St. Georgia's Bridge
Chapter IX.
MR. KENNEDY SENT TO EXPLORE THE MOONI PONDS.—I COMPLETE THE MAPS.—EXCESSIVE HEAT AGAIN.—NEW PLANTS FOUND.—MR. KENNEDY RETURNS—AFTER SUFFERING MUCH FROM THE HEAT AND DROUGHT.—CORPORAL GRAHAM SENT WITH DESPATCHES FOR THE GOVERNOR OF NEW SOUTH WALES.—THE PARTY CROSSES THE BALONNE—BY ST. GEORGE'S BRIDGE.—REACHES THE MOONI PONDS—OR RIVER.—TRACKS OF CATTLE AND HORSES NUMEROUS.—A WHITE WOMAN MET WITH.—CATTLE STATIONS.—HEAVY AND CONTINUED RAIN RETARDS THE PARTY.—FLOODS ALMOST SURROUND THE CAMP.—THE WATERS KEPT BACK BY A DAM OF SAND.—AFTER SEVENTEEN DAYS HALT, THE PARTY CROSSES FROM THE MOONI TO THE BARWAN.—A FLOOD IN THE BARWAN.—PASSAGE WITH THE BOATS.—MUSQUITOES NUMEROUS AFTER THE RAIN.—STRAY HORSES JOIN OURS.—THE MAAL ALSO FLOODED.—CROSS IT WITH THE BOATS.—THE MEEI CROSSED.—CROSS OTHER BRANCHES OF THE GWYDIR.—RECOGNISE MOUNT RIDDELL.—ENTER ON EXTENSIVE PLAINS.—SNODGRASS LAGOON.—A YOUNG SQUATTER.—LEAVE THE PARTY IN CHARGE OF MR. KENNEDY.—RIDE HOMEWARDS.
5TH to 9TH NOVEMBER.—These days I devoted to the protracting of angles taken on the Victoria, and the last day to writing my despatch to the Government; and on this morning (the 9th) I sent Mr. Kennedy, followed by Corporal Graham and John Douglas, to examine the country in the direction of the furthest point attained by me on my journey of 1831; that was on the Barwan (Karaula) in latitude 29° 2' S., and bearing about 20° E. of S. from this camp. A chain of ponds, called the "Mooni" ponds, were said to water the intervening country, and I wished to ascertain whether they were favourable for the connection of our recently explored route, with the termination of that marked out by me in 1831, when my journey, undertaken expressly with the same objects in view, was accidentally frustrated.
Corporal Graham was to go forward to the postoffice at Tamworth with the despatches, when Mr. Kennedy, having ascertained the situation of the Mooni ponds, should return. In the meanwhile, I continued to finish maps and drawings, although suffering much inconvenience from excessive heat, under a tent infested with numerous flies. The banks of the river were gay with the purple flowers of SWAINSONA CORONILLOEFOLIA; FUSANUS ACUMINATUS, produced its crimson-coloured fruit, which Yuranigh brought us from the bush; the spotted bark tree, ELOEODENDRON MACULOSUM, was also in these scrubs. A yellow-flowered herbaceous plant, has been determined by Professor De Vriese to be identical with the Swan River GOODENIA PULCHELLA. A salt plant, greedily eaten by the cattle, proved to be a variety of the ATRIPLEX NUMMULARIS, observed in February on the Macquarie. A species of GREWIA, in fruit, appeared to be the same as the G. RICHARDIANA of Walpers. The TRICHINIUM FUSIFORME R. Br., was covered with its globular, shaggy flower-heads, in the sandy open parts of the forest. A very remarkable shrub, five or six feet high, with the foliage of a Phyllirea, and spreading branches, was loaded with short racemes of white flowers. It proved to be a plant of the natural order of Bixads, and allied to MELICYTUS, but with hermaphrodite flowers.[*] A submerged plant, in the water, was found to be a new species of MYRIOPHYLLUM, with tuberculate fruit.[**] CASSIA CORONILLOIDES, a low shrub, was in flower.[***] A shrubby MYOPORUM put forth sweet and edible fruit.[****] A new ELOEODENDRON, with small panicles of white flowers, formed a forest tree twenty feet high, remarkable for its spotted bark.[*****] A fir-leaved CASSIA, with thin, sickle-leaved pods, formed a bush, from four to five feet high.[******] A new blue-flowered MORGANIA, decorated the river-bank[*******]; lastly, a new species of indigo[********], completed the list of plants we gathered at this season at the camp over St. George's Bridge.
[* M. ? OLEASTER (Lindl. MS.); glaberrimus, foliis lineari-lanceolatis supra griseis subtus virentibus venosis racemis strictis multo longioribus, floribus hermaphroditis.—OBS. SEP. 5. PET. 5 hypog. imbricata. ST. 5 in margine disci magni inserta. OVAR. ovatum 1-loc. plac. 3-par. STYLUS simplex. STIGMA parvum 3-dent. FRUCTUS ignotus, verisim. carnosus.]
[** M. VERRUCOSUM (Lindl. MS.); foliis submersis capillaceo-multifidis emersis ternatim verticillatis ovatis pinnatifidis, floribus octandris, fructibus tuberculatis.]
[*** C. CORONILLOIDES (A. Cunn. MS.); ramis subangulatis petiolisque minute puberulis, foliolis 8-10-jugis lineari-oblongis obtusiusculis glabris, glandula cylindrica inter par infimum, racemis axillaribus 2-3-floris folio multo brevioribus.—Very near C. AUSTRALIS, but the leaflets are fewer and smaller, and the subulate glands of that species are wanting.—G. B.