reeable acid flavour. This pulp covered a
large rough stone containing several seeds, and it was evidently eaten by
the natives as great numbers of the bare stones lay about. The foliage of
the tree very much resembled the white cedar of the colonists, and milk
exuded from the stalk or leaves when broken.

A great variety of ducks and other waterfowl covered this fine piece of
water. We made the latitude of the camp 29 degrees 49 minutes South, the
longitude 149 degrees 28 minutes East.

January 15.

The country to the northward seemed so low and the course of the Gwydir,
amid so many lagoons, so doubtful that I considered it advisable to ride
in that direction before we ventured to advance with our carts. I
therefore set out this morning accompanied by Mr. White in the direction
already mentioned, of 20 degrees west of north--so that, in returning,
the cone of Mount Riddell might guide us to the camp without any
necessity for continuing the use of the compass, which occasions much
delay. In such cases a hill, a star, or the unerring skill of a native,
is very convenient as obviating the necessity for repeatedly observing
the compass, in returning through pathless woods towards any point which
might easily be missed without such precautions.

PLAINS OF RICH SOIL, BEAUTIFULLY WOODED.

We found in the course of a ride of twenty miles from the camp a much
better country for travelling over than that in the immediate vicinity of
the lagoon. We crossed, at eleven miles, a line of ponds in a deep
channel whereof the bank seemed the highest ground; and beyond them was a
rich plain with a few clumps of trees; where the grass also was
remarkably good. At twenty miles, the length of our ride, we fell in with
a second chain of ponds, beyond which we saw another plain. We were
delighted with the prospect of so favourable a country for extending our
journey, and not less so with the apparent turn of the Gwydir, as
indicated by its non-appearance in our ride thus far. It was obvious that
the more this river turned northward the greater would be the probability
that it might lead to a channel unconnected with that of the Darling--and
terminate in some still greater water, or open out a field of useful
discovery.

SMALL BRANCHES OF THE GWYDIR.

The direction of the channels we had already crossed however was somewhat
to the south of west--and it was difficult to account for their waters
otherwise--than by supposing that they ca