had run foul of some sunken tree-and filled almost immediately. Mr. White had, on the instant, managed to run her ashore across another sunken trunk, and thus prevented her from going down in deep water, opposite to another steep bank. By this disaster our whole stock of tea, sugar, and tobacco, with part of our flour and pork, were immersed in the water, but fortunately all the gunpowder had been stowed in the first boat. This catastrophe furnished another instance of the activity of the sailors: the cargo was got out, and the sunken boat being hauled up, a rent was discovered in the canvass of her larboard bow. This the sailmaker patched with a piece of canvass; a fire was made; tar was melted and applied; the boat was set afloat; reloaded, and again under weigh in an hour and a half. 'Once more upon the waters,' every thing seemed to promise a successful voyage down the river; but our hopes were doomed to be of short duration, for, as I again awaited the re-appearance of the second boat, a shout similar to the first again arose, and on running across the point of land within the river bend, I found her once more on the point of going down from similar damage sustained in the starboard bow. It was now near 5 P.M., and the labours of the day had been sufficient to convince me that the course of the Nammoy could be much more conveniently traced at that time by a journey on land, than with boats of canvass on the water." On the 31st December they resume their land-journey, and on the 5th of January arrive in the country beyond the mountains which they had in vain attempted to cross, having found an open and accessible way round their ridges; and it now remained to be ascertained whether "the large river," as described by the Barber, was near; according to him it was the first river met with after crossing the range north east by north of Tangulda. One of the great difficulties of this country is the want of water; and, as the expedition travelled in the very height of the Australian summer, which is our winter, they voluntarily took the bull by the horns. The thermometer was frequently at a hundred, and the sufferings of the men and cattle were often dreadfully severe. On the 6th of January we thus find him searching for water. At length the wheel of one of the carts, and the axle of another, became unserviceable. The Major then rode forward for about three miles in search of water for an encampment. He came upon a slight hollow, and followed it down, but it disappeared in a level plain surrounded by rising grounds. The search became anxious. One dry pond encouraged his hopes of finding water, and he continued his search along a flat where the grass had been recently on fire. From this, pursuing a kangaroo, he came upon a wellmarked water-course, with deep holes, line of these holes downwards, he at but they were all dry. Tracing the last was fortunate enough to find a deep pool of water. Here, therefore, they encamped, and their good fortune was not at an end, for they soon after found two very large ponds on a rocky bed. In our verdurous climate we know little of the miseries that want of water occasions in others; we lose half the genuine enjoyments of simple nature by having them in too great profusion. These pools seem to have made every one happy; such are the virtues of a draught of cold water. The very landscape enjoyed it, for the spot was covered with rich grass, and was enclosed by shady thickets. "The prospect," says Major Mitchell," of two days' repose for the cattle in that verdure, and under those shades, was most refreshing to us all. It was, indeed, a charming spot, enlivened by numbers of pigeons, and the songs of little birds in strange but pleasing notes." Thus Still the heat was intense; the thermometer was at ninety during the night. Few of the men could sleep, there was not a breath of wind, and the heat was overpowering. even night, which had previously afforded a relief from the day, was no longer their friend. The effect was formidable, weakening their cattle, drying up the water, destroying their wheels, and nourishing the fires in the grass and woods, which covered the country with smoke, until, in the narrator's words, "humidity seemed to us the very essence of existence, water almost an object of adoration." The thermometer at this date (it was January) ranged from 96 to 101 during the day; and, during the last five nights, had stood as high as 90 from sunset to sunrise! From the time of their leaving Sydney they had met with only one day of rain. They now left each "friendly water-hole in the greatest uncertainty whether they should ever drink again ! Such are the perils which still remain, after the dangers of flood and field are exhausted, to try the heroism of the traveller. Probably, a slight addition of heat might have realised the uncertainty, and they might never have drunk again, but left their bones in the desert as a warning to all future temerity. The mind of "gentlemen who sit at home at ease," surrounded by the labours of water companies, and companies of all kinds, and having light, watching, and cool streets at command, on the simple terms of paying a few shillings, yet are peevish at the state of society, and praise the times "When wild in woods the noble savage ran,' ought to make a voyage to New South Wales, and a summer's journey through it, with the sun in the vertex, if it were only for the purpose of reconciling themselves to England, and the misfortune of