We met frequent traces of the natives, who had recently gone down the river, having previously burned the grass, leaving very little for our horses and cattle.

At 8 o'clock P.M.a fine strong northerly breeze came up the river, flowing along its broad open valley, and which I supposed to be the sea breeze.

This supposition was somewhat confirmed by a similar breeze occurring at the same time on the following evening.
The plains are basaltic, and occasionally covered with pebbles of white and iron-coloured quartz and conglomerate, and are in the vicinity of slight elevations, which are probably composed of sandstone and conglomerate, and usually covered with low scrub and cypress-pine.
Sandstone crops out in the gullies of the valley, in horizontal strata, some of which are hard and good for building, others like the blue clay beds of Newcastle, with the impressions of fern-leaves identical with those of that formation.

At the junction of Comet Creek and the river, I found water-worn fragments of good coal, and large trunks of trees changed into ironstone.

I called this river the "Mackenzie," in honour of Sir Evan Mackenzie, Bart., as a small acknowledgment of my gratitude for the very great assistance which he rendered me in the preparations for my expedition.