plains of the interior still existed upon
them, and they were decidedly barren; but as we measured the reaches of
the river, the cliffs ceased, and gave place to undulating hills, that
were very different in appearance from the country we had previously
noted down. It would have been impossible for the most tasteful
individual to have laid out pleasure ground to more advantage, than
Nature had done in planting and disposing the various groups of trees
along the spine, and upon the sides of the elevations that confined the
river, and bounded the low ground that intervened between it and their
base. Still, however, the soil upon these elevations was sandy, and
coarse, but the large oat-grass was abundant upon them, which yielded
pasture at least as good as that in the broken country between
Underaliga and Morumbidgee.

We had now gained a distance of at least sixty miles from that angle of
the Murray at which it reaches its extreme west. The general aspect of
the country to our right was beautiful, and several valleys branched
away into the interior upon that side which had a most promising
appearance, and seemed to abound with kangaroos, as the traces of them
were numerous, and the dogs succeeded in killing one, which, to our
great mortification, we could not find.

While, however, the country to the westward had so much to recommend
it, the hills to our left became extremely bare. It was evident that
the right was the sheltered side of the valley. The few trees on the
opposite side bent over to the N.E., as if under the influence of some
prevailing wind.

ADVERSE GALES.

We experienced at this time a succession of gales from the S.W.,
against which we, on several occasions, found it useless to contend:
the waves on the river being heavy and short; and the boat, driving her
prow into them, sent the spray over us and soon wet us through. Indeed,
it is difficult for the reader to imagine the heavy swell that rolled
up the river, which had increased in breadth to the third of a mile,
and in the length of its reaches to eight or ten. I was satisfied that
we were not only navigating this river at a particularly stormy,
perhaps THE stormy, season; but also, that the influence of the S.W.
wind is felt even as far in the interior as to the supposed Darling; in
consequence of the uniform build of the huts, and the circumstance of
their not only facing the N.E., but also being almost invariably
erected under the lee of some