road to Balanda, took his leave and returned.  Soon after we came to a large creek full of water, running to the eastward, which we followed up for a long distance, before we were able to cross.  Our pack-horse became bogged, and as it was so weak that it would not even make an effort to extricate itself, and as I supposed that we were near the settlement, we took off its pack-saddle and load, and left it behind.  We crossed two or three more watercourses; and continued the course pointed out by the native, until it became very late, and I found myself compelled to look for water; particularly as our bullock showed evident symptoms of becoming knocked up.  I therefore followed the fall of the country to the north-east; and, in a short time, came to the sea-side.  We compared our little map of the harbour of Port Essington with the configuration of the bay before us, but nothing would agree exactly, although it bore a general resemblance to Raffles Bay.

A narrow belt of brush covered the approaches to the water; but the scarlet Eugenia grew on the sandy flats towards the hilly forest; where we also found a new tree, a species of Anacardium, which the natives called “Lugula;” it bore a red succulent fruit, formed by the enlargement of the stalk, with a greyish one-seeded nut outside, like Exocarpus.  The fruit was extremely refreshing; the envelope, however, contained such an acrid juice that it ate into and discoloured my skin, and raised blisters wherever it touched it:  these blisters were not only followed by a simple excoriation, but by a deep and painful ulceration.  In the forest, we met with some few small Seaforthia palms, the young shoots of which we obtained with great difficulty, not then knowing how easily the natives strip them of the surrounding leaves and leafstalks.  I followed a a well beaten foot-path of the natives to the northward, crossed a creek, in the mangrove swamp of which another horse was bogged, which we extricated after great exertion; and, after two or three miles, came to a large fresh-water swamp (Marair) on which we encamped.  The sun had long set, and our cattle, as well as ourselves, were miserably tired.  We were here visited by a tribe of natives, who were well acquainted with the settlement; they were all friendly, and willing to assist us; and many of them spoke very tolerable English.  One of them, apparently the chief of the tribe, though a hunchback, named “Bill White,” promised to guide us to the settlement.  He gave us to understand that we had come too far to the northward, and that we had to go to the south-west, in order to head Port Essington, and to follow its west coast, in order to arrive at Victoria.  We were, in fact, at Raffles Bay.  The natives knew every body in Victoria, and did not cease to give us all the news; to which we most willingly listened.  They fetched water for us from a great distance, and gave us some Murnatt, which was extremely welcome.  Perceiving the state of exhaustion and depression in which we were, they tried to cheer us with their corrobori songs, which they accompanied on the Eboro, a long tube of bamboo, by means of which they variously modulated their voices.  I may mention that we experienced a heavy thunder-storm during the afternoon.