Part 2 (1/2)

Leaving the bivouac at 740 aranite hills, with s to the west; at 1240 pinals, who hastily deca their spears and shi+elds behind in the hurry of retreat; they appeared to be of rather small stature, and somewhat darker in colour than the blacks near the Swan River Observing a rerees about twenty miles distant, steered for it; the country becarass and brushwood; at 35 turned north to a steep granite hill, crossing a dry watercourse thirty yards wide and sixteen feet deep trending north-west; at 440 halted in a gully in the granite range, and obtained water by digging arees 34 rees 2 minutes

3rd Septe towards the hill seen yesterday, and which now bore 307 degrees The country was nearly a dead level, with a few s south-west; the soil a red loarass and small acacias; at 1050 came on an extensive flat covered with salicornia, which extended to the base of the hill, the summit of which was reached at 1225 pm; from this position the flat or marsh appeared to extend fifteen miles to the north-east, a branch also to the north-west, in which direction the water seeh the dip of the country, if any, was so slight as to render it uncertain

To the north a range of trap hills, five to tenco the foot of a range of trap hills; at 350 passed a dry salt lake on our right, and at 515 bivouacked on the side of a trap hill, a on calcareous tufa Fro in a north-west direction for many miles; all the hills within twenty ave no prospect of obtaining water, the soil being loose and the rock full of fissures; hitherto we seldoranite rocks, which serve to collect the rainwater of even slight showers

Latitude 28 degrees 24 rees 42 minutes

SCARCITY OF WATER TURN TO THE WEST

4th September

As the horses had been twenty-four hours without water, and there was no prospect of obtaining any to the north or west, no rain having fallen for the past month, it was deemed advisable to return to the last bivouac, and then, by a westerly course, attempt to make the sources of the Hutt or Arrowsmith rivers, the mouths of which had been discovered by Captain Grey on the coast opposite our position Accordingly, after six hours'

ride, we got back to the well at the bivouac of the 2nd

5th Septe 240 degrees, at 815 crossed the dry watercourse trending west; at 110 ascended the ridge bounding the valley; at noon found a s to the ard; after this traversed a continuous thicket of acacia with narrow strips of cypress forest, and bivouacked at 550 without water

Latitude 29 degrees 47 rees 41west, ascended a granite hill, near the top of which we found a native well, where we halted at 730 Having watered the horses and breakfasted, at 930 resuranite hills, covered with brushwood and cypress with a few grassy patches; at 1110 passed a native well; altered the course to west-south-west, crossing three s north-west; and at 115 pranite hill, on the top of which there was a fine pool of rainwater in a shallow basin of the rock

Latitude 28 degrees 50 rees 29 minutes

7th Septerees through acacia thickets; at 105 crossed a narrow strip of salt marsh, which spread out into dry salt lakes to the south; after this the country was grassy till 1130, e entered a dense thicket of acacia,till 40 p till 525, e crossed a suht of white cockatoos which roosted near seemed to indicate that water was not far distant

Latitude 28 degrees 58 rees 6the bivouac at 70 aranite hill, then west-north-west to another hill, where we halted for half an hour to look for water, but being unsuccessful, again resu with grassy gued frorass disappeared and was replaced by scrub; the country was an to descend rapidly till 430, e ca it down for half a rass, and halted for the night, this being the only water seen for nearly fifty itude 115 degrees 45 minutes

DISCOVER TWO SEAMS OF COAL

9th Septerassy gu south, with many shallow pools of water; the country then becae and entered a rich grassy valley timbered with eucalypti and raspberry-jae on the west side of the valley was destitute of timber, but covered with dense wattle brush; at 100 arees, and at 1035 came on the head of a s it west-north-west, at 1130 it was joined by a running strea brackish, and trended to the south-west; left it and steered west over an open scrubby country; at 1230 pm

entered a dense thicket of eucalypti and acacia, the soil being forranite and trap; at 10 pm entered a deep valley by an abrupt descent, and found ourselves once more on the banks of the brackish strearassy flat backed by high sandstone cliffs fro the river west till 155 pm, when it turned north, and at 220 pm north-west; at 30 ph, and stratified in a re to the east, while the superincumbent rocks of red sandstone were horizontal We therefore entered the bed of the river to examine it, and found two seams of coal--one five feet thick and the other about six feet thick--between beds of sandstone and shale Having pitched the tent and tethered the horses, we commenced to collect speci out five or six hundredweight of coal with the to the first fire of Western Australian coal burning cheerfully in front of the ca the first discovery of coal in the western part of the Continent

Latitude 28 degrees 57 rees 30 minutes