THE STONY DESERT OF AUSTRALIA.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 53, 27 January 1872, Page 5

THE STONY DESERT OF AUSTRALIA.

(From the Arguts.)

An interesting description of a recent expedition into the " stoney 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 been seen in the country north of Lake Hope, and the Hon Walter Stuart accompanied it. Of the second day's journey beyond Lake Hope, and which was left September 9, Mr Gason's account states: 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 horses to travel. It is about 70 miles across. On September 13, 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 numbers 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. It presents every variety of appearance, from that of a vast canal, whose banks were 20 feet deep, to large waterholes, and considerable sized lakes, abounding in beautiful fish and covered with pelican. It is sometimes broken by swamps, which are vast sheets of water in flood time." A later day the writer says : " T 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 ahead. This news infused fresh vigor into the party. Journeying on, but with little change in the natural features of the country, still the cracked muddy 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 deep, dry, and wide, and sinks from the level of the country throughout its course. It is always bounded by box-trees." Subsequently the track of an unshod horse was found, followed for twelve miles, and again lost. " The discovery of tracks of a horse in that remote place," says Mr Gason, " made me very anxious to find a native camp, which we succeeded in doing on the 25th September. The party being the first white men whom the natives had seen, were exceedingly wild, and it took a considerable time before they could be made to understand that we did not.come to kill them. At this camp, when the natives were questioned as to the locality of the cattle, I was told that they were only 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. We 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 seen any—a statement 1 am compelled to believe is correct, as no tracks of cattle had been seen by the party at any of the waters visited by it. I would have co^ ; -- the search for som* +: " , ~* illU( | • • «. ..mie longer, only provision- • \ .„ + V; fJL L -o were beginning to tail (we were already on short rations), and the party had to cross on its return a swampy country, liable at any time to to be rendered impassable by rain shutting us up in the interior, and I resolved to return."