Journal of an Expedition into the Interior of Tropical Australia - Thomas Mitchell
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[* The following letter from Mr. Westwood to Dr. Lindley relates to
specimens of this brought to England:--
"I am sorry that the state of the specimens from Sir Thomas Mitchell (or
rather, I should say, the time when they were gathered) does not allow me
to say much about the insect by which they are formed. It is an extremely
beautiful production, quite unlike any thing I have yet seen, and is, I
have no doubt, the scale of a coccus. It is of a very peculiar form,
resembling a very delicate, broad, and flattened valve of a bi-valve
shell, such as the genus Iridina, the part where the hinge is being a
little produced and raised, and forming the cover of the coccus which
secretes the beautiful material just in the same unexplained way as the
scale insects form the slender attenuated scales beneath which they are
born. I could not discover any insect beneath the specimens of Sir Thomas
Mitchell's production in a state sufficient to determine what it really
is, as I only found one or two exceedingly minute atoms of shrivelled up
insects. It is extremely brittle, and looks more like dried, white,
frothed sugar than any thing else."]
18TH APRIL.--A pigeon had flown last evening over our camp in a N. N. E.
direction, and as the ground sloped that way, and the men believed that
water was there, I rode this morning in that direction, leaving the other
horses to feed in the meantime. At two miles from our bivouac I found
some hollows in a scrub where the surface consisted of clay, and which
evidently at some seasons contained water, although they were then dry.
Polygonum grew around them, and I doubt not that after a fall of rain
water would remain there some time. On riding two miles beyond, in the
same direction, I found open forest land only. The country was well
covered with good grass, very open, yet finely wooded. We again proceeded
north-west over some fine forest land. The soil was, however, only soft
red sand, and made it very heavy work for our horses drawing the
watercart.
On passing through a Casuarina scrub, we entered upon a different kind of
country as to wood and grass, the soil being much the same, or still more
loose and sandy. The surface bore a sterile heathy appearance, and the
trees consisted chiefly of a stunted box, growing but thinly. Instead of
grass, black, half-burnt roots of a wiry plant appeared, which I
afterwards found in flower (SEE INFRA), and one small, shrubby, brown
bush, very much resembling heath; apparently a Chenopod with heathlike
leaves, and globular hairy heads of flowers. The roots of the
firstmentioned plant presented much obstruction to our cart-wheels in
passing over the soft sand. As I stood awaiting the cart's arrival, some
birds drew my attention, as I perceived I had attracted theirs. They
descended to the lowest branches of the tree in whose shade I stood, and
seemed to regard my horse with curiosity. On my imitating their chirp one
fluttered down, and attempted to alight on my horse's ears. On my
whistling to them, one whistled some beautifully varied notes, as soft as
those of an octave flute, although their common chirp was harsh and
dissonant. The male and female seemed to have very different plumage,
especially about the head; that on the one having the varying tint of the
Rifle bird, the head of the other more resembling in colour, that of the
DACELO GIGANTEUS. They were about the size of a thrush, and seemed the
sole residents of that particular spot, and I had not seen them
elsewhere. The carts came slowly forward, the horses being much
distressed. I continued to ride some miles ahead, and passed through a
scrub in a clay hollow, to which succeeded another open forest country
with more of the soft red sand. The people with the cart could not
overtake me, and I returned. Meeting them at a rather bad place, I
determined to encamp at some patches of grassy ground somewhat out of our
line, in latitude, 27 deg. 43' S. It is remarkable that, according to the
barometer, we had not ascended higher than our depot camp on the river,
at a distance of nearly forty miles from it. I had just quitted my
horse's back, and had resolved to return, when two horsemen were seen
approaching along our track. They were two of our party come from the
depot to bring me a despatch, which had been forwarded by Commissioner
Wright, communicating the news of Dr. Leichardt's return from Port
Essington, and enclosing the Gazette with his own account of his journey.
Thus it became known to us that we could no longer hope to be the first
to reach the shores of the Indian Ocean by land. Thermometer, at sunrise,
62 deg.; at 4 P. M., 93 deg.; at 9, 71 deg.;--with wet bulb, 64 deg..
