DR. LEICHARDT'S EXPEDITION,

New Zealand Spectator and Cook's Strait Guardian, Volume II, Issue 86, 27 May 1846, Page 3

DR. LEICHARDT'S EXPEDITION,

From Dr. Leichardt's Journal published in the Sydney Morning Herald, we have made the following abridgment of his narrative of: perhaps the most important exploring expedition which has ever been undertaken in Australia. The expedition which consisted of ten persons under Dr. Leichardt, started from Jimba, the farthest station of Darling Downs, the Ist October 1844, but shortly afterwards by the return of two of their number, the party were reduced to eight persons. They passed the plains of the Condamine, and traversed a country partly scrub, and partly hilly, until they reached the Mackenzie river which Dr. Leichardt left at lat. 23*21 and travelled again in a north-west direction. "In an extent of 25 miles we past long stretches of thick scrub of fine opened narrow-leaved iron-bark forest of box flats and of plains ; the latter of a rich black soil, strewed over with pieces of fossil wood, changed into ironstone and silex. Some of the finest country, with rich grass and herbs, plenty of water, open forest and plain, with honey, sweet as that of Hymettus, with plenty of game ; the air fragrant with wild thjme and marjoram — lined with dense bricklow scrub, extending more than 25 miles, interrupted only by creeks which appear all to belong to the system of the Mackenzie. A fine range of peaks was seen from almost the only hill of this country, in a north-west direction. As I approached it, other lawer ranges appeared, and two fine creeks, lined with casuarini, with reedy water-holes, running to the south-west, lay in our course. These creeks are accompanied by fine open, box and narrow-leaved ironbark fiats, the latter, however, generally with rotten ground. I followed one of the creeks op to its head, ancj going up a sandstone spur, I came to a fine table land, where plains with rich black soil, covered with luxuriant grass and herbs, were separated by narrow strips of sandy ironbark forest. The plains enlarged as I advauced, and a series of magnificent cones and ranges rose from this level ; 1 called this range * Peak Range,' and gave to the most prominent peaks separate names. They are composed of domite, whilst the ranges to the east and southeast were of sandstone ; and the ridges varying the plains to the westward of basaltae. The latitude of Peak Range is 2256-54, its longitude about 148' 19. The plains and

downs extend far to the westward, where another range of peaks was observed. There was good water in a sandstone creek running 10 the south-west with rocky water-holes ; but the plains were badly watered. The young grass, late burnings and smoke raisiug to the eastward of the range, showed evidently that this fine country was well inhabited. Black fellows were even seen by some of the party. A closer examination would detect more water, and this procured, no country would be better adapted for pastoral purposes, than the plains and downs of Peak Range, and the whole country to the eastward which I have seen." Dr. L. then travelled from lat. 22*43 to lat. 22*23 in a northerly course over sandstone ranges between which creeks came down, frequently accompanied by grassy plains. On one of these creeks which he named " Hughs's Creek" the drooping tea tree was first observed. ■" We found it afterwards at every creek and every river ; it was generally the companion of water, and its drooping foliage gave a rich shade." In lat. 22*11 on the Isaack's river between ■** the two ranges of its upper course plains extend, which well provided with water belong to the finest country we have met, and are highly adapted for any pastoral purposes, particularly for the breeding of horses and cattle." "At lat. 21*37, there is a most magnificent sheet of water, like a little lake in its bed. Between 21*33 and 32 it entirely disappears as a distinct water-course, and forms chains of water-holes, which were, however, well supplied with water. The country opens at about 21 *20 — a big creek joining the Suttor from the south-east." On the banks of the Suttor, one of the nearly waterless rivers he discovered, are fine flats which accompany its lower course ; " the grasses are very various and dense ; there is particularly one grass, the oaten grass of the Isaacks, which grows to a considerable height, and the stem of which is very juicy and sweet. But besides this there are at least twenty different grasses, with various herbs which cattle and horses were fond to feed upon. Water is abundant, the water holes are often very long •and broad, and covered with ducks. It is «yen running five miles above its junction with •the Burdekin. The pandanus was first observed here; and in its hed, round old fire-places of i>lack-fellows, we found the empty shell cf the fruit of the cycas, the tree of which we first observed at the Upper Burdekin. Anew species of grevillea was equally found, and thepoplargum was frequent. The drooping tea tree,which grows to a great size in its bed, yields an excellent timber. The bloodwood and ironbark are generally of a good size for building huts. There was also no want of timber at the Isaaoks, nor at the Burdekin." After travelling along the Burdekin for two degrees of latitude in a north-west by west course, until he had to leave it " probably about fifty to sixty miles distant from its head, as it turned too much to the northward and eastward ; in lat. 18*48 he entered a large valley with numerous lagoons, and after ascending the basaltic ridges which partly surrounded the valley, he found himself in a level country openly timbered with narrow leaved ironbark or box, the forest changing, with fine plains,sometimes many miles long and severalmiles broad. In lat. 18*22 he came on waters which flowed to the east and north-east, and which belong either to the Burdekin or to a more northerly system. He called the first creek " Separation Creek" as it separated the basaltic from the primitive formations, as Big Ant-hill Creek had done. Several other creeks joined it lower dov/n.* Fine flats extend along its banks. The whole table land is beautifully grassed, of great extent, well provided with water along the creeks, the brooks, and the river, but in the dry season waterless in its centre. This country is a pattern for cattle and sheep stations, the elevation of it (at least 2,000 to 2,800 feet above the level of the sea) renders it cool and fit for sheep ; the ground is sound, the forest is very open. It is in the centre of the York Peninsula, equally distant from the east coast and from the Gulf of Carpentaria, to which, as I shall presently show, a system of rivers well provided with water, forms an easy communication, with the exception of some mountainous passages, which later travellers will change with easier roads farther off the rivers." In lat. 17.38 he meets with a river which he names the Lynd, and follows it down to 16*30 where it joins a river coming from the east. " The Lynd works its way in a northwesterly course, through a very mountainous country, from 17*58 to 17*9*17. There is, however, plenty of grass and water to feed any number of cattle or horses which might be driven down to the gulf. Several big running creeks come in from the westward. They will probably allow a more immediate communication with the head of the gulf. From 17*9*17 fine flats, well grassed, accompany the river ; they are timbered with box, apple-gum, (a new species of gum with the foliage of the ap-

