CONCLUDING REMARKS. 
119 
Siccus, and other large watercourses spreading over the saline 
soil in times of flood, or by rain, and appeared to me no proof of 
its ever being covered with water for any period of time. A few 
pieces of what appeared drift timber were also lying about its 
surface. The sand, as we advanced farther east, became more 
loose and drifting, and not a blade of grass, or any species of 
vegetation, was visible, rendering hopeless any attempt to cross 
it with horses. This point of the lake shore, being by Mr. 
Eyre’s chart about thirty miles to the westward of where I found 
it, I thought it advisable to push further north, in the direction 
of the highest point of the range, which I imagined was proba- 
bly his Mount Serle ; for though it was not to be expected that 
Mr. Eyre, whose principal and almost sole object was to dis- 
cover a road to the interior, would, at the same time, have been 
able to lay down the position of his route with the same accu- 
racy that might have been expected from a surveyor ; this differ- 
ence of longitude prevented my being certain of the identity of the 
spot, or that the range on our left, might not after all, be another 
long promontory running to the north, similar to that on the 
western side of which was Mr. Eyre’s course. The appearance 
of the country, however, from the hills close under Mount 
Serle (for the perpendicular cliffs on the east side of this range 
of hills prevented my ascending to their summit without turning 
them among the ranges, for which I had not time), convinced 
me at once, from its perfect accordance with the description 
given by Mr. Eyre, that his eastern arm of Lake Torrens was 
the sandy desert I had left, its surface being about three hun- 
dred feet above the level of the sea ; and our two converg- 
ing lines having thus met at Mount Serle, I knew it was useless 
to advance further in the same direction to a spot which he had 
named, from the impossibility of proceeding beyond it, “ Mount 
Hopeless.’’ 
“ I was thus forced to return to Pasmore River, as the nearest 
point from whence I could cross to the low hills to the eastward, 
south of Lake Torrens ; and from thence I sent back to the depot 
two men of the party, and three horses — the former for the sake 