19TH APRIL,--I left the men with the cart, to follow while I rode forward
along its track, and sat down to peruse the newspapers sent me, until the
cart overtook me in the evening, the horses being quite exhausted by the
heat and the heavy sand. Thermometer, at sunrise, 61 deg.; at noon, 86 deg.; at
9, 63 deg.;--with wet bulb, 59 deg..
20TH APRIL.--The men who brought the despatches yesterday having been
ordered to bring fresh horses this day from the depot, I sent our tired
animals on thither at once, as we could give them but a limited quantity
of water. I rode forward also to the camp, and met the fresh horses about
half-way. I immediately ordered the repair of the wheels of another light
cart, determined to lose no time in exploring a passage towards the head
of Carpentaria. Thermometer, at sunrise, 48 deg.; at noon, 95; at 4 P. M.,
93 deg.; at 9, 63 deg.;--with wet bulb, 58 deg..
21ST APRIL.--The cart came in about 9 A. M. The morning was cloudy, for
the first time this month, and a slight shower fell. Had three or four
days' rain fallen at that time, it would have enabled me to have explored
by much less circuitous routes, than along the bank of this great river,
the country to the north-west. In this case, the tour from which I had
just returned might have been continued, as I wished and intended, had it
been possible to find water, to the mountains or higher ground, whatever
it might be that formed the limits to this basin on that side.
Thermometer, at sunrise, 65 deg.; at noon, 76 deg.; at 4 P. M., 77 deg.; at 9, 60 deg.;
--with wet bulb, 53 deg..
22D APRIL.--The clouds continued to lower, and a great change in the
temperature accompanied this visible change in the sky, but the mercurial
column remained uncommonly steady. Arrangements for a concentrated party
engrossed my attention so fully this day, with the insertion also of our
late work on the general map, that even the newspapers from the colony
lay unread. Mr. Kennedy took a ride across the river in a S. S. E.
direction, and found a fine grazing country with open forest, as far as
he went, which was about twelve miles. On the banks of the Balonne,
during my absence, they had found, besides a small bearded CYPERUS, a new
creeping PSORALEA [*], and a new species of Acacia, which Mr. Bentham has
named A. VARIANS.[*] Thermometer, at sunrise, 41 deg.; at noon, 76 deg.; at 4 P.
M., 77 deg.; at 9, 61 deg.;--with wet bulb, 56 deg.. Mean elevation of this camp
above the level of the sea, being 50 feet above the river, 623 feet.
[* P. ERIANTHA (Benth. MS.) prostrata, canescenti-pubescens, foliis
pinnatim trifoliolatis, foliolis ovatis oblongisve dentatis, pedunculis
elongatis multifloris, floribus inferioribus remotis superioribus
approximatis, calycibus pube molli albida dense tomentosis, legumine
molliter villoso.]
[* A. VARIANS (Benth. MS.) glabra, pallida v. glauca, ramulis
subangulatis, phyllodiis oblongo-lanceolatis v. inferioribus late
obovatis summisve linearibus, omnibus basi longe angustatis apice obtusis
v. oblique mucronatis subimmarginatis vix obscure glanduliferis
uninervibus tenuiter reticulato-penniveniis, capitulis sub 20-floris
solitariis subracemosis v. in racemos foliatos dispositis, calycibus
truncatis, legumine glabro crasso sublignoso. Very near A. SALICINA, and
possibly a mere variety; but the phyllodia are generally considerably
broader, and the inflorescence different.]
Chapter IV.
