IMPORTANT DISCOVERIES OF THE EXPLORING EXPEDITION UNDER SIR THOMAS MITCHELL. [From the Australian.] Camp at the head of the River Salvator, in lon. 147 deg. 25' 40.' E.; lat. 24deg. 50' 17.' S. 9th September, 1846.

New Zealand Spectator and Cook's Strait Guardian, Volume III, Issue 149, 2 January 1847, Page 3

IMPORTANT DISCOVERIES OF THE EXPLORING EXPEDITION UNDER SIR THOMAS MITCHELL. [From the Australian.] Camp at the head of the River Salvator, in lon. 147 deg. 25' 40.' E.; lat. 24deg. 50' 17.' S. 9th September, 1846.

Sir, — Before setting out on the last branch of my exploratory operations, I feel it my duty to report to your Excellency the progress made in that duty to this time, by the expedition sent into the interior under my 'command. The heat was excessive, and water so very scarce, in the channel of the River Bogan, that I was obliged to abandon that route, and it was only with great difficulty and after considerable delay, that the party could be conducted to the River Darling. Throughout the month of January, Farenheit's thermometer stood frequently at 117 deg. ; in the shade was seldom below lOOdeg. ; and I found, on a ride down the Bogan, that there was no water in its channel for forty miles below Nyingen. The intense heat killed all our kangaroo dogs, and most of the party were attacked Kith ophthalmia; our draught oxen were also so much distressed, (the loads having been also made heavier at Buree than I had intended) that some of them fell dead on the journey, and I was obliged to halt for two weeks at the ponds of Cannonba, between the River Macquarie and the Bogan. During that interval some refreshing rain fell, after which I examined Duck Creek, but found no water in it; and Mr. Kennedy subsequently ascertained, (for I had myself ophthalmia) that we could only hope to reach the Darling by the marshes of the Macquarie. On the 12th February, we left the ponds of Cannonba, and travelled along the left bank of the Macquarie, opening out a cart road along the western limits of the marshes through a country very favourable for cattle stations. We found the channel of the river continuous, in muddy ponds throughout the marshes, and I have to express my obligations to Mr. Kinghome, for the information he afforded me, and for sending with us an aboriginal native who guided us beyond the region of reeds. We made the junction of the Macquarie with the Darling in long. 147deg. 33' E., lat. 30 deg. 6' 11" S>, but I found that a few miles higher (at the station of Mr. Parnell, jun.) there was a good ford across the River Darling) (or Barwan, the aboriginal name there in general use). I accordingly crossed the river at Mr. Parnell's station, and the superintendent sent with us two aboriginal natives, who guided us in a very straight direction, and over a fine open country, to theNarran Swamp, which we reached at twenty-six miles from the Darling. These guides would have gone further, had not the intense heat, the extreme weakness of our cattle, and the passage of the swamp occasioned delay. I there, however, received a dispatch from Commissioner Mitchell, enclosing a map, and affording me much useful information respecting the rivers in the country before us. The Narran River terminates in the swamp, and in tracing that river upwards, or northward, we found it full of water, and increasing in size and importance as we ascended, until we came upon the Balonne, in long. 148 deg. 25' E., lat. 28 deg. 35' 38" S. Along the banks of the Narran, the grass is of the very best description. Panicum Lonnnpde, and Anthistirium Australis (barley grass and Kangaroo grass of the colonists) growing on plains or in open forests, very available, in every respect, for cattle stations. But the seeds of the Panicum Lctvinode constitute the chief food of the natives, who bruise these seeds between stones, and bake the dough into cakes. As I advanced, these natives fell back on the main river, where the assembled body received our party very kindly. The banks of the Balonne, minor seem to be thickly peopled. The head of the tribe met us seven miles from it, and afforded me much assistance in finding a way for our carts amongst the numerous lagoons. Others guided us across to the Culgda, which river we also crossed in long. 148 deg. 21' 25" E., lat. 28 deg. 31' 19" S. From that point I travelled to the upper Balonne, with the in-* tention of proceeding northward along its right bauk. That gieat river is there at its maxi- | mum, and is only inferior to the Murray in breadth and depth. Lower down it separates into various channels, — the first branch being f the Culgoa.fallinginto the Darling about thirtymiles above Fort Bourke, — the remainder, or minor Balonne again spreads its waters into the Narran, the Bokhara, the Ballandoola, and the Bieree ; the latter three, ,1 believe, again unite, and fall into 'the Darling forty or fifty miles above Fort Bourke. The Narran seems a wonderful provision of nature for the supply and retention of water in a dry and parched country. The division of the main river into

