These expeditions have also contributed a few facts respecting the rivers of North. Australia. The Flinders was estimated by Landsborough to be fully 500 in., and the Albert 100 m. long; the Roper was found by Stuart to be a deep wide river at about 100 in. from its mouth; on the whole, the river system of North Australia is much more extensive than was formerly supposed.
In 1865, an expedition under the command of M Intyre, was undertaken to ascertain the fate of Leichhardt, but it could not advance further than Cooper's creek.
Our knowledge of the interior of western Australia was considerably extended by the expedition which started from the west under Forrest in 1869; and the observations made during the construction of the overland telegraph line from Adelaide to Port Darwin, on the gulf of Carpentaria, confirmed the view that some of the interior of the island continent is fitted for agricultural purposes. The expeditions of Gosse and War burton in 1873 explored part of the terra incognita w. of the central telegraph line. Forrest iu 1874 again crossed the country from Perth eastward, reaching the telegraph lines in 27' s. lat.; waterless and treeless wastes were the distinguishing features.
in 1876 traversed the continent in a n.e. direction, finding the country to the eastward desolated with drought. H. V. Barclay in 1878 crossed the hitherto unknown country between Alice Springs on the telegraph lines and the e. boundary of South Australia. in e. long. 136° 30'. All the water-courses and creeks passed over were dried up, but some line country was laid open. The view northwards in s. lat. 21° 50', only disclosed sand ridges and spinifex.
AlISTRASIA, or the East Kingdom, the name given, under the Merovingians, to the eastern possessions of the Franks, embracing Lorraine, Belgium, and the right bank of the Rhine, and having their central point at Metz. At the time of the rise of the Frankish power, these districts were of great importance, as they formed the connection with the German mother-country, and were the most thickly inhabited by Franks. After the time of Charles Martel, the division of the Frankish kingdom into A. and Neustria lost its political importance. Under Charlemagne's successors, A. merged into Germany— and Neustria, or west Frank-land, into France.