SOUTH AUSTRALIA.

Dunstan Times, Issue 507, 5 January 1872, Page 5 (Supplement)

SOUTH AUSTRALIA.

An interesting description of a relcent expedition into "the stony desert " of Australia is given in a report furnished by Police-sergeant Gason, who was in charge of the party. The expedition was fitted out in Adelaide during the month of September to search for white men and cattle, whose traces were reported to have heen seen in the country north of Lake Hope, and the Hon.' W. Stuart accompanied it. Of the second day's journey beyond Lake Hope, which was laft September 9, Mr. Gasoh's account states. —" Leaving camp at an early hour next morning, in a short time we cleared the sandhills, and entered on a country that exceeds anything I have yet seen for its sterile monotony, a plain wholly destitute of vegetable life, stretching from our feet to the sky line, and covered with stones that looked -like broken glazed crockery, sinking in the sand at every step, making it extremely difficult for the horse's to travel. It is about seventy miles across. On September ]3, the expedition reached a large waterhole one mile south of the Salt River, where we were visited by the natives in large numbers, who were unanimous in the statement that cattle were wandering about in large numbd-s higher up the country. From this point to the place where I turned back the Salt River was touched or crossed daily It is the Barcoo of Major Warburton's expedition, whose most northerly point was passed on the 17th September, distant from Kopperamana 130 miles north. Itpresent a variety of appearance, from that of a canal, whoso banks were twenty feet deep, to largo water-holes, and considerable sized lakes abounding in beautiful fish and covered with pelecan. it is tometimes broken by swamps, which are vast sheeos of water in flood time." A later day the writer says :—" I considered myself very fortunate in meeting with a native, who said he had seen the cattle, and that they were only a very short distance a head. This news infused fresh vigor into the party. Journeying on, but with little change in the natural features of the country, still the cracked nvuddy plains for five days more, when the river, which we were still following northwards, issued from between high ridges of sand. It was here very df-ep, dry, and wide, and sinks from the level of the country throughout its course- ■ It is always bounded by box tree*." Subsequently the track of an unshod horse was found, followed for twelve miles', and again lost. "Tho discovery of tracks of a horse in that remote place," says j Mr. Gasen, " made me very anxious to find a native camp, which we sue- ! eeeded in ( lom- :. -uii tbs 23th of Sep- I tember. The parly ng the first' : white men whom the native had seen, I : the latter were exceedingly«?ild and jit took a considerable time before they could be made to understand that we did not come to kill th<\. At this camp, when the native? v.-x-e | questioned as to the locality of fce I cattle, I was told that they were on!) | two days' journey distant. I here sent back to the Gason River all the men and horses, with the exception of the Hon. Mr. Stuart, who was to accompany me, by request, out to the cattle. \Ve started with two native guides, who, in a short time, pretended to be knocked up, saying they knew nothing of the whereabouts of the cattle, and that they had not s -en any ■ —a statement lam compelled to believe is correct, as no tracks of cuttle had been seen by the party at any of the waters visited by it. I would have continued the search for some time longer, only provisions were beginning to fail (we were already on short rations) and the party had to eross on its return a swampy country, liable at any time to be rendered impassable by rain, shutting us up in the interior, and I resolved to return."