day we continued travelling over very uneven country, full of
precipitous rocks and gullies, until we came to a bend of the river: we
now followed it in its tortuous course through the rocks, till we came to
a flat country where its channels were divided by high green banks, on
which were growing large drooping tea-trees (melaleucas); growing on
these I found a beautiful species of Loranthus, with large fascicles of
orange coloured flowers, the leaves cordate, and clasping the stem. On
the hills I found a Brachychiton, with crimson flowers; the tree had a
stunted growth, with deciduous leaves. I collected as much of the gum as
I could, and advised the others to do the same; we ate it with the
roasted seeds, but were unable to find much of the gum or of the seeds.

September 2.

We travelled over uneven rocky ground, and crossed several gullies, and
camped by the bed of a river, at a spot where there were fine reaches of
water, full of Nymphaea and Villarsia. There was plenty of good grass in
the valley of the river, which was not very wide here, but on the hills
many parts had been recently burned, and the grass was just springing up.

September 3.

Sunday. We had prayers at eleven o'clock, and afterwards, during the day,
we shot a small emu and a kangaroo. Being camped by the side of the
river, we were able to catch a few fish, which were a most acceptable
change to us.

The country through which we had passed for the last two days consisted
of a good stiff soil, well covered with grass, openly timbered and well
watered.

September 4 and 5.

The country continued much the same, making travelling most difficult and
laborious. We were now in the vicinity of Cape Tribulation. While
traversing the bed of the river, in which we were in many places obliged
to travel, we passed two very high peaked hills to the westward.

September 6.

We now found the river beginning to run in all directions through the
hills, over which it was impossible to travel. We were consequently
forced to keep the bed of the river, our horses falling every few
minutes, in consequence of the slippery surface of the rocks over which
they were obliged to pass--consisting of dark granite.

The sterility of the hills here is much relieved by the bunches of
beautiful large yellow flowers of the Cochlospermum Gossypium,
interspersed with the large balls of white cotton, just bursting from the
seed-vessels. I collected a bag full of this cotton,