us to take, it was clear that I could not have penetrated as far as
I then was, with the heavy drays, with any prudence.

To be more satisfied, however, as to the nature of the country to the
westward, I rode towards the N.E. angle of the Sandy Basin, on the
morning of the 4th, sending Mr. Stuart southwards, to examine it in that
direction; but, neither of these journeys proving satisfactory, I
determined on fixing the position of the hills in reference to our
chained line, and then return to the Depot, to prepare for a more
extensive exploration of the N.W. interior. I found the country perfectly
impracticable to the N.W., and that it was impossible to ascertain the
real character of this Sandy Basin. On the other side of it the country
appeared to be wooded; beyond the wood there was a sudden fall; and, as
far as I could judge, this singular feature must have been connected with
Spencer's Gulf, before the passage that evidently existed once between
them, was filled up.

On the 5th I ran a base line from the end of the chained line to the
north-west, on a bearing of 317 degrees, to the only prominent sand hill
in that direction, distant from the staff 5 1/2 miles, from the
extremities of which the ranges bore as follow:--

BEARINGS FROM THE FLAG STAFF AT THE TERMINATION OF THE CHAINED LINE.

To a bluff point in the main range 198.00
To the north point of the south range 188.40
To the north point 182.50
To the highest point in south range 187.00
To the flat-topped hills 231.00
To the north-west point of the lake 283.00
To the south point 158.00

BEARINGS FROM THE NORTH-WEST EXTREMITY.

To the bluff 194.30
To the north point of south range 184.00
To the south 183.00
To the flat-topped hills 176.30
To the north-west extremity of lake 275.00

The angles given by these bearings were necessarily very acute, but that
could not be avoided. With the bearings, however, from a point in our
chain line, 16 miles to the rear, they gave the distance of the more
distant ranges as 65 miles, that of the nearer ones as 33.

Our latitude, by altitudes of Vega and Altair, on the night of the 5th of
August, was 29 degrees 14 minutes 39 seconds, and 29 degrees 15 minutes
14 seconds; by our bearings, therefore, the flat-topped hills were in
lat. 29 degrees 33 minutes, and the bluff, in the c