chiefly, and the clay was wet
and soft when the further sinking was interrupted. Thermometer in my tent
109 deg., wind W. N. W.

24TH DECEMBER. A lurid haze hung among the trees as the earliest sunbeams
shot down amongst them. The party were ready to move off early, but the
progress was slow from various impediments. A hot wind blew like a blast
furnace. A bullock dropt down dead at the yoke. We encamped on the
Currandong, or Back Creek, near a small plain, after travelling about ten
miles. Thermometer in tent, 103. deg. Hot wind from the west.

25TH DECEMBER. Halted to rest the cattle. The wind blew this day more
from the northward, and was cooler. Thermometer in tent, 107 deg..

26TH DECEMBER.--Proceeded to Graddle, a cattle station belonging to Mr.
Coss, 21/2 miles. Thermometer, 109 deg..

27TH DECEMBER.--The bullock-drivers having allowed twenty-two of the
bullocks to stray, it was impossible to proceed.

At early morning the sky was overcast, the weather calm, a slight wind
from the west carried off these clouds, and at about eleven a very hot
wind set in. The thermometer in my tent stood at 117 deg., and when exposed
to the wind rose rapidly to 129 deg., when I feared the thermometer would
break as it only reached to 132 deg..

28TH DECEMBER.--All the cattle having been recovered, we set off early,
accompanied by a stockman from Graddle, Mr. Coss's station. The day was
excessively warm, a hot wind blowing from the west. We finally encamped
on the Bogan, at a very muddy water-hole, after travelling eleven miles.
Thermometer in tent, 115 deg.. At half past five, the sky became overcast,
and the hot wind increased to a violent gust, and suddenly fell. I found
that tartaric acid would precipitate the mud, leaving a jug of the water
tolerably clear, but then the acid remained. Towards evening the sky was
overcast, and a few drops of rain fell. The night was uncommonly hot. At
ten the thermometer stood at 102 deg., and at day-break at 90 deg..

29TH DECEMBER.--The remaining water was so muddy that the cattle would no
longer drink it. The sky was overcast, with the wind from south. Finding
a cart road near our camp, I lost no time in conducting the lighter
portion of our equipment to Mr. Kerr's station at Derribong. In the
hollows I saw, for the first time on this journey, the POLYGONUM JUNCEUM,
reminding me of the river Darling, and on the plains a SOLANUM in flower,
of which I had only seen the apple formerly. At