Page:History of New South Wales from the records, Volume 1.djvu/401

 EXPLORATION. 289 in general as fine as any I ever saw, the trees growing from twenty 1788 to forty feet from each other, and, except in particular places where is May. the soil was stony and very poor, no underwood. The country through which we passed was mostly level, or only rising in small hills, which gave it a pleasing and picturesque appearance. The fifth day we got to a rising ground, and for the first time since we Fine view of landed saw Carmarthen Hills, as likewise the hills to the south- Mountoins, ward. The country round this hill was so beautiful that I called the hill Belle Yue, but the hills we wished to reach still appeared to be at least thirty miles from us. We had been five days out, and the want of provisions obliged us to return to the spot we left by the track we went, otherwise our journey might be lengthened several days longer than we expected by meeting with deep ravines, which we might be obliged to go round ; and I believe no country can be more difficult to Difficult penetrate into than this is. Though we always found pools of water «>untry. that had remained after the rainy season, yet, as that could not be depended on, the water necessary for the day was always carried, which, with the provisions, arms, and a couple of tents, obliged every officer and man to carry a very heavy load, but which at Heftvy present was so much lightened, and having the trees marked, in ^^. ^ one day and a half we got back to the head of the harbour. We had been thirty miles to the westward, and had seen a country that might be cultivated with ease, and I intended returning in a few days, in hopes of reaching the bottom of Landsdown or Carmarthen Hills ; and the traces of the natives inland, added to the hopes of finding a large river, which the appearance of the country pro- mised, made every one, notwithstanding the fatigue, desirous of Another being of the party. But my having, when I went to Broken Bay, expedition, before I was perfectly recovered from the complaint which had heen so general, slept several nights on the wet ground, brought on a pain in the side, which the journey increased so much that I found a few weeks^ rest necessary after I returned. I have had the honor of informing your lordship that we now Good know there is a good country near us, and it shall be settled SSJivwed. and cultivated early in the spring. In this journey I was sur- prised to find temporary huts made by the natives far inland, ▼here they must depend solely on animals for food, and to procure which we have never yet seen any other weapon than the spear, which is certainly very inferior to our guns, which in this journey, T Digitized by Google