358 
Miscellanea . 
the land survey? If the chain (and its western flanks to a certain 
distance only inland) be adhered to, no want of water can be ex¬ 
perienced ; and if the government should determine to order a 
surveying vessel to coast along and supply the party at stated 
intervals with provisions, and also to co-operate with it in making 
scientific observations, every object of the geographer would be 
obtained, whilst the practicability of a route along the western 
side of the chain would be completely set at rest. Such a survey, 
at all events, seems to me to be absolutely essential before any 
party is launched from Fort Bourke into the interior, which we 
have so much reason to apprehend, is a complete desert. What¬ 
ever plan maybe ultimately adopted, let us hope that in her effort 
to connect her distant settlements upon that continent, Great 
Britain may have the honor of solving a great geographical 
problem, and of ascertaining whether Australia be the only region 
of the same size upon the surface of the globe which offers the 
singular configuration which has been attributed to it, of having 
nearly all its rivers absorbed during their course. 
From this general and speculative view of Australia, we have 
now to turn to some of the recent advances which have been made 
in extending our colonies, or in acquiring fresh knowledge of the 
country. Captain H. Hamilton has lately communicated to us a 
paper on a part of the country lying between Liverpool Plains 
and Moreton Bay, which together with an accompanying sketch 
map, furnishes us with some remarkable details on the geography 
of a district yet imperfectly known, but which, from its natural 
advantages, promises ere long to become a very important addi¬ 
tion to the colony of New South Wales. On the other hand, 
Captain Sturt, by a correct survey of the Hume River, and of the 
hilly districts extending to the junction with the Murrumbidgce, 
has distinctly made known the valueless character of many large 
tracts, which, having been laid down upon a map, may be avoided 
by all those who are searching for appropriate sites for new set¬ 
tlements. 
