I sent Mr. Roper and Charley down the river, who informed me, on their return late at night, that they had found water at different distances; the farthest they reached was distant about seventeen miles, in a water-hole near the scrub; but the bed of the river was dry.  As they rode, one on the right and the other on the left side of the river, a Blackfellow hailed Charley and approached him, but when he saw Mr. Roper—­who crossed over upon being called—­he immediately climbed a tree, and his gin, who was far advanced in pregnancy, ascended another.  As Mr. Roper moved round the base of the tree, in order to look the Blackfellow in the face, and to speak with him, the latter studiously avoided looking at Mr. Roper, by shifting round and round the trunk like an iguana.  At last, however, he answered to the inquiry for water, by pointing to the W. N. W. The woman also kept her face averted from the white man.  Proceeding farther down the river they saw natives encamped at a water-hole, who, as soon as they became aware of the approach of the two horsemen, withdrew with the greatest haste into the scrub; the men driving the shrieking women and children before them.  Upon Mr. Roper galloping after them, one athletic fellow turned round and threatened to throw his bommerang, at this sign of hostility Mr. Roper prudently retired.  Kangaroo and other nets made of some plant and not of bark, koolimans, bommerangs, waddies, and a fine opossum cloak were found at the camp, but were left untouched by our companions.

March 15.—­Our party moved to the water-holes, where Mr. Roper had seen the natives; the latter had removed their property, and were not afterwards heard or seen by any of us.  The general course of the river was about south-west, and is joined by several scrub creeks; its bed is broad and shallow, with numerous channels, separated by bergues; and the river itself is split into several anabranches.  The scrub is generally an open Vitex; a fine drooping tea-tree lines the banks of the river; Casuarina disappears; the flooded-gum is frequent, but of smaller size.  The Mackenzie-bean and several other papilionaceous plants, with some new grasses, grow in it.  The most interesting plant, however, is a species of Datura, from one to two feet high, which genus has not previously been observed in Australia.  I also found species of Heliotropium of a most fragrant odour.

Sandstone cropped out in several places, and red quartz pebbles were very abundant in some parts of the river; the sands of its bed are so triturated that no one would ever surmise the existence of granitic rocks, at sixteen or twenty miles higher up.  The whole country was flat; no hill was visible, but, towards the end of our day’s journey, we crossed a few slight undulations.

During the night of the 14th, southerly winds were followed by a gale from the eastward, with scud and drizzling rain.  The morning of the 15th was cloudy with a little rain; wind southerly.  Early in the night, a strong east-wind with drizzling long rain set in, but cleared up at midnight.  The morning of the 16th was cloudy, with a southerly wind.  Our lat. was 21 degrees 39 minutes 58 seconds.