pie-tree of Darling Downs, and with the black butt of the Moreton Bay ash) bloodwood, and occasionally stringybark. We passed several fine lagoons on the flats along its lower course. It had a running stream from latitude 17*25." From lat. 16*30 to 15*51 he travelled along a fine river, now narrow and shallow, now swelling into fine large sheets of water, which he called the Mitchell. As he travelled down the river, lagoons became larger and more frequent, the country improved, the plains grew bigger, the forest land richer, and receding further from the river. Fearing that he would be short of provisions, he left the river, and went to the westward. " Plains, open forest land, lagoons full of fish, and covered with the broad leaves of showy blossoms of nymphaea, gave a great variety to this fine country, well adapted for the breeding of cattle, and particularly horses, though deficient of good timber. " Here, at one of the lagoons, in lat. 15.55, not very far from a large creek, which I consider the upper part of the Nassau, Mr. Gilbert was killed by black fellows, who had sneaked upon us immediately after nightfall, just when the greatest part of the party had retired to their couches. They wounded Mr. Roper and Mr. Calvert severely; but Mr. Gilbert was the only one who received a deadly wound, a spear entering into the chest between the neck and the clavicle, at the moment when he was stooping to get out of his tent. At the first discharge of our guns the blackfellows ran away. The next morning they were wailing for one of their number, who, it seems, had been severely wounded. They left the country, and we did not see any more of them." After crossing the Staaten and Van Diemen and several small creeks, he passed a small river in lat. 17*5, which he called the Gilbert, in commemoration of the fate of his unfortunate companion. A fine chain of lagoons is between the Van Diemen and the Gilbert ; seven creeks with water between the Gilbert and the Caroa. In lat. 17*49, he came on a salt water river, which he called the Yappar, this word being frequently used by friendly black fellows whom they met at one of the lagoons alongside the river. " The whole country from Gilbert's Lagoons to the Yappar, extending along the east coast of the Gulf of Carpentaria is highly adapted for pastoral pursuits. Cattle and horses would thrive exceedingly well ; sheep would not, neither the climate, the temperature, nor the nature of the soil is favourable for them. Large plains limited by narrow belts of open forest land, extensive box flats and tea-tree flats openly timbered, changing with a more undulating country, fine grassy meadows along 'frequent chains of lagoons, 1 and shady forest land along the rivers render this country pleasing to the eye of the traveller, and inviting to the squatter. After what I have learnt of the cultivation of rice and cotton, I can add the long stretches of country would be adapted for both. " The country is well inhabited by black fellows ; we had three times intercourse with them ; the first time they were hostile (when Gilbert was killed) ; the second time they were very noisy, but withdrew at the approach of a horseman, and were not seen again ; the third time (at the Yappar) they were very friendly, and it was evident they had seen either Malays or white men before us. " I called the whole country between the Mitchell and the Van Diemen the ' Nonda Country,' from a fine shady tree with a yellow eatable fruit, which we enjoyed very much. It grew in the stretches of open forest land with the bloodwood and the pandanus I had seen at first at the Upper Lynd. It disappeared at the Van Diemen, and we never met it again." Between the Yappar and the Nicholson Dr. L. passed three large salt-water rivers, one fine running creek which he called Beames's Brook, and several chains of freshwater lagoons. " The salt-water rivers which I had crossed, as well as those which I have still to mention, are very broad (150, 200, 300 yards) ; but they were easily fordable after one or two days travelling upwards, the fords generally being formed by rocky bars crossing the rivers. These fords were generally indicated by fisheries of the natives, sticks having been stuck close to each other to form a sort of hedge, preventing the fish from returning with the tide, or stone walls having been formed by heaping loose stones on each other. At the head of the salt water the bed of these rivers usually enlarged, and frequently it was formed by two or three deep chasms, separated by high bergues. One channel either contained a running stream of fresh water, lined by pandanus and the drooping tea-tree, or it had just ceased running, a chain of fine water-holes still remaining." The expedition then passed several rivers, the Roper, the Marlow, the Van Alphen, the Abel Tasman, and the seven Emu river, and numerous creeks containing fresh or brackish water. Between the Seven Emu river and

