REMARKS ON THE DARLING RIVER. 107 
questions. The pole we observed in the creek, on the eve- 
ning previously to our making the Darling, was not the 
only one that fell under our notice ; our impression there- 
fore, that they were fixed by the natives to propitiate some 
deity, was confirmed. It would appear that the white pig- 
ment was an indication of mourning. Whether these peo- 
ple have an idea of a superintending Providence I doubt, 
but they evidently dread evil agency. On the whole I 
should say they are a people, at present, at the Very bottom 
of the scale of humanity. 
We struck the Darling River in lat. 29° 37' S. and inE. 
long. 145° 33', and traced it down for about sixty-six miles in 
a direct line to the S. W. If I might hazard an opinion from 
appearance, to whatever part of the interior it leads, its 
source must be far to the N. E. or N. The capacity of its 
channel, and the terrific floods that must sometimes rage in 
it, would argue that it is influenced by tropical rains, which 
alone would cause such floods. It is likely that it seldom 
arrives at so reduced a state as that in which we found it, 
and that, generally speaking, it has a sufficient depth of 
water for the purposes of inland navigation : in such case 
its future importance cannot be questioned, since it most 
probably receives the chief streams falling westerly from 
the coast ranges. But, with every anticipation of the bene- 
fit that may at some time or other be derived from this 
remarkable and central stream, it is incumbent on me to 
state that the country, through which it flows, holds out 
but little prospect of advantage. Certainly the portion we 
