The natives were still on the
opposite bank, and five of them came over to us in the course of the
morning; but remained a very short time. During the last night a few
fine shrimps were caught; the soldiers stationed at the depot said they
had frequently taken them in considerable numbers. During the day
arranged the loads for the boats and horses, that they might be enabled
to set off early the next morning.
April 27. - Loaded the boats with as much of the salt provisions as they
could safely carry, and despatched them to wait at the first creek about
seven or eight miles down the river until the loaded horses came, and
then to assist in taking their loads over the creek; intending myself to
follow with the remainder of the baggage early to-morrow morning.
The observations which were made here placed the depot in lat. 33. 40.
S.,
and in long. 148. 21. E., the variation of the needle being 7. 47. E.
The barometrical observations, which had been regularly taken from Sydney
to this place, did not give us an elevation of more than six hundred feet
above the level of the sea; a circumstance which, considering our
distance
from the west coast, surprised me much.
The few words of which we were enabled to obtain the meaning from the
natives who occasionally visited its, being different from those used by
the natives on the east coast, it way perhaps be interesting to insert
them.
