Our Stage Could Not Have Been Less Than Twenty-Five Or Twenty-Six Miles During The Day, Yet We Had Not Met With A Drop Of Water, Even Though We Had High Ranges, Large Watercourses, And Huge Gum-Trees On Every Side Of Us.

As usual, the traces of high floods were numerous; and the channels of these watercourses, confined as they are by precipitous ranges, must, at times, be filled by rapid and overwhelming torrents, which would collect there after heavy rains.

Some great progressive change appears to be taking place in the climate and seasons of this part of the country, as, in many of the watercourses, we found all the gum-trees either dying or dead, without any young trees growing up to replace them. The moisture which had promoted their growth, and brought them to maturity, existed no longer; and in many places, only the wreck of noble trees remained to indicate to the traveller what once had been the character of this now arid region. In other watercourses the gum-trees were still green and flourishing, and of giant growth; but we were equally unable to discover water in these,[Note 5: We had no means with us of digging - possibly moisture existed below the surface where the trees were so large and green.] as in those where the trees were decaying or withered.

July 17. - To-day we returned to our temporary camp, tracing up various branches of the water-courses as we went along, but without finding water.

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