plain of good land, flooded, but clear of timber: large flocks of emus
were feeding on it, and we were fortunate enough to kill a very large
one after a fine chase. At three o'clock, the boats not having arrived,
I sent a man back to look for them; at eight he returned, having found
them about six miles up the river, unable to proceed until morning,
having met with continual interruptions from fallen trees. These
impediments in the navigation of the river obstruct our progress very
materially, and its windings continue so great and frequent, that the
distance travelled by land is nearly trebled by water.

May 9.--The boats not having arrived at ten o'clock, Mr. Evans proceeded
with the BAT horses another stage down the river. Mr. Cunningham and I
waited to bring up the boats, which shortly afterwards came in sight. We
proceeded to join the horses, which we did about five o'clock, the boats
having gone in that time nearly thirty-six miles, although the distance
from the last station did not exceed seven in a direct line.

The country we had passed through during this day's route was extremely
low, consisting of extensive plains divided by lines of small trees:
the banks of the river, and the deep bights formed by the irregularity
of its course, were covered with acacia bushes and dwarf trees. The
river, at the spot where we stopped, wound along the edge of an
extensive low plain, being at least six miles long and three or four
broad; these I called Field's Plains, after the judge of the supreme
court of this territory; they are the same which we saw from the top of
Mount Amyot. The soil of these plains is a light clayey loam, very wet
in many places; they were fringed round with that beautiful tree, the
acacia pendula, which here seems to perform the part of the willow in
Europe; the cypresses were also more frequent, and the banks of the
river much lower than even those we passed yesterday. I cannot help