others already mentioned is no less so,—irrigating thus from one principal channel, extensive regions of rich earth beyond the Darling, while the surplus, or overflow, instead of passing, as in common cases, to the sea, is received in^he deep channel of the Narran, and thereby conducted to that extensive reservoir where, on rock or stiff clay, and under ever-verdant polygonura, it furnishes an inexhaustible lupply for the support of animal life. Nor it this beautiful net-work of rivers confined to that side of the Darling. The marsh of the Macquarie receives only ordinary floods to be retained in a somewhat similar manner to those in Narran swamp. The great floods of that river overflow the firm plains to the westward above Mount Harris, fill the ponds of Cannonba and those of Banargill, which then uniting carry a current into the Bogan, which rivet sends a branch called theßarrawarry northward into the country between U and the Darling, flowing parallel to the latter river at ar distance of about seven miles. Below Mount Harris the Macquarie again overflows into Duck Creek, (the " Marra" of the natives,) which may be considered the. channel, or a channel of that river in high floods. Cannonba and Duck Creek on one side seem therefore ana* logous on smaller scale, to the various branches of the Balonne on the other. Tracing the Balonne upwards, I found the country on its banks well covered with good grass ; and we encountered only a small proportion of scrub. Some of the reaches were so broad, deep, and extensive, that I could not suppose this river contained only the waters of the Condamine, and I therefore expected to meet with some tributary from the north west. On arriving at the natural bridge of rock, in long. 148dg. 46' 45" E., lat. 28dg. 2' S., I selected a position commanding access to the other bank, with the intention of forming there a depot for the rest and refreshment of the bullocks, then unable to go further ; while I, with a smaller party, examined the country to the north-west. I first made a reconnoissance north-west by compass, and found in that direction at the end of thirty miles, a poor, sandy, unpromising couutry. Returning to the depot camp, 1 proceeded, on the 23rd of April, up the river, with a party of ten men and the light carts, leaving the reraainder in charge of Mr. Kennedy, at St. George's Bridge, with instructions to follow mt in one month. I did not ascertain satisfactorily the point of junction of the Condamine with the Balonne as what I saw \u long.* 148dg. 52' N., lat. 27 dg. 47' 57" S., might have been only an ana-branch ; — neither did" I see that of the " Cogoon," a small tributary from the north-west, which we followed up through a beautiful country, until it led me amongst hills where I could by trigonometrical observations, and back angles, survey more extensively, and be sure of the longitude. From a tree on the Balonne, in long. 149dg. E., lat. 27dg. 20' S., open downs were discovered to the eastward, extending to the horizon, and in all probability watered by the Condamine. From Mount Abundance, in long. 148dg. 40' E., lat. 26dg. 39' 30" - S., I again perceived that the fine open country in which I then was,extended eastward as far as the eye or telescope could reach, and that it was watered by a river from the northward, . distinctly marked by the smoke of natives* fires. That river was still the * ' Balonne" according to the natives, and from Mount " Bindango" I was able to intersect the summits of the isolated range in the centre of that splendid region, placing it in long, about 149dg. 2' E., and in lat. 26dg. 23' 32" S. To mark the epoch of this discovery, I name it on my map the Fitz Roy Downs, and the range in the midst of them I distinguish asthe Grafton Range ; and shouW your Excellency's name not be Fitz Roy, I shall be content to be able to pay such a mark of respect to the late Governor of New Zealand. The little river " Cogoon," which I had followed up contained water in ponds almost to its sources, which arise between the three isolated mountains of Abundance, Bindyego, and Bindango — the latter being connected by a low neck of grassy downs, with small knolli of traprock, to one of the masses of coast range in which the Balonne appeared to have its source. Northward from Bindango, other waters fall to the northwest, and I perceived in the remote distance one gap in a tabular sort of rocky country, through which I hoped the watercourse would lead ; but I was disappointed in following it down, for this promising little river, (the " Amby" of the natives,) turned to the southward of west, and I found in the gap only a convenient pass for our cart* to the interior country : it was, however, a very remarkable opening, in which were seve- ' rai conical bills, on which grew many strange shrubs, and one of the hills consisted of basalt. I named this St. George's Pass—ia hopes it may yet become t point on important line of route. Tne country through which this pass led, consisted in general of sandrstone, where -tjie tops of cliff* were distinguishable from the northward by the luxuriant gitu upon them'

