5th December.
Continued our route up the river to the south-south-west from 5.45 a.m.
till 10.45, passing through open grassy box flats; a low grassy range
approached the right bank and again receded; to the west a range of
broken hills rose to 500 feet parallel to our course and five miles
distant. Halted in the bed of the river, which formed fine reaches of
water, with dry sand-bars between; caught several catfish and perch;
mussels were abundant, the form of the shell much longer than I have
before seen in the other parts of the river. At noon: Barometer, 29.80;
thermometer, 104 degrees; at 3.0 p.m.: Barometer, 29.65; thermometer, 93
degrees. At 3.30 steered south from the right bank of the river, which
turned to the westward; crossed some fine grassy country thinly timbered
with box, and at 4.50 came to the southern branch of the river. This
branch trended to the north-east, and consequently joins at a point lower
down than where we crossed, the junction not having been observed. These
two branches of the Victoria are so nearly equal in apparent size that it
will remain for future examination to determine which is to be considered
the tributary. Crossing to the right bank, we followed it upwards along
the foot of the high land for half an hour, and encamped in the bed of
the river.
Latitude by meridian altitude of Achernar 16 degrees 26 minutes.