We at length reached the watershed connecting the country we had left with that we were entering upon, and were now again enabled to turn to the eastward and thus to travel round the swamp. This watershed consisted principally of a range of elevated hills from which streams were thrown off to the Glenelg and to Prince Regent's River. The scenery here was very fine, but I have so often before described the same character of landscape that it will be sufficient to say we again looked down from high land on a very fertile country, covered with a tropical vegetation and lying between two navigable rivers. I can compare this to no other Australian scenery, for I have met with nothing in the other portions of the continent which at all resembles it. When we had nearly headed the valley the night closed in so rapidly on us that I was obliged to halt the party; and by the time the arrangements for security and rest were completed it was quite dark.

CURIOUS NEST.

March 24.

This morning we started as soon as it was light and, continuing our route round the valley, passed the beautiful cascade seen yesterday and, after fording a clear running brook like an English trout stream, we began to ascend the next sandstone range. On gaining the summit we fell in with a very remarkable nest, or what appeared to me to be such, and which I shall describe more particularly when I advert to the natural history of this part of the country. We had previously seen several of them, and they had always afforded us food for conjecture as to the agent and purpose of such singular structures.

DEEP VALLEY.

Soon after quitting this nest we found a very convenient pass through a deep and fertile valley, which led directly up into the heart of the sandstone range; a fine stream ran through it in which were several large reservoirs of fresh water; the hills on each side were lofty, being at times of a rounded character, and at others broken into precipitous and fantastic cliffs; the country was thinly wooded with large timber, and the varied scenery, the facility which the country afforded for travelling, and the pleasure incident on finding ourselves clear of the marshy ground which had so long encumbered our movements, combined to make me push along as fast as possible; the only check was the heat of the sun; and it should always be borne in mind that no parallel whatever can be instituted between travels in tropical and extra-tropical Australia, for in the former the more exhausting nature of the climate unfits both men and horses for making long journeys, and indeed renders it almost impossible to travel during the heat of the day, whilst the difficult nature of the ground caused by the dense vegetation, the jungles, the ravines, and marshes, render it altogether impracticable to move at night through an unknown country.

WILD OATS.

We crossed during the day several recent tracks of natives but did not fall in with the natives themselves; we also saw many kangaroos, and halted for the night on an elevated basaltic ridge, at a point close to which there was a large crop of the grain which we called wild oats. This is a remarkable vegetable production, growing to the height of from five to six feet; in the stalk, the shape, and mode of insertion of the leaves it is similar to the oat of Europe; the manner in which the seeds grow in the two plants is also the same, and the seeds are nearly of the same size, but the Australian oat is furnished with a beard like the barley. When hungry I have repeatedly eaten these oats, which in some parts grow in such abundance that several acres of them might be mown at once; and I have little doubt that this plant would with cultivation turn out to be a very great addition to our tropical grains.*

(*Footnote. I am informed that the seeds of it which I introduced into the Isle of France in 1838 have greatly multiplied and that the plants are in a very flourishing state.)

March 25.

This morning we resumed our journey, crossing a succession of basaltic valleys. The vegetation was luxuriant beyond description; and it was ludicrous to see the heavy-tailed kangaroos leaping and floundering about in the long grass when they had quitted their beaten pathways and were suddenly disturbed by our approach.

CURIOUS BIRDS.

In crossing the second of these large valleys we saw two large white and black birds, more like pelicans than any other kind I am acquainted with; they had webbed feet, and the colour and form of their body resembled that of the pelican, but the head and beak were very different; after flying two or three times round our heads, well out of shot, so as to have a good peep at us, they flew away, and for the first and last time I saw this curious bird.

We now ascended a ridge of sandstone tableland which crossed our route: this was about three miles in width, and at its southern extremity were two lofty basaltic hills, from between which a small valley led down into another very large one that was the general receptacle of the streams which came pouring in from all directions. This last might be considered as a good type of the valleys in this portion of the country: at its northern extremity it was about four miles wide, being bounded on all sides by rocky wooded ranges with dark gullies from which numerous streams and springs poured forth their watery contributions to the main one. This last ran nearly down the centre of the principal valley, the width of which gradually contracted towards the south, where it terminated almost in a point, having a narrow lateral opening at the south-west end of not more than a quarter of a mile wide, and bounded by steep cliffs on each side, so as to form a perfect gorge, the direction of which was due west. In about a mile and a half this gorge met a cross valley, running from the south to the north, down which the waters were poured, so as to run back as it were upon their former course.

BASALTIC VALLEY.

We halted for the day in the main valley, which from the run of the waters above described must necessarily have been very elevated; it was, moreover, nearly level, forming indeed a sort of enclosed plateau, so that the streams, which both on entering and quitting it ran bubbling merrily along, preserved whilst in it a sluggish and scarcely perceptible course. When to this I add that it was composed of basaltic rocks and received the deposit of such an extent of elevated basaltic land I need scarcely add that it was highly fertile. I believe that these valleys, which are very common in North-Western Australia and contain from four to five thousand acres each, are as rich as any other spots upon the globe, and moreover possess the great advantage of being situated close to navigable rivers.

March 26.

This morning we moved down the valley in which we had been encamped yesterday and, as it was thinly wooded, we experienced no difficulty whatever until the main stream suddenly turned off from south to due west; this was a sufficient proof that the gorge of the valley was on its western side, but I was not anxious to follow the course of the water, from the apprehension of being led into low and marshy land; I thought also that a low ridge which I saw to the south could easily be crossed, and that we should thus gain access to a valley similar to that we were in. I therefore resolved to cross the stream at the first ford we could find, and after a little trouble we discovered one suited to our purpose through which the ponies passed in safety.

IMPASSABLE SANDSTONE RANGE.

We then continued our route in a due southerly direction until we reached the low range which I had before seen; this range turned out to be composed of sandstone, and where we made it it was so rocky and precipitous as to be quite impracticable. We therefore travelled along it in an easterly direction for about three miles, but throughout this distance it presented no single pass through which I could hope to penetrate. The sun having now become very powerful we halted for breakfast; and whilst this meal was preparing, I sent out a detached party to search for a road, which soon returned to report that they were able to find no path by which we could proceed.

I did not however like to retrace our footsteps without having made a careful search; and although my wound was still open and very painful I rapidly swallowed a portion of my allowance of damper and started with another detachment on foot to examine the country. The sandstone range, which ran nearly east and west, was terminated everywhere throughout its southern side by perfectly precipitous rocks, at the foot of which lay a fertile valley, resembling the one in which we had encamped yesterday except that it was on a much lower level. The position that we were in appeared to be the pass by which the natives communicated with the country to the south of us, for marks of them were visible everywhere about, but they could easily clamber about these precipitous rocks, though it was quite impossible to get the ponies down, even by forming a path, as we had often previously done.

PAINTED CAVE. DRAWING ON ROOF OF A CAVE.

Finding that it would be useless to lose more time in searching for a route through this country I proceeded to rejoin the party once more; but whilst returning to them my attention was drawn to the numerous remains of native fires and encampments which we met with, till at last, on looking over some bushes at the sandstone rocks which were above us, I suddenly saw from one of them a most extraordinary large figure peering down upon me. Upon examination this proved to be a drawing at the entrance to a cave, which on entering I found to contain, besides, many remarkable paintings.

The cave appeared to be a natural hollow in the sandstone rocks; its floor was elevated about five feet from the ground, and numerous flat broken pieces of the same rock, which were scattered about, looked at a distance like steps leading up to the cave, which was thirty-five feet wide at the entrance and sixteen feet deep; but beyond this several small branches ran further back. Its height in front was rather more than eight feet, the roof being formed by a solid slab of sandstone about nine feet thick and which rapidly inclined towards the back of the cave, which was there not more than five feet high.

On this sloping roof the principal figure (Number 1) which I have just alluded to, was drawn; in order to produce the greater effect the rock about it was painted black and the figure itself coloured with the most vivid red and white. It thus appeared to stand out from the rock; and I was certainly rather surprised at the moment that I first saw this gigantic head and upper part of a body bending over and staring grimly down at me.

DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES.

It would be impossible to convey in words an adequate idea of this uncouth and savage figure; I shall therefore only give such a succinct account of this and the other paintings as will serve as a sort of description to accompany the annexed plates.

The dimensions of the figure were:

Length of head and face 2 feet. Width of face 17 inches. Length from bottom of face to navel 2 feet 6 inches.

