pressed it, he almost imagined himself in a fine grazing farm in England. The sward was very close, and the grass was half up his leg. The soil is a dark loam. They were sure they had come near a station, having never been in this colony before,[1] and they constantly broke out into expressions of delight with the scenery. They travelled through this vast plain for two days, and found the country equally good all the time, but there are very few trees. They also found a great many pools or lagoons of fresh water, which were large, deep, and apparently permanent. They were constantly in the expectation of killing ducks in the pools, but were unsuccessful. They succeeded, however, in killing a large brown kangaroo, which was exceedingly agreeable, as their provisions had just failed them. This they roasted, and it served them the rest of the way. At the end of two days they came to a belt of scrub with grassy spots here and there, which continued to the sea-shore. They journeyed from sunrise till sunset, with two hours' rest, in a straight line, taking their course from the sun, so that they must have walked 25 miles per day. The fine plain they mention is, therefore, about 50 miles in length, and the breadth unknown.
"They saw only seven natives, two of them, stout made men, they met before they came to Mount Wedge, who kindly showed them a water hole.
"Mount Wedge is placed by Mr. Eyre in lat. 33° 30' S., and long. 134° E., but from Harris's statement we should say it is farther to the N.W.
"We have looked at Flinders' chart to ascertain if there is any anchorage between Waldegrave's Isles and the shore, but find he had made no soundings. We perceive, however, a sounding of 10 fathoms close to the S. end of the large island. If there was safe anchorage, with such a good country in the neighbourhood, it would be an admirable place for a settlement.
"It is remarkable that after all the explorations that have been made, and all that has been said about Port Lincoln, so little in reality is known of the large district westward of it. Southward of the Gawler Range discovered by Mr. Eyre, and bounded by the ocean and the line of country on Spencer's Gulf, there is a compact district of a triangular form, nearly equilateral, measuring 160 miles each side, or about 13,000 square miles in extent, which has never been penetrated except by these adventurous whalers.
"We sincerely trust that the opening now almost providentially made, may lead to the most cheering and important results."
2.—Statement of George Cummings.
"The new discovery to the westward of Port Lincoln.
"Gentlemen,—Previous to reading Richard Harris's account of his journey from Fowler's Bay to Coffin's Bay I had heard from his fellow-traveller, George Cummings, a verbal statement, which differs in some few particulars from that of Harris.
- ↑ The three whaling stations mentioned above were occupied by parties from Hobart Town, from which our travellers had last come.
