Water, grass, hills, mountains, plains, forest land; all the elements of a fine pasturing country, were here united.
During one of the last stages, we discovered a leguminous tree, with the dark fissured bark of the Ironbark, but with large bipinnate leaves, the leaflets oblong, an inch in length; the pods broad and thin, and two or three inches long: this tree is common all over the northern part of the continent, and was found growing abundantly around Victoria, the principal settlement of Port Essington.
Mr.Roper and Brown, upon an excursion after ducks, which were very numerous on the lagoons, met with Blackfellows, who were willing to accost Brown, but could not bear the sudden sight of a white face.

In trying to cross the valley, my course was intercepted every way by deep reedy and sedgy lagoons, which rendered my progress impossible.

I saw, however, that this valley was also floored with a sheet of lava hollowed out into numerous deep basins, in which the water collected and formed the lagoons.
May 5 .-- I went with Charley to reconnoitre the upper part of the reedy brook, with a view to find a passage over the table land to the westward; at the same time I sent Mr.Roper and Brown to trace the river through the lagoons, and to examine whether there was any connection between them.

I followed the base of the basaltic table land, along which the brook came down, and, after a two miles' ride on its banks, through oak trees, low fern trees, and several bush trees, found that it came down a valley deeply cut into the table land.

The floor of the valley was of basaltic rock, and its steep slopes were covered with boulders of the same formation.