Dec. 14.—­When we started, intending to follow the foot-path, our native guides remained behind; and, when I had proceeded two or three miles, my companions came up to me and stated, that the natives had left us, but that they had given them to understand that the foot-path would conduct us safely to Balanda.  They had attempted to keep the large tomahawk, but had given it up when Brown asked them for it.  I was very sorry at their having left us, as the cloudy sky had prevented me for several days from taking any latitude, and determining my position.  We crossed a great number of small creeks, coming from the eastward, and draining the ridges of the neck of the Peninsula.  Scattered Pandanus and drooping tea-trees grew on their banks as far as the fresh water extended; when they were succeeded by the salt-water tea-tree and the mangrove, covering and fringing their beds, which enlarged into stiff plains, without vegetation, or into mangrove swamps.  The latter were composed of Aegiceras, Bruguiera, and Pemphis.  The tracks of the buffaloes increased in number as we advanced, and formed broad paths, leading in various directions, and made me frequently mistake them for the foot-path of the natives, which I eventually lost.  A course north 30 degrees west, brought us to easterly creeks, one of which I followed down, when Brown called out that he saw the sea.  We, therefore, went to the sea-side, and found ourselves at the head of a large bay, with an island to the north-east, and with headlands stretching far into the ocean, which was open and boundless to the northward.  It was Mount Morris Bay, with Valentia and Crocker’s islands; the latter, however, appeared to us to be a continuation of the main land.  We now went to the north-west and westward, until we came again on westerly waters.  The country in the centre of the neck of the Peninsula, was very hilly, and some of the ridges rose, perhaps, from one hundred and fifty to two hundred feet above the level of the sea; one or two hills were still higher.  They were all composed of a clayey ironstone, and clothed with patches of scrub, formed principally of Calythrix, and with a more open forest of Cypress pine, white-gum, tea-trees, bloodwood, Livistona palms, Pandanus, with shrubby Terminalias and Coniogetons.  The grass was dry, but high and dense; and buffalo tracks spread in every direction, particularly down the creeks, both to the eastward and westward.

We followed a westerly creek in all its windings, in order to detect water in one of its rocky water-holes.  The rock was shaly, of a greyish colour, like the clay shale of Newcastle above the layers of the coal, but more indurated.  Patches of vine brush grew along the banks, and their verdure led me frequently to expect the presence of water.  We met, however, only with salt-water, where the mangroves commenced, and had consequently to continue our journey.  Here we again came on the foot-path of the natives, which skirted the mangrove swamps, and I followed it for about three miles farther, crossed several dry watercourses, and at last found some pools of rain water, in a small creek.  I was fortunate enough to make my latitude by an observation of Regulus, 11 degrees 32 minutes 11 seconds.