‘February’ 6.—­The second start was made this morning, the Brothers intending to find either the Settlement or the mouth of the Escape.  Their course for the first 15 miles was N.N.East, over barren white sandy country, covered with brushwood and scrub.  At 7 miles a large deep running creek was crossed, running westward.  Its south bank was so densely covered with vine scrub, that they had to walk and cut their way through it with their tomahawks.  After crossing it, the country suddenly changed to thickly timbered sandy ridges, some being rocky, of course sandstone, the more elevated ones having belts of impenetrable scrub running along their crest.  At 12 miles a fine sheet of water was passed, surrounded by sandy coarsely-grassed ridges.  At 15 miles, from a line of high ridges forming a saddle-range, they had a view of the ocean, and could distinguish a few small islands out to sea.  It might have been seen sooner but for the drizzling rain which fell with little intermission.  The range was of red soil, timbered with bloodwood, and stringy-bark.  Two miles further on the country improved still more, continuing from thence into their camp, 6 miles.  The course was altered from the range to N. by E., and at 20 miles a white hill was reached, from which they looked down on the sea about half-a-mile distant beneath them.  This was Newcastle Bay.  Turning westward and skirting the coast, they travelled 3 miles further on, and camped on a palm creek, with very steep banks.  Large flocks of the Torres Strait pigeons flew over in the evening.  Distance travelled 23 miles.

‘February’ 7.—­The good country traversed yesterday ceased at a creek half-a-mile from the camp, on crossing which the party had to cut their way as usual, after which the course skirting the coast lay over a villainous country, boggy swamps, brushwood and scrub.  After travelling 7 or 8 miles their progress was arrested by a large stream three-quarters-of-a-mile in width, running rapidly from the W.N.W.  Its banks were low and muddy, covered with a wide belt of dense mangroves, its muddy and swollen waters carrying down quantities of rubbish.  This they correctly surmised to be the mouth of the veritable “Escape” but Frank Jardine was again in error in supposing it to be the same stream that they had left the cattle on.  Seeing so large a stream he naturally reverted to the idea that it had turned on itself, and that their first exploration had stopped before reaching the turning point.  His case was dispiriting in the extreme.  The main camp was not more than 15 miles in latitude south of his present position.  The Settlement, the long-wished end of their journey, could not be more than 20 to the North, yet his progress was arrested by a broad and rapid river, to head the supposed bend of which he had ineffectually travelled nearly 50 miles.  His plan was now to follow the Escape up in hopes of being able to cross at the head of the tide, and so reach Somerset, but this, as will