forwarding it. On our way back we paid a visit to
the Bendigo diggings. William here evinced his skill as an explorer
by leading us, with the aid of his compass, through a trackless
bush, by which we saved a circuit of several miles. At Matthison's
hotel, on the Campaspe river, where we halted for the night, an
amusing conversation occurred. In the evening there was a great
gathering of all nations in the parlour. I undertook to tell the
different parties of English, by their dialect, from what
particular quarter they came. A person present, who articulated
with much difficulty from having nearly lost the roof of his mouth,
declared that he would defy any one to identify him by his speech.
We all agreed that it exceeded our powers, when he informed us with
a great effort that he was "a Kashman," meaning Scotchman.

On our return to Melbourne, we made preparations for a removal to
Ballaarat. William remained with me at the latter place for twelve
months, attending to any patient that might come in my absence. He
also opened a gold office adjoining my tent and did very well. Here
he perfected a plan of his own for weighing specimens containing
quartz and gold, in water, so as to find the quantity of each
component. But he was ever pining for the bush. The "busy haunts of
men" had no attraction for him. He preferred the society of a few
to that of many, but the study of nature was his passion. His love
was fixed on animals, plants, and the starry firmament. With regard
to medicine, he used to say that it was not clear and defined in
practice. He wanted to measure the scope of a disease, and to
supply the remedies by mathematical rule. He saw, too, that medical
men were less valued for their real worth than for their tact in
winning confidence through the credulity of the public. This was
particularly exemplified in a gold-field, where the greatest
impostors obtained credit for a time. His thoughts and conversation
also constantly reverted to the interior, and to the hope that he
would one day undertake the journey to the Gulf of Carpentaria. He
was anxiously looking out for a movement in that direction, then
often talked of.

About this period he made a pedestrian excursion to the Wannon, to
sojourn for a short time with a Mr. Skene, a most worthy gentleman,
now no more. He was actively employed at that place, and wrote to
me frequently, describing the family, to which he was much
attached, the whimsicalities of his lan