embodying my reasons for going to the westward.


"Port Lincoln, October, 1840.

"Sir,--Having fallen back upon Port Lincoln for supplies, an opportunity
has occurred to me of writing a brief and hurried report of our
proceedings. I have, therefore, the honour to acquaint you, for the
information of His Excellency, the Governor, and the colonists interested
in the Northern Expedition, with the result of my examination of the
country north of Spencer's Gulf, and of the further steps I contemplate
taking to endeavour to carry out the wishes of the Committee, and
accomplish the object for which the expedition was fitted out.

"Upon leaving our depot, near Mount Arden, the low, arid, and sandy
nature of the country between the hills and Lake Torrens, compelled us to
follow close under the continuation of Flinders range. Here our progress
was necessarily very slow, from the rugged nature of the country, the
scarcity of water, and the great difficulty both of finding and obtaining
access to it. As we advanced, the hills inclined considerably to the
eastward, gradually becoming less elevated, until, in latitude 29 degrees
20 minutes S., they ceased altogether, and we found ourselves in a very
low and level country, consisting of large stony plains, varied
occasionally by sand; and the whole having evidently been subject to
recent and extensive inundation. These plains are destitute of water,
grass, and timber, and have only a few salsolaceous plants growing upon
them; whilst their surface, whether stony or sandy, is quite smooth and
even, as if washed so by the action of the water. Throughout this level
tract of country were interspersed, in various directions, many small
flat-topped elevations, varying in height from 50 to 300 feet, and almost