We had at length reached the highest parts of the range and were about to descend into the country beyond it.  We continued to travel a considerable distance further than the rivulet flowing to the south.  Crossing others running northward or to the left, and leaving also on the same side a swamp, we finally came to a higher range clothed with trees of gigantic size, attesting the strength and depth of the soil, and here enormous old trunks obstructed our passage, covering the surface so as to form an impediment almost as great to us as the swampy ground had been; but this large timber so near the coast was an important feature in that country.  Piper, having climbed to the top of one of these trees, perceived some fine green hills to the south-east, saying they were very near us and that the sea was visible beyond them.  It was late in the afternoon when I reluctantly changed my intended route, which had been until then eastward, to proceed in the direction recommended by Piper, or to the south-east and so to follow down a valley, instead of my proposed route which had been along a favourable range.

HEAVY TIMBER THE CHIEF IMPEDIMENT.

I had still less reason to be satisfied with the change when, after pushing my horse through thick scrubs and bogs until twilight and looking in vain for a passage for the carts, I encountered at length bushes so thickly set and bogs so soft that any further progress in that direction was out of the question; and thus on the evening when I hoped to have entered a better sort of country after so successful a passage of the range we encamped where but little grass could be found for the cattle, our tents being not only under lofty trees but amongst thick bushes and bogs during very rainy weather.

TRAVELLING ALSO DIFFICULT FROM THE SOFTNESS OF THE GROUND.

August 27.

I was so anxious to get into open ground again that, as soon as daylight permitted, I carefully examined the environs of our camp, and I found that we occupied a broad flat where the drainage from the hills met and spread among bushes, so that at one time I almost despaired of extricating the party otherwise than by returning to the hill at which I had first altered my route.  The track we made had been however so much cut up by our wheels that I preferred the chance of finding a passage northward which, of course, was also less out of our way.  We reached an extremity of the hill (the nearest to us on that side) with much less difficulty than I had reason to apprehend and, keeping along that feature, we soon regained a range which led us east-north-east.  By proceeding in this direction however we could not avoid the passage of a valley where the water was not confined to any channel, but spread and lodged on a wide tract of very soft ground, also covered with mimosa bushes and a thick growth of young saplings of eucalyptus.  The light carts and the first heavy cart got over this soft ground or bog, but the others and the boat