REMARKS ON TIIE SEDIMENTARY FORMATIONS OF NEW 
SOUTH WALES. 
If we inspect the map of Australia we observe that the coasts of 
Victoria, New South Wales, and Queensland, follow the general 
directions (with somo irregularity) of the Cordillera, or elevated 
land separating the waters flowing directly to the coast from those 
which draining the interior, disembogue to the south-west. 
Tho Murray River receives some parts of its tributaries from 
the high lands of Victoria, and others from New South Wales ; 
whilst the Darling and its tributaries collect the remainder of 
the supply from as far north as 25° s. 
The Cordillera thus sweeps round in an irregular curve from 
w. to e. to the head of the Murray — and thence, northerly and 
north-easterly, to the head of the Condamine ; trending north¬ 
westerly from that point to 2L° s., whence it strikes to the north, 
terminating its course at Cape Melville, in 14° s., about the 
meridian ol 144° .30' e., which is that of Mount Aiexandcrin Victoria. 
The more westerly and southerly trend of drainage is repre¬ 
sented by the Thomson and Barcoo Rivers, which carry oil’ the 
waters of tho Cordillera at the back of tho Barrier Ranges to 
Spencer’s Gulf. The meridian of the head of that Gulf is, there¬ 
fore, the western limit of East Australia. 
The Cordillera itself, described in part by Strzelecki in 1845, 
was traced by him through a considerable part of its diversified 
course (as understood by him), from the southern point of Tas¬ 
mania to the parallel of 28°, in longitude 152°; but not further 
westward than 14G° on the parallel of Mount Alexander. It is, 
however, doubtful whether the range between this furthest 
western point and Wilson’s Promontory, where he considers tho 
chain to be cut off by tho sea, forms anything more than a spur in 
that direction, though passing through Bass’s Strait onto Tasmania. 
But the extent of tho Cordillera westerly, to its termination 
on the border of South Australia, is so well defined, that there 
can be no question that the s.w. and w. extension has as true a 
character as any part of the northern prolongation. This may be 
geologically deduced from researches of the Geological Survey of 
Victoria. That province is limited, at its eastern corner, by a line 
joining Cape Howe and tho head of the .Murray, so that tho 
boundary crosses very near tho highest point of all Australia, 
which Strzelecki made G,500 feet above the sea, but which 
subsequent observations have shown to be 7,175 feet. This 
correction rests on observations made by myself in 1852, and on 
a re-discussion of them in comparison with results obtained by 
