ad
already understood, however indirectly, to be that of the river. It
proved the accuracy of my servant Brown's ear, for it was first
communicated to him, during my absence, by the old chief at Bindango. The
gin appeared to be climbing in search of honey. To state that this female
wore no sort of clothing, were superfluous to any reader of this journal
who may have been in such interior parts of Australia. After travelling
about fourteen miles, we came upon a fine reach of the river, and
encamped beside it. Thermometer, at sunrise, 59 deg.; at noon, 68 deg.; at 4 P.
M., 95 deg.; at 9, 77 deg.;--wet bulb, 65 deg.. Height above the sea, 832 feet.
(Camp 80.)

[* A. ACERIFOLIA (CROTON ACERIFOLIUM All. Cunn. MS.); foliis cordato-
ovatis trifidis segmentis acuminatis grosse inaequaliter sinuato-
serratis, subtus bracteisque pubescenti-tomentosis.--Shrub three feet
high. Flowers scarlet. Collected by Allan Cunningham along the Lachlan
river.]

28TH OCTOBER.--Heavy rain was falling soon after day-break, and I most
willingly sat still in my tent, hoping the rain would continue. Just in
sight of it grew a picturesque tree: the half-dead, half-alive aspect
presented by the same sort of tree, was not unfrequent in the Australian
woods; and I was induced to sketch this specimen, as highly
characteristic of the scenery. These trees, "so wither'd and so wild in
their attire," generally appear under the shelter of other taller trees;
have half their branches dead, the part still in foliage drooping like
the willow, the leaf being very small. It is an Acacia (A. VARIANS), and
I was informed by Yuranigh that it is the Upas of Australia; the natives
call it "Goobang," and use a bough of it to poison the fish in
waterholes. They are too honest and fair in their fights to think of
poisoning their weapons. The aspect of this half-dead tree is certainly
characteristic of its deleterious qualities, in the wild romantic outline
resembling Shakspeare's lean, poison-selling apothecary,--

--"who dwelt about the very gates of death, Pale misery had worn him to
the bones."

Some good soaking rain fell until about 10 A. M., after which we had a
cool day and cloudy sky. The rain ensured to us at least dew on the grass
for a morning or two; and this, with the prospect of finding the channel
dry lower down, was a great advantage. Thermometer, at sunrise, 61 deg.; at
noon, 75 deg.; at 4 P. M., 76 deg.; at 9, 60 deg.;--wet bulb, 51 deg..

29TH OCT