the remarkable physical changes constantly produced by the action of the currents. The historical portion of Lieutenant Page's book has been drawn up apparently from the best authorities; the work of one of our former Vice-Presidents, Sir Woodbine Parish, having been amongst others very freely used.

I take this opportunity of recording with satisfaction that we have received a translation of Sir Woodbine Parish's work into Spanish, which has been published at Buenos Ayres, containing some later statistics and additional information respecting the interior provinces of La Plata, and collected by order of the local governments. This translation will add to the value of the work as the best book of reference on those countries.

WEST INDIES.

Phosphatic Rocks of the Anguilla Islands.-A curious and important discovery has been made in the Anguilla Islands, which lie to the north of St. Kitts. The captain of an American trader being becalmed off a rock called "Sombrero," which lies between the British possessions of the Anguillas on the east and Anegada on the west, took away certain specimens of the rock, apparently a bone-breccia. On analysis, these proved to be richly impregnated with phosphate of lime, and a cargo subsequently imported was sold at New York at from 31. 10s. to 67. 10s. per ton, to renovate the worn out soils of Virginia.

Seeing that 30,000 tons of material removed from a little rock in the wide ocean, which no one had cared to claim, had realized 100,000l. in the New York market, the inhabitants of the Anguillas were led to believe that some of the detached rocks or "keys," which lie to the north of the chief island, and at no great distance from Sombrero, might be of the same composition as that rock. They accordingly induced the Governor of St. Kitts, Mr. Hercules Robinson, to transmit specimens for analysis to London. These specimens having been sent to me by my eminent friend Sir William Hooker have been analysed in the laboratory of the School of Mines, and have been found to contain a notable quantity of phosphate of lime. Hence, when they are properly surveyed and

opened out, there is

every reason to hope, that these rocky islets will afford a supply of renovating material which may render the

Now Sir Hercules Robinson.-June 30, 1859.

British farmer, to a great extent, independent of the guano of Peru.*

AUSTRALIA, TASMANIA, AND NEW ZEALAND.

Journey from Moreton Bay to South Australia.—The recent accessions to our knowledge respecting the interior of Australia have been large. Our medallist, Mr. Augustus Gregory, has performed a most remarkable inland journey from Moreton Bay, in which, though unsuccessful in discovering any relics of Leichhardt and his party (the first object of the expedition), he was enabled to define the nature of the interior of the continent from N.E. to S.W., and to reach Adelaide in South Australia. Taking a north-westerly course to the W.N.W. and N.W., he at first found abundance of green grass, though he fears that in seasons of drought few of the water-holes even at a moderate distance from the colony of Moreton Bay, recently named "Queen's-land," are permanent. Tabular sandstone ridges, basaltic peaks, or finely-timbered valleys succeed; but on passing from the River Nare to the N.N.W., it was found that the drought had been of such long continuance, that the whole of the vegetable surface had been swept away by the wind, leaving the country an absolute desert; a few widely-scattered tufts of grass being the only food discoverable for the support of the horses. When on the route to the N.W., which it is known that Leichhardt had intended to follow, Gregory found that high floods had obliterated all tracks of previous explorers, and that the very districts described by Mitchell as covered by a rich vegetation were parched and barren clays! In lat. 24° 55', long. 146° 6', a tree was, however, discovered, on which the letter L was cut, indicating very probably that Leichhardt had encamped there.

Continuing the search towards the north-west, Gregory then encountered tremendously heavy rains, and was entangled among numerous and deep channels and boggy gullies, from which the party was only extricated by extraordinary exertions. Such are the frightful vicissitudes abounding in this low region of alternate flood and drought which separates the fertile hilly country of the east coast from the great interior saline desert. In this region they met with occasional small parties of natives, who, as usual, were shy and

The richest of the specimens is from the rock or key called the Little Scrub. I have sent an account of these keys and a detailed analysis of the specimens, as prepared in the Government School of Mines, to the Royal Agricultural Society for publication in their volume, and have there expressed a hope that a geological surveyor may be sent to the Anguillas to define the extent and relations of these phosphatic rocks.

treacherous, but easily intimidated. Despite of all impediments and much privation, the adventurers pushed on up Thompson River, through a desolate and arid, red-coloured, sandy country, until they reached lat. 23° 47', when the total cessation of water and grass put an end to all efforts to penetrate farther to the north-west. Compelled most unwillingly to abandon the principal object of their travels by continuing to follow the route probably taken by Leichhardt, Gregory and his companions then turned to the south-west, and ascertained the nature of the country between his remote position and Kennedy's farthest explorations, proceeding through more southern latitudes to reach the settled country of South Australia. The vicissitudes and privations experienced in this route to the south-east are succinctly related, and the outlines of ground, whether stony desert, plains with low ridges of red drift-sand, or sandstone table-lands, are well defined. Advancing by Cooper Creek, and that branch of it named by Sturt, Strzelecki Creek, the travellers finally reached Adelaide.

