is a narrow slip of barren country covered with small slate stones: the
soil until then was on the sides of the hills of a fine vegetable mould,
the more level and lower grounds a hazel-coloured stiff loam, both
equally
covered with grass, particularly the anthistria. The timber standing
at wide intervals, without any brush or undergrowth, gave the country a
fine park-like appearance. I never saw a country better adapted for the
grazing of all kinds of stock than that we passed over this day. The
limestone, which is the first that has hitherto been discovered in
Australia, abounds in the valley where we halted; the sides and abrupt
projections of the hills being composed entirely of it, and worn by the
operation of time into a thousand whimsical shapes and forms. A small
stream runs through the valley, which in June 1815 was dry; the bottom
of this rivulet was covered with a variety of stones, but the bases of
the hills which projected into it, and from which the earth had been
washed, were of pure limestone of a bluish grey colour.

April 24.--A fine mild morning. A small piece of limestone which had
been put in the fire last night was found perfectly calcined into the
purest white lime. At eight o'clock proceeded on our journey, through a
very uninteresting but good grazing country: nature here seemed to have
assumed her tamest and most unvarying hue. The soil of the country we
passed through was generally excellent, but the timber was still as
useless as we had hitherto found it. We arrived about one o'clock at a
small pond of water, where it was necessary to stop, as there was no
other water nearer than the Lachlan River, which was distant about
fourteen miles.

April 25.--Our course for the first seven or eight miles was through a
level open country, the soil and grass indifferently good. We now