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WILLIAM J. WILLS.
Painted by Scott. Melbourne.
Engraved by J. Brown.
A life terminating before it had reached its meridian, can scarcelybe expected to furnish materials for an extended biography. But theimportant position held by my late son, as second in command inwhat is now so well-known as the Burke and Wills ExploringExpedition across the Island Continent of Australia; thecomplicated duties he undertook as Astronomer, Topographer,Journalist, and Surveyor; the persevering skill with which hedischarged them, suggesting and regulating the march of the partythrough a waste of eighteen hundred miles, previously untrodden byEuropean feet; his courage, patience, and heroic death; hisself-denial in desiring to be left alone in the desert withscarcely a hope of rescue, that his companions might find a chancefor themselves;--these claims on public attention demand that hisname should be handed down to posterity in something more than amere obituary record, or an official acknowledgment of services.
A truthful, though brief, memoir of my son's short career, mayfurnish a stimulating example, by showing how much can beaccomplished in a few years, when habits of prudence and industryhave been acquired in early youth. He fell a victim to errors notoriginating with himself; but he resigned his life without amurmur, having devoted it to science and his country. His death,with the circumstances attending it, furnishes an application ofthe lines of a favourite poet, which he often quoted withadmiration:
Lives of great men all remind us
We can make our lives sublime,
And departing leave behind us
Footsteps on the sands of time;
Footprints that perhaps another,
Sailing o'er Life's solemn main,
A forlorn and shipwreck'd brother,
Seeing, shall take heart again.
The following pages are the only tribute a fond and mourning fathercan offer to the memory of one who, while living, merited andreciprocated his warmest affections.
WILLIAM WILLS.
London, January, 1863.
THE LAST HOURS OF MR. WILLS.
Painted by Scott. Melbourne.
London: Richard Bentley, 1863.
Engraved by J. Saddle.
BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH.
Birth.
Infancy.
Boyhood and Early Education.
Youthful Traits of Character.
My two Sons leave England for Australia.
Incidents of the Voyage.
Extracts from Journal.
Arrival at Port Phillip.
Melbourne.
Employed as Shepherds in the Interior.
Mode of Life.
Melbourne in 1853.
Advice to Immigrants.
Descriptive Letters from the Bush.
I arrive in Australia.
Join my two Sons at their Sheep-station.
Return to Melbourne and Remove to Ballaarat.
Visit to Mr. Skene.
My son studies Surveying.
His Rapid Proficiency.
Appointed to take Charge of a Party.
Letters on various Subjects to his Mother and Brother at Home.
My Son is appointed to the Magnetic Observatory at Melbourne, under Professor Neumayer.
His Rapid Advance in the Study of Magnetism and Mineralogy.
Letters to his Relatives at Home, descriptive of his Pursuits, Wishes, and Sentiments.
First suggestions of his Probable Employment on the Exploring Expedition.
Postponement of the Exploring Expedition projected at the beginning of 1860.
My Son's Letter to his Sister on going into Society.
Mr. Birnie's Opinion of him, and Extract from his Lecture.
Letter from William to his Mother on Religious Views and Definitions of Faith.
His last Communications to his family at Home, before the Departure of the Expedition.
THE EXPEDITION.
How the Expedition originated.
Appointment of the Leader,
Officers, and Party.
Mr. Robert O'Hara Burke, Mr. G.J. Landells, Mr. W.J. Wills, Dr. Herman Beckler, Dr. Ludwig Becker, etc.
The Expedition starts from Melbourne on the 20th of August, 1860.
Progress to Swan Hill.
Discharge of Mr. Ferguson, the Foreman.
Advance to Menindie.
Resignation of Mr. Landells and Dr. Herman Beckler.
Mr. Wills promoted to second in command, and Mr. Wright to third.
From Menindie on the Darling to Torowoto.
Mr. Burke's Despatch, and Mr. Wills's Report from Torowoto.
