Among The Shrubs And Grasses, A Downy
Abutelon Was Easily Distinguished By Its Large Bright Yellow Blossoms.
My Blackfellows procured several messes of ducks; and Brown brought me a
piece of indurated clay with impressions of water-plants.
April 19. - Continuing our journey in a north-west direction, we passed
over some very rocky hills, composed of indurated clay, and thin strata
of sandstone, and pudding-stone. By moving along the foot of a range of
high hills, we avoided all those deep gullies which intersected the banks
of the river, and travelled with ease through a flat, well grassed
Ironbark forest. The hills were covered, as usual, with stunted
silver-leaved Ironbark. A large creek came from the range, and entered
the river. A good section on its right bank exposed to view the strata of
indurated clay and sandstone; and I was induced to believe that coal
might be found below them. As we were passing over the flat between the
creck and the river, we saw a native busily occupied in burning the
grass, and eagerly watching its progress: the operation attracted several
crows, ready to seize the insects and lizards which might be driven from
their hiding places by the fire. Mr. Calvert, Brown, and Charley, rode
nearly up to the man before he was aware of their approach; when he took
to his heels, and fled in the greatest consternation.
Upon reaching the river, at about eight miles from our last camp, we
found that it was joined by another river of almost the same size as the
Burdekin: it had a stream, and came from the northward, whilst the course
of the Burdekin at this place was from the west to east. From the
junction a long range trended to the north-east, and moderate ranges
bounded the valley of the river from the northward; another range
extended along the left side of the Burdekin above the junction; and
basaltic ridges, which had broken through the sandstone, approached on
its right. The cucurbitaceous plant with palmate leaves, bore a fruit of
the size of a large orange, of a fine scarlet colour when ripe; its rind
is exceedingly bitter, but the seeds are eaten by birds. Mr. Phillips
found a flesh-coloured drupaceous oblong fruit, about half an inch long,
with a very glutinous pericarp, containing a slightly compressed rough
stone: in taste it resembled the fruit of Loranthus, and the birds,
particularly the coekatoos, appeared very fond of it. We all ate a great
quantity of them, without the slightest injury. It grew on a small tree,
and had a persistent calyx.
April 20. - We travelled in a N. 80 degrees W. course to latitude 19
degrees 9 minutes 88 seconds. Rocky ranges frequently approached the
river, and deep and intricate gullies descended from them to the latter.
Our progress was consequently very difficult, and we were compelled to
ascend a very high hill to avoid its slopes towards the river, which were
too steep for us to cross. As a recompense, however, for the difficulty
of the ascent, I had the pleasure of finding some very interesting plants
on its summit; particularly a small Acacia with verticillate leaves,
which Dr. Binoe, the surgeon of H. M. S. Beagle, had found on the
north-west coast; and two other Acacias equally new to me, and which were
afterwards found to extend to the heads of the South Alligator River.
From this hill we had a magnificent view of the country before us: it was
enclosed on all sides by high mountain ranges, of which one in particular
overtopped the rest. Porphyry was observed on several spots; indurated
clay frequently; and, on the top of the hill below which we encamped, I
found quartz porphyry, and at the foot a psammite? which I had met
several times associated with talc-schiste.
April 21. - We continued our journey in a S. 50 degrees W. course to
latitude 19 degrees 13 minutes. The country became still more
mountainous; we passed, notwithstanding, many large well grassed flats,
on which the timber grew to a greater size than we had observed it at the
lower part of the river. The poplar-gum was very frequent in the hollow,
and low stiff flats extended parallel to the river. The prevailing rock
was talc-schiste, alternating with layers of psammite. On the hills and
in the creeks, I frequently observed conglomerate, with many pieces of
quartz.
The drooping Hakea of Kent's Lagoon (Hakea lorea, R. Br.; Grevillea
lorea, R. Br. Prodr. Nov. Holl. I. p. 380) was in blossom; and on the
rocky slopes I found a new species of Hakea, having linear lanceolate
leaves with axillary fascicules of small brownish flowers: it was an
arborescent shrub, from three to six feet high; and is nearly allied to
H. arborescens (R. Br. Prodr. p. 386).
A high imposing range was visible to the northward.
April 22. - We travelled about nine miles west, making our latitude 19
degrees 12 minutes. Ranges ran parallel to the river at different
distances: we left a very fine one to the south-west and south, from
which the large creek we passed about two miles from our last camp,
probably descends. Three miles farther, a river as large or even larger
than the Burdekin, joins the latter from the westward and south-west -
the Burdekin coming down from the north-west. I was doubtful which of the
two rivers I ought to follow; but finding, after a close examination,
that the north-west branch was running, whilst the south-west one
contained only large, long, but unconnected reaches of water, I
determined upon following the north-west branch. I called the south-west
branch the "Clarke," in compliment to the Rev. W. B. Clarke of Paramatta,
who has been, and is still, most arduously labouring to elucidate the
meteorology and the geology of this part of the world. About three miles
above the junction, a creek of considerable size joined the Burdekin from
the northward.
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