when we stopped for the night upon a space of ground scarcely large enough to enable us to kindle a fire.  The principal stream ran with great rapidity, and its banks and neighbourhood, as far as we could see, were covered with wood, encreasing us within a margin or bank.  Vast spaces of country clear of timber were under water, and covered with the common reed [Note:  Arundo phragmites.  Linn.], which grew to the height of six or seven feet above the surface.  The course and distance by the river was estimated to be from twenty-seven to thirty miles, on a north-north-west line.

July 3.—­Towards the morning the storm abated, and at daylight we proceeded on our voyage.  The main bed of the river was much contracted, but very deep, the waters spreading to the depth of a foot or eighteen inches over the banks, but all running on the same point of bearing.  We met with considerable interruption from fallen timber, which in places nearly choked up the channel.  After going about twenty miles, we lost the land and trees:  the channel of the river, which lay through reeds, and was from one to three feet deep, ran northerly.  This continued for three or four miles farther, when although there had been no previous change in the breadth, depth, and rapidity of the stream for several miles, and I was sanguine in my expectations of soon entering the long sought for Australian sea, it all at once eluded our farther pursuit by spreading on every point from north-west to north-east, among the ocean of reeds which surrounded us, still running with the same rapidity as before.  There, was no channel whatever among those reeds, and the depth varied from three to five feet.  This astonishing change (for I cannot call it a termination of the river), of course left me no alternative but to endeavour to return to some spot, on which we could effect a landing before dark.  I estimated that during this day we had gone about twenty-four miles, on nearly the same point of bearing as yesterday.  To assert positively that we were on the margin of the lake or sea into which this great body of water is discharged, might reasonably be deemed a conclusion which has nothing but conjecture for its basis; but if an opinion may be permitted to be hazarded from actual appearances, mine is decidedly in favour of our being in the immediate vicinity of an inland sea, or lake, most probably a shoal one, and gradually filling up by immense depositions from the higher lands, left by the waters which flow into it.  It is most singular, that the high-lands on this continent seem to be confined to the sea-coast, or not to extend to any great distance from it.

July 7.—­I returned with the boat late last night, and was glad to find that every thing had been removed to Mount Harris.  Mr. Evans had not yet set out on his journey, but intends to do so to-morrow.

July 8.—­Mr. Evans set forward to the north-east, taking with him eight or ten days’ provisions, which I hoped would be sufficient to enable him to form a competent idea of the country we should now have to travel over.  In the mean time we employed ourselves in diminishing our baggage, and setting aside eighteen weeks’ provisions on a reduced ration, which was the utmost the horses could take; the remainder serving us for consumption during our stay here.