fell to that side. There were ponds in some hollows, and we made the
river itself at various parts of our route. At length, where it bit on a
high scrubby bank, I again proceeded northward and came upon a large
lagoon, sweeping round to S. W. and S. S. W., further than we could see.
It had on its surface numerous ducks, and a large encampment of native
huts appeared at one end. We encamped by this lagoon, in latitude 27° 20'
S. Again vast plains and downs to the N. E. were seen by Dicky, our
youngest native, from a tree. Thermometer, at sunrise, 27°; at 4 P. M.,
65°; at 9, 43°.

1ST MAY.--On leaving the lagoon, passing between its head and the river,
we were soon enveloped in a thick scrub of Casuarinae, on ground broken
into gullies falling to the river. I tried to pass by the lower margin of
this, but gullies in the way obliged me to ascend and seek a passage
elsewhere. Forcing our way, therefore, through the scrub and out of it,
we found outside of it, in an open forest, the box and Angophora, and
could go forward without impediment, first to the N. W., afterwards
northward, and N. E. At length the woods opened into fine grassy plains,
bounded on the east by trees belonging to the river berg. There I saw
still the trees we had so gladly got away from, the Casuarina; also the
cheering white arms of the Yarra, or blue gum. The prospect before us
improved greatly; fine plains presented a clear way to the northward,
with the river apparently coming thence, and even round from the N. W.
From a tree, Yuranigh descried hills in the N. E. and the plains
extending before us. I also perceived, from the wide plain, a distant low
rise to the N. W. We crossed two hollows on these grassy plains, each
containing deep ponds, and descended towards what seemed a branch of the
river; we encamped near it, in latitude 27° 15' 4" S. As we approached
this spot, natives were seen first looking at us, and then running off--
Yuranigh said he recognized one of them as a countryman of his own. I