It will not be deemed presumptuous in me, I trust, to express a belief that the majority of my readers will find much to interest them in the perusal of this work; which I publish for several reasons—­firstly, in the hope, that a knowledge of the extremities to which I was driven, and of the unusual expedients to which I was obliged to resort, in order to save myself and my companions from perishing, may benefit those who shall hereafter follow my example; secondly, that as I published an account of my former services, my failing to do so in the present instance might be taken as evidence that I lacked the moral firmness which enables men to meet both success and defeat with equal self-possession; and thirdly, because, I think the public has a right to demand information from those, who, like myself, have been employed in the advancement of geographical knowledge.  I propose, therefore, to devote my preliminary chapter to a short review of previous Expeditions of Discovery on the Australian continent, and so to lay down its internal features, that my friends shall not lose their way.

I propose, also, to give an account of the state of South Australia when I left it in May last, for, as the expedition whose proceedings form the subject matter of these volumes, departed from and returned to that Province, such an account appears to me a fitting sequel to my narrative.

TRAVELS IN AUSTRALIA

CHAPTER I.

Character of the Australian continent—­of its rivers—­peculiarity of the
Darling—­sudden floods to which it is subject—­character of the Murray
—­its periodical rise—­Bounty of Providence—­geological position of the
two rivers—­observations&mdas
h;­results—­sir Thomas Mitchell’s journey to the
Darling—­its junction with the Murray—­anecdote of Mr. Shannon—­captain
Grey’s expedition—­captain Sturt’s journey—­Mr. Eyre’s second
expedition—­voyage of the Beagle—­Mr. Oxley’s opinions—­state of the
interior in 1828—­character of its plains and rivers—­junction of the
Darling—­fossil bed of the Murray—­former state of the continent—­theory
of the interior.