It would be an act of injustice not to express here the obligations the author is under to Mr. J.E. Gray of the British Museum for his valuable assistance in whatever relates to natural history in the body of the work, as well as for the contributions in the same branch of science which will be found in the Appendix; nor are his thanks less due to Mr. Adam White for an interesting paper on the Entomology of Australia; and to Mr. Gould, who has lately visited that country, for his list of the Birds of the Western Coast. ... JOURNALS OF EXPEDITIONS OF DISCOVERY. CHAPTER 1. COMMENCEMENT OF THE EXPEDITION. TENERIFE. GENERAL PLAN AND OBJECTS. The Expeditions of which the results are narrated in the following pages took their origin from a proposition made to Government by myself, in conjunction with Lieutenant Lushington,* in the latter part of the year 1836. (*Footnote. Now Captain Lushington of the 9th Foot.) At that time a large portion of the western coast and interior of the great Australian continent had remained unvisited and unknown; whilst the opinions of the celebrated navigators Captains Dampier and King, connected with other circumstances, led to the inference, or at least the hope, that a great river, or water inlet, might be found to open out at some point on its western or north-western side; which had then been only partially surveyed from seaward. DESIGN OF THE EXPEDITION. Anxious to solve this interesting geographical problem, we addressed a letter to Lord Glenelg, the Secretary of State for the Colonies, wherein we offered our services to conduct an exploration from the Swan River to the northward, having regard to the direction of the coast, so as to intersect any considerable body of water connecting it with the interior; and, in the event of such being discovered, to extend our examination of it as far as circumstances might admit. The letter containing this offer also enumerated several secondary objects, to which we proposed to direct our attention, and which were ultimately comprehended in our instructions. The offer and suggestions were favourably entertained by Lord Glenelg, and further communications invited; and, the project having been favoured by the support of the Royal Geographical Society, our services were finally accepted by the Government. INSTRUCTIONS.