Its head was encircled by bright red rays, something like the rays which one sees proceeding from the sun when depicted on the sign-board of a public house; inside of this came a broad stripe of very brilliant red, which was coped by lines of white, but both inside and outside of this red space were narrow stripes of a still deeper red, intended probably to mark its boundaries; the face was painted vividly white, and the eyes black, being however surrounded by red and yellow lines; the body, hands, and arms were outlined in red, the body being curiously painted with red stripes and bars.

DRAWING OF FOUR HEADS.

Upon the rock which formed the left hand wall of this cave, and which partly faced you on entering, was a very singular painting (Number 2) vividly coloured, representing four heads joined together. From the mild expression of the countenances I imagined them to represent females, and they appeared to be drawn in such a manner and in such a position as to look up at the principal figure which I have before described; each had a very remarkable head-dress, coloured with a deep bright blue, and one had a necklace on. Both of the lower figures had a sort of dress painted with red in the same manner as that of the principal figure, and one of them had a band round her waist. Each of the four faces was marked by a totally distinct expression of countenance, and, although none of them had mouths, two, I thought, were otherwise rather good looking. The whole painting was executed on a white ground, and its dimensions were:

Total length of painting 3 feet 6 3/4 inches. Breadth across two upper heads 2 feet 6 inches. Ditto across the two lower ones 3 feet 1 1/2 inches.

The next most remarkable drawing in the cave (Number 3) was an ellipse, three feet in length and one foot ten inches in breadth: the outside line of this painting was of a deep blue colour, the body of the ellipse being of a bright yellow dotted over with red lines and spots, whilst across it ran two transverse lines of blue. The portion of the painting above described formed the ground, or main part of the picture, and upon this ground was painted a kangaroo in the act of feeding, two stone spearheads, and two black balls; one of the spearheads was flying to the kangaroo, and one away from it; so that the whole subject probably constituted a sort of charm by which the luck of an enquirer in killing game could be ascertained.

TWO OTHER DRAWINGS.

There was another rather humorous sketch (Number 4) which represented a native in the act of carrying a kangaroo; the height of the man being three feet. The number of drawings in the cave could not altogether have been less than from fifty to sixty, but the majority of them consisted of men, kangaroos, etc.; the figures being carelessly and badly executed and having evidently a very different origin to those which I have first described. Another very striking piece of art was exhibited in the little gloomy cavities situated at the back of the main cavern. In these instances some rock at the sides of the cavity had been selected, and the stamp of a hand and arm by some means transferred to it; this outline of the hand and arm was then painted black, and the rock about it white, so that on entering that part of the cave it appeared as if a human hand and arm were projecting through a crevice admitting light.

After having discovered this cave I returned to the party and, directing them to prepare for moving on, I ordered that as soon as all was ready they should proceed past the cave, so that all would have an opportunity of examining it, and in the meantime I returned in order to make sketches of the principal paintings. The party soon arrived and, when my sketches and notes were completed, we retraced a portion of our route of this morning, moving round the sandstone ridge through one portion of which I saw a sort of pass which I thought might perhaps afford us a means of egress. I therefore halted the party and moved up with Corporal Auger to examine it. After proceeding some distance we found a cave larger than the one seen this morning; of its actual size however I have no idea, for being pressed for time I did not attempt to explore it, having merely ascertained that it contained no paintings.

INTAGLIO CUT IN A ROCK.

I was moving on when we observed the profile of a human face and head cut out in a sandstone rock which fronted the cave; this rock was so hard that to have removed such a large portion of it with no better tool than a knife and hatchet made of stone, such as the Australian natives generally possess, would have been a work of very great labour. The head was two feet in length, and sixteen inches in breadth in the broadest part; the depth of the profile increased gradually from the edges where it was nothing, to the centre where it was an inch and a half; the ear was rather badly placed, but otherwise the whole of the work was good, and far superior to what a savage race could be supposed capable of executing. The only proof of antiquity that it bore about it was that all the edges of the cutting were rounded and perfectly smooth, much more so than they could have been from any other cause than long exposure to atmospheric influences.

ROUTE CONTINUED. HIGH GRASS.

After having made a sketch of this head (see the accompanying plate) I returned to the party and, as I had not been able to find a path which would lead us across the sandstone ridge, we continued our course round it, retracing our steps until we reached the stream which had been crossed this morning, and then moved westward, keeping along its southern bank until we had turned the sandstone range and reached another stream running from the south, which we traced up in the direction of its source, travelling through a series of basaltic valleys of so luxuriant a character that those of the party who were not very tall travelled, as they themselves expressed it, between two high green walls, over which they could not see; and these green walls were composed of rich grass which the ponies ate with avidity. On a subsequent occasion when we visited this valley we had to call to one another in order to ascertain our relative positions when only a few yards apart; and yet the vegetation was neither rank nor coarse, but as fine a grass as I have ever seen.

REFLECTIONS.

We halted for the night in one of these lovely valleys; a clear stream bubbled along within about fifty yards of us and, about a mile beyond, two darkly-wooded basaltic hills raised their heads, and between these and the stream our ponies were feeding in grass higher than themselves. I sat in the fading light, looking at the beautiful scenery around me, which now for the first time gladdened the eyes of Europeans; and I wondered that so fair a land should only be the abode of savage men; and then I thought of the curious paintings we had this day seen, of the timid character of the natives, of their anomalous position in so fertile a country, and wondered how long these things were to be. With so wide a field of conjecture before me, thought naturally thronged on thought, and the night was far advanced ere I laid down to seek repose from the fatigues of the day.

DEEP STREAM.

March 27.

The ponies having been routed out of their long and excellent feed, amongst which indeed it was no easy matter to find them, we moved on. I could not but reflect how different our position and the condition of the ponies would have been had we known as much of the country at first starting as we did at present; but these reflections were now useless. With the exception of one small rocky valley, the whole of our morning's journey was through a rich and fertile country until we reached a deep stream, thirty or forty yards wide and apparently navigable for large boats up to this point; it ran away to the westward, but with a current scarcely perceptible.

DIFFICULT APPROACH TO IT.

It was very difficult to approach this stream on account of the marshy nature of its banks, which were overgrown with bamboo and, even if we could have got the ponies to it, it was not fordable here. We therefore turned up it in an easterly direction to look for a passage over it; and in so doing were necessarily compelled to cross many smaller streams and a great deal of swampy ground in which some of the most weakly of the ponies got bogged and were only extricated with great difficulty. However annoying this was I could not but smile at the distress of some of the men, who had contracted a friendship for the animals they had so long led, when one of their favourites got into a difficulty. The exclamations of Ruston the old sailor were particularly amusing, as, according to the position in which the animal got bogged, he used to roar out for someone "to come and give his pony a heave upon the starboard or larboard quarters;" and once, when violently alarmed at the danger he imagined his pet pony to be in, he shouted amain, "By G—-, Sir, she'll go down by the stern." At last however we got clear of the marsh, and reached a rocky gorge where this stream issued from the hills, and here we stopped for breakfast

This spot was very picturesque. The river as it issued from the gorge in the high wooded hills first formed a series of cascades, and then at the mouth of the gorge expanded into a large pool. It was at this point, although only a secondary stream in this country, far larger than any of the rivers of South-Western Australia. At the gorges, where they issue from the hills, its banks were clothed with the pandanus, lofty gum trees, and a very luxuriant vegetation. We first sought for a ford up the river in the direction of the rapids, but our search was fruitless. On returning to breakfast I found that the men had caught three fish and one of the long-necked fresh-water turtle which are common over the whole of this continent. Mr. Lushington had also shot several black cockatoos so that we were supplied with a meal of meat, a luxury we had not enjoyed for a long time.

CROSS A LARGE RIVER.

After breakfast Corporal Auger started alone and returned in about an hour to report that he had found a ford across the river close to us. I therefore ordered the ponies to be brought up and we at once moved on. The river where we crossed it in south latitude 15 degrees 49 minutes, east longitude 125 degrees 6 minutes, was about a hundred yards wide. It was however nowhere more than knee deep as we wound through it, following a circuitous course; but we passed very deep parts on each side, and I could not but admire the perseverance of Auger in having discovered so very intricate a ford as this was. There were several minor channels to the stream not much wider than an English ditch; they were however very deep and went winding along through groves of the pandanus and lofty reeds, which formed leafy tunnels above them. It was some time before we got rid of the main stream, and we then found ourselves on a narrow terrace of land which was bounded on the left by rocky cliffs, and on the right by a large tributary of the stream we had just crossed. This tributary was not fordable here so we were compelled to travel up the terrace where our way was much impeded by the luxuriant vegetation and by fallen trees of great magnitude; indeed of a size which those alone who have traversed tropical virgin forests can conceive.