Respecting the fate of Leichhardt, Mr. A. Gregory thinks it probable that the adventurous traveller, advancing from the Victoria, was lured on to the north-west by favouring thundershowers, until, on the cessation of the rains, he was arrested in the parched and waterless tract, and, unable to advance or retreat, he perished in the wilderness.* Gregory also informs us, that west of the meridian of 147° E. long. most of the country is unfit for occupation, until the boundary of the colony of South Australia, or 141o E. long., is reached in more southern parallels.

Our medallist is, indeed, well borne out in saying that the results of his expedition are most important with reference to the physical geography of Australia; for when combined with the researches of Sturt, they seem to demonstrate that, whether as examined from the north-east or south, a very large portion indeed of the interior is a worthless saline desert, very little above the level of the sea.

Explorations westward and north-westward from South Australia.— Whilst the last journey of Augustus Gregory has served to confirm the view established by the researches of Sturt, that a vast interior and sterile low region lies to the north of South Australia, and extends to the higher lands which form the western limits of New South Wales on the east, and to the elevations south of Cambridge Gulf on the north, the surveys set on foot at Adelaide

*My friend the Rev. W. C. Clarke has written able notices in the 'Sydney Morning Herald,' in which he differs in opinion from Mr. A. Gregory as to the track followed by Leichhardt.

have demonstrated that a vast tract of well-watered and fertile lands exists to the north-west of that colony.

The efforts of Mr. Herschel Babbage, to which I last year directed your attention, were for some time unsuccessful, owing to the intensely saline condition of the country through which he had to pass, and the difficulty of transporting the apparatus he had ingeniously contrived for the conversion of salt water into fresh. As soon, however, as the heavy teams and drays were dispensed with, and that, joined by Mr. C. Gregory, riding and pack-horses were substituted, this explorer showed how capable he was of defining with precision a considerable portion of new country in which fresh water was reached. Fixing with accuracy the latitude and longitude of several points, he proved the existence of dry land between the masses of water which had been previously united upon our maps under the name of Lake Torrens, while he defined their outlines, distinguishing the northernmost of them by the name of Lake Gregory.

Various other documents and sketch-maps relating to South Australia, which have been forwarded to the Society by Her Majesty's Colonial Secretary, demonstrate what vigorous exertions have been made by other explorers. Thus, Major Warburton defined large tracts of country north of the Gawler Ranges, i. e., between Streaky Bay on the south-west, and the saline country occupied by Lake Gairdner and its adjacent lagoons. The larger part of this country seems to be incapable of supporting colonists, from the want of fresh water, and its prevalent saline character. This active officer also shows that, in many parts, the saline condition of the surface of the country is due to the existence of saliferous rocks beneath, being in this respect analogous to the saline steppes of Russia. Police trooper Geharty, in a separate tour, proved the extension of lands equally sterile with those explored by Major Warburton, which was to be expected, as the tract lies contiguous to the sterile coast-range of Eyre. Το the east of Lakes Torrens and Gregory the explorations of Mr. Samuel Parry and Corporal Burt are worthy of notice; the former having determined several points of latitude and longitude, and having given us information respecting the nature of the rocks which occupy the region intermediate between Lake Torrens and Angepena, near the settled parts of the colony.

In the mean time, whilst Mr. Babbage was occupied with his earlier difficulties, and other explorers were determining the real

condition of the saline tracts lying between 32° 30' and 31° of latitude, an unaided colonist, Mr. M'Dougall Stuart, a former companion of Sturt, passed rapidly beyond all these saline tracts and discovered a large, well-watered, and more elevated region to the north-west. As soon as he ascertained the existence of a permanent supply of fresh water at Andamoka, in south latitude 3040, and had thus secured a retreat, he dashed on to the north and north-west, and soon fell in with numerous gum-creeks, containing streams which flowed from hills ranging from south-east to north-west, and further ascertained that large portions of this region were well grassed and admirably adapted for settlement !

The Governor of South Australia, Sir R. G. Macdonnell, states that the extent of this newly discovered available land amounts to from 1200 to 1800 square miles, and has rightly named the principal waterparting, Stuart Range. His Excellency then adds that the House of Assembly of South Australia had presented an address to him, requesting that the necessary steps should be taken for granting Mr. Stuart a fourteen years' lease of 1500 square miles of the new country.

When we look to the fact, that this explorer had, in the first instance, to get through the southern saline desert between the sea and those interior lands-that he was accompanied by one white man, Foster, and a black man only, and that his compass and watch were his only instruments, we cannot too highly applaud his success, and the Council of this Society has, therefore, well judged in awarding to him a gold watch in honour of such highly valuable discoveries.

Not only did Mr. M'Dougall Stuart define the northern portion of this new and fertile region, but before he returned by a most daring and perilous route to the coast on a meridian far to the west of his line of advance, he also ascertained the southern limit of all the available land.

Nothing which I have read of in Australian travel more strikingly displays the bold and undaunted spirit of adventure, than when Mr. Stuart had reached the southern limit of the fresh-watered country, and ascended a hill near Mount Espy to look southward over the country between him and the sea, he descried nothing but a vast saline desert through which (his provisions being almost exhausted) he must pass. Nothing daunted by that dismal prospect, or the great privations he would have to suffer, he regained the seashore, and travelling along it, once more found