ADVANCE WITH A LIGHT PARTY--LEAVING THE REMAINDER WITH THE BULLOCKS AND
DRAYS TO REST THREE WEEKS AT ST. GEORGE'S BRIDGE.--DISCOVER A RIVER
JOINING THE BALONNE FROM THE NORTH-WEST.--CROSS IT, AND STILL TRACE THE
BALONNE UPWARDS.--FINE RIVER SCENERY.--VAST PLAINS EXTENDING TO THE
EASTERN HORIZON DISCOVERED FROM A TREE.--TRIBUTARY FROM THE NORTH-WEST--
AND RICH PLAINS.--TRACE THIS SMALL RIVER UPWARDS.--EXCELLENT COUNTRY FOR
GRAZING PURPOSES.--MOUNTAINS, SEEN AT LENGTH, TO THE NORTHWARD.--NATIVES
AT OUR CAMP.--ASCEND MOUNT FIRST VIEW.--MOUNT INVITING.--ASCEND MOUNT RED
CAP.--RIDE TO THE BORDERS OF FITZROY DOWNS, AND ASCEND MOUNT ABUNDANCE.--
THE BOTTLE TREE.--ASCEND MOUNT BINDANGO.--DISCOVERY OF THE RIVER
"AMBY."--DANGEROUS FOLLOWERS OF A CAMP.--RECONNOISSANCE TO THE NORTH-
WEST.--ASCEND A TRAPITIC RANGE.--A GAP OR GOOD OPENING THROUGH IT FOUND
FOR THE CARTS.--SMALL RIVER DISCOVERED BEYOND, CONTAINING ONE POND OF
WATER.--THE CHANNEL DISAPPEARS ON OPEN FLATS.--DISCOVER THE RIVER
MARAN.--SELECT A POSITION FOR A DEPOT.--RIDE OF RECONNOISSANCE TO THE
NORTHWARD.--RIDE INTO THE WESTERN INTERIOR.--ASCEND MOUNT LONSDALE.--
EXTENSIVE VIEW FROM THE SUMMIT.--WATER NOT VERY PLENTIFUL.--RETURN TO THE
CAMP.--ASCEND A HIGH POINT TO THE EASTWARD.--VIEW THENCE OF THE SUMMITS
OF A RANGE TO THE NORTHWARD.--CAMP VISITED BY HOSTILE NATIVES DURING MY
ABSENCE.--ARRIVAL OF MR. KENNEDY WITH THE MAIN BODY OF THE PARTY.--HIS
ACCOUNT OF THE HOSTILITY OF THE CHIEF AND TRIBE AT "TAGANDO."--VARIOUS
PREPARATIONS MADE FOR AGAIN ADVANCING WITH A LIGHT PARTY.--DEPOT CAMP
ESTABLISHED ON THE MARAN.
23RD APRIL.--Our little party started at noon. I took with me eight men,
two native boys, twelve horses, besides my own two, and three light carts
with provisions for ten weeks--determined, if possible, to penetrate
northward, into the interior country, and ascertain where the division of
the waters was likely to be found. I intended, with this view, to trace
upwards the course of the Balonne, until I found mountains to the north-
westward of it; then, to endeavour to turn them by the west, and thus
acquire some knowledge on that most interesting point, the watershed
towards the Gulf. I left instructions with Mr. Kennedy to follow my track
with the drays and main body of the party, and to set out on Monday, the
4th of May, when the cattle would have had three weeks' rest.
The first few miles of this day's journey were along a clayey flat or
hollow, which enabled me to avoid scrubby and sandy ground on each side.
I believed its direction (N. E.), to be about parallel to the river.
Leaving it at length to make the river, I met with rather a thick scrub;
but came upon the river where the banks were very rocky and picturesque.
Its course seemed to be from N. E.; but, following another flat of firm
clay, I got again into scrub so thick that I turned eastward towards the
river, and travelled along its bank until I encamped in lat. 27 deg. 56' 12"
S. There was but little water in the bed of the river there; but long
islands of sand, water-worn banks, with sloping grassy bergs behind. The
bed, in most places, consisted of rock, the same ferruginous
conglomerate, or clay ironstone, seen in the same river lower down. Grass
was excellent and abundant on the bergs and near the river, but thick
scrub crowned these bergs on our side. It was too late to admit of my
examining the other. On our way through the scrub this day, we saw the
ENOCARPUS SPARTEA of Brown, a leaf-like wing-branched shrub; and the
beautiful parasite, LORANTHUS AURANTIACUS, occupied the branches of
Eucalyptus. Thermometer, at sunrise, 49 deg.; at 9 P. M., 47 deg.;--with wet
bulb, 41 deg.. [* The dates on the map show my camps; the Roman numerals
those afterwards taken up by Mr. Kennedy, in following my track with the
main body.]