— a rather unusual feature in a sand-stone country. — Southward and <b*ek from the. pass, much good open forest land appeared around, as the prevailing characteristic. There is however, a tribe of natives bent on mischief in that neighbourhood. A< In the country beyond, I found another channel running north-west, and in at one pond where I wished to encamp ; but -on my ride forward next day I discovered that ray party was upon the only water the little river contained, and that eveu its channel disappeared in a rich and extensive grassy flat. Just then some smoke arose in the woods before us, which revived my hopes of .finding water; and on renewing my search I came upon a river fully as large as the Darling, following to the south-west; — subsequent extensive reconnoissances made thirty miles to the westward and eastward, convinced me that the course of this river (the " Maranoa" of the natives) was aot more favourable for the chief object of our journey than it had at first appeared. I found indeed to the westward and northward of the Sandstone Ranges, a well diversified country, with abundance of grass, some water, and finely shaped hills, in groups, and also detached ones. But the river, leaving that lower country, forced its way amongst rooky cliffs, where its course was traceable by the open ground along its banks, to be steadily south-west, and receiving of course, the River " Amby," which had turned 'also in the same direction. Mr. Kennedy with the main body of the party joined me on this river, on the Ist of June, and the very sandy nature of the country before us, and the weakness of our draught oxen, determined me again to proceed in advance with a small party relying chiefly on the horses : but this time I endeavoured to carry with me sufficient provisions to preclude the necessity for the party to be left at the depot, following me further ; I determined to trace the river upwards, keeping the right hank, that I might fall in with, and follow up any tributary from the northwest ; from various elevations within thirty miles of the depot camp, I had intersected many summits of lofty masses to the eastward, and also those of a line of cones, the general direction of which ran nearly westward, and from these I could extend my snrvey beyond. — (To be continued.

A very able article appeared in the Times of July 18, on the subject of the recent disturbances at the Cape of Good Hope. The writer, after contrasting the extreme sensitiveness' of the British public to any movement ialndia, with their comparative indifference to colonial affairs, describes the contest which has been going on id that colony between the local government and the Caffres, and in which the destruction of property appears to be enormous. The following observations will be read with considerable interest. " In its character the war is peculiarly interesting. In the situation in which the colonists are placed it resembles not a little those conflicts of the last century between the American settlers and the Indians, which history and romance have rendered so familiar to us. The lone farm and the isolated blockhouse defended to the last gasp against the swarms of the bloody heathen with the hereditary courage of the Saxon and the borrowed craft of the savage — the wild and desolate character of the scenery — the deadly stratagem and remorseless cruelty of the foe, are all re-pro-duced ia this struggle. In the causes which appear to have induced or precipitated the catastrophe it is not unlike those terrible outbreaks in Hindostan which have been occasionally consequent on the indiscriminate zeal of our missionaries. Another item must be •set down -against those Exeter-hall councils ■which have designed so much good and effected so much from Vellore to Tim«buctoo* «The natives have been treated as amiable proselytes, while the colonists have been represented aa Godless oppressors ; they 'have been released ft cm a superintendence which they were compelled to respect, and subject only to treaties which they could not be presumed to comprehend ; they have been indulged with independence, and supplied with copies of the Scriptures ; and the result is found in their loading their guns with the types of a missionary press, aad using as wadding the sheets of the New Testament which had been translated and printed for their especial use ? " It most be added, for it can hardly be overlooked, that the conduct of the British troops has been spoken of in * tone which is very > seldom indeed employed on such a subject ; and that such a rumour as this has nojt attracted mare general notice is another proof of the lUjfle consideration which has been given to the whole affair. Very recent events, however, have shown us with what extreme caution we should give credit to any such assertions, which mty be the- result either of deliberate missutjement or probable misinformation. Already it is rumoured that the ; *tr§,nge

affair at Fort Peddle was quickly succeeded, by a gallant and successful encounter with the enemy, to which it might perhaps liave served as an introduction. No one can yet have forgotten that the judicious refusal, of Sir Henry Smith (himself an old Cape soldier) to be seduced into a premature collision before the decisive battle of Aliwal was severely taxed by some critics of the campaign. And this caution is the more imperatively dictated in this case by the obvious fact that there is some considerable soreness of feeling amongst the colonists, who are not only disappointed — somewhat unreasonably, but not unnaturally — at the small protection which the scattered and wearied troops can lend them, but are also dissatisfied at the remuneration and allowances with which the local Government proposes to recompense their compulsory service in the field. The unfitness and inefficiency of our troops for the peculiar character of Cape warfare is dwelt on, we fear, with considerably greater (ruth. We own we could hardly see the reasons which originally dictated the selection of a heavy dragoon regiment for service in a country the peculiar demands of which had been recognized by the formation and equipment of the local corps as mounted riflemen. Hussars in -full dress in the back woods of Canada are out of place enough, but dragoons with short carbines in the bush are yet more so. The Cape troops have sustained their credit nobly, and so, we have no doubt, will every other arm of the force be found to have done, but so miserably weak is the whole muster, that the utmost exertions of the officers are barely sufficient to prevent the loss of lives in addition to that of property, The whole country J seems to resemble one of our manufacturing districts in a state of riot, when we see two companies of soldiers distributed between five towns and fifty farm-houses. We need not, however, express our confidence that not a moment will be lost in despatching efficient aid to our harrassed colonists, who now for more than 20 years have been liable to these periodical devastations, with tardy assistance to Jtheir struggles, and no remuneration for their losses."