The Fall Of The Country From The
South-East To The North-West Was Very Remarkable; The Water In The
Branch Was Here Nearly Level With The Banks, And Was Narrowed To A
Width Of Not More Than Twenty Feet.
Finding that it would be equally as
impracticable to follow this branch as the other, I returned and
commenced
Preparations for setting out for the coast, which I purpose
not to do until Sunday, in order that the horses may be refreshed, as
they will at first be most heavily laden.
My present intention is to take a south-west direction for Cape
Northumberland, since should any river be formed from those marshes,
which is extremely probable, and fall into the sea between Spencer's
Gulf and Cape Otway, this course will intersect it, and no river or
stream can arise from these swamps without being discovered. The body of
water now running in both the principal branches is very considerable,
fully sufficient to have constituted a river of magnitude, if it had
constantly maintained such a supply of water, and had not become
separated into branches, and lost among the immense marshes of this
desolate and barren country, which seems here to form a vast concavity
to receive them. It is impossible to arrive at any certain opinion as to
what finally becomes of these waters, but I think it probable, from the
appearance of the country, and its being nearly on a level with the sea,
that they are partly absorbed by the soil, and the remainder lost by
evaporation.
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