That we could not get off this terrace was the more provoking from seeing, immediately on the other side of the stream, one of those wide open basaltic valleys which I have so often mentioned. We at length reached the point where the stream issued from the high land and, having here forded it, entered the large valley, but in its centre we found another impassable stream and, in order to turn this, were obliged to travel round the valley; but before we could gain the head of it we had to cross two streams which ran into it on the eastern side. These however gave us but little trouble.

NATIVE HUT.

On the tongue of land between them we found a native hut which differed from any before seen, in having a sloping roof. After passing this hut we began to wind up a rocky ascent, and just at sunset reached the watershed, which threw off streams to the north and south: the valley which lay immediately to the south of us appearing as fertile as that which we had been travelling through for the whole day.

March 28.

The first part of our journey was through a fertile valley, about four miles in length, through which wound a rapid stream. It was clothed with the richest grass, abounded in kangaroos, and was marked at its southern extremity by a very remarkable precipitous hill. The heights to the westward were all composed of basalt, whilst those to the eastward were sandstone. On passing the ridge of hills which bounded this valley to the south we entered on a sandstone district, although the hills to the westward were still basaltic.

NATURAL GRAPERY. GRAPE-LIKE FRUIT.

I here halted the party for breakfast by the side of a stream and, on casting my eyes upwards, I found that I was in a sort of natural grapery, for the tree under which I lay was covered with a plant which bears a sort of grape and I believe is a species of cissus.

We met altogether with three varieties of this plant, all of which were creepers but differing from each other in their habits and in the size of their fruit. Two of them generally ran along the ground or amongst low shrubs and the third climbed high trees; this latter kind bore the finest fruit, and it was a plant of this description which I today found. Its fruit in size, appearance, and flavour resembled a small black grape, but the stones were different, being larger, and shaped like a coffee berry. All three produced their fruit in bunches, like the vine, and, the day being very sultry, I do not know that we could have fallen upon anything more acceptable than this fruit was to us.

FORD THE GLENELG. ANOTHER RIVER.

After breakfast we continued our route through a barren, sandy district, heavily timbered; and in the course of the afternoon met either the Glenelg or a very considerable branch of that stream in south latitude 15 degrees 56 minutes, east longitude 125 degrees 8 minutes: it was 250 yards across and formed a series of rapids at this point, where it emerged from a rocky gorge. Just above the rapids we found a good ford, the average depth of which was not more than three feet. After crossing, the banks on the other side were clothed with a species of Casuarina which I did not observe elsewhere. The country on that side of the stream was sandy and, as I found by the time we had proceeded two or three miles that we were getting embarrassed in a sandstone range, I halted the party for the night and went on to try if I could find a pass across it. My exertions were not however very successful: I came upon a path which I thought might be rendered practicable for the ponies over the first part of the range, but found no line by which we could proceed without making a road.

WEAKNESS OF THE MEN.

March 29.

At dawn this morning the men were at work forming the road; the poor fellows were however so much enfeebled from constant fatigue and very inefficient nutriment, whilst exposed to the great heat of a tropical climate, that they were unable to exert the same energy as formerly, and I could not but be struck with the great difference in their strength as evinced in their incapacity to move stones and other obstacles, which a few weeks ago they would have had little difficulty in lifting. The path was however soon made as passable as our abilities permitted, and we started along it with the ponies; some of them were however no less reduced than the men and, in endeavouring to lead one of them up a rocky hill, it fell, and from weakness sank under its light load without making an effort to save itself; the spine was thus so severely injured as to render it unable to move the hinder extremities; we therefore killed the poor creature and moved on.

SANDSTONE CAVE.

Throughout the day we continued gradually the ascent of the range which we had yesterday commenced. The large valley we were in led us by a gentle slope winding higher and higher amongst the rocky hills; at first it had been so wide as to appear like a plain, but by degrees it contracted its dimensions, until, towards the afternoon, it suddenly assumed almost the character of a gorge. Just at this point we saw in the cliffs on our left hand a cave, which I entered in the hope of finding native paintings.

Nor was I disappointed for it contained several of a very curious character. This cave was a natural chasm in the sandstone rocks, elevated at its entrance several feet above the level of the ground, from which the ascent to it was by a natural flight of sandstone steps, irregular, of course, but formed of successive thin strata, resting one upon another, and thus constituting an easy ascent; these successive layers continued into the body of the cave, quite to the end, where was a central slab, more elevated than the others, and on each side of this two other larger ones which reached the top of the cave and partly served to support the immense sandstone slab that formed the roof.

ANOTHER PAINTED CAVE.

The cave was twenty feet deep and at the entrance seven feet high and about forty feet wide. As before stated the floor gradually approached the roof in the direction of the bottom of the cavern, and its width also contracted, so that at the extremity it was not broader than the slab of rock, which formed a natural seat.

FIGURE DRAWN ON THE ROOF.

The principal painting in it was the figure of a man, ten feet six inches in length, clothed from the chin downwards in a red garment which reached to the wrists and ankles; beyond this red dress the feet and hands protruded and were badly executed.

The face and head of the figure were enveloped in a succession of circular bandages or rollers, or what appeared to be painted to represent such. These were coloured red, yellow, and white; and the eyes were the only features represented on the face. Upon the highest bandage or roller a series of lines were painted in red, but, although so regularly done as to indicate that they have some meaning, it was impossible to tell whether they were intended to depict written characters or some ornament for the head. This figure was so drawn on the roof that its feet were just in front of the natural seat, whilst its head and face looked directly down on anyone who stood in the entrance of the cave, but it was totally invisible from the outside. The painting was more injured by the damp and atmosphere, and had the appearance of being much more defaced and ancient, than any of the others which we had seen.*

(*Footnote. This figure brings to mind the description of the Prophet Ezekiel: Men portrayed upon the wall, the images of the Chaldeans portrayed in vermilion, girded with girdles upon their loins, exceeding in dyed attire upon their heads, all of them princes to look to, after the manner of the Babylonians of Chaldea, the land of their nativity. Chapter 23:14, 15.)

OTHER PAINTINGS.

There were two other paintings, one on each of the rocks which stood on either side of the natural seat; they were carefully executed and yet had no apparent design in them; unless they were intended to represent some fabulous species of turtle; for the natives of Australia are generally fond of narrating tales of fabulous and extraordinary animals such as gigantic snakes, etc.

One of the party who appeared much amused at these different paintings walked straight up the cavern, gradually ascending the steps until he reached the slab at the end, and then, taking his hat off with a solemn air, seated himself; to his own, and our surprise, his bare head just touched the roof of the cave, and on examining this part of it we found it fairly polished, and very greasy, from all appearance caused by the constant rubbing against it of the head of a person whilst seated on the rock. This and other circumstances led us to conjecture that the cave was frequented by some wise man or native doctor who was resorted to by the inhabitants in cases of disease or witchcraft. We saw many footmarks about, and found other signs of the close presence of the natives, but they themselves remained invisible.

BEAUTIFUL SCENERY.

The cave was situated in an exceedingly picturesque position, it occupied the corner leading from a wide valley to a narrow ravine, down which came bubbling along a clear deep stream, which passed within a few yards of the cave's mouth. After making sketches of the paintings and for a few minutes admiring this romantic spot we moved up the ravine, which appeared to lead by a gradual ascent to the summit of the mountain range that now completely hemmed us in both to the southward and eastward.

This ravine, in the luxuriance of its vegetation and the great size of the trees, as well as in its rapid stream, at times leaping in cascades or foaming in rapids, resembled those we had before seen in the sandstone ranges, but it differed from them in the greater height of the surrounding hills and cliffs which, being overshadowed with hanging trees and climbing plants, presented as rich a painting as the eye could behold: and, as these grew golden with the rays of the setting sun or were thrown into deep and massive shadows, I could not but regret that no Claude of the tropics had arisen to transfer to canvas scenes which words cannot express.