Mr. Wright's unaccountable delay at Menindie.
The Expedition proceeds onwards to Cooper's Creek.
Exploring Trips in that neighbourhood.
Loss of three Camels.
Mr. Wills's Letter to his Sister, December 6th and 15th.
Incorrectness of McDonough's Statements.
Mr. Wills's Survey of the line of Country pursued by the Expedition, from Torowoto Swamp to Cooper's Creek.
Departure from Cooper's Creek for the Gulf of Carpentaria.
Arrangements for the continuance of the Depot at Cooper's Creek.
Mr. Brahe left in Charge.
Determination of Route.
Progress and Incidents.
Mr. Wills's Field Books, from the 16th of December, 1860, to the 30th of January, 1861, 1 to 9.
Shores of Carpentaria.
Return from Carpentaria to Cooper's Creek.
Mr. Wills's Journals from February 19th to April 21st, 1861.
Illness and Death of Gray.The Survivors arrive at Cooper's Creek Depot and find it deserted.
A Small Stock of Provisions left.
Conduct of Brahe.
Report of the Royal Commission.
Proceedings in Melbourne.
Meeting of the Exploration Committee.
Tardy Resolutions.
Departure of Mr. Howitt.
Patriotic Effort of Mr. Orkney.
South Australian Expedition under Mr. McKinlay.
News of White Men and Camels having been seen by Natives in the Interior.
Certain Intelligence of the Fate of the Explorers reaches Melbourne.
The attempt to reach South Australia and Adelaide by Mount Hopeless.
Mistake of selecting that Route.
Mr. Wills's Journals from the 23rd of April to the 29th of June, 1861.
Adventures with the Natives.
Discovery of Nardoo as a Substitute for Food.
Mr. Burke and King go in search of Natives for assistance.
Mr. Wills left alone in the Desert.
The Last Entry in his Journal.
King's Narrative.
Mr. Burke and King again go in search of the Natives, as a last resource.
Death of Mr. Burke.
King returns and finds Mr. Wills dead in the Gunyah.
He falls in with the Natives and wanders about with them until delivered by Mr. Howitt's party.
Extract from Mr. Howitt's Diary.
Extract from Mr. McKinlay's Diary.
My Son's last Letter to me, dated June 27th, 1861.
Strong Attachment between Mr. Burke and my Son.
King delivers the Letter and Watch intrusted to him.
With some difficulty I recover the Pistol.
King's Reception in Melbourne.
Sir H. Barkly's Letter to Sir Roderick Murchison.
Summary of Events and their Causes.
Letters of sympathy and condolence; from Sir Henry Barkly; Major Egerton Warburton; A.J. Baker, Esquire; P.A. Jennings, Esquire; Dr. Mueller; The Council of Ballaarat East; Robert Watson, Esquire; John Lavington Evans, Esquire.
Meeting at Totnes.
Resolution to erect a Monument to Mr. Wills.
Proceedings in the Royal Geographical Society of London.
Letter from Sir Roderick Murchison to Dr. Wills.
Dr. Wills's Reply.
'The Lost Explorers,' a poetical tribute.
Concluding Observations.
WILLIAM J. WILLS.
Painted by Scott. Melbourne.
Engraved by J. Brown.
Detail from "Wills' map of Burke and Wills' route to the Gulf of Carpentaria"
Detail from "Wills' map of Burke and Wills' route to the Gulf of Carpentaria".
BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH.
Birth.
Infancy.
Boyhood and Early Education.
Youthful Traits of Character.