having in it every thing that man can devise. They should follow this gallant soldier, man of science, and man of accomplishment, across the fiery sands of the Australian wilderness, and record their experience for the benefit of all the discontented. The party, after watching the rolling of clouds from the north-west, with, perhaps, the same anxiety which is felt by the sailor in a famine, watching the distant sail that is to bring him bread, saw the evening fall without a shower. But the storm broke somewhere, for the next morning rose cool and with a pleasant breeze. The party now set forward, and, after travelling some miles, they entered a forest. There they heard the sound of the native's axe, and saw fires. As they advanced they surprised a native in a tree, so busily cutting out an opossum that he did not see them till they were close upon him. A woman and her child first gave the alarm, on which he stared at the strange assemblage with a look of horror, and immediately calling to the female in an authoritative tone, she disappeared in the woods. He then threw his club to the foot of the tree, and ascended to its highest branch. Major Mitchell called to him, and made some signs to give him confidence, but this attempt t peace was to no purpose. The party then moved quietly forward, on which the wild man came down from the tree, picked up two spears which lay on the ground, and ran off. They then heard calls in various directions, and the words, "white fellow," pronounced very loudly and distinctly—a name, of course, borrowed from the settlers, but evidently conveying at the time strong feelings of either hatred or fear. Journeys of this kind must keep the traveller in a perpetual state of excitement; sometimes, of course, not unconnected with alarm at the chance of stumbling on some horde of savages— a nest of human hornets, whose stings might make the explorers pay dear for the more formidable hazard of dying their knowledge; sometimes, too, from of famine or thirst. Still, what travel in a known country can approach the interest of treading an unknown one? They touch on the verge of a plain-it has never been touched by an European foot since its creation-it may contain a hundred plants never heard of before, and among them may supply some specific for some intractable disease, or some incalculable addition to the nutriment of man. They reach the skirts of a mountain-they may have only to climb its summit to see some unrivalled and unexpected region of fertility-to look over some landscape of novel loveliness, or ascertain some grand and leading feature which decides the form of the continent. They cross a rivulet-it may be the little parent of some mighty stream whose course leads through the bosom of the land, a noble depositary of future national riches, and whose discovery shall immortalise the man who has merely proved its existence. Under such circumstances we feel no wonder at the eagerness with which journeys and voyages of discovery are adopted by manly and enterprising minds. Even the inhospitable wilds of the polar regions have their attraction. Even Africa, with its crafty and cruel savages, its sands and its wild beasts, cannot deter daily adventure. But of all explorations, we should conceive, that one such as the present must have excited the highest interest. The expedition wa through a soil where every portion o their progress was not only new, bu an addition to the actual territory o the explorer's country-where the se S curity from casual failure was almost complete, and where the success was sure to increase the distinctions and rewards of the manly investigator. It had somewhat of the feeling which an heir might have in taking a view of his inheritance for the first time-all before him new, and all before him his own. The convict's information had hitherto been "a mingled yarn," partly false, but partly so true, that the Major, with all his sagacity, at last began to think that the "Kindur" lay before him. After traversing some plains, of which the interior of Australia seems chiefly composed, they came, on the 9th January, to a fine lagoon of considerable extent, brimful of pure water, short grass growing on the brink, no reeds, and a sprinkling of All this was favourwater lilies. able. Here they filled their kegs and kettles. They next crossed some rising ground, on which they perceived, to their astonishment and exultation, dry tufts of grass, old logs, and other drift matter, left high in the Of course, this branches of the trees. showed that the ground was inundated from time to time, an inundation which could proceed from nothing less than "I felt confia powerful stream. dent," says Major Mitchell, "that we were at length approaching something new, perhaps the large river-the On Kindur of the bush-ranger." descending by a very gentle slope, a dark and dense line of gigantic blue gum-trees, growing amid long grass and reeds, encouraged their hopes that they had at length found "the big river." A margin of rich soil, covered with long grass and scored with deep furrows, intervened. The Major galloped over this, and saw a broad silvery expanse shaded by steep banks and lofty trees. No current was perceptible in the water, but the breadth and depth far exceeded those of the Nammoy. Nevertheless, this was not the Kindur, but evidently the Gwydir, a river previously discovered, but in a higher Yet it may easily part of its course. be conceived that the discovery, though a