48 
through the gap in the southernmost ridge of the Macdonnell 
Ranges, on a bearing of 153°. At one and a half miles the ranges, 
consisting at this point of conglomerates, terminate, and we entered 
the Missionaries Plain, which occupies the intervening space 
between the Macdonnell and Krichauff ranges. This plain has a 
width of from eight to twenty miles, and is about 150 miles in 
length, extending from long. 131° 50’ E. to 184° 10’ EK. It consists 
of sandy well-grassed country, thickly timbered in places with 
mulga and low cassia bushes. With nineteen miles covered, we 
arrived at the Moravian Mission Station, Hermannsburg, on the 
northern side of the Finke river and about one mile north of the 
Krichauff Ranges. As a mission station it was recently abandoned, 
and all the missionaries have departed. Mr. Heidenreich, jun., 
who is now in charge, heartily welcomed us, and insisted on the 
whole party partaking of his hospitality. 
Tuesday, July 38rd.—Camp No. 48, Hermannsburg Mission 
Station; bar. 27°93in., ther. 22°; height 1,643ft.; lat. 23° 56’ 52” 
S., long. 132° 45’ E. ‘This morning I sent the two prospectors, 
Pritchard and Russell, with a local black boy and three camels, to 
the Upper portions of Ellery’s Creek, in the Macdonnell Ranges, 
a locality likely to prove metalliferous. Mr. Watt, the geologist, 
accompanied them, with directions to rejoin me at Alice Springs. 
I proceeded, with Professors Tate and Spencer and Mr. Belt, to 
the Glen of Palms, some nine miles to the south of the mission 
station. The Finke river enters the Krichauff Ranges one mile to_ 
the south of this station, and continues its sinuous course through 
these massive ranges for some distance to the south of our No. 
22 camp. The palms (Livistona Marae) in this glen reach a 
height of 60ft. to 100ft., and are exclusively confined to this one 
locality. The cycad (Encephalartos Macdonnelli) also grows 
abundantly in the Palm Creek, some four miles to the westward of 
camp No. 44. In the afternoon Dr. Stirling arrived at this camp, 
accompanied by Mr. Heidenreich. I returned to the main camp 
at the mission station in the evening, but was too ill to continue 
my astronomical observations. 
Wednesday, July 4th.—Bar. 27:97in., ther. 25°. Assisted by 
Edgar and the two Afghans I surveyed the mission station, which 
proved to be a very extensive place. It comprises three large 
well-built stone houses, one of nine rooms and two of seven 
rooms; two large two-roomed stores, built of sandstone; and 
numerous small huts, built of wood and clay—the whole forming 
a village more conspicuous than many of our northern townships. 
The garden—justly noted for its abundance of fine vegetables and 
fruit trees, among which numerous date palms, some bearing fruit, 
