We then came upon a hill of granite, and from its summit I perceived that we were already on the northern extremities of the high ranges we had seen from the westward.  After travelling some miles along the summits of ridges in order to reach their connection with another range more to the northward, I ascertained, on crossing the highest part of a second ridge, that its northern slopes were very steep and rocky.  A hill of considerable height lay before us and therefore, as soon as I had selected a spot for our camp in a little intervening valley, I hastened to it, certainly in doubt how we should extricate the carts from the rocky fastnesses before us.  That summit afforded a commanding view of the country beyond the granitic range, and I perceived that it was low to a considerable distance northward, while the ranges beyond that extensive basin seemed of no great elevation to the westward or north-west, and all terminated on the level interior country where the horizon was broken by only one remarkable hill which, as I afterwards learnt, was named Dingee.  In that direction I saw also open plains along which I thought I could trace the line of the Ovens.  In the lower country before me I hoped to find the Murray, according to the map of Messrs. Hovell and Hume, which in the two rivers we had recently passed seemed wonderfully correct.

LOFTY MASS NAMED MOUNT ABERDEEN.

I again recognised in the south and south-east some of the snowy peaks formerly noticed, and I named the most lofty mass Mount Aberdeen.  Beyond what I considered to be the course or bed of the Murray there appeared some steep ranges, to avoid which I chose a course more to the northward than I should otherwise have pursued in my way towards Yass.  Before I returned to the camp I sought and succeeded in finding and marking out, a line of route by which the carts could be conducted across these rocky ranges and down to the lower country beyond them.  On that range we found a handsome blue flower which I had previously seen growing abundantly on Bowral range near Mittagong within the present colony.  We found in these valleys abundance of good grass.

October 17.

We descended from the higher range without difficulty, and then crossed several low ridges of quartz and clay-slate extending westward; some flats of good land lay between these ridges and, at about 6 miles, we met with a creek or chain of ponds.  At 13 1/2 miles we entered a rich plain terminating northward at a low but remarkable hill which I had observed from the mountains.

REACH THE MURRAY.

The grass grew luxuriantly on this plain and after crossing and passing through the forest beyond it I recognised with satisfaction the lofty yarra trees and the low verdant alluvial flats of the Murray.  No one could have mistaken this grand feature; for the vast extent of verdant margin with lofty trees and still lakes could belong to no other Australian river we knew of.  On descending the berg or outer bank which was sloping and grassy, I found the still lagoons so numerous that I could not, without very great difficulty and after a ride of nearly an hour, obtain a sight of the flowing river.  I found it at length running bank-high and still of greater width than any other known Australian river.