I had still however a desire to reconnoitre the country to the southward in hopes that I might see enough of its features to enable me to arrive at some conclusion as to the final course of the Lachlan, and to arrange our further journey accordingly.

ASCEND BURRADORGANG.

April 27.

I rode to Burradorgang, a saddle-backed hill bearing 117 degrees from our camp and distant 19 miles.  This hill I found to be the most western and the last between the Murrumbidgee and the Lachlan.  I only reached its base with tired horses an hour before dusk.  Just as I dismounted and began to climb the rocks a drizzling rain came on from the north-west, and it unfortunately first obscured that portion of the horizon which I was most anxious to see.

VIEW FROM BURRADORGANG.

To the northward, eastward, and southward however it continued clear, and the points visible in those directions fully occupied my attention until the western horizon became distinct.  I was at once enabled to identify this hill with an angle observed when on the top of Yerrarar.  Granard and the principal summits of Peel’s and Macquarie’s ranges were visible and, as the sky cleared I could see Warranary, that south-western extremity of the Mount Granard range already mentioned, and which I was enabled by my observations here to connect with the trigonometrical survey.  But even from this summit nothing could be observed beyond besides the continuation of the range towards the north-west at an immense distance.  The object next in importance was the country between me and the Murrumbidgee in a south-west direction.  I expected that some kind of ridge or hills above the common level would separate that river from the Lachlan if the courses of both rivers continued to separate to any considerable distance westward.  But although I perceived a low ridge extending towards the west from the most southern part of Peel’s range I also saw that it terminated in the low level of the plains at about 20 degrees West of South.

A RAINY NIGHT WITHOUT SHELTER.

Burradorgang, this last of hills, consisted of ferruginous sandstone like all the others I saw further in the interior during the former journey.  I descended to its base just as darkness came on; and myself and the men with me were forced to pass the night exposed to the wind and rain at a place where nevertheless we could find no water for our horses.

April 28.

The rain ceased some time before daybreak, but the weather continued cloudy and, fogs hanging on the distant horizon, I was not tempted again to ascend the mountain as I certainly should have done had the morning been clear.  We mounted and retraced our steps to the camp.  The country between this hill and the river consisted chiefly of soft red soil in which grew the cypress-like callitris, also acacia, and the bimbel or spear-wood.* It seemed to consist of a very low undulation, extending from the hill