disappointment, was delightful. It was a new feature of the country to them, and, after so much privation, heat, and exposure, the living stream and umbrageous foliage gave them a grateful sense of abundance, coolness, and shade. Trees of great magnitude land Such give a grand character to any ness. He now advanced across the river, which, though, probably, in the rainy season a powerful stream, at this period was not above the ankle. Riding some miles northward over a plain, he found another channel of a river. But here he had an instance of the wilderAs he approached a thicket he saw a kangaroo, which sat looking at him and his horse till they were near it; and as the Major was asking his servant whether they could carry it back if they shot it, the horse, suddenly pricking his ears, drew his eye to a native, apparently also speculating on On perceiving the the kangaroo, and with two spears on his shoulder. Major, the savage changed the object of his attention, stared for a moment, then took a step back, and, swinging his right arm in the air, poised one of The Major has evidently the his spears, and stood in the attitude to throw. glance of a painter, for his sketches in these volumes are very able; but he, probably, never was less delighted by the picturesque of the human form This Mars or than at this instant. Apollo of the desert was a tall figure, covered with pipe clay, which, if it did not make him, as it probably was meant "And his to do, beautiful, yet made him piebald and conspicuous. as he had probably never position of defiance," the Major oba horse before, was manly serves, enough." To have got out of his way would naturally be the first idea, unless the rifle could anticipate the spear. But the Major was a soldier, and little, according to our ideas, as any demand was made for the display of intrepi dity under the circumstances, he chose not to retire. But he was also anxious to avoid beginning a quarrel with the natives. He, therefore, took the bolder alternative of galloping up to the spearman's front. This charge was effectual. The sudden movement of the English centaur perplexed the savage. seen 66 He turned on his heel, and went at a dog-trot into the woods. The Major now felt that he might retreat with a safe conscience-found a convenient cover by which he could return, without showing his back to the enemy, and took up his position upon the river with all the honours of war. The party now turned from the northern course westward, and found a change of weather. It rained heavily, the Gwydir marked its winter course by deep and extensive hollows, and here they fell in with a specimen of an Australian Arcadia. Crossing one of these hollows, they passed among the huts of a native tribe. They were tastefully distributed among drooping acacias and casuarinæ. Some resembled howers under yellow fragrant mimosa; some were isolated under deep shades, while others were placed more socially, three or four huts together, fronting to one and the same fire. Each was semi-circular or circular; most of them were close to the trunk of a tree; and they were covered, not, as in other parts, by sheets of bark, but with a variety of materials, such as reeds, grass, and boughs. The interior of each looked clean, and to them, passing in the rain, gave some idea, not only of shelter, but even of comfort and happiness. They afforded a favourable specimen of the taste of the women, whose business it usually is to construct the huts. This village of bowers also occupied more space than the encampment of native tribes in general. Choice shady spots seem to have been an object, and to have been chosen with care. On the 14th January the Major had on his map the Naandawar range, with the courses of the Nammoy on one side and the Gwydir on the other. He was between the two rivers, and at no great distance from either; Mount Riddell, the nearest point of the range, bore 20 S. of E., being distant fortytwo miles-the opposite bearing, or 20 deg. N. of W. might, therefore, be considered to express the common direction of these waters. In a country so liable to inundation as this between the rivers appeared to be, it was a primary object to travel along the highest or driest part, and that could only be in the above direction, or parallel to, or midway between the rivers, until he could thus trace out their junction, and so terminate thus far the survey of both, by the determi nation of a point so important in geography. Thus advancing, leading alternately the life of a forester, a hunter, and a man of science, the Major advanced to the conquest of his new empire at the head of his little army of a dozen convicts. The men seem all to have behaved remarkably well, and thus to give another illustration of the advantage of giving even the most unlucky in this generation something to do. This book ought to give the penitentiary system its death-blow. course, blockheads, who call themselves philosophers, and tyrants, who would pass for philanthrophists, will be still for chains, dungeons, and the air of the swamps on the Thames; but common sense will decide for Austra lia. Of The heat of the weather suddenly became once more intense; but the country was fine. It consisted of an open forest, which, gradually growing thinner, gave intervals of open plain. Still in search of water, they crossed to another plain, a beautiful one, covered with shining verdure, and ornamented with trees, which, though "dropped in nature's careless haste," gave