Purpose of this Chapter — Name of Australia — Impressions of its early Visitors — Character of the Australian rivers — Author’s first view of Port Jackson — Extent of the Colony of New South Wales — its rapid advances in prosperity — Erroneous impressions — Commercial importance of Sydney — Growth of fine wool — Mr. M’Arthur’s meritorious exertions — Whale-fishery — Other exports — Geographical features — Causes of the large proportion of bad soil — Connection between the geology and vegetation — Geological features — Character of the soil connected with the geological formation — County of Cumberland — Country westward of the Blue Mountains — Disadvantages of the remote settlers — Character of the Eastern coast — Rich tracts in the interior — Periodical droughts — The seasons apparently affected by the interior marshes — Temperature — Fruits — Emigrants: Causes of their success or failure — Moral disadvantages — System of emigration recommended — Hints to emigrants — Progress of inland discovery — Expeditions across the Blue Mountains — Discoveries of Mr. Evans, Mr. Oxley, and others — Conjectures respecting the interior.
State of the Colony in 1828-29 — Objects of the Expedition — Departure from Sydney — Wellington Valley — Progress down the Macquarie — Arrival at Mount Harris — Stopped by the marshes — Encamp amidst reeds — Excursions down the river — Its termination — Appearance of the marshes — Opthalmic affection of the men — Mr. Hume’s successful journey to the northward — Journey across the plain — Second great marsh — Perplexities — Situation of the exploring party — Consequent resolutions.
Prosecution of our course into the interior — Mosquito Brush — Aspect and productions of the country — Hunting party of natives — Courageous conduct of one of them — Mosquitoes — A man missing — Group of hills called New-Year’s Range — Journey down New-Year’s Creek — Tormenting attack of the kangaroo fly — Dreariness and desolation of the country — Oxley’s Table Land — D’Urban’s Group — Continue our journey down New-Year’s Creek — Extreme Disappointment on finding it salt — Fall in with a tribe of natives — Our course arrested by the want of fresh water — Extraordinary sound — Retreat towards the Macquarie.
Intercourse with the natives — Their appearance and condition — Remarks on the Salt or Darling River — Appearance of the marshes on our return — Alarm for safety of the provision party — Return to Mount Harris — Miserable condition of the natives — Circumstances attending the slaughter of two Irish runaways — Bend our course towards the Castlereagh — Wallis’s Ponds — Find the famished natives feeding on gum — Channel of the Castlereagh — Character of the country in its vicinity — Another tribe of natives — Amicable intercourse with them — Morrisset’s chain of Ponds — Again reach the Darling River ninety miles higher up than where we first struck upon it.
Perplexity — Trait of honesty in the natives — Excursion on horseback across the Darling — Forced to return — Desolating effects of the drought — Retreat towards the colony — Connection between the Macquarie and the Darling — Return up the banks of the Macquarie — Starving condition of the natives.
General remarks — Result of the expedition — Previous anticipations — Mr. Oxley’s remarks — Character of the Rivers flowing westerly — Mr. Cunningham’s remarks — Fall of the Macquarie — Mr. Oxley’s erroneous conclusions respecting the character of the interior, naturally inferred from the state in which he found the country — The marsh of the Macquarie merely a marsh of the ordinary character — Captain King’s observations — Course of the Darling — Character of the low interior plain — The convict Barber’s report of rivers traversing the interior — Surveyor-General Mitchell’s Report of his recent expedition.
Obstacles that attend travelling into the interior of Australia — Difficulty of carrying supplies — Importance of steady intelligent subordinates — Danger from the natives — Number of men requisite,— and of cattle and carriages — Provisions — Other arrangements — Treatment of the natives — Dimensions of the boat used in the second expedition.
Letter of Instructions
List of Stores supplied for the Expedition
Sheep-farming Returns
List of Geological Specimens
Official Reports to the Colonial Government
Remarks on the results of the former Expedition — The fitting out of another determined on — Its objects — Provisions, accoutrements, and retinue — Paper furnished by Mr. Kent — Causes that have prevented the earlier appearance of the present work.
Commencement of the expedition in November, 1829.— Joined by Mr. George M’Leay — Appearance of the party — Breadalbane Plains — Hospitality of Mr. O’Brien — Yass Plains — Hill of Pouni — Path of a hurricane — Character of the country between Underaliga and the Morumbidgee — Appearance of that river — Junction of the Dumot with it — Crossing and recrossing — Geological character and general aspect of the country — Plain of Pondebadgery — Few natives seen.
Character of the Morumbidgee where it issues from the hilly country — Appearance of approach to swamps — Hamilton Plains — Intercourse with the natives — Their appearance, customs, &c.— Change in the character of the river — Mirage — Dreariness of the country — Ride towards the Lachlan river — Two boats built and launched on the Morumbidgee; and the drays, with part of the men sent back to Goulburn Plains.
Embarkation of the party in the boats, and voyage down the Morumbidgee — The skiff swamped by striking on a sunken tree — Recovery of boat and its loading — Region of reeds — Dangers of the navigation — Contraction of the channel — Reach the junction of a large river — Intercourse with the natives on its banks — Character of the country below the junction of the rivers — Descent of a dangerous rapid — Warlike demonstrations of a tribe of natives — Unexpected deliverance from a conflict with them — Junction of another river — Give the name of the “Murray” to the principal stream.
Character of the country — Damage of provisions — Adroitness of the natives in catching fish — The skiff broken up — Stream from the North-East supposed to be the Darling — Change of country in descending the river — Intercourse with the natives — Prevalence of loathsome diseases among them — Apparent populousness of the country — Junction of several small streams — The Rufus, the Lindesay, &c.— Rainy and tempestuous weather — Curious appearance of the banks — Troublesomeness of the natives — Inhospitable and desolate aspect of the country — Condition of the men — Change in the geological character of the country — The river passes through a valley among hills.
Improvement in the aspect of the country — Increase of the river — Strong westerly gales — Chronometer broken — A healthier tribe of natives — Termination of the Murray in a large lake — Its extent and environs — Passage across it — Hostile appearance of the natives — Beautiful scenery — Channel from the lake to the sea at Encounter Bay — Reach the beach — Large flocks of water fowl — Curious refraction — State of provisions — Embarrassing situation — Inspection of the channel to the ocean — Weak condition of the men — Difficulties of the return.
Valley of the Murray — Its character and capabilities — Laborious progress up the river — Accident to the boat — Perilous collision with the natives — Turbid current of the Rufus — Passage of the Rapids — Assisted by the natives — Dangerous intercourse with them — Re-enter the Morumbidgee — Verdant condition of its banks — Nocturnal encounter with the natives — Interesting manifestation of feeling in one family — Reach the spot where the party had embarked on the river — Men begin to fail entirely — Determine to send two men forward for relief — Their return — Excursion on horseback — Reach Pondebadgery Plain, and meet the supplies from the colony — Cannibalism of the natives — Return to Sydney — Concluding remarks.
Environs of the lake Alexandrina — Appointment of Capt. Barker to make a further survey of the coast near Encounter Bay — Narrative of his proceedings — Mount Lofty, Mount Barker, and beautiful country adjacent — Australian salmon — Survey of the coast — Outlet of lake to the sea — Circumstances that led to the slaughter of Capt. Barker by the natives — His character — Features of this part of the country and capabilities of its coasts — Its adaptation for colonization — Suggestions for the furtherance of future Expeditions.
Geological Specimens found to the south-west of Port Jackson
Official Report to the Colonial Government
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Last updated Monday, November 12, 2012 at 21:45