journey abundance in hollows on the surface of the plains; a circumstance clearly evincing that this river, as Mr. Oxley has truly stated, is not at all dependent for its supply on the rains falling here.  The deep cracks on the plains, so abundant as to impede the traveller, seemed capable of absorbing not only the water which falls upon them, but also any which may descend from the low hills around.  During our day’s journey I found grey porphyry, the base consisting apparently of granular felspar with embedded crystals of common felspar and grains of hornblende.

April 13.

The night had been unusually warm, so much so that the thermometer stood during the whole of it at 76 degrees (the usual noonday heat) and so parching was the air that no one could sleep.  A hot wind blew from the north-east in the morning, and the barometer fell 4/10 of an inch; there were also slight showers.

CUDJALLAGONG OR REGENT’S LAKE.

Leaving Mr. Stapylton in charge of the camp I went with a small mounted party to Cudjallagong (Regent’s lake) which I found to be nine miles to the east-south-east of our tents.  We passed by the place where Cudjallagong creek first leaves the river and by which this lake is supplied.

NEARLY DRY.

The uniformity of breadth and width in this streamlet and its tortuous course were curious, especially as it must lead the floods of the Lachlan almost directly back from the general direction of their current to supply a lake.  Thus the fluviatile process seemed to be reversed here, the tendency of this river being not to carry surface waters off, but rather to spread over land where none could otherwise be found, those brought from a great distance.  The particular position of this portion of depressed surface being so far distant from the general course of the river and the communication between it and the river by a backwater so shallow and small, the lake can only receive a small share of the river deposits and this only from the waters of its highest floods.  We found the “noble lake” (as it appeared when discovered by Mr. Oxley) now for the most part a plain covered with luxuriant grass; some water, it is true, lodged on the most eastern extremity, but nowhere to a greater depth than a foot.  Innumerable ducks took refuge there and also a great number of black swans and pelicans, the last standing high upon their legs above the remains of Regent’s lake.  We found the water perfectly sweet even in this shallow state.  It abounds with the large freshwater mussel which was the chief food of the natives at the time we visited it.

DEAD TREES IN IT.

On its northern margin and a good way within the former boundary of the lake stood dead trees of a full-grown size which had been apparently killed by too much water, plainly showing, like the trees similarly situated in Lake George and Lake Bathurst, to what long periods the extremes of drought and moisture have extended, and may again extend, in this singular country.