But however beautiful the scenery was the road we had to travel was so extremely inconvenient that the view scarcely made amends for it; we were continually compelled from old land-slips to cross from one side of the stream to the other, and this, from the depth of the ford and the slipperiness of the rocky bottom, was sometimes no easy task; moreover the ravine continued rapidly to contract in width and to become more rugged and precipitous; I therefore turned off to the right into a rocky amphitheatre which seemed well suited for encamping, and halted the party for the night; then, taking one of my men with me, I ascended the cliffs to see if I could make out any line by which to get clear of the precipices which embarrassed us, but on all sides I could descry nothing but lofty hills and frowning crags, except in the direction of the ravine which appeared to run directly into the heart of the mountain chain; I therefore turned about to rejoin the party, with the intention of continuing the same course the ensuing morning as we had done this evening.

NARROW ESCAPE.

Both myself and the man who was with me had however a narrow escape of being shot, for, as we were returning he let his rifle fall and it exploded, the ball striking the rocks close to us before it glanced into the air.

OTHER CAVES.

March 30.

At the earliest dawn we continued our course up the valley, which rapidly became narrower and more inclined so that it formed, as it were, a series of elevated terraces, at the edge of each of which was a little cascade. We found two caves in the cliffs on the right hand, both of which were painted all over but with no regularity of pattern: the only colours used were red, yellow, and white. The largest of the caves exceeded in breadth and depth any others I had seen, but it was only three feet high; in this one there were several drawings of fish, one of which was four feet in length; these I copied, although they were badly executed. The caves themselves cannot be considered as at all analogous to those I have before described.

INCREASING DIFFICULTIES OF ROUTE. IMPASSABLE SANDSTONE RANGES.

The difficulties of the road continued to increase rapidly, and the dimensions of the ravine became so contracted that I hesitated whether I should not turn up another which branched off to the right; previously however to taking this step I sent a man forward to examine the one we were in; he soon returned and reported that it terminated in a high cascade a few hundred yards further on. This intelligence confirming my previous opinion, I now moved up the ravine which came from the westward, but we had not proceeded for more than half a mile when the rugged nature of the country brought us to a complete stand; we found ourselves in a rocky area, bounded on all sides by cliffs, the only outlet from which was the path by which we had entered. I therefore halted the party for breakfast whilst I prepared to ascend some lofty pinnacles which lay to the south of us.

The state of my wound rendered this exertion one of great pain and difficulty; I however accomplished it, and found myself on the top of a high rocky eminence which bore the appearance of having fallen into ruins; the prospect from it was cheerless in the extreme; to the north lay the rich valley country far below us, and to the south and east nothing could be seen but barren sandstone rocks and ranges rising one above the other until they met the horizon at no great distance from the eye; the only outlet, except the ravine by which we had approached, appeared to be by the westward, and I descended to the party in this direction to see if I could find a route from where they were to the terrace leading to that point. I struck on a place up the cliffs where I imagined it possible to construct a road by which the ponies could ascend, and then returned to breakfast.

COUNTRY INACCESSIBLE FOR HORSES.

As soon as our scanty meal had been concluded all hands were employed in making this road; and sincerely did I pity the feeble men, whom I saw in the burning heat of a tropical sun, which was reflected with redoubled intensity from the bare sandstone rocks, toiling to displace large stones and obstacles which they had hardly sufficient strength to move; not a murmur however escaped them; they saw the necessity of the case and exerted their failing energies as readily as they had done when these were in full strength and vigour. The road was at last made and we moved on to the westward, toiling for the remainder of the day amongst steep precipices of barren sandstone rocks and hills, utterly inaccessible to horses, till, finding our efforts to proceed useless, I at last turned the party about and halted them for the night just above where we had breakfasted; intending with the earliest dawn to renew my search for a pass by which we might cross this mountain range.

CHAPTER 10. RETURN TO HANOVER BAY.

UNSUCCESSFUL SEARCH FOR A PASS.

March 31.

This day at dawn I sent out a party under Mr. Lushington and Mr. Walker to try if any pass through the mountains could be found, but they returned in four or five hours to report that it was utterly impossible for horses to proceed further in the direction we desired. During their absence I had made a careful examination of the stores and found that, even at our reduced allowance, we had only provisions left for twenty days; our horses were also reduced in number to twelve, but these, excepting that their feet were sore, were rather improved in condition than otherwise since the commencement of the journey.

CAUSES FOR RETURNING.

My intention had always been, when I found myself reduced to such an extremity as the present, to proceed for a few days by forced marches towards the interior, accompanied by four men, and then, returning to the remainder of the party, to have taken all together back to the vessel; when there I knew I could have got four volunteers to accompany me and, having loaded the horses with ammunition and provisions, I had it in contemplation to have started with them again for Swan River. But these projects became now impracticable from the declining state of my health, consequent on having started too soon after having received my wound, to the exertions I was obliged daily to make whilst labouring under its effects, and to the want of those comforts which contribute so materially to restore an invalid to health. Our allowance of food too had been but scanty, and, whilst I fared as my men, who, unshattered in health, had yet grown thin and weak under privation, I, in proportion, had suffered far more.

PREPARATIONS TO RETURN.

Mr. Walker, who was aware of my design, came to me today and said he felt it his duty to recommend me without delay to return to the vessel; that as long as he thought the risk I ran was no more than he considered a man who had undertaken such a service should be prepared to incur, he had refrained from pressing this advice upon me, but in my present debilitated state exposure even for a single night might very probably cost me my life. To this opinion I felt constrained to yield, and Mr. Walker, having at my desire repeated it in a letter this afternoon, I arranged my plans accordingly.

LIGHT EXPLORING PARTY SENT FORWARD UNDER LIEUTENANT LUSHINGTON.

The march in advance, which, had my health permitted, I had intended to make myself, was now deputed to Mr. Lushington: four of those men who remained the strongest of our enfeebled band were selected for an excursion of three days under him; after which we were to return to the vessel.

April 1 and 2.

At dawn on Sunday the 1st the party started; and these two days I occupied myself in making magnetic and astronomical observations. Our latitude I found by two meridian altitudes of the moon to be 16 degrees 0 minutes 45 seconds south, and our longitude by chronometer 125 degrees 11 minutes east.

REPORT OF ADVANCED PARTY.

April 3.

Mr. Lushington's party came in at 12 o'clock this day, reporting as follows: That they proceeded about eighteen miles from the camp upon a course of 195 degrees from the north, and the remaining half upon a course of 155 1/2 degrees; that the whole of their route lay over a country utterly impassable for horses owing to the steepness of the hills; that they crossed a great number of under-features at right angles to their route, between which lay small streams flowing away to the westward, and which under-features were so steep in their descent to the southward that, in going down, the men repeatedly fell: both grass and water were however everywhere abundant; and they saw, in the spots where the grass was most luxuriant, the root which I found on the hill at our first encampment on the good land. The last point they attained was a lofty hill which ran out from a range to the eastward, from which range sprang also all the under-features that they had crossed. From this hill they had an extensive view to the northward, eastward, and westward. The land they saw to the northward is laid down upon my map.

THEIR DESCRIPTION OF THE COUNTRY.

To the eastward they saw nothing but ranges of hills, precisely resembling those that we had crossed since entering this mountainous district; and to the westward others of the same nature, but gradually falling in that direction, whilst on the other hand the land seemed to rise gently to the eastward, though they saw no very high hills in an easterly direction. To the southward their view was impeded by a very high bluff point, distant six or seven miles, and a line of cliffs under which they conceived that a river or an opening of the sea may run, but if so, it could not be a stream of great magnitude. Their view of the base of the cliff was however impeded by the under-features of the hill on which they stood. They also noticed, as a very remarkable circumstance, that there were no signs of these mountains having been visited by the natives. The first part of their route lay over an extensive plain, four miles in width, which bore no appearance of the great native conflagrations having ever reached it. This was so generally the case that, when they halted, they were unable to obtain a sufficiency of firewood. They saw a native dog of the regular Australian breed; kangaroos were abundant, but these as well as all other game were much less wild than any of the party had before observed.

The foregoing summary of the information brought back rests not on the report of any one individual but expresses the opinions of the party with regard to those points on which they were all agreed; and the only one as to which I have any distrust is that of the distance they went, which I believe to be overrated; having always found the estimates of every one of the party as to the daily distance travelled very erroneous, and sometimes more than doubled. This indeed is a mistake well known to be of common occurrence, and very difficult to guard against in a new and wild country, and when I consider the diminished strength of the men's pedestrian powers, and the weights they had to carry, I am disposed to calculate that the total direct distance they made did not exceed, if it equalled, twelve miles.

