One of these opportunities occurred in the very neighbourhood of the hill from which Mr.Poole is said to have seen the inland sea, as described in Captain Sturt's despatch.
There are several reasons for supposing Mr.Poole to have been deceived in forming an opinion of the objects which he saw before him from that elevation: first, I know, from experience, the extraordinary and deceptive appearances that are produced in such a country as Mr.Poole was in, by mirage and refration combined.

I have often myself been very similarly deceived by the semblance of hills, islands, and water, where none such existed in reality.

Secondly, in December 1843, I was within twenty-five miles of the very spot from which Mr.Poole thought he looked upon a sea, and I was then accompanied by natives, and able, by means of an interpreter, to communicate with those who were acquainted with the country to the north-west.

My inquiries upon this point were particular; but they knew of no sea.

They asserted that there was mud out in that direction, and that a party would be unable to travel; from which I inferred either that some branch of the Darling spread out its waters there in time of flood, or that Lake Torrens itself was stretching out in the direction indicated.