William John Wills was born at Totnes, in Devonshire, on the 5th ofJanuary, 1834. He had, therefore, attained the full age oftwenty-seven at the time of his death. Even in infancy, hiscountenance was interesting and expressive. He began to speak andwalk alone before he had completed his first year. His livelydisposition gave ample employment to his nurses, though I cannotremember that he ever worried one, through peevishness or afractious temper. As soon as he could talk distinctly, he evincedan aptitude to name things after his own fancy; and I may fairlysay, that he was never a child in the common acceptation of theterm, as he gave early indications of diligence and discretionscarcely compatible with the helplessness and simplicity of suchtender years. About the time of his completing his third year, Mr.Benthall, a friend and near neighbour, asked permission to take himfor a walk in his garden. The boy was then in the habit ofattending a school for little children, close by, kept by an oldlady. In less than an hour, Mr. Benthall returned to ask if he hadcome home. No one had seen him, and we began to be alarmed lest hemight have fallen into a well in the garden; but this apprehensionwas speedily ascertained to be groundless. Still he returned not,and our alarm increased, until his mother thought of the school,and there he was found, book in hand, intent on his lesson. He knewit was the school hour, and while Mr. Benthall was speaking to thegardener, had managed to give him the slip, passing our own doorand proceeding alone to the school, on the opposite side of thesquare. Mr. Benthall, who can have seen or heard very little of himsince, was one of the first, on hearing of his recent fate, to senda subscription to his monument, about to be erected at Totnes.Perhaps he remembered the incident.
Another anecdote of the child bears upon a leading characteristicin the after life of the man. My late lamented brother, W.T. Wills,who has since died at Belleville, in Upper Canada, was on a visitat my house from abroad. He had occasion to go to Plymouth andDevonport, and I engaged to drive him over in a gig. A petition wasmade to his mother, that little Willy might accompany us. It wasgranted, and we put up for the night at the Royal Hotel, atDevonport, where he became quite a lion. The landlady and servantswere much taken by their juvenile visitor. The next morning, mybrother and I had arranged to breakfast at ten, each having earlybusiness of his own to attend to, in different directions. When wereturned at the appointed time, the boy was missing. None of thehousehold had seen him for an hour. Each supposed that someone elsehad taken charge of him. After a twenty minutes' search in alldirections by the whole establishment, he was discovered at thewindow of a nautical instrument maker's shop, eight or ten doorsbelow the inn, on the same side of the street, within the recess ofthe door-way, gazing in riveted attention on the attractive displaybefore him. The owner told me that he had noticed him for more thanan hour in the same place, examining the instruments with the eyeof a connoisseur, as if he understood them. His thirst forknowledge had superseded his appetite for breakfast. About twelvemonths subsequent to this date, we had nearly lost him for ever, ina severe attack of remittent fever. At the end of a fortnight, thedanger passed away and he was restored to us. As he lay in completeprostration from the consequent weakness, our old and faithfulservant, Anne Winter, who seldom left him, became fearful that hisintellects might be affected; and I shall never forget herheartfelt delight and thankfulness when she saw him notice andlaugh at the ludicrous incident of a neighbour's tame magpiehopping upon his bed. The effect of this fever was to alter thecontour of his features permanently, to a longer shape, giving hima more striking resemblance to his mother's family than to mine.His utterance, also, which had been voluble, became slow andslightly hesitating.
For some time after this he resided at home, under my own tuition.Our intercourse, even at this early age, was that of friendlycompanionship. Instructing him was no task; his natural diligencerelieved me from all trouble in fixing his attention. We were bothfond of history. From what I recollect, he took more interest inthat of Rome than of Greece or England. Virgil and Pope were hisfavourite poets. He was very earnest with his mother in studyingthe principles of the Christian religion. More than once my wiferemarked, "that boy astonishes me by the shrewdness with which heputs questions on different points of doctrine." In his readingswith me he was never satisfied with bare statements unaccompaniedby reasons. He was always for arguing the matter before takingeither side. One question, when very young, he would again andagain recur to, as a matter on which the truth should be elicited.This was a saying of our old servant, above named, when she brokeeither glass or earthenware: that "it was good for trade." Hisideas of political economy would not permit him to allow that thisaxiom was a sound one for the benefit of the state; and on thispoint, I think, Adam Smith and Malthus would scarcely disagree.