the Robinson (lat. 16*8, long. 136*43) seve- j ral small waterless creeks we»-e met with, after having passed the fine country near the river, and some miserable scrub. "A fine path of the natives led me to a large but waterless creek, the banks of which were covered with Cypress pine and cycas groves, (the cycas a tree of the aspect of the palm 30 — 50 feet high and higher, frequently with two or three heads, the leaves like those of famia spiralis in the neighbourhood of Sydney, the nuts arranged in two parallel lines along an intermediate flat fleshy fruit stalk.) The foot path went from cycas-grove to cycasgrove ; big wells 6—B6 — 8 feet deep were dug in a sandy soil, which rested on a layer of stiff clay. All these wells were however dry, though the whole country looked fresh anil verdant. About five miles from this creek we came to a large salt-water river, equally accompanied by cycas-groves. A fine footpath brought us to a large well under the bank of the river. An alligator was tracked at this well, and porpoises were seen playing in the broad salt-water of the river. Two miles below the spot, where we come to the river, it entered into a still bigger one coming from the westward ; tha first became narrow five miles higher up, where the saltwater ceased and fresh water pools commenced. I called this " Cycas Creek," and the more northerly river the " Robinson." " The fruit of the cycas forms the principal food of the natives during September. They cut it in slices of the size and thickness of a shilling, spread these slices on the ground and dry them, soak them for several days in water, and pack them after this closely up in sheets of tree-tea-bark. Here it undergoes a process of fermentation — the deleterious properties of the fruit are destroyed, and a mealy substance with a musty flavour remains, which the black fellows very probably form into cakes, which they bake. The fruit of the pandanus forms another apparently very much liked eatable of the natives. We found heaps of them in their camps, and soaking in the water contained in large koolimans made of stringy-bark. I am inclined to believe that they are able to obtain a fermented liquor, by soaking the seed-vessel of the pandanus, and by washing the sweet mealy substance out, which is contained in the lower part of the seed vessel between its fibres." " Between the Robinson and the Macarthur, (lat. 16.5*26, long 136*10,) I crossed a fine creek, with a chain of deep pools and two waterless creeks. The whole country is a stringy-bark forest, mixed with meldlenca gum, with cypress pine thickets and tree-tree scrub. About five miles from the creek we had an interview with a tribe of black fellows, who gave evident signs that they knew the gun and knife. They were very friendly, and we exchanged some presents with them. They were circumcised, as all the black fellows of the gulf we had seen. The head of a crocodile was seen at Cycas Creek ; the carcass of another I found at the upper crossing-place of the Robinson ; tracks were observed by Charley at the water holes of the creek, between the Robinson and Macarthur." " The country along the Macarthur is wellgrassed, and openly timbered for a half to one and a half mile off the river. Sandstone ranges commence at lat. 165*26. Two miles higher up it is fordable, a running stream of fresh water enters the broad salt water river ; its bed gets broad and sandy, with the vegetation of the Lynd, and fine plains extend along its banks to the westward." After crossing the Macarthur and the Red Kangaroo rivers and several small creeks he arrived at the Limnenbight river, and passed through a continuous low dense scrub, until in lat 15.14 he came to the sea coast. "I went in a north-west course to the northern extremity of the Sandstone range, indicated in the map of Arrowsmith. We saw the sea, an island (Maria ?), and a large river coming from the westward ; white sand plains were seen along its course." " I had to find my way through an intricate country, intersected by salt water creeks. Fresh water was generally found in creeks coming* from sandstone ranges ; their heads were frequently formed by fern swamps, (a species of blechnum was very frequent.) From latitude 15.31 I crossed the salt water river by a rocky bar." (To be continued.)