WANT OF FIREWOOD.

Their report of want of firewood is singular as, in all other parts which we passed over, even upon plains of a similar character though not so highly elevated or so difficult of access, we had always found the ground thickly covered with trees which had fallen from the effects of the native fires.

The only remarkable circumstances about the spot we were encamped in were the great coldness of the nights and mornings; and moreover that exactly at nine o'clock every morning a cold breeze, in character precisely resembling a sea-breeze, set in from the south-east and lasted until about half-past three in the afternoon.

RETURN. COMMENCEMENT OF MARCH BACK.

April 4.

We this day started on our march homewards. I was afraid, from the appearance of the weather, that we might soon have rain, and, as a continuance of it for even three or four days might have prevented our passing the rivers for several weeks, it became necessary that this part of our march should be accomplished with the utmost celerity. I therefore made the first river before I allowed a halt for breakfast. On our route we passed the spot where, on the 29th ultimo, we had been compelled to kill the horse; the native dogs had already made it a perfect skeleton and scattered its bones about.

NATIVE AND HIS DOG.

I committed unintentionally this day what must have appeared to the natives a very wanton act of aggression: as we were passing the river, a dog, not of the Australian breed, came from a pass in the rocks on the opposite side, moving quietly towards us over some flat rocks; when he had advanced a few yards from the pass he stopped and looked back, so that from his manner I might have known that his master was near, but without reflection I fired and struck the ground close to him; he became alarmed and ran back in the same line he had come; I now took up my own rifle and just as he turned a point in the rocks I fired, and, although a very long shot, I struck him far forward in the shoulder. For a moment he staggered, then turned round and limped up a glen in the hills in quite a different direction. I had neither time nor strength to follow him, but on passing the river I found from the tracks that minute made that a single native had been coming down to the river with the dog, and had (probably from hearing the shots) turned sharp off to the right and made his escape into some bushes. This day the weakness of our last sheep obliged us to kill it.

CONTINUATION OF ROUTE BACK. CHANGE OF TRACK.

April 5.

I continued on our old track this morning until I had passed the other river, and then, quitting our former route, made a push straight over the sandstone ridge for our old enemy the marsh, as I felt sure after the present long continuance of fine weather that it would be now quite passable. We encamped this night on the sandstone range under a group of lofty firs, or rather pines.

April 6.

I found a very easy route over the sandstone, quite passable in fine weather, but after rains, I think, from the marshy nature of the ground, that it would present some difficulty. The marsh itself was perfectly passable, could without any difficulty be drained, and consisted of good and fertile land. A remarkable circumstance connected with it was the great depth of the beds of its streams, the banks in some places being fourteen feet above the existing water level, whilst I could observe no signs of the water having ever risen to that height. In the afternoon I once more struck our old track, which I quitted again in the evening. We halted a few hundred yards from two remarkable heaps of stones of the same kind as those I have before mentioned.

CURIOUS NATIVE MOUNDS OR TOMBS OF STONES.

April 7.

This morning I started off before dawn and opened the most southern of the two mounds of stones which presented the following curious facts:

1. They were both placed due east and west and, as will be seen by the annexed plates, with great regularity.

2. They were both exactly of the same length but differed in breadth and height.

3. They were not formed altogether of small stones from the rock on which they stood, but many were portions of very distant rocks, which must have been brought by human labour, for their angles were as sharp as the day they were broken off; there were also the remains of many and different kinds of seashells in the heap we opened.

My own opinion concerning these heaps of stones had been that they were tombs; and this opinion remains unaltered, though we found no bones in the mound, only a great deal of fine mould having a damp dank smell. The antiquity of the central part of the one we opened appeared to be very great, I should say two or three hundred years; but the stones above were much more modern, the outer ones having been very recently placed; this was also the case with the other heap: can this be regarded by the natives as a holy spot?

We explored the heap by making an opening in the side, working on to the centre, and thence downwards to the middle, filling up the former opening as the men went on; yet five men provided with tools were occupied two hours in completing this opening and closing it again, for I left everything precisely as I had found it. The stones were of all sizes, from one as weighty as a strong man could lift, to the smallest pebble. The base of each heap was covered with a rank vegetation, but the top was clear, from the stones there having been recently deposited.

PASS IN MOUNTAIN RANGE.

In the afternoon we proceeded on our route, travelling nearly north. After marching some distance we traversed at right angles a variety of under-features terminating in sandstone cliffs, but the hills on our right were composed of the same black rock as the chain in which Mount Lyell lies. Private Mustard being ill, I gave him my horse and tried to walk, but injured myself materially by so doing. We were obliged to encamp at the head of a large mangrove inlet.

April 8.

It being Sunday I halted all the morning and only started late in the afternoon. Our route lay through a mountainous country and consequently our progress was slow. Quartz was here largely developed in rocks. We halted this evening in a valley surrounded by mountains.

PASS MOUNT LYELL.

April 9.

We started at dawn and soon found that the valley we had encamped in was the true pass across the range of mountains. It ran in nearly a south-west direction to the foot of Mount Lyell. Here I halted for breakfast; and, on finding my position by cross bearings, which I was now able to do, and comparing it with my position by dead reckoning, was glad to find that the error only amounted to 150 yards. The valley we travelled up in the morning was fertile, connected with several other large ones of similar character, and contained two small lakes, or large ponds of water, the least of which was elevated considerably above the low ground in the neighbourhood. In the afternoon we crossed the mountains by a narrow neck, which is the best pass over this range of hills for anyone travelling to the south and east. We crossed our old track twice in the afternoon and encamped in the evening under a conical hill.

April 10.

Started at dawn, travelling nearly north-west, and crossed the heads of all the streams which I had before seen emptying themselves into the river Glenelg in the opening lying between Mount Sturt and Mount Eyre. Just under the point where we encamped for the night was a large marsh in which my horse got bogged and I had a severe fall.

CONTINUATION OF ROUTE.

April 11.

On starting this morning all the party insisted that they saw a hill, under which our old track had passed. I felt convinced that such could not be the case; and, had it been so, an error of four miles must have existed in my map: yet all were so positive of their correctness that I felt it would appear like obstinacy in me not to yield to the general opinion. I therefore quitted our direct course to make for the foot of this hill, and there convinced myself that I was right; yet, even when we had now passed it, proceeding on our route, I heard several remark, "We shall soon march back here again." But this evening I had the pleasure of halting under the sandstone range, and the very hill we had wished to gain.

RECOVERY OF BURIED STORES.

April 12.

We marched early, and on the way passed more native tombs; when we came to the place where the horse had been left I found that, through inadvertence on the part of the man who led him, he had been starved to death, having been left tethered. This discovery shocked me much. Some of the stores which had been left where he fell and covered with a tarpaulinremained uninjured. We proceeded onwards to the camp where I had lain so long wounded, and, on arriving found all our provisions in good order, the natives apparently not having since visited the spot. We were not a little glad to find our preserved meats which had been left buried here. Halted for the night, and enjoyed our repast.

PRECAUTIONS ON REACHING HANOVER BAY.

April 13.

After digging up our supply of preserved meats yesterday we had made rather more free with them than was prudent in men who had been for so long a time compelled to subsist upon very scanty fare, and in consequence had been nearly all affected with violent sickness; and, as six of the party, including Mr. Lushington and myself, were now ill, we did not start very early; the remaining ponies were also so weak that they could scarcely carry themselves, and we therefore were only able to place very light loads upon them.

I have already described the very difficult nature of the country we had to traverse; but the roads we had previously constructed through it proved extremely serviceable. So little had they been injured that they formed a very fair and passable line of communication. Early in the evening we crossed the Lushington and halted at the summit of the cliffs which formed its northern bank.

April 14.

I sent the most efficient of the party back with the horses for the remaining stores whilst with four men I remained in charge of the tents.

ANXIETY ON APPROACHING HANOVER BAY.

Sunday April 15.

Our anxiety to ascertain if any accident had happened to the schooner now became very great: since such a circumstance was of course by no means impossible. As our position would then have been very precarious, and our only chance of ultimate safety have rested on the most exact discipline and cautious rules of conduct being observed from the very first, I thought it would be most prudent not to allow such a calamity (had it occurred) to burst too suddenly upon the men when they were quite unprepared for it.