24TH APRIL.--Set off early, travelling along the bank. The direction was
N. N. W. and N. W. For the first few miles, the scenery was wild and very
fine. Masses of rock, lofty trees, shining sands and patches of water, in
wild confusion, afforded evidence of the powerful current that sometimes
moved there and overwhelmed all. At this time, the outlines were wild,
the tints sublimely beautiful. Mighty trees of Casuarinae, still inclined
as they had been made to bend before the waters, contrasted finely with
erect Mimosae, with prostrate masses of driftwood, and with perpendicular
rocks. Then the hues of the Anthistiria grass, of a redbrown, contrasted
most harmoniously with the light green bushes, grey driftwood, blue
water, and verdure by its margin; all these again--grass, verdure,
driftwood, and water--were so opposed to the dark hues of the Casuarinae,
Mimosae, and rifted rocks, that a Ruysdael, or a Gains-borough, might
there have found an inexhaustible stock of subjects for their pencil. It
was, indeed, one continuous Ruysdael.
"That artist lov'd the sternly savage air, And scarce a human image
plac'd he there."
May the object of our journey be successful, thought I then; and we may
also hope that these beauties of nature may no longer "waste their
sweetness in the desert air;" and that more of her graces may thus be
brought within the reach of art. Noble reaches next extended in fine
perspective before us; each for several miles, presenting open grassy
margins along which we could travel on firm ground unimpeded by scrub. At
length I perceived before me a junction of rivers, and could see along
each of them nearly a mile. I had no alternative but to follow up that
nearest to me, and found upon its bank many recent encampments of
natives; at one of which the fires were still burning. The country was
grassy, and so open, as almost to deserve the colonial name of "plain."
This channel took me a long way northward, and to the N. N. E.; but
finally turned west, and at last south. Its bed was full of sand; and at
length we found it quite dry, so that, when I would have encamped, I
could find no water. Yet it bore all the character of a large river;
marks of high floods, Mimosae, sand, and river driftwood, like the other.
It might, and probably did, finally come out of the main channel; but
this seemed too remote a contingency for our wants then, and I crossed
it, to look for the other. In riding eastward, I found a wide plain
bounded by trees that looked like those along the river. No time could be
spared for further reconnoissance: I took the party across, and made for
the nearest part. My course was first N. E., then East, finally South, in
following the various slopes; and it was only after travelling fifteen
miles beyond the point where I met with this river, that I reached the
bank of the other, at a spot distant only FOUR miles from where I had
quitted it. This was only accomplished at forty minutes after 4 P. M.,
when we had travelled twenty-six miles. As our circuitous route was
likely, if followed by Mr. Kennedy with the heavy drays, to cause delay
and inconvenience, I resolved to halt next day, and write to him on the
subject, explaining how he could most readily fall into my track by
crossing the other channel, quitting first the other track, at a spot to
be marked by Graham, who took the letter. Nevertheless, it had been
imperative on me to follow it up as I had done; because, whether as a
separate tributary or an ana-branch only, the right bank was likely to
suit us best, provided only that water could have been found in its bed.
Near the new river, the INDIGOFERA HIRSUTA of Linnaeus, with its spikes
of reflexed hairy pods, was common; and also the MOSCHOSMA POLYSTACHYUM.
Lat. 27 deg. 47' 57'' S. Thermometer, at sunrise, 38 deg.; at 9 P. M., 59 deg.;--with
wet bulb, 56 deg..
25TH APRIL.--
"The dawn is overcast, the morning lowers, And heavily in clouds brings
on the day."
A grateful change in the weather promised rain; but suggested to me a
contingency for which I had not provided in my letter to Mr. Kennedy, and
Graham was gone. A flood coming down, might fill the channel of the
other, and prevent Mr. Kennedy's party from crossing to fall into my
track; or, if that should finally prove only an ana-branch, shut me up in
an island. On this point I again, therefore, wrote to Mr. Kennedy, and
buried my letter at the spot marked by Graham, and according to marks on
trees, as I had previously arranged with him. I then instructed him to
examine the dry channel far enough upwards (halting his party for the
day) to ascertain whether it was a separate river, or an ana-branch; and,
in the latter case, to keep along its banks, and so avoid the possible
difficulty of crossing it during rainy weather. Thermometer, at sunrise,
65 deg.; at noon, 70 deg.; at 4 P. M., 66 deg.; at 9, 64 deg.;--with wet bulb, 63 deg.. Mean
height above the sea, 586 feet.
