nd nourished the fires that covered
the country with smoke, made humidity appear to us the very essence of
existence, and water almost an object of adoration. No disciple of
Zoroaster could have made proselytes of us. The thermometer ranged from
96 to 101 degrees during the day, and during the last five nights had
stood as high as 90 degrees between sunset and sunrise. From the time the
party left Sydney rain had fallen on only one day. We left each friendly
waterhole in the greatest uncertainty whether we should ever drink again,
and it may be imagined with what interest, under such circumstances, I
watched the progress of a cloudy sky. It was not uncommon for the heavens
to be overcast, but the clouds seemed to consist more of smoke than moist
vapour. The wind, from the time of our first arrival in the country, had
blown from the north or north-west, and the bent of trees, at all
exposed, showed that these were the prevailing winds.

DESCRIPTION OF THE WOODS.

The country when seen from an eminence appeared to be very generally
wooded, but the lower parts were perfectly clear, or thinly strewed with
bushes, and slender trees, chiefly varieties of acacia. The principal
wood consisted of casuarinae which grew in thick clumps, or scrubs, and
very much impeded, as has already been stated, our progress in any given
direction. I found that these scrubs of casuarinae grew generally on
rising grounds, and chiefly on their northern or eastern slopes. We saw
little of the callitris tribe, after we had crossed the first hill beyond
our last camp on the Namoi. On the contrary, these casuarinae scrubs and
grassy plains seemed to characterise the country to the westward and
northward of the Nundewar range, as far, at least, as we had yet
penetrated. The course of this chain of ponds appeared to be parallel to
that on which we had previously encamped, 36 degrees North of West. A
yellow, highly calcareous sandstone occurred in the bed and banks of this
stream, forming a stratum from two or three feet in thickness, and in
parts of the upper surface nodules of ironstone were embedded.

On examining our wheels, we found that the heat had damaged them very
much, some of the spokes having shrunk more than an inch. The carpenter
managed however to repair them this day.

January 8.

The morning was cool and pleasant, with a breeze from the west. We left
the ponds (named Wheel Ponds) exactly at six A.M., and, after travelling
a mile, en