Two of them were therefore selected and, accompanied by these, I started before daylight for the sandy beach in Hanover Bay; leaving the party to make the best of their way to the heights above the valley where we had first encamped, and where plenty of food and water could be found for the ponies; these, in the event of anything having happened to the schooner, would become the mainstay of our hopes.

These arrangements having been made we moved off through the rocky difficult country we had first encountered: every step we took was over well-known ground, in which no change had taken place save that there were evident marks of bodies of natives having been in the neighbourhood since our departure.

As I proceeded nearly in a direct line to Hanover Bay we encountered some difficulty from the broken character of the ground, but about eleven o'clock had gained the hilly country at the back of the beach, from whence however we could not obtain a view of the spot where the vessel lay. On emerging from the mangroves upon the beach we saw painted upon the sandstone cliffs, in very large letters, "Beagle Observatory, letters south-east 52 paces."

REJOIN THE LYNHER. MEETING WITH THE BEAGLE.

No one who has not been similarly situated can at all conceive the thrill which went through me when these letters first met my eye; even had anything happened to the schooner, friends were upon the coast, and I knew that Captain Wickham, who had passed a great portion of his life in adventures of this kind, would leave nothing undone which was in his power to ensure our safety. We now hurried across the beach, and on gaining the highest part of it saw the little schooner riding safely at anchor. A gun being fired all became life and expectation on board the vessel; and whilst the boat pulled ashore we searched for our letters. These had however not yet been deposited at the spot indicated, and I therefore conjectured that we should find them on board.

On reaching the vessel we learnt that the mate was gone to the Beagle, now lying in Port George the Fourth but expected to sail this very day. It appeared that at 7 o'clock on the morning of the 8th the report of four carronades was heard on board the schooner; this was conjectured by all to denote the presence of the Beagle on the coast, but the echo ran from cliff to cliff with so many reverberations that none could tell from what direction the sound had originally proceeded. The silence of the night was not again disturbed; and those on board the schooner felt no small solicitude to know if their conjectures were correct, and if so in what direction the Beagle lay.

ARRIVAL OF THE BEAGLE.

The next morning the mystery was cleared up. Before noon a yawl was seen to round the headland and to stand across the bay in the direction of the mouth of Prince Regent's River. As soon as the schooner was recognised the yawl altered her course, and Captain Wickham was soon on board the Lynher, making anxious enquiries for us and ascertaining what steps could be taken to assist us and promote our views.

From that time up to the present date the Beagle had lain in Port George the Fourth to take in wood, water, etc., and to await the return of Mr. Stokes, who was absent exploring the coast between Collier's Bay and Port George the Fourth.

As there was no time to lose I at once started in a boat for the Beagle, and it was late in the evening when we drew near it. I could see anxious groups looking eagerly at the little boat as it drew near, and when at length we were recognised the hearty cheers that greeted us as we came up alongside plainly showed that the pleasure of meeting was not confined to ourselves.

RESULTS OF HER SURVEY.

As Mr. Stokes was hourly expected to return, and I was very anxious to know if he had discovered the mouth of the Glenelg, I remained on board the Beagle and, as all had much to hear and much to communicate, the evening wore rapidly away. The next day Mr. Stokes arrived, having seen nothing of the mouth of the river; this however in my apprehension arose from the greater portion of the time they were absent having been spent in the examination of Collier's Bay, which was the point of by far the greatest interest and promise; and that consequently they were compelled, from want of time and supplies, to examine the intervening coastline less narrowly than its irregular character rendered necessary. What rather confirms this opinion is, that Captain King, in his survey of this part, states his belief, drawn from observation, that it is indented with inlets similar to Prince Regent's River, now this is exactly the character of the Glenelg.

Mr. Stokes described Camden Sound as being one of the finest harbours he had seen; and, such being the case, it must undoubtedly be the most important position on this part of the coast. It lies close to the Glenelg and Prince Regent's River, two large navigable streams; and I have already declared my opinion that I have never seen a richer tract of country than the extensive alluvial and basaltic districts in the neighbourhood of the Glenelg, and under the rare circumstance of lying between two navigable rivers which are separated from each other by so short an interval.

PREPARATIONS FOR REEMBARKING.

Soon after Mr. Stokes's arrival I started for the Lynher, and the next morning repaired on shore. During my absence on board the Beagle fourteen natives had made their appearance near the encampment on the cliffs above the valley; they appeared however to have been solely attracted from motives of curiosity and a desire to visit our former huts. From the fearful disposition which had hitherto been evinced by the natives of these parts it was necessary however that every precaution should be observed. This was most carefully done by Mr. Lushington; and as soon as the natives saw that they were watched they moved off and were not again observed, although the smokes of their fires were visible in several points.

On the 17th we commenced our preparations for leaving this part of the coast. The stores remaining were all carried on board. We had but eleven ponies left, the greater number of which were so marked and scarred from falls amongst the rocks that they would have been valueless if brought to sale; besides which, to have cut and dried a quantity of grass sufficient for them until we reached the Isle of France would, in the burnt up state of the country, have delayed us many days, had we even succeeded at last. On the other hand, if left free in the bush, two good mares which were amongst them might possibly be the means of giving a very valuable race of horses to this country. These considerations determined me; and the companions of our weary wanderings were turned loose—a new race upon the land; and, as we trusted, to become the progenitors of a numerous herd.

STATE OF THE PLANTS AND SEEDS LEFT AT THE ENCAMPMENT.

Our whole residence in this country had been marked by toils and sufferings. Heat, wounds, hunger, thirst, and many other things had combined to harass us. Under these circumstances it might have been imagined that we left these shores without a single regret; but such was far from being the case: when the ponies had wandered off, when all the remaining stores had been removed, and the only marks of our residence in this valley were a few shattered bark huts, young coconut plants, a bread-fruit, and some other useful trees and plants, I felt very loth to leave the spot. I considered what a blessing to the country these plants must eventually prove if they should continue to thrive as they had yet done and, as I called to mind how much forethought and care their transport to their present position had occasioned, I would very gladly have passed a year or two of my life in watching over them and seeing them attain to a useful maturity. One large pumpkin plant in particular claimed my notice. The tropical warmth and rains, and the virgin soil in which it grew, had imparted to it a rich luxuriance: it did not creep along the ground, but its long shoots were spreading upwards amongst the trees. The young coconuts grew humbly amidst the wild plants and reeds, their worth unknown. Most of these plants I had placed in the ground myself, and had watched their early progress: now they must be left to their fate.

REEMBARKATION.

Amidst such thoughts we resumed our course down the valley and embarked in the boats; but had not proceeded far when a dog belonging to one of the men was missed and, as we could not abandon so faithful a companion, a party returned to search for it, and the dog was brought safely on board.

SAIL FOR THE MAURITIUS.

We then weighed and sailed for the Isle of France, where we arrived on the 17th May without having met with any circumstance on our voyage worthy of record.

CHAPTER 11. NATURAL HISTORY. CLIMATE. ABORIGINES.

NATURAL HISTORY.

North-Western Australia seems to be peculiarly prolific in birds, reptiles, and insects, who dwell here nearly unmolested, mutually preying upon each other, and thus, by a wise provision, setting the necessary check to their own multiplication.

DISTRIBUTION OF ANIMALS.

Of quadrupeds there are but few species, and of these the individuals, considered in proportion to the surface they roam over, are rare. The only species I observed during a residence of five months were four of kangaroos, namely the large Macropus giganteus ? of Shaw, two smaller kinds, one of which is the Petrogale brachyotis of Gould, and a kangaroo rat, which last is always seen amongst the rocks on the sea coast. One species of opossum, a flying squirrel (Petaurista) two kinds of dog, of which one is new, rats, and a fieldmouse. Of these the kangaroos are alone numerous, and only in particular spots.

NEW KANGAROO.

I shot a female kangaroo of the Petrogale brachyotis near Hanover Bay, and by the preservation of the skin and other parts enabled Mr. Gould to identify it as a new species.

This graceful little animal is excessively wild and shy in its habits, frequenting, in the daytime, the highest and most inaccessible rocks, and only descending into the valleys to feed early in the morning and late in the evening. When disturbed in the daytime amongst the roughest and most precipitous rocks, it bounds along from one to the other with the greatest apparent facility, and is so watchful and wary in its habits that it is by no means easy to get a shot at it. One very surprising thing is, how it can support the temperature to which it is exposed in the situations it always frequents amongst the burning sandstone rocks, the mercury there during the heat of the day being frequently at 136 degrees. I have never seen these animals in the plains or lowlands, and believe that they frequent mountains alone.

