Charles Sturt (1795–1869) was a British soldier, sent to New South Wales in charge of convicts in 1826. Volume 1 of this 1833 publication describes how in 1827 Governor Darling appointed Sturt to lead an expedition into the interior, in search of pastoral land for settlement and a navigable river system. He discovered and named the Darling River before being forced to turn back due to lack of fresh water. Volume 2 is an account of Sturt's second journey, to the Murrumbidgee River and the Murray. The ship that was to meet the party on the south coast had left, and the explorers were forced to row 900 miles back up river on low rations, an experience which permanently damaged Sturt's health. Despite these hardships, Sturt made careful records of the topography and flora of the region, as well as his encounters with the local Aboriginal tribes.