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
2D AUGUST.--We had approached this fine river over a park-like plain, but
lower down we found the banks lined with scrub. I pursued a N.W. course
in passing through it, and emerged on plains and open forests alternating
with scrubs. The scrubs were remarkable, as always involving dry hollows
where water had lodged. The clay was then hard; but, in all these
hollows, the deep impressions of naked feet of men, women, and children,
remained since the bottom had consisted of mud. These numerous
receptacles for water, when it is sent, attest the wisdom with which even
the clods of the valley have been disposed for the benefit of the animal
world. The day's journey was long, and chiefly through that sort of
scrub. I was disappointed in my hope of falling in with the river, by
travelling N.W. Yuranigh descried from a tree, the continuation, far to
the westward, of the low range that had been already seen from a former
camp. Its direction had then appeared to be nearly N. and S. The turn the
river had taken westward was, therefore, favourable to my hopes, that it
would continue in that direction. Its general course was found to be
nearly northward. On the other hand, the high ranges in the E. seemed to
terminate abruptly towards the N., so that a very low country appeared to
be to the northward of our position then, stretching from 40 deg. N. of W. to
40 deg. E. of N., a full quarter circle which the course of the river almost
bisected. After travelling twelve miles without seeing any thing of the
river, I reluctantly turned N.E., and then E., and in the last-mentioned
direction, I hit the river where it contained a fine reach of water. In
the dry part of the bed, grew various curious plants in flower, all quite
new to me; a species closely allied to the ACACIA DELIBERATA (Cunn.), and
a very fine silky leaved TRICHODESMA.[*] A new VELLEYA was also found
near this camp.[**] In the scrubs back from the river, the STENOCHILUS
CURVIPES was loaded with its long tubular flowers. A small species of
Acacia was perhaps a variety of A. LEUCADENDRON Cunn.; and we found also
a curious scrubby species of JACKSONIA.[***] Latitude, 22 deg. 30' 10" S.
Thermometer, at sunrise, 29 deg.; at noon, 61 deg.; at 4 P.M., 69 deg.; at 9, 40 deg..
(LXV.)
[* T. SERICEUM (Lindl. MSS.); caule erecto sericeo setis nullis, foliis
oppositis lineari-lanceolatis basi angustatis sericeopilosis, pedicellis
pilosis lateralibus longis, calycis lobis lanceolatis pubescentibus basi
pilosis, nucis dorso polito maculato.--Near T. ZEYLANICUM, but quite
distinct.]
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