June 19.—­The boats during their progress this day did not experience any obstruction, the river winding in fine though narrow reaches, over a bottom of sand and occasionally rock; the depth from eight to sixteen feet.  The country still continued perfectly level, but generally of excellent soil:  two or three miles back from the river north-east, there were several extensive plains, without any timber on them, and in many places water was on the surface, probably occasioned by the heavy rain on the 14th instant; since these flats, and indeed all the country we had hitherto travelled over, were quite clear of any floods from the river.  The banks of the river are, I think, ten or twelve feet lower than they are fifteen or twenty miles higher up; the floods evidently do not rise to so great a height, not exceeding, as far as we can judge, sixteen feet.  I do not think the timber is either so large or so good as we had hitherto found it; but there is a great quantity of it, chiefly box, and a species of blue gum.  Although at such a distance from the Lachlan, we have recognised most of the plants found in its vicinity:  in all other respects the neighbourhood of the two rivers is totally dissimilar; and in nothing more observable than in the rivers themselves.  The water in the river continues so extremely hard as to render it difficult to raise a lather from soap; it is also very pure and transparent.

June 20.—­The night cold, a sharp frost congealing some standing water by the river’s side.  The river rose upwards of a foot during the night, and still continues gradually to rise.  Having gone upwards of one hundred and twenty-five miles from Wellington Valley, I thought it advisable that the two men who accompanied us for that purpose should return to Sydney with an account of our proceedings, agreeably to the governor’s instructions.  Despatched two other men on horseback to the north-east, with directions to go as far as possible in that direction, and to return by sunset; which they did, and reported that they had been from fourteen to sixteen miles, through a very fine though level country:  the brushes were of small extent, and communicated with the finest tracts, chiefly of forest land thinly wooded:  no marks were seen of any floods either from the river or land side, and these flats were watered by chains of ponds or watercourses, which doubtless when overflowed communicate with the river.  Abundance of kangaroos and emus.

June 21.—­The result of the observation this day gave for our situation lat. 31. 49. 60.  S., long. 147. 52. 15.  E., and the variation 8. 22.  E.

June 22.—­Completed the necessary papers for the governor’s information, and made all ready to proceed on our journey tomorrow.  The river in these last two days has risen between two and three feet.