WHITE LAKE.

From this I perceived a circular lake a little to our right and on riding to it I found the water salt and of a very white colour.  No trees grew on the margin and the surrounding scene was so dreary that it resembled a mountain-tarn.  Two solitary ducks were upon it, apparently of a species new to us, but this I could not ascertain, having had only my rifle with me and, the cap missing fire, I lost even that chance of killing them.  The bed of the lake also consisted of a very white marl.  A high semicircular bank swept round the eastern shore; that opposite, or towards the west being low and swampy.  On that side I saw two natives at a distance making the best of their way to the southward.  We had this day noticed some of their huts which were of a very different construction from those of the aborigines in general, being large, circular, and made of straight rods meeting at an upright pole in the centre; the outside had been first covered with bark and grass and then entirely coated over with clay.  The fire appeared to have been made nearly in the centre; and a hole at the top had been left as a chimney.  The place seemed to have been in use for years as a casual habitation.

BASKETWORK OF THE NATIVES.

In this hut the natives had left various articles such as jagged spears, some of them set with flints; and an article of their manufacture which we had not before seen, namely, bags of the gins, very neatly wrought, apparently made of a tough small rush.  Two of these also resembled reticules and contained balls of resin, flints for the spearheads etc.  The iron bolt of a boat was likewise found in one of these huts.  The natives invariably fled at our approach, a circumstance to be regretted perhaps on account of the nomenclature of my map; but otherwise their flight was preferable to the noisy familiarity of the natives of the Darling, perplexing us between their brands of defiance and treacherous invitations to dance.  Indeed the two regions were as different in character as the manners of their respective inhabitants.  Instead of salsolaceous deserts and mesenbryanthemum we now found a variety of everything most interesting in a newly discovered country.  Every day we passed over land which for natural fertility and beauty could scarcely be surpassed; over streams of unfailing abundance and plains covered with the richest pasturage.  Stately trees and majestic mountains adorned the ever-varying scenery of this region, the most southern of all Australia and the best.  Beyond the White lake, which may be the distinguishing name of the last mentioned, we passed over several tracts of open forest land separated by dry sandhills, and at length encamped on a rich flat.

MUDDY STATE OF THE SURFACE.

The cattle were very much fatigued from the heaviness of the draught owing to the extreme softness of the surface, especially on the more open forest lands; and one bullock-driver remained behind with a cart until we could send back a team by moonlight to his assistance.