An Accident Happened To The Vessel Containing The Mercury Of The
Artificial Horizon, By Which The Greater Part Was Lost, Leaving Scarcely
Sufficient For Use.
It had been a matter of surprise to me that such a
misfortune had not occurred sooner, the box
Containing the instruments,
etc., being so shaken by the horse forcing his way through the scrubs,
that I considered myself extremely fortunate not to have been deprived
of the use of them long before. To carry barometers, and other
delicately constructed mathematical instruments, safely through such a
journey as the present is impossible. Our course made good was N. 68 E.,
distance thirteen miles and a half. The evening fine and clear.
August 6. - Proceeded on our course, which led us for nine or ten miles
through what might be termed an open forest country, with respect to the
timber growing on it, but it was overrun with mimosa and acacia bushes,
many of which were coming into flower, relieving in some measure the
sombre foliage of the cypress and box trees which were scattered among
them: it was rather an elevated tract that we travelled through, with
such gentle rises and descents as to be almost imperceptible from a
level surface. I ascended a hill about three miles north of the road,
but could see nothing remarkable in any direction, the whole appearing
irregularly broken into low hills and valleys, thickly clothed with
small trees and bushes. At the eighth mile we came upon a small
waterhole, which our poor horses soon emptied; again at the tenth mile,
just at the commencement of a very broken stony range, we also found a
few gallons of water, which the horses also enjoyed, it being much too
muddy for our use; and besides, we had hopes that after passing the
range of hills in which we were about to enter, we should find water on
the other side.
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