618 Wentworth's New South Wales* 
was made in 1 lie year 1814, and will 
doubtless be hereafter productive of the 
most important results.. It has indeed 
already given a new aspect to the colony, 
and will form, at some future day, a 
memorable era in its history. Nothing 
is now wanting to render this great 
western wilderness the seat of a po wer¬ 
ful community but the discovery of a 
navigable river communicating with 
the western coast. 
Several unsuccessful expeditions have 
been fitted out with this view from Syd- 
tu , both by sea and land. The last 
a which we have learned the result, 
was conducted by Mr. Oxley, the sur¬ 
veyor-general, and is most worthy of 
notice, as well from the extent of coun¬ 
try which he traversed, as from the 
probability that the river which he dis¬ 
covered discharges itself into the ocean 
on some part of the western coast. 
If the sanguine hopes, to which the 
discovery of this river has given birth, 
should be realized, and it should be 
found to empty itself into the ocean, 
on the north-west coast, which is the 
only part of this vast island that has 
not been accurately surveyed, in what 
mighty conceptions of the future great¬ 
ness and power of this colony may we 
not reasonably indulge? The nearest 
distance from the point, at which Mr. 
Oxley left off, to any part of the wes¬ 
tern coast, is very little short of 2,000 
miles. If this river, therefore, be al¬ 
ready of the size of the Hawkesbury at 
Windsor, which is not less than 250 
yards in breadth, and of sufficient 
depth to float a 74 gun-ship, it is not 
difficult to imagine what must be its 
magnitude at its confluence with the 
ocean; before it can arrive at which, it 
has to traverse a country nearly 2,000 
miles in extent. 
The result of Mr. Oxley’s last jour¬ 
ney into the interior, has clouded for 
the moment these flattering anticipa¬ 
tions with respect to the probable course 
and magnitude of the Macquarie River. 
After tracing it for some hundred miles 
from the spot, where he had terminated 
his excursion in his previous expedi¬ 
tion, during the whole of which dis¬ 
tance his original expectations, that it 
would eventually empty itself into the 
sea on the north-west coast of the is¬ 
land, appear to have daily gained 
round, he was checked in his progress 
y the river decreasing in depth from 
twenty to five feet, and suddenly form¬ 
ing a junction with interior waters 
But if Mr. Oxley’s last journey has 
left us nearly as much in the dark as 
ever on this interesting subject, one 
signal benefit at least has resulted from 
his labours-—the discovery of Port Mac¬ 
quarie, and the beautiful country on 
the banks, and in the vicinity of the 
river Hastings. This enchanting spot 
is about 3° to the northward of Port 
Jackson ; and it is in contemplation to 
form a settlement there immediately. 
To circle the flooded country to the 
norfb-east, yet remained to he tried ; 
and when on the 7th of July I returned 
to the tents, which I found pitched on 
the high land before mentioned, and 
from whence we could see mountains 
at the distance of eighty miles to the 
eastward, the country between being a 
perfect level, Mr. Evans was sent for¬ 
ward to explore the country to the 
north-east, that being the point on 
which I purposed to set forward. . 4 l 
On the 18th of July Mr. Evans re¬ 
turned, having been prevented from 
continuing on a north-east course be¬ 
yond two day’s journey, by waters run¬ 
ning north-easterly through high reeds, 
and which ivere most probably those of 
the Macquarie River, as during his ab¬ 
sence it had swelled So considerably as 
entirely to surround us, coming within 
a few yards of the tent. Mr. Evans 
afterwards proceeded more easterly, 
and at a distance of fifty miles from 
the Macquarie River, crossed another 
much wider, but not so deep, running 
to the north: advancing still more 
.easterly, lie went nearly to the base of 
the mountains seen from the tent, and 
returning by a more southerly route, 
found the country somewhat drier, but 
not in the least more elevated. 
We quitted this station on the;30tli of 
July, beiug in latitude 31. 18. S. and 
longitude 147. 31. E. on our route for 
the coast, and on the 8th of August 
arrived at the lofty range of mountains 
to which our course had been directed. 
From the highest point of this range we 
had the most extended prospect. From 
South by the West to North it was one 
vast level, resembling the ocean in ex¬ 
tent, but yet without water being dis¬ 
cerned, the range of high land extend¬ 
ing to the N.E. by N. elevated points of 
which were distinguished upwards of 
120 miles. 
From this point, in conformity to 
the resolution I had made on quitting 
the Macquarie River, I pursued a N.E. 
course; but after encountering nume¬ 
rous difficulties, from the country be¬ 
ing an entire marsh, interspersed with 
quicksands, until the 20th August, 
when, finding myself surrounded by 