NEW DOMESTIC DOG.

The new species of dog differs totally from the Dingo or Canis australiensis. I never saw one nearer than from twenty to thirty yards, and was unable to procure a specimen. Its colour is the same as that of the Australian dog, in parts however having a blackish tinge. The muzzle is narrow, long, thin, and tapers much, resembling that of a greyhound, whilst in general form it approaches the English lurcher. Some of the party who went to Timor stated it to resemble precisely the Malay dog common to that island, and considered it to be of the same breed; which I think not improbable, as I cannot state that I ever saw one wild, or unless in the vicinity of natives; in company with whom they were generally observed in a domesticated state. On the other hand the Canis australiensis was common in some parts in a state of nature: of these I saw several myself and, from the descriptions given by other individuals of the party of dogs they had observed, I recognised their identity with the same species. We heard them also repeatedly howling during the night and, although they never attacked our sheep or goats, many portions of dead animals were carried off by them. I saw but two flying squirrels and know not to which species of Petaurista they are to be referred.

OTHER ANIMALS.

Both mice and rats are common, the former precisely resembling in appearance the English fieldmouse. The rats on one occasion ate up a live pet parakeet, leaving the bones gnawed and strewed about; and on another, when I had shot a crane (Ardea scolopacea) intending it for breakfast, they in the night devoured nearly the whole of it.

CHECKS ON INCREASE OF ANIMALS.

The multiplication of kangaroos, opossums, rats, etc. may be checked by various causes; but man, I imagine, is the most deadly enemy they have to contend with. The numerous remains of these animals that I have seen about the native fires attest the number destroyed. In all those caves in which I found native paintings were representations either of kangaroo hunts, or of men bringing down these animals dead on their shoulders; and many a hollow tree bore witness of its having been smoked in order to drive forth to certain death the trembling opossum or bandicoot rat which had taken refuge in it.

INFLUENCE OF MAN ON THEIR HABITS.

A convincing proof of the dread in which man is held by the various kinds of kangaroos is given by their extreme shyness. I never but on two or three occasions got within shot of the larger kangaroos as they were always so wary; and, although I at different times wounded two, I never could succeed in actually capturing either. Now, when the detached party sent forward just before we commenced our return to Hanover Bay crossed a range of mountains on which were neither traces of the natives or their fires, they found the direct reverse of this to be the case, and were all surprised at the tameness of the kangaroos compared with those they had previously seen.

In the same way, when I entered a new district, the birds merely flew up into a lofty tree without attempting to go farther away, and it was not until I had shot for a day or two in the neighbourhood of a place that the birds there became at all wild.

The native dog, doubtless being dependent for subsistence upon the game he can procure, must contribute to thin the numbers of the lesser animals, who also, together perhaps with the rapacious dog himself, frequently fall a prey to the various snakes that inhabit the country; as was evinced in the event narrated on the 16th of March of the destruction, by Mr. Lushington, of the boa with a small kangaroo compressed in its folds.

The manner, too, in which I have seen the rapacious birds of prey soar over plains where the small kangaroos abound, convinces me that they also bear their part in the destruction of this harmless race.

TRACES OF AN ANIMAL WITH A DIVIDED HOOF.

I have already alluded to the paucity of quadrupeds, both in species and in number, but I have still to record the remarkable fact of the existence in these parts of a large quadruped with a divided hoof: this animal I have never seen, but twice came upon its traces. On one occasion I followed its track for above a mile and a half, and at last altogether lost it in rocky ground. The footmarks exceeded in size those of a buffalo, and it was apparently much larger, for, where it had passed through brushwood, shrubs of considerable size in its way had been broken down and, from the openings there left, I could form some comparative estimate of its bulk. These tracks were first seen by a man of the name of Mustard, who had joined me at the Cape, and who had there been on the frontier during the Kaffir war; he told me that he had seen the spoor of a buffalo, imagining that they were here as plentiful as in Africa. I conceived at the time that he had made some mistake, and paid no attention to him until I afterwards twice saw the same traces myself.

BIRDS.

To describe the birds common to these parts requires more time than to detail the names of the few quadrupeds to be found; indeed in no other country that I have yet visited do birds so abound. Even the virgin forests of South America cannot, in my belief, boast of such numerous feathered denizens; yet I cannot, after all, assert that the number of genera and species is at all proportionate to that of individual birds. The contrary is probably the real case.

BEAUTY OF THE BIRDS.

The birds of this country possess in many instances an excessively beautiful plumage; and he alone who has traversed these wild and romantic regions, who has beheld a flock of many-coloured parakeets sweeping like a moving rainbow through the air whilst the rocks and dells resounded with their playful cries, can form any adequate idea of the scenes that there burst on the eyes of the wondering naturalist.

The beginning of the month of February, or the end of January, is the season in which the birds in these parts pair. In the beginning of March I found many nests with eggs in them; and in the end of that month eggs nearly hatched were observed in most of the nests, as well as young birds occasionally.

RAPACIOUS BIRDS.

Of rapacious birds I saw but four kinds, but these are by no means common:

The first species was a very large bird, of a dark colour (Aquila fucosa, Cuvier) in size, appearance, and flight closely resembling the golden eagle which I have often seen, and have once shot on the north-west coast of Ireland. I have approached these birds closely—so closely indeed that I have on two occasions shot them, but each time they fell into a thick mangrove inlet and I was not fortunate enough to procure either of them; they appeared to me always to frequent the shores, for I never saw them further inland than a mile from the sea. The large nests Captain King mentions as having been found upon the coast I imagine must have belonged to this species.

The second species was a sort of hawk (Haliaeetus leucosternus, Gould) rather larger than the sparrow-hawk, of a light cinnamon colour, with a perfectly white head. They also frequent the shores, but I never shot one.

The third species was a Peregrine falcon (Falco melanogenys, Gould) which is nearly allied to that of Europe. I was not fortunate enough to procure a specimen of this bird.

The fourth was the Athene Boobook. Belly brown and white; wings brown, with white spots; third quill-feather, longest; legs feathered, lightish brown colour; tail brownish white, marked with transverse bars of a darker brown; eye prominent; iris blue. The only difference I could observe between the male and female is that the female is rather larger than the male, and her colours somewhat lighter. These birds inhabit the whole of that part of North-western Australia lying between the Prince Regent and Glenelg Rivers, and probably may be distributed over the greater portion of the Continent. They feed on insects, reptiles, and birds of the smaller kind. I have always found them seated in holes in the rocks, or in shady dells, and have never seen them fly in the daytime unless compelled by fear; they are very stupid when disturbed, and in flight and manner closely resemble the common English owl. I cannot however recollect having ever seen one on the wing during the night.

Upon describing the two singular birds mentioned above in Chapter 9 to Mr. Gould he informed me that they were most probably of the rare species Anas semipalmata.

REMARKABLE NEST.

I have already spoken in the 9th chapter of a very curious sort of nest which was frequently found by myself and other individuals of the party, not only along the seashore, but in some instances at a distance of six or seven miles from it. This nest, which is figured in Illustration 19, I once conceived must have belonged to the kangaroo rat I have above mentioned, until Mr. Gould, who has lately returned from Australia, informed me that it is the run or playing ground of the bird he has named Chalmydera nuchalis.

These nests were formed of dead grass, and parts of bushes, sunk a slight depth into two parallel furrows, in sandy soil, and then nicely arched above. But the most remarkable fact connected with them was that they were always full of broken shells, large heaps of which protruded from each extremity of the nest. These were invariably seashells. In one instance, in the nest most remote from the sea that we discovered, one of the men of the party found and brought to me the stone of some fruit which had evidently been rolled in the sea; these stones he found lying in a heap in the nest, and they are now in my possession.

EMUS.

I have seen no Emus in North-western Australia, but on two occasions their tracks were impressed in the mud on some plains lying on the banks of Glenelg River; and Mr. Dring, of H.M.S. Beagle, informed me that, whilst that vessel was employed in the survey of Fitzroy River, about seventy miles to the southward of the former, he not only several times saw traces of them but that, on one occasion when he was in the bush, two of them passed within a few yards of him. They may, I conceive, therefore be considered as inhabitants of this part of the continent.