the whole the appearance of an immense park. This will be the hunting-ground of some future Australian potentate. But now a pond, covered with the greenest weeds, would have been a more attractive prospect. The cattle were sinking with intolerable heat, and all were enfeebled and worn down. On those occasions the most common things became important. When the sun had nearly set, a black swan, high in the air, attracted all eyes. He was slowly winging his way to the southwest, with many smaller birds following in his train. "The sight of an aquatic bird," as the Major pleasingly observes, "was refreshing to us then." But even this was regarded as a bad omen for the northern quarter, for, as the swan must then have been going home, it was to be presumed that the greater body of water lay in the direction of his flight. Yet, if this might not be indicative of lakes, it evidently did not preclude the probability of rivers existing in the north, and rivers were the peculiar object. They again advanced. "The irresistible attraction of a perfectly unknown region still led us northward." But water-water, which seems in all cases of emergency to supersede the value of food, and to become the great essential of life-was not to be found. Still, though the prospect of finding it now seemed hopeless, it was resolved to try the result of as long a march as possible, with the intention of giving the little water remaining in their cask to the cattle, and then taking advantage of the night, and the cool of the next day, to return to the depotcamp. In the mean time this melancholy march became still more melancholy. The party, faint with heat and thirst, toiled after their indefatigable leader. The plains had evidently once been melted with moisture, for they bore numerous marks of human feet; but the soil was now baked like a brick floor. Water, too, had evidently once lodged in every hollow, and the prints of the kangaroo, when pursued by the natives, and impeded by the mud, were variously visible. After thus marching five miles, they reached an accacia wood. Still no water. The party halted, but the Major, determined on exploring to the last, rodo on, and observing a slight hollow in front, and following it for about a mile, he saw a few dry leaves in a heap, which he conjectured to have been thus collected by water falling in that direction. This was not much, but the Major's sagacity had drawn the right conclusion. He now followed the slope downwards. His horse now had his share in the adventure. The animal, which on other occasions would neigh after the others, now pulled hard upon the bridle, and seemed determined to have his own way. His rider threw the bridle on his neck; he bounded forward over a rising ground in front, then through a wood; and then, says the Major, "My eyes were blessed with the sight of some fine ponds of water once more, with banks of shining verdure, the whole extending in a line which resembled the bed of a considerable stream. I galloped back with the good news to the party, whose desperate thirst seemed to make them incredulous. It was still early, but we had already got over a good day's journey, and we could thus encamp and turn our cattle to browse on the luxuriant herbage which surrounded the ponds. They were wide, deep, and full, separated only by grassy intervals resembling bridges.' No On the 23d, their course was crossed by a deep and rapid river, the largest they had yet seen, and containing fish in great abundance. After maturely considering the prospect this river opened, it remained questionable whether it did or did not belong to the Darling. They were nearly in the prolongation of the supposed course of that river, and still nearer to its supposed outlet on the southern coast than they were to any part of the northern coast of Australia. rising ground could be seen to the northward or westward, and whether they proceeded in a boat, or along its banks, it was desirable to explore the course of this river downwards. After allowing the party some days' rest, the Major left the camp, on Feb. 2d, with six men and four pack-animals, carrying nine days' provisions, and proceeded along the left of the newly-discovered river, the Karaula. Its course was found to be much more to the southward than had been expected; the stream separated into branches, and the channel was in many places crossed by large trees, reaching from bank to bank. After a journey of some twenty miles, the course of the river compelled them to travel still further southward, and seventeen miles more brought them iuto a plain, which they traversed in a south-west direction (the Major being nearly stung to death by a huge insect, Mahometanised by him Abispa Australiana), and, on emerging from a wood, beheld a magnificent sheet of water, extended in a north and south direction, like a noble river. Keeping its eastern banks, they traced it southwards to its termination, and there met another lagoon, which, turning round towards the east, threatened to stop their progress. At length arriving at the termination of the water, they proceeded southward to look for the Gwydir-which they knew could not be far distant-and soon found it, so much reduced in size, that it could not contribute much to that they were tracing, and in search of which they now turned westward. On this course the windings of the Gwydir often came in their way, so that they turned to north 250 east, in which direction, says the Major, "I at length |