July 19.—­We travelled seven miles and a half due south, through a succession of stunted tea-tree thickets and tea-tree forests, in which the little bread-tree of the Lynd was common.  We passed two creeks with rocky beds, the one with salt water, and the other fresh.  The natives had been digging here, either for shells or roots.  We came to a fine river with salt water about two hundred and fifty or three hundred yards broad, with low banks fringed with stunted mangroves.  The well beaten foot-path and the numerous fire-places of the natives, proved how populous the country must be.  In following a foot-path, we came to some large lagoons, but containing very little water; the natives had been digging in the dry parts, perhaps for the roots of Nymphaea.  We encamped at one of them in lat. 17 degrees 49 minutes.

The country along the river was an open box-forest.  Natives cooeed around us; and we saw a man and his gin, and farther on two others busily occupied in burning the grass.  When Charley came to the lagoon he saw a black boy, who immediately retreated out of sight.  Two straw-necked Ibises and seven ducks were shot.  Mr. Roper had suffered much by the long rides of the last stages; but his health was improving, notwithstanding.  The Nonda tree had disappeared north of the Van Diemen, and the emu here feeds on the fruit of the little Severn tree, which is so excessively bitter, as to impart its quality to the meat, and even to the gizzard and the very marrow.

As we approached the salt water, the various species of Eucalyptus, with the exception of the box, disappeared, and various species of tea-tree (Melaleuca) took their place; they grew even on the sands with incrustations of salt, and gave way only to the mangroves, which were bathed by the brine itself.

We now commenced collecting the gum of the broad-leaved Terminalia of the upper Lynd, and boiled it for Mr. Roper, who liked it very much.

We recognised one of the kites (Milvus isiurus), which had followed us from our last killing camp, down to the head of the gulf.

July 20.—­This morning, the bullocks had strayed farther than usual, and, whilst we were waiting for them, some natives came to the rocks opposite our camp; and one of them beckoned me to come over to him.  They had been observing our camp last night, for some time after the rising of the moon, and I had caused Brown to discharge his gun, in order to drive them away.  They did not, however, trouble us then any farther, but encamped at a neighbouring lagoon; showing evidently that they expected no harm from us.  When the bold fellow invited me to come over to him, I hesitated at first, as they might have disturbed us when loading our bullocks; but, as the animals did not appear, I took my reconnoitring bag with some iron nose rings, and made Brown follow me at some distance with the double barrelled gun, and went over to them.  After much hesitation, four of them approached me.  I made them presents,