September 3.

Sunday.  We had prayers at eleven o’clock, and afterwards, during the day, we shot a small emu and a kangaroo.  Being camped by the side of the river, we were able to catch a few fish, which were a most acceptable change to us.

The country through which we had passed for the last two days consisted of a good stiff soil, well covered with grass, openly timbered and well watered.

September 4 and 5.

The country continued much the same, making travelling most difficult and laborious.  We were now in the vicinity of Cape Tribulation.  While traversing the bed of the river, in which we were in many places obliged to travel, we passed two very high peaked hills to the westward.

September 6.

We now found the river beginning to run in all directions through the hills, over which it was impossible to travel.  We were consequently forced to keep the bed of the river, our horses falling every few minutes, in consequence of the slippery surface of the rocks over which they were obliged to pass—­consisting of dark granite.

The sterility of the hills here is much relieved by the bunches of beautiful large yellow flowers of the Cochlospermum Gossypium, interspersed with the large balls of white cotton, just bursting from the seed-vessels.  I collected a bag full of this cotton, wherewith to stuff our pack-saddles, as our sheep did not supply us with wool enough for that purpose.  On these hills, too, I saw a beautiful Calythrix, with pink flowers, and two or three very pretty dwarf acacias.  As Mr. Kennedy and myself were walking first of the party, looking out for the best path for the horses to travel in, I fell with violence, and unfortunately broke Mr. Kennedy’s mountain barometer, which I carried.  I also bruised one of my fingers very much, by crushing it with my gun.

September 7 and 8.

We continued following the river through its westward course, through a very mountainous country.  On the hills I saw a very handsome Bauhinia, a tree about twenty feet high, with spreading branches covered with axillary fascicles of red flowers, long broad flat legumes, pinnate leaves, leaflets oval, about one inch long; an Erythrina, with fine racemes of orange-coloured flowers, with long narrow keel, and broad vexillum, leaves palmate, and three to five lunate leaflets, long, round, painted legumes, red seeds; also a rose-coloured Brachychiton, with rather small flowers, a deciduous tree of stunted habit, about twenty feet high.  We also passed narrow belts of low sandy loam, covered with Banksias, broad-leafed Melaleucas, and the orange-coloured Grevillea I have before spoken of.  On these flats we again met with large ant-hills, six to ten feet high, and eight feet in circumference; the land at the base was of a reddish colour.

September 9.