The pleasure I enjoyed in my son's society when a boy, was greaterthan that which intercourse with many grown men contributed; for Imay strictly repeat, as I have already said, that he was never achild in intellect although juvenile enough in habits and manners.He never made foolish remarks, although not in the slightest degreeuncomfortably precocious or pragmatical. I had no fear of trustinghim with anything, and was often reproved for allowing so young achild to handle a gun, which he was accustomed to do as early aseleven years of age. His first practice was on some young rookswhich he brought down with unerring aim, from a rookery on thegrounds at our country residence. He was so particular in hisgeneral demeanour that I designated him Gentleman John, and myRoyal Boy. His brothers, all younger than himself, styled him, OldJack, and Gentleman Jack. He had a wonderful power of attachinganimals of all kinds. Nothing moved him to anger so readily asseeing one ill-used. Beating a horse savagely would excite hisdisgust, as well as his dislike to the person who did it. Nothaving a dog, he used to take a fine cat we had, which wouldaccompany him to any distance in the fields, and hunt the hedgesand hedgerows for him. Never feeling that I could have too much ofhis company, I frequently made him my companion in long countrywalks, during which he incessantly asked for information. For thescience of astronomy he evinced an early taste. When a very littleboy, I began to teach him the names and positions of the principalconstellations, the revolutions of the earth on its axis, and thefixity of the polar star. I believe we were the first to notice acomet in 1845, which was only a short time visible here, having asouth declination, and which we afterwards knew to have been a fineobject in the Southern hemisphere.
At the age of eleven he went to school at Ashburton. Although thedistance was not more than six miles from the cottage of Ipplepen,my then general place of residence, it was with much reluctancethat I consented to the separation. Several friends urged on methat I was not doing him justice by keeping him at home; that apublic seminary where he could mix with other boys was anadvantage, even though he might not learn more. It also happenedthat, at this time, a gentleman with whom I had been longacquainted, and of whose talents I held a high opinion, was electedto the head-mastership of that school, which held its chiefendowments from Gifford, the satiric poet, and Dr. Ireland, thelate Dean of Westminster. I remember how I returned in gloomyspirits after leaving him there. As I had four other children, itmay be said that I showed undue partiality for this one, but myconscience clears me from the charge. I deeply felt the loss of hiscompanionship. He was so suggestive that he set me thinking; andwhilst I was endeavouring to teach, I acquired more knowledge thanI imparted. There was nothing remarkable in his progress at school.I experienced no disappointment because he did not return home atthe end of every half-year with the head prize. He merely broughthis six months' bill, and a letter commending his steady diligenceand uniform propriety of conduct. In viva voce examinations he hadscarcely an equal chance with one of inferior intellect who mightbe quicker in expression; for besides the trifling hesitation ofspeech I have already noticed, he would have been ashamed to give awrong answer from eagerness. A remark of Mr. Page, his tutor,confirmed me in my own previous impression on this point. "It vexesme," he said, "that John does not take a top prize, for I see byhis countenance that he understands as much, if not more, than anyboy in my school; yet from want of readiness in answering he allowsvery inferior lads to win the tickets from him." On the whole, Ithink he derived much benefit from Ashburton; for besides hisscholastic improvement he became an adept at the usual games, and asocial favourite out of school hours.
At the age of sixteen he left the grammar-school, and I find the30th of May, 1850, to be the date of his articles to me as surgeon.I had at that time taken a partner, Henry Manly, Esquire, nowresident at Ipplepen, with a view of introducing and resigning tohim my Ipplepen practice. Being in a country place, five miles fromTotnes, where there was no chemist or dispensary, my son readilyacquired his duties, which were to distribute the medicines andappliances directed for our patients by my partner and myself. Inall cases his caution was extreme and we had no fear of his makingmistakes. The ordinary operations of extracting a tooth orbreathing a vein when a bumpkin presented himself as a patient, hespeedily mastered. The absurd practice of going to be bled on anyoccasion that might strike the fancy of the party, without theadvice of the doctor, was not at that time so completely obsoleteas in this advanced age I hope it is, and ought to be. I remember,during the time of my own articles, that I frequently performedvenesection five or six times in a day on persons who requested andfancied they required it; and I seldom indulged in the liberty ofasking, wherefore.
