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September 17th.—Rainy weather and blowing hard from the N.W.; men employed preparing to return on board and washing their clothes; a party crossed the river and found the good land to extend further from the water than on the side we were, and the soil rather superior. Mr. Knight saw one emu, and Mr. Gilbert saw two large kangaroos.
September 18th.—At 6, launched the boats; Mr. Dale and a party of twelve set off to walk to the islands; found the river from the late rains had risen upwards of two feet; twenty minutes past 6 started, and arrived at the islands by 10 oclock, where we waited for Mr. Dale until one, fearing they had lost their way by keeping too much to the northward; left Mr. Gilbert there in the Dingy and proceeded lower down in the whale boat; about an hour afterwards saw the Dingy coming, the party having arrived a quarter of an hour after I left, and continued to walk along the bank of the river; took them in at the mouth of the Canning, and proceeded to Perth, where we arrived at 6 o'clock and rested for the night.
September 19th.—Left Perth at forty-five minutes past 7 and arrived at Fremantle at 11 o'clock, where we found the Yawl; gave the men a quarter of an hour's rest and embarked; arrived on board at 3 o'clock.
Remarks.—On going up the river, found the water perfectly fresh: about half way between the distance we bivouaced and the islands, on coming down, passed over the flats without touching,, and Mr. Dale informed me that many parts of the banks were much flooded in the course of his walk from, the encampment to the mouth of the Canning. The iron stone, so abundant up the mountains, was found to possess distinct magnetic polarity.