26TH APRIL.--Sunday. Corporal Graham returned from the depot camp at 1 P.
M. The sky continued cloudy, and the barometer low. High wind from the
west arose about 3 P. M. Thermometer, at sunrise, 63 deg.; at noon, 78 deg.; at 4
P. M., 78 deg.; at 9, 56 deg.;--with wet bulb, 53 deg..
27TH APRIL.--The party set off early. We found that a river from the
north joined the channel we were about to follow up in its course from
the east. The northern river contained water in abundance; and I
determined to follow it up so long as the course was favourable, and
water remained in it. The general course was much the same as that of the
first (about 39 E. of N.). The bed and ponds increased; and after
following it up about eleven miles, I encamped the party, and rode
northward to ascertain if it was likely to change its course. In ten
minutes, I came upon a splendid reach, extending north-west as far as I
could see it. Lat. of our camp, 27 deg. 42' 42" S. Thermometer, at sunrise,
37 deg.; at noon, 69 deg.; at 4 P. M., 72 deg.; at 9, 57 deg.;--with wet bulb, 55 deg..
28TH APRIL.--Masses of a ferruginous rock extended across the river bed
like a dyke, in a N. W. and S. E. direction; and as the river here broke
through these rocks, changing, at a sharp angle, its course to the S. W.,
it seemed probable that the general course from above might be parallel
to these rocks. Continuing along the bank, we found the reaches large,
full of water; the country clear of scrub and covered with luxuriant
grass. One singular flat sweeping round to the W. S. W. was covered with
the rich grass PANICUM LOEVINODE. The tropical PEROTIS RARA, a delicate
grass, producing long purple tufts of reflexed bristles, was also here
observed. The general direction of the river was towards the N. W., and
whenever it took any turn towards the east, I continued to travel
northward, and thus, on three occasions, came upon its bank again,
cutting off detours I must otherwise have described in following its
course. We encamped on a beautiful spot, the sight of which would have
rejoiced the heart of a stockholder. A fresh westerly breeze blew during
the day, and we were as free from the annoyance of heat, as if we had
been in England during the same month. Latitude 27 deg. 32' 37" S. The
direction of the river's course was uncommonly straight, and its long
sweeping reaches, full of water, seemed capable of being rendered
available for the purpose of forming water communications. The surface of
the adjacent country presented a thin deposit of sand, near the river,
attesting the great height to which its waters sometimes rise; and minor
features of ground near, showed, in their water-worn sections, that they
had been wholly deposited by the river. Thermometer, at sunrise, 39 deg.; at
4 P. M., 69 deg.; at 9, 48 deg.;--with wet bulb, 46 deg..
29TH APRIL.--The tendency of the soft earth of the banks to break into
gullies, branching back into impervious scrubs, was such as to prevent me
from either seeing much of the river during this day's journey, or
pursuing a straight course. At one place I could only follow the grassy
margin of the river, by passing between its channel and the berg, all
seared as it was with water-worn gullies, and crowned with scrub; but I
was soon locked up under these where a bad hole impeded our progress
along the river, and I was obliged to back the carts out, the best way I
could. While travelling along the margin I perceived a slight current in
a gravelly part of the bed. I had previously observed a whitish tinge
like that of a fresh in the river water, this day and yesterday,
doubtless the product of the late rain, and probably from these clay
gullies. After a circuitous journey, we came out on a clear grassy brow
over-looking much open country. There I still met with heads of gullies,
but could easily avoid them, and after traversing a fine grassy plain, we
encamped as near the river as the gullies would allow, in latitude 27 deg.
28' 27". One of the party, John Douglas, from the top of a tree,
discovered vast plains in the N. E. extending to the horizon, a river
line pursuing a northerly course, and in the N. W. a mass of cloud hung
over what he supposed to be mountains. Thermometer, at sunrise, 36 deg.; at 4
P. M., 63 deg.; at 9, 47 deg.; with wet bulb, 44 deg..
30TH APRIL.--Obliged to keep at some distance from the river, I came upon
open forest land, where gentle undulations took the place of the rugged
gullies. Thus we travelled over a beautiful country, due north, with
sufficient indications of the river on our right, in the slopes that all
fell to that side. There were ponds in some hollows, and we made the
river itself at various parts of our route. At length, where it bit on a
high scrubby bank, I again proceeded northward and came upon a large
lagoon, sweeping round to S. W. and S. S. W., further than we could see.
