We breakfasted at an early hour this morning, and proceeded at once to harness our horses to the carts, three to each cart.  The carts contained about seven hundredweight each.  This business having been completed, and the packhorses saddled and loaded, we started at nine o’clock A.M., and proceeded along the beach.  Mr. Kennedy and Jackey rode in front, followed by the three carts.  After Wall, riding one horse and leading two packhorses, came Goddard, Douglas, Mitchell, and Dunn, leading three packhorses, then Niblet in the rear, riding one and leading two horses, followed by Carpenter driving the sheep, and myself on foot, carrying Mr. Kennedy’s mountain barometer, which he had given into my charge during the journey; and I was also to take the time for that gentleman, in his observations.

After travelling in this order about two miles, we came to a large river,* emptying itself into Rockingham Bay.  This river was about one hundred and fifty yards wide, and although the tide ran up it about a mile, fresh water was procurable from it considerably nearer the sea.

(Footnote.  Mackay River of the Admiralty chart of Rockingham Bay.)

At nearly high-water I tasted fresh water on one side of the river, and salt on the other, and about two hours after high-water, there was no difficulty in obtaining plenty of excellent water on either side of the river, in different places.  There is a great deal of fresh water running into the sea here, and at the same distance from the sea as the mouth of the river, it is in some places mixed with salt water, whilst in others it is quite fresh.  The banks of this river are low and sandy, and a short distance above where we joined it, it is skirted on either side by a thick mangrove swamp, for the distance of about a mile, where it joins the freshwater swamps, covered with thick scrub.  On my proceeding up the river, it became narrower in its channel as it approached the swamps, from which it appeared to be principally supplied.  It had a tortuous course, and when I left it, was turning to the westward.

A boat was sent to us by Captain Stanley of H.M.S.  Rattlesnake to assist us in carrying our stores across, which we effected with some difficulty by ten o’clock P.M., the horses and some of the sheep swimming across, while the remainder of the latter were taken in the boat.  We pitched Mr. Kennedy’s tent on sand, at the side of the river, and it being dark, and not knowing where to obtain water on that side of the river, I and five others recrossed it, and went back about three-quarters of a mile to a small creek running parallel to the beach.  We filled our kegs, and returned to the camp in time to have supper by twelve o’clock, after which we rolled ourselves in our blankets, and, wearied by the fatigues we had undergone, slept soundly till daylight.

This was a very harassing day to us, as we were all constantly in the water, loading and unloading the boat.  It is but just to state, that Captain Stanley of the Rattlesnake, both in landing our horses and stores, and in crossing this river, rendered us every assistance in his power, and seemed throughout to take a strong interest in the expedition, and its object.