towards the sea, that height being distant from the hill on which I stood about thirty miles.  A broad chain of woody hills connected the coast range with Mount Byng, and I could trace the general course of several important streams through the country to the east of it.  Northward I saw a little of the interior plains and the points where the various ranges terminated upon them.  The sun was setting when I left Mount Byng but I depended on one of our natives, Tommy Came-last, who was then with me, for finding our way to the camp; and who on such occasions could trace my steps backwards with wonderful facility by day or night.

EXPEDITION PASS.

September 29.

The range before us was certainly rather formidable for the passage of carts, but home lay beyond it, while delay and famine were synonymous terms with us at that time.  By following up the valley in which we had encamped I found early on this morning an easy way through which the carts might gain the lowest part of the range.  Having conducted them to this point without any other inconvenience besides the overturning of one cart (from bad driving) we descended along the hollow of a ravine after making it passable by throwing some rocks into the narrow part near its head.  The ravine at length opened, as I had expected, into a grassy valley with a fine rivulet flowing through it, and from this valley we debouched into the still more open granitic country at the foot of Mount Byng.  The pass thus auspiciously discovered and opened, over a neck apparently the very lowest of the whole range, I named Expedition-pass, confident that such a line of communication between the southern coast and Sydney must, in the course of time, become a very considerable thoroughfare.  The change of soil however introduced us to the old difficulty from which we had been happily relieved for some time, for we came once more upon rotten and boggy ground.  We met with this unexpected impediment in an open-looking flat near a rivulet I was about to cross, when I found the surface so extremely soft and yielding that from the extreme resistance a bolt of the boat-carriage gave way, a circumstance which obliged us immediately to encamp although we had travelled only four miles.

EXCURSION TOWARDS PORT PHILLIP.

September 30.

Compelled thus to await the repair of the boat-carriage I determined to make an excursion to the lofty mountain mass which appeared about thirty miles to the southward, in order that I might connect my survey with Port Phillip, which I hoped to see thence.  The horses were not found as soon as they were required, but when we at last got upon their backs we were therefore less disposed to spare them.

DISCOVER AND CROSS THE RIVER BARNARD.