In 1851, I took my son to London to show him the Great Exhibition.His chief attractions there, were the instruments and mechanicalinventions. If, after a day or two, I chanced to deviate from theleading thoroughfares and missed my way, he would set me right in amoment. This was rather mortifying to one who fancied himself wellacquainted with London from frequent visits, but he smiled when hesaw I was not a true guide. I asked him how he acquired this aptknowledge. "On the second day," he replied, "when you were out, Itook the map and studied it for two hours, so that now I am wellversed in it." My subsequent experience made me think he had someinstinctive power in matters like these, such as horses andcarrier-pigeons possess, for the darkest night never baulked him.On a visit to Windsor, being told that it was considered a feat toclimb the statue of King George the Third at the end of the longwalk, he accomplished it in a very short time. At Hampton Court heunravelled the mystery of the Maze in ten minutes and grew quitefamiliar with all its ins and outs.
In the following spring, 1852, I took him again to London, at theopening of the session for medical students. As there was noanatomical class he studied that branch of science by visiting themuseum at Guy's. Having myself been a student at that school, Iintroduced him to my late respected teacher, Charles Aston King,Esquire, through whom he obtained permission to attend. Surgicaloperations he witnessed at the theatres of any hospital on theregular days. The only class he entered was that of practicalchemistry, under Dr. John Stenhouse, LL.D., at Bartholomew's. Whenthe course had nearly terminated, I saw Dr. Stenhouse, and inquiredwhether my son evinced any particular talent in that line. Dr.Stenhouse came from the lecture-room, and walked with me throughNewgate-Street into Cheapside, earnestly requesting me not to takefrom him one of the most promising pupils he had ever had. "Iventure an assurance," he said, "that in two years, in practicalchemistry, he will be second to few in England." Dr. Stenhouse atthat time was engaged in analyzing the different articles of foodsold in the shops, and found my son useful and suggestive. Histestimonial ran thus:--
I have much pleasure in certifying that Mr. W.J. Wills attendeda course of practical chemistry at this medical school during thesummer season of 1852. He obtained considerable proficiency, andinvariably distinguished himself by great propriety of conduct.
(Signed) JOHN STENHOUSE LL.D.,
Lecturer to the Medical School of St. Bartholomew's Hospital,
September 1st, 1852.
At the house where he lodged, kept by an old couple and theirservant, he was as one of themselves, and amused them greatly bythe discoveries he made of the tricks practised by vendors of goodsin the street; tricks they had no idea of, although they had livedin London all their lives. They used to say he would be a greatgenius in the detective department of the Police.
My two Sons leave England for Australia.
Incidents of the Voyage.
Extracts from Journal.
Arrival at Port Phillip.
Melbourne.
Employed as Shepherds in the Interior.
Mode of Life.
Melbourne in 1853.
Advice to Immigrants.
Descriptive Letters from the Bush.
