The first part of our journey lay through a most
beautiful country. The hollows along the river were covered with a dense
sward of various grasses, and the forest was open as far as the eye could
reach. Farther on, however, we occasionally met with patches of Vitex
scrub, and crossed some stony ridges. A small river joined from the
north-east, at about a mile and a half from the last camp, and also two
large creeks from the south-west. I ascended the hills opposite our camp,
and looked over an immense and apparently flat country, out of which
small peaks and short ranges rose. The hills on which I stood were
composed of Pegmatite, with patches of white Mica in large leaflets.
During the journey we found granite changing into gneiss, diorite, and
quartz rock.
On the rocky crest of the hill, I gathered the pretty red and black seeds
of a leguminous climbing shrub (Abrus precatorius). Phonolithic or
basaltic pebbles made me suppose that we were near to a change of
country. Our latitude was 19 degrees 58 minutes 11 seconds.
April 12. - We had scarcely travelled a mile and a half, when we had to
cross a large creek, which increased in size higher up. Box-tree flats
and open Vitex scrub extended along its banks, and the latter, according
to Mr. Roper's account, changed into dense Bricklow scrub.
