a northern water. I therefore returned,
anxious to bring the party thus far, at all events, and resolved to
follow this little river down. We arrived, on our way back, in the
evening of the same day, in the valley I had quitted in the morning,
having followed down a water-course from the end of Hope's Table Land,
under which I had passed, in search of a good way for the carts. Although
we had seen promising ponds of water in this little channel, we could
find none in the lower part, having in the expectation of finding some,
rode on until darkness prevented me from going further. We were thus
obliged to pass the night (a very cold one) without water, and almost
without fuel. I missed the comfortable cavern where I had slept a few
nights before, especially when I arose here in the night to mend the
fire, and found we had no more wood at hand. I learnt afterwards that at
the camp, the thermometer at 4 P. M. had been as low as 17 deg. of
Fahrenheit.[*] Thermometer, at sunrise, 21 deg.; at noon, 51 deg.; at 4 P. M.
49 deg.; at 9, 29 deg..

[* This was 15 deg. degrees below the freezing point, and shows how much more
easily cold may be endured in a dry atmosphere than where there is
moisture, as instanced in the following extract from a despatch of
Captain James C. Ross (in command of the Antarctic Expedition), dated 7th
April, 1841, and published in the Tasmanian Journal.

"With a temperature of 20 deg. below the freezing point, we found the ice to
form so rapidly on the surface, that any further examination of the
barrier in so extremely severe a period of the season being
impracticable, we stood away to the westward, for the purpose of making
another attempt to approach the magnetic pole, and reached its latitude
(76 deg. S.) on the 15th February."]

25TH JUNE.--Continuing our ride as soon as day-light permitted, ten
minutes brought us to a pond containing plenty of water under a shelving
rock, and here we alighted to breakfast, which was pleasant enough, but
not so gratifying as the position of this pond, which would enable me to
bring the carts through these valleys, to this convenient intermediate
stage in the way to the Northern river. The next question was, whether
the route to the eastward, descending into these valleys near Mount
Clift, or that by my first route, when I discovered this rocky country,
should be preferred; and I returned towards our camp this morning by the
eastern gullies, in hopes to find an easy