During the summer of 1852, I formed the intention of joining theexodus, then pouring out from England to Australia. I had been intreaty with the "Melbourne Gold Mining Company," recently started,in which promising speculation, on paper, I held some shares. Thelate Earl of Devon was chairman. I was to go in the Sarah Sands, inmy professional capacity. My two sons, William John, and hisyounger brother, were to accompany me; but on further investigationof the modus operandi, I gave up all idea of attaching myself tothe scheme, sold my shares at a slight discount, and engaged asmedical attendant on the passengers, taking my two sons with me, ina fine new ship, the Ballaarat, on her first voyage. Thisarrangement I considered final. But a few days after Williamreturned home, he came to me when I was sitting alone, engaged inwriting, and with that expression in his countenance so peculiarlyhis own, said; "My dear father, I have a favour to ask of you." "Mydear boy," I replied, "there is nothing you would venture to askthat I could possibly refuse." "Then," continued he, "it is this. Isee my mother is grieving, although she says nothing, at our allleaving her together. Let Tom and I go alone: I will pledge myselfto take care of him." After a consultation with my wife this newplan was agreed upon. I released myself from my engagement withMessrs. Simpkin and Marshall for the Ballaarat, and secured twoberths for the boys in one of Mr. W.S. Lindsay's ships, which atthat time were conveying living freights to Melbourne, theirChannel port of departure being Dartmouth.
By the advice of Mr. Lindsay himself I took steerage passages forthem. He shrewdly remarked, "They will be there as soon and assafely as the cabin-passengers, and their money will be saved."This sounded so like an axiom in practical economy that my dear boynever attempted to argue the question. Having obtained permissionto knock two cabins into one, my sons considerably diminished theirexpenses, and had quite as agreeable a voyage as if they had paidsixty guineas each; for I have lately learned by experience, in ahomeward passage, that you have to put up with companions in thecabin, as objectionable as can be imagined in almost any situationof life.
At Dartmouth, a day or two before the ship started, I found thatWilliam had expended some money on a quantity of stuff rolled uplike balls of black ropeyarn. I exclaimed with astonishment, "Inthe name of goodness, are you going to chew or smoke all the way toAustralia?" for the commodity was the good old pig-tail tobacco. Hesaid, smiling, "This is to make friends with the sailors: I intendto learn something about a ship by the time we reach ourdestination." I dare say the worthy skipper of the good ship JanetMitchell, should he be still alive, has some recollection of him.His mode of proceeding, as he told me, was first to secure the goodgraces of the crew through the persuasive medium of the pig-tail;then, to learn the name and use of every rope, and of every part ofthe ship's tackle from stem to stern. He soon acquired the art ofsplicing and reefing, and was amongst the first to go aloft in astorm, and to lend a hand in taking in topsails. When I arrived inMelbourne at a later period, several of his fellow-passengers spoketo me with praise and wonder, referring to his activity, andreadiness to leave an unfinished meal, on the slightest indicationof danger or difficulty. His journal of this voyage, is now beforeme, from which I extract a few remarks:--
1852. October 1st.--Left Dartmouth--Slightly sick for the firstfew days--My brother much more so, but got right again--Foretopmastcarried away by a squall, just at the crosstrees, bringing downwith it the main top-gallant mast--'We look a precious wreck!'--Remember the Honourable Michael de Courcy, brother of LordKingsale, saying to me on the quay at Dartmouth, the day before wesailed, that the first gale would carry away the fore-top-gallantmast--I believe the Janet Mitchell is quite a new ship, on herfirst voyage--The remark speaks well for the judgment of a youngofficer.
19th.--Sailors prigged some spirits in the hold and got verydrunk--A passenger so drunk that he became mad, and was put inirons.
20th.--Sailors not yet recovered from their drunkenness--A navalcaptain, passenger on board, insulted by one of them; struck himwith his fist and cut his face open.
22nd.--Fine weather--Getting hot--Latitude north 21, longitude west36--The Great Bear getting low--Sunsets and risings very fine,particularly the former.
November 1st.--Shark taken, of which I had a large share and ratherenjoyed the novelty of the feed.
5th.--Crossed the Line--Sailors shaved and ducked a good many--Tomand I got off very well. (Query--effects of the pig-tail?)
16th.--Stormy weather--Obtained some books on navigation andstudied trigonometry.
20th and 21st.--Passed Tristan da Cunha, Inaccessible andNightingale Islands, about 37 south latitude, 12 longitude west.--Saw a great many whales, mostly sperm, thousands of birds,albatross, Cape pigeon, and many others, the names of which I amignorant of.
