Three Expeditions into the Interior of Eastern Australia, Volume 2: With Descriptions of the Recently Explored Region of Australia Felix, and of the Present Colony of New South WalesMitchell, T. L. (Thomas Livingstone)
History
Three Expeditions into the Interior of Eastern Australia, Volume 2: With Descriptions of the Recently Explored Region of Australia Felix, and of the Present Colony of New South Wales
Mitchell, T. L. (Thomas Livingstone)
Australia -- Discovery and exploration; Mitchell, T. L. (Thomas Livingstone), 1792-1855
(*Footnote. A genus chiefly inhabiting the Cape of Good Hope, India, the
Levant and North America, of which no species have before been published
from Australia. I was subsequently fortunate enough to discover two more
species of this genus; which with one as yet unpublished, found by Mr.
Allan Cunningham in 1818 in the rocky islands of Dampier's Archipelago on
the north-west coast, makes the number inhabiting Australia to be 4: all
of which are remarkable for their resemblance to the North American form
of the genus. The species we observed on this occasion was a small
spreading herbaceous plant. P. patens, Lindley manuscripts; herbacea,
pubescens, foliis pinnatim trifoliolatis, foliolis dentatis punctatis
lateralibus oblongis obtusis intermedio ovato obtuso basi cuneato, racemo
pedunculato laxo multifloro foliis multo longiore, bracteis subrotundis
striatis obscure multipunctatis, ramis divaricatis.)
March 20.
We proceeded, crossing the channel near the cattle station where I learnt
that it was joined immediately below by that which I had named King's
creek on my last journey; also that water was abundant in it below the
junction. Some natives joined us and Piper prevailed on one of them to be
our guide, as far as he knew the country. The use of such a guide in
following an unexplored watercourse is that bad places for the carts may
be avoided, and the doubles of the stream cut off by the easiest routes.
BREAK A WHEEL.
In crossing a gully which entered the creek near another station, called
Chilberengaba, we broke a wheel, and though we had travelled only about
seven miles we were obliged to encamp, and remain until the carpenter and
the smith could repair it.
ATTEMPT TO ASCEND MARGA.
In the meantime I set out with the native guide for the summit of Marga,
which proved to be one of my old fixed points. It was about seven miles
south-west of our camp; but after a most fatiguing ascent of two steep
and rocky ridges, during great heat, I was obliged to return without
reaching Marga. At the cattle station we heard of a bullock which had
been left by us in an exhausted state during our last expedition; and we
succeeded in bringing it in, and in laying the yoke on its neck for
another visit to the banks of the Darling; it was fitter than any other
of our working bullocks. I added a second species of Psoralea to that
discovered yesterday, a small graceful plant with racemes of purplish
minute flowers, elevated far above the leaves, and on slender stalks so
tough as to be broken only with some difficulty.*
(*Footnote. P. tenax, Lindley manuscripts; herbacea, depressa, perennis,
glabra, foliis glandulosis palmatim 5-foliolatis, foliolis linearibus vel
lineari-oblongis obtusis, racemis cylindraceis longissime pedunculatis
erectis, leguminibus ovatis scabris glabris.)
March 21.
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