Page:Diary of ten years.djvu/319

 301 bush, and have had an excursion of some interest and importance to the colony in several respects. I shall probably give some account of it in our local newspaper, and I shall not occupy more space here than to give you the outlines of what we, Mr. B—, Mr. L—, and myself have seen. We came across a very large tract of beautiful country, and at no great distance from this—perhaps from 28 to 40 miles away. We saw several wild cattle in that valley (or a branch of it) which Dale and I passed in 1831, on our N.N.W. progress from York, where we saw cattle tracks then. I have obtained some evidence of the existence of a large lake of salt water at Molean, as I conjectured before. The distance is about ten days' walk (of the natives) from the York district, with a fine country and good land all the way. Though this excursion has been made in our winter, we had delightful weather with the exception of the last two days, and nothing unpleasant throughout the trip. I think it a most interesting geographical and geological feature,—what if this should be the inland sea conjectured and expected to exist in the interior of this singular island? Some argue now that it is Spencer's Gulf, or some inlet of the sea from the South, whilst others ridicule the whole affair and fancy it a misapprehension, on my part, of some idle tale of the natives. My own opinion is that it will turn out to be an inlet of the sea from the North,—perhaps Shark's Bay—or even from the N.W. Cape in latitude 22°. It is a long distance, but I have a strong impression on the subject. I have discovered a bulbous root like a dark-coloured potatoe, called by the natives konno, which I mean to endeavour to cultivate, and which may be very useful if it succeeds. The taste is something like the meat of a cocoanut, or between that and a carrot taste. One specimen is as large as your fist.

Wednesday.—Should have gone to Perth to-day, but rain came on so heavy that I could not stir. This reminds me that a small indiarubber cloth cap, which you once sent out,