A tomb similar in form to that which we observed yesterday being discovered near our halting-place of this day, I caused it to be opened:  it is as a conical mound of earth about four feet high in the centre, and nearly eight feet long in the longest part, exactly in the centre, and deep in the ground:  we at first thought we perceived the remains of a human body, which had been originally placed upon sticks arranged transversely, but now nearly decayed by time; nothing remained of what we took for the body but a quantity of unctuous clayey matter.  The whole had the appearance of being not recent, the semicircular seats being now nearly level with the rest of the ground, and the tomb itself overgrown with weeds.  The river fell about three inches in the course of the night.

July 12.—­It is impossible that any weather can be finer than that which we are favoured with.  For days together the sky is unobscured by even a single cloud, and although the air is cold and sharp, yet the dryness of the atmosphere amply repays us for any little inconvenience we sustain from the cold.  At nine, we again set forward on our return up the river, and at three arrived on its banks, having performed about twelve miles.  The river had fallen about one foot in the course of the day.  The horses being much fatigued by the heavy travelling over the flats, and many of them being very sorely galled in the back, I propose halting to-morrow to refresh them.  We were this day once more cheered by the sight of rising ground; Macquarie’s Range just appearing above the horizon, distance about forty miles; and we felt that we were again about to tread on secure and healthy land, with a chance of procuring some sort of game, which would now be very acceptable, our diet being entirely confined to pork and our morsel of bread.  The weather is far too cold for us to have any hopes of procuring fish; all our attempts to catch them for the last fortnight being unsuccessful.  The odour from the river and marshes was most fetid, and was, I think, even stronger than that which we had before experienced.

July 13.—­In the course of the day the river fell upwards of a foot.

July 14.—­The river fell about eighteen inches.  We found that the horses had again strayed, and they were not found and brought home until past sunset, having wandered about in search of food from eight to twelve miles in various directions.  As the people had of course separated in the search, three men still remained out; and being fearful that the darkness of the night might prevent them from finding the camp, fired several musquets, and kindled a fire upon the plains.  It was twelve o’clock before they were fortunate enough to regain the tents.

July 15.—­At three, having travelled about twelve miles, halted on the stream for the evening.  The dogs killed an emu.