ALLIGATORS.

No alligators were seen by the land party in any of the rivers of North-western Australia, but the crew of the schooner saw one in Hanover Bay. I can however safely assert from my own experience that they are by no means numerous upon this coast. At the islands of Timor and Roti however they abound.

TURTLES.

Turtles were abundant on the coast, and a freshwater tortoise was found inland.

PLANTS.

Amongst the vegetable kingdom I shall only observe generally that the Calamus, or rattan, which in King's voyage* is considered to be peculiar to the primary granitic formation on the east coast, is abundant in the interior of the north-west between latitude 15 and 17 degrees south.

(*Footnote. Appendix, volume 2.)

I found a dwarf cabbage-palm between 15 and 16 degrees south latitude, always in moist situations in the neighbourhood of streams, although not immediately on the banks.

Of the family of Urticeae many species of Ficus were observed.

The Banksia, common to Swan River, and bearing a yellow flower, is to be found in many of the valleys on the north-west coast; thus appearing to form an exception to Mr. Cunningham's observation inserted in Captain King's voyage,* wherein he says:

Viewing the general distribution of Banksia, it is a singular fact in the geographical distribution of this genus that its species, which have been traced through almost every meridian of the south coast, upon the islands in Bass Strait, in Van Diemen's Land, and widely scattered throughout the whole extent of New South Wales to the north coast, at which extreme Banksia dentata has been observed as far west as longitude 136 degrees south, should be wholly wanting on the line of the north-west coast.

(*Footnote. Ibid.)

I observed a great variety of plants of the order Leguminosae.

Of the extraordinary Capparis resembling the African Adansonia I have already spoken in Chapter 6.

A species of Callitris (Pine) was common, as was the Pandanus; and the Araucaria excelsa was found on the heights, both near the sea coast and further inland.

CLIMATE. ITS HEALTHINESS.

I conceive the climate of North-western Australia to be one of the finest in the world, and my reasons for thus thinking are grounded upon the following circumstances.

PROOFS OF ITS SALUBRITY.

I was resident there from the beginning of the month of December 1837 to the middle of the month of April 1838; a period of four months and a half: and during the whole of this time the men under my command were exposed to great hardships and privations. On one occasion three of us slept in the open air without any covering or warm clothes for five successive nights, during three of which we had constant showers of heavy rain, and yet did not in any way suffer from this exposure.

Other detached parties were on various occasions subjected for a shorter period to exposure of a similar nature, and no instance occurred of any individual suffering in the least from it. One or two cases of slight diarrhoea occurred, but they could be always traced to some food that had been eaten the day before, and never were sufficiently violent to delay us for a single hour.

Whilst this perfect freedom from disease existed amongst the party they had not only to bear exposure of the nature above stated, but the provisions with which I was enabled to supply them were sometimes very insufficient for their wants. During the whole month of March and part of April their daily full allowance of food was about 1 3/4 pounds of flour, first made into dough and then baked in the form of a flat cake upon a large stone.

This low diet, at the same time that they were compelled to work very hard, naturally rendered some of them extremely weak, and several were, on our return to the coast, in a very reduced state.

I should here state that we were (perhaps fortunately) unable to carry more than one pint of brandy with us, hence no spirits were issued to the men, and the non-appearance of diseases of an inflammatory nature may perhaps in some measure be attributed to this circumstance.

The opinion of Captain Wickham, R.N. commanding H.M. ship Beagle, is perfectly in accordance with my own. He was upon the coast at the same time that we were, and in a letter to me writes thus: "Our cruise has been altogether a fortunate one, as we have been enabled to examine the whole coast from Cape Villaret to this place (Port George the Fourth) without any accident, and the climate is so good that we have had no sick."

THERMOMETRICAL OBSERVATIONS. RAIN AND TEMPERATURE.

I have annexed a short statement of the weather and range of the thermometer during some parts of the months of December, January, and February. It will be seen from this that the heat was on some occasions great, even as high as to 136 degrees of Fahrenheit in the sun; yet, by not exposing ourselves to its influence in the heat of the day more than we could help, we suffered no inconvenience from this circumstance: indeed in other tropical countries where the heat has not been so great I have suffered much more than I did in North-western Australia.

NUMBER OF DAYS IN WHICH RAIN FELL:

December: 6 days. January: 19 days, namely, 12, to January 19th, 4 between 19th and 28th, 3 to end of month. February: 7 days. March: 12 days. To 12th April: 2 days.

In January the greatest quantity of rain fell between the 15th and 30th, accompanied by storms of thunder and lightning.

In February the greatest quantity of rain fell in the commencement of the month. For several nights in the middle of February we had thunder, lightning, and strong gusts of wind, seldom accompanied by rain.

In March the greatest quantity of rain fell from the 17th to the 23rd.

The mean temperature of the different periods of the day for the month of December 1838 at Hanover Bay, determined by observations for only six successive days from the 26th to the 31st inclusive (thermometer in the shade) are as follows:

6 A.M. 82.2. 9 A.M. 85.3. 12 m. 91.3. 3 P.M. 90.2. 6 P.M. 85.8. 9 P.M. 83.5.

The same for the month of January 1838, determined by observations made from the 1st to the 19th inclusive, was:

6 A.M. 78.2. 9 A.M. 84.3. 12 M. 83.1. 3 P.M. 85.7. 6 P.M. 80.7. 9 P.M. 83.4.

I should observe that the mean temperature for 9 P.M. for this month is deduced from only seven days observation.

The same as the above for the month of February, taken twelve miles to the south of Hanover Bay, from the 19th to the 26th February inclusive, is as follows:

6 A.M. 77.0. 9 A.M. 86.0. 12 A.M. 92.7. 3 P.M. 94.0. 6 P.M. 83.3.

ABORIGINES, THEIR HABITS AND MANNERS.

I was never fortunate enough to succeed in obtaining a friendly interview with the natives of these parts; but I have repeatedly seen them closely, was twice forced into dispute with them and, in one of these instances, into deadly conflict. My knowledge of them is chiefly drawn from what I have observed of their haunts, their painted caves, and drawings. I have moreover become acquainted with several of their weapons, some of their ordinary implements, and I took some pains to study their disposition and habits as far as I could.

In their manner of life, their roving habits, their weapons, and mode of hunting, they closely resemble the other Australian tribes with which I have since become pretty intimately acquainted; whilst in their form and appearance there is a striking difference. They are in general very tall and robust, and exhibit in their legs and arms a fine full development of muscle which is unknown to the southern races.

They wear no clothes, and their bodies are marked by scars and wales. They seem to have no regular mode of dressing their hair, this appearing to depend entirely on individual taste or caprice.

They appear to live in tribes subject, perhaps, to some individual authority; and each tribe has a sort of capital, or headquarters, where the women and children remain whilst the men, divided into small parties, hunt and shoot in different directions. The largest number we saw together amounted to nearly two hundred, women and children included.

THEIR WEAPONS AND IMPLEMENTS.

Their arms consist of stone-headed spears (which they throw with great strength and precision) of throwing sticks, boomerangs or kileys, clubs, and stone hatchets. The dogs they use in hunting I have already stated to be of a kind unknown in other parts of Australia, and they were never seen wild by us.

The natives manufacture their water-buckets and weapons very neatly; and make from the bark of a tree a light but strong cord. Their huts, of which I only saw those on the sea-coast, are constructed in an oval form of the boughs of trees, and are roofed with dry reeds. The diameter of one which I measured was about fourteen feet at the base.

LANGUAGE.

Their language is soft and melodious, so much so as to lead to the inference that it differs very materially, if not radically, from the more southern Australian dialects which I have since had an opportunity of enquiring into. Their gesticulation is expressive, and their bearing manly and noble. They never speared a horse or sheep belonging to us and, judging by the degree of industry shown in the execution of some of their paintings, the absence of anything offensive in the subjects delineated, and the careful finish of some articles of common use, I should infer that under proper treatment they might easily be raised very considerably in the scale of civilization.

INDIVIDUALS OF AN ALIEN WHITE RACE.

A remarkable circumstance is the presence amongst them of a race, to appearance, totally different, and almost white, who seem to exercise no small influence over the rest. I am forced to believe that the distrust evinced towards strangers arose from these persons, as in both instances, when we were attacked, the hostile party was led by one of these light-coloured men.