It had on its surface numerous ducks, and a large encampment of native
huts appeared at one end. We encamped by this lagoon, in latitude 27 deg. 20'
S. Again vast plains and downs to the N. E. were seen by Dicky, our
youngest native, from a tree. Thermometer, at sunrise, 27 deg.; at 4 P. M.,
65 deg.; at 9, 43 deg..
1ST MAY.--On leaving the lagoon, passing between its head and the river,
we were soon enveloped in a thick scrub of Casuarinae, on ground broken
into gullies falling to the river. I tried to pass by the lower margin of
this, but gullies in the way obliged me to ascend and seek a passage
elsewhere. Forcing our way, therefore, through the scrub and out of it,
we found outside of it, in an open forest, the box and Angophora, and
could go forward without impediment, first to the N. W., afterwards
northward, and N. E. At length the woods opened into fine grassy plains,
bounded on the east by trees belonging to the river berg. There I saw
still the trees we had so gladly got away from, the Casuarina; also the
cheering white arms of the Yarra, or blue gum. The prospect before us
improved greatly; fine plains presented a clear way to the northward,
with the river apparently coming thence, and even round from the N. W.
From a tree, Yuranigh descried hills in the N. E. and the plains
extending before us. I also perceived, from the wide plain, a distant low
rise to the N. W. We crossed two hollows on these grassy plains, each
containing deep ponds, and descended towards what seemed a branch of the
river; we encamped near it, in latitude 27 deg. 15' 4" S. As we approached
this spot, natives were seen first looking at us, and then running off--
Yuranigh said he recognized one of them as a countryman of his own. I
endeavoured to make him cooey to them, or call them, but they made off,
setting fire to the grass. Any information from natives of these parts
might have been very useful to us then, and I hoped they would at length
come to us. Thermometer, at sunrise, 26 deg.; at 4 P. M., 67 deg.; at 9, P. M.,
48 deg.;--with wet bulb, 46 deg..
2D MAY.--There was a decided difference between the river we were now
upon, as well as the country along its banks, and the large river by
which we had travelled so far. This was undoubtedly but a small
tributary, as its direction seen this day showed, being from the
westward, while its waters, meandering in various narrow channels amongst
plains, reminded us of some of the finest parts of the south. Which was
the principal channel, and which to cross, which to travel by, was rather
difficult to determine. The country was very fine. These water courses
lay between finely rounded grassy slopes, with a few trees about the
water's edge, marking their various courses at a distance. A considerable
breadth of open grassy plain, intervened between this river and the woods
back from it. At length, sloping stony bergs came near the river's bed,
but there the smooth naked water-worn clay was the best ground we could
have for wheels, and we thus hugged each bend of the river, passing close
to the channel. I hoped thus to find plains on the next change of the
river's course. And so it turned out for some way, but the receding bergs
guided me, even when only seen at a considerable distance, in shaping my
course. Keeping my eye on their yellow slopes, I travelled far along a
grassy flat which brought me to a lake containing water like chrystal,
and fringed with white lotus flowers. Its western shore consisted of
shelving rock. An immense number of ducks floated on its eastern
extremity. From this lake, following a grassy flat to the N. W., we at
length reached the river, or rather its bed, seared into numerous
channels. The lake, and long flat connected with it, appeared to me more
like the vestiges of a former channel, than as the mere outlet of surplus
waters; nor did it seem that the water is now supplied from the floods of
the river. I followed this a few miles further, and then encamped just
beyond, where much gravel appeared in the banks. While the men were
erecting the tents, I rode some miles to the westward, and found an open
iron-bark forest covering it, with much luxuriant grass. This was rather
peculiar, as compared with any other part passed through. It was also
undulating; and, from a tree ascended by Yuranigh, it was ascertained we
were approaching mountains, as he saw one which bore 77 deg., also a hill to
the eastward, in which latter direction (or rather in that of 333 deg.), he
saw also an open country. Thermometer, at sunrise, 47 deg.; at 4 P. M., 62 deg.;
at 9 P. M 57 deg.; mean height above the sea, 694 feet.