23rd.--A shoal of porpoises passed us. A sailor struck one with aharpoon, but it got off again. They are of a salmon colour, no morelike pigs than horses, just the shape of salmon, only much larger.In swimming they turn on their sides.
December 1st.--Smart breeze this morning which soon increased to agale--Assisted in furling top-gallant sail--sailors only halfdressed--After breakfast, had to double reef top-sails andmain-sail. I like reefing very much.
2nd.--Waves not so high as I expected. It is amusing to see how thebirds ride them.
27th.--Saw an eclipse of the moon last night, which lasted threehours; little more than three quarters were eclipsed--Some of thepassengers discontented with the provisions--wonder that some ofthem ever thought of leaving home.
1853. January 1st.--Saw land this morning--Reached Cape Otway inthe afternoon; much the appearance of Berry Head, with aslight haze on it--Coast to the west very like that aboutDartmouth--Cliffs, high; could fancy I saw Rock Vale.*
[* Footnote: The residence of a gentleman, near Dartmouth, with whomhe had been on a visit a short time before his departure.]
3rd.--Dropped anchor--Captain and Doctor going ashore will post myjournal and our letters.
His own was short:--
Port Phillip, January 3rd, 1853.
MY DEAR FATHER,
We have this morning dropped anchor, just off Williamstown.There are a fine set of ships here: amongst them are the GreatBritain, Cleopatra, Ballaarat, Aberfoil, and an immense number ofothers, great and small. The Great Britain leaves early to-morrow,so I cannot finish my letter. We have been ninety-five days on ourpassage. The Cleopatra has only arrived two days. There are a greatmany vessels coming in. The day before yesterday we overtook andpassed the Jane, and Truth, of London, which left Plymouth afortnight before we sailed from Dartmouth. I hear already thatthings are very dear in Melbourne. Our pilot says he gives 200pounds a year for a small four-roomed cottage, two miles from thetown.
To show how well prepared the young adventurer was for life inAustralia,--notwithstanding letters of introduction and means ofobtaining money if required--after remaining only a few days inMelbourne, and disbursing but a small modicum of the limited supplyof cash he had taken with him, anxious to see the interior of theIsland Continent, he obtained employment for himself and brother, alad only fifteen years of age, at a large sheep station two hundredmiles up the country. The following letter, dated February 12th,1853, describes their proceedings to that date:--
MY DEAR FATHER,
We are at Deniliquin. And where in the world is that? you will say.Well; it is about two hundred miles north from Melbourne, on theEdward River, in the New South Wales district, and nearly fivehundred miles from Sydney. The station belongs to the Royal BankCompany. We have engaged as shepherds at 30 pounds per annum each,and rations. We are very comfortable, in a hut by ourselves, aboutfour miles from the station. We have between thirteen and fourteenhundred rams, by far the smallest and easiest flock, under ourcharge. We take the hut-keeping and shepherding in turns. The hutis a very nice one, built of split wood, and roofed with bark. Itis close beside a pleasant creek or river, where there are plentyof fish and ducks. I assure you we make ourselves quite snug here.One of us rises almost as soon as it is light, gets some breakfast,and starts off with the sheep; lets them feed about until teno'clock, then brings them slowly home, where they lie down untilfour; after that, they go out again until sunset. The other stayswithin to clean up the hut and prepare the meals. We can kill asheep when we like.* The worst part serves for the dogs, ofwhich we have three--a sheep dog, and two kangaroo dogs.** Thelatter are good, and keep off the native curs at night. Thesheep dog was the only one the former owner had last year,to watch a flock of five thousand sheep.
[* Footnote: Not the rams. There were a few others kept for thepurpose. I stayed a few days with them, when I went out myself,at the end of the year.]
[** Footnote: They had a horse when I visited them, but not, Iconclude, at the time when this letter was written.]
But you will want to hear something of Melbourne and how we camehere. The first discovery we made after we got into port was, thatwe had to take ourselves and things ashore at our own expense.There was a good deal of fuss made about it to no purpose. It wasfour shillings each by steamer to Melbourne, and thirty shillingsper ton for goods. It cost us about 2 pounds altogether. AtMelbourne we found everything very dear; no lodgings to be had,every place full. At length we were offered lodgings at sixtyshillings a week, to be paid in advance, and twenty-five personssleeping in the same room; but we preferred the Immigrant's Home, agovernment affair, just fitted up for the accommodation ofnew-comers, where you pay one shilling a night, and find yourself.You must not stay more than ten days. We got there on Friday andremained until the Saturday week following. We then obtained thissituation, and started on the same afternoon. Twenty-three of uscame up together. Drays were provided to carry our luggage, but weourselves had to walk. We were three weeks on the journey, throughthe bush, sleeping, of course, in the open air.
He then proceeds to describe Melbourne, as it then was:--
Melbourne is situated, as you know, on the Yarra Yarra,* which has not nearlyso large a bed as the Dart, although more navigable. It is narrowbut very deep, and so far resembles a canal rather than a river.The town, or city, as they call it, is situated low, but laid outon a good scale. The streets are very wide, and I think when filledwith houses it will be a fine place; but what spoils the appearancenow is, the number of wooden buildings they are throwing up, asthey cannot get workmen for others. When we were there, butter wasfrom two shillings and fourpence to three shillings per pound,bread fourpence, milk eightpence per pint, vegetables enormous,butcher's meat and sugar, as at home. Fruit very dear; a shillingwould not purchase as much as a penny in England. Beer and porter,one shilling per pint in Melbourne, but from two shillings to twoand sixpence here. The town of Melbourne is all on one side of theriver, but on the opposite bank is Canvas Town, connected withMelbourne by a good bridge of one arch. Canvas Town takes its namefrom being entirely composed of tents, except a few woodenerections, such as a public-house, and the Immigrant's Home, wherewe had lodged. I do not like Melbourne in its present state. Youare not safe out after sundown, and in a short time you will not besafe during the day. There were some men taken out of the riverdrowned, suspected to have been murdered, and several attempts atrobbery, while we were there. I sold my box of chemicals, aftertaking out what I wanted, for 4 pounds, and the soda-waterapparatus for 2 pounds 5 shillings. I also sold some books that wecould not carry, but got nothing for them. Scientific works do nottake. The people who buy everything here are the gold-diggers, andthey want story books. A person I know brought out 100 pounds worthof more serious reading, and sold the lot for 16 pounds.
[* Footnote: A native term, which means "always running."]
We started from Melbourne on a Saturday, with the drays, eightbullocks to each, laden entirely with the luggage of the party,twenty-three in number. We made only five or six miles thatafternoon, and slept under some gum trees. Our clothes were nearlysaturated with dew; but as we advanced farther inland, the dewsdecreased, and in a night or two there was no sign of them. Theland for a few miles is dry and sandy, but improves as you proceed.The woods extensive, sometimes without interval for two or threedays' march. There was no scarcity of water, except for the firstfifteen miles, after leaving Melbourne. We enjoyed the journeymuch, and shot many birds, which constituted our principal food.Ducks abound in the creeks,* and up this waythere are fine white cockatoos, which are good eating, and aboutthe size of a small fowl. There is also a bird very plentiful herewhich they call a magpie. It is somewhat the colour of our magpie,but larger, and without the long tail; easily shot and eatable, andfeeds, I believe, much like our wood-pigeons.** The pigeon here is a beautiful bird, of adelicate bronze colour, tinged with pink about the neck, and thewings marked with green and purple. They are tame, and nicer eatingthan those at home. Where we are, we have abundance of food; plentyof mutton, and we