48 
Hamilton’s plains. 
perfectly level, though not really so. The soil upon it was 
good, excepting in isolated spots, where it was sandy. Ve- 
getation was scanty upon it, but, on the whole, I should 
conclude that it was fitter for agriculture than for grazing. 
For I think it very probable, that those lands which lie 
hardening and bare in a state of nature, would produce 
abundantly if broken up by the plough. I called this 
Hamilton’s plains, in remembrance of the surgeon of my 
regiment. The Morumbidgee forms its N.E. boundary, and a 
creek rising on it, cuts off a third part on the western side, and 
runs away from the river in a southerly direction. This creek, 
even before it gets to the outskirts of the plains, assumes a 
considerable size. Such a fact would argue that heavy 
rains fall in this part of the interior, to cut out such a water- 
course, or that the soil is extremely loose ; but I should 
think the former the most probable, since the soil of this 
plain had a substratum of clay. 1 place our encampment on 
the river in latitude 34° 41' 45" S., and in East longitude 
146° 50', the variation of the compass being 6° 10' E. 
On our return to the camp we found several natives with 
our people, and among them one of the tallest I had ever- 
seen. Their women were with them, and they appeared to 
have lost all apprehension of any danger occurring from us. 
The animals were benefited greatly by this day of rest. 
We left the plain, therefore, on the 13tli with renewed 
spirits, and passed over a country very similar to that by 
which we had approached it, one well adapted for grazing, 
but intersected by numerous creeks, at two of which we 
