36 
travelling down the river. 
sible, a view of the western interior. We took with us two 
blacks who had attached themselves to the party, and had 
made themselves generally useful. On ascending the most 
westerly of the hills, we found it composed of micaceous 
schist, the upper coat of which was extremely soft, and 
broke with a slaty fracture, or crumbled into a sparkling 
dust beneath our feet. The summit of the hill was barren, 
and beef-wood alone grew on it. The valley, of which it was 
the western boundary, ran up northerly for two or three 
miles, with all the appearance of richness and verdure. To 
the south extended the flat I have noticed, more heavily 
timbered than we had usually found them, bounded, or 
backed rather, by a hilly country, although one fast losing 
in its general height. To the W. N. W. there was a mo- 
derate range of hills on the opposite side of an extensive 
valley, running up northerly, from which a lateral branch 
swept round to the W. N. W. with a gradual ascent into the 
hills, which bore the same appearance of open forest, grazing 
land, as prevailed in similar tracts to the eastward. The 
blacks pointed out to us our route up the valley, and stated 
that we should get on the banks of the river again in a 
direction W.by N. from the place on which we stood. We 
accordingly crossed the principal valley on the following 
morning, and gradually ascended the opposite line of hills. 
They terminate to the S. E. in lofty precipices, overlooking 
the river flats, and having a deep chain of ponds under 
them. The descent towards the river was abrupt, and 
we encamped upon its banks, with a more confined view 
