
eminence of granite or basaltic rock, rising 
almost perpendicular from the earth, from a 
base of about 20 chains in breadth, to a height 
of about four or five hundred feet. The 
face of this immense rock was denuded and 
craggy ; its slopes on either side nearly equal 
in form and are covered with trees and verdure. 
It seemed to be an abrupt end or section of 
a range, as a range extended from it for miles 
beyond, and it gave the impression that this 
range had been suddenly broken, through the 
medium of volcanic agency ; and, indeed, 
something of this might have been the case, 
as there appeared the continuation of a range 
some mile or two from it in the same bearing. 
The denuded rock had a variety of shades 
but mostly of a dark green, or grayish colour, 
and the magificence of the effect, when the 
sun fell on it with his rays, was truly grand. 
At the bottom, the ground is extremely 
broken, and tremendous boulders, many tons 
in weight, lie scattered all about • There is a 
deep creek running through the valley, which 
is also very rocky and broken, and the verdure 
is chiefly large fern, with some good sized trees 
growing about. 
While I wa9 yet in this valley, I came upon a 
very large gum-tree, divested of all bark, leaf, 
and even life, that lay across my track. It had 
been sharply broken about 5 or 6 feet from the 
ground, through its base, which was three to 
four feet in diameter. I wondered what could 
have broken so huge a tree in so sharp a 
manner, as it had not the appearance of having 
been struck by lightning. I dismounted to 
examine it, and found a great braise or inden- 
tation in the trunk on the ground. 
I proceeded to examine the locality ; and 
about fifty or sixty yards away, saw something 
which appeared like a large cannon-ball. My 
surprise was great, believing that no artillery 
of such a calibre had ever been so far 
inland. On inspection, it proved to be an 
aerolite. It was of a dark metalic 
colour, extremely hard, and about 10 
inches in diameter ; in fact it very closely re- 
sembled a 10-inch shot, and was about the same 
weight. It was perfectly round, except that 
one side was slightly flattened ; its surface was 
extremely smooth, and very slightly perforated. 
The extraordinary appearance of the tree was 
now clearly accounted for in my mind ; — it 
