The opinion I have expressed, and which is founded on my personal experience, that the rivers crossed by Messrs. Hovell and Hume had already united above me, was strengthened by the capacity of the stream we had just discovered.  It had a medium width of 350 feet, with a depth of from twelve to twenty.  Its reaches were from half to three-quarters of a mile in length, and the views upon it were splendid.  Of course, as the Morumbidgee entered it from the north, its first reach must have been E. and W., and it was so, as nearly as possible; but it took us a little to the southward of the latter point, in a distance of about eight miles that we pulled down it in the course of the afternoon.  We then landed and pitched our tents for the night.  Its transparent waters were running over a sandy bed at the rate of two-and-a-half knots an hour, and its banks, although averaging eighteen feet in height, were evidently subject to floods.

Absence of natives.

We had not seen any natives since falling in with the last tribe on the Morumbidgee.  A cessation had, therefore, taken place in our communication with them, in re-establishing which I anticipated considerable difficulty.  It appeared singular that we should not have fallen in with any for several successive days, more especially at the junction of the two rivers, as in similar situations they generally have an establishment.  In examining the country back from the stream, I did not observe any large paths, but it was evident that fires had made extensive ravages in the neighbourhood, so that the country was, perhaps, only temporarily deserted.  Macnamee, who had wandered a little from the tents, declared that he had seen about a dozen natives round a fire, from whom (if he really did see them) he very precipitately fled, but I was inclined to discredit his story, because in our journey on the following day, we did not see even a casual wanderer.

Weather, temperature, &C.

The river maintained its character, and raised our hopes to the highest pitch.  Its breadth varied from 160 to 200 yards; and only in one place, where a reef of iron-stone stretched nearly across from the left bank, so as to contract the channel near the right and to form a considerable rapid, was there any apparent obstruction to our navigation.  I was sorry, however, to remark that the breadth of alluvial soil between its outer and inner banks was very inconsiderable, and that the upper levels were poor and sandy.  Blue-gum generally occupied the former, while the usual productions of the plains still predominated upon the latter, and showed that the distant interior had not yet undergone any favourable change.  We experienced strong breezes from the north, but the range of the thermometer was high, and the weather rather oppressive than otherwise.  On the night of the 16th, we had a strong wind from the N.W., but it moderated with day-light, and shifted