176 Sir T. Mitchell's Expedition into the 
division of the interior waters, or rather that the Eastern Coast 
Range, hitherto supposed to extend from Wilson’s Promontory to 
Cape York, is only imaginary ; while the estuaries of two 
important rivers, affording easy access from the eastern coast 
to the rich plains of the interior, are realities which have 
remained undiscovered. That there was no feature deserving the 
name of a Coast Range to the westward of the Belyando was but 
too evident from the absence of any tributaries of importance ; 
the sandy channels of water-courses from that quarter having had 
no effect in changing the course or character of the river, which 
last was very peculiar and remarkable, especially in its habit 
of spreading into several chains of ponds, surrounded by brigalow 
scrub, apparently a provision of nature for the preservation of 
surface water, resembling the net work of rivers in the south. 
On the banks of one of these tributaries we found some trees 
seen by us no where else. One was a true fig tree, having small 
leaves, and with the fruit fully developed and ripening ; the water 
abounded with the harlequin fish, identical with those in the 
Maranoa. 
I lost no time in retracing my steps back to this camp, with the 
intention of renewing my search for the River Carpentaria from 
three remarkable points of the range just behind ; in returning, 
I was able to perfect our track as a line of road cutting off 
circuitous parts, and avoiding the difficult passage in the bed 
of Balmy Creek, and other obstacles, so that a tandem might now 
be driven to the furthest point marked by our wheels. I ought to 
mention here that 1 have found theSyplion barometer by Mr. Burton 
of Paris, and recommended to me by Colonel Mudge, of great 
utility in these researches, affording the only means of judging 
of the relative height of the various ranges; thus I ascertained, 
when far up the Balonne, that we were but little higher than the 
bed of the Darling; that the Narran has scarcely any inclination 
at all; that the Belyando at the lowest point attained by me was 
not 600 feet above the sea; and, in the present case, that the 
range under the parallel of 25° S., is the highest we have crossed 
extending into the western interior; our route across it is in 
long. 147° 23' E., where the mean height above the sea exceeds 
