Journal of an Expedition into the Interior of Tropical Australia, in Search of a Route from Sydney to the Gulf of Carpentaria (1848)Mitchell, T. L. (Thomas Livingstone)
History
Journal of an Expedition into the Interior of Tropical Australia, in Search of a Route from Sydney to the Gulf of Carpentaria (1848)
Mitchell, T. L. (Thomas Livingstone)
New South Wales -- Discovery and exploration; Queensland -- Discovery and exploration
15TH JUNE.--In following down this chain of ponds, we found its channel
became a well-formed river, with abundance of water in it, a few miles
below our camp. The course thus far was northward; and I saw in one part
of it rocks dipping to the westward. I was in expectation that it would
have continued northward, when it suddenly turned towards the S.S.W. I
thereupon crossed it, and resumed my N.W. course. My path was thus again
crossed by our river flowing northward: we had then travelled 121/2 miles,
and I encamped on its banks. The whole of the day's journey, with little
exception, had been over heavy sand, and, but for the rain that had
fallen, it must have greatly distressed the horses and oxen. As it was,
they got over it wondrous well. In a pond of this river, Mr. Stephenson
caught a great number of the harlequin fish, a circumstance almost
proving that this was a tributary to the Maran. We found this day a new
narrow-leaved TRISTANIA[*], thirty feet high, with bark thick, soft, and
fibrous. A smooth narrow-leaved variety of ACACIA HOLOSERICEA was loaded
with spikes of crooked sickle-shaped pods. Among the herbage was observed
the TEUCRIUM ARGUTUM of Brown; and the XEROTES LEUCOCEPHALA grew in the
light dry sand. Novelty in the plants, animals, and fishes, was now to be
expected; the weather was cool and pleasant, and our travelling equipment
tolerably efficient. Thermometer, at sunrise, 30 deg.; at 4 P. M., 58 deg.; at 9
P. M., 46 deg. (XXXVII.). Height above the sea, 1827 feet.
[* T. ANGUSTIFOLIA (Hook. MS.); foliis angusto-linearibus
mucronatoacuminatis supra glabris subtus subsericeis marginibus arcte
revolutis, paniculis terminalibus folio brevioribus calycibusque incano-
tomentosis. These specimens were in fruit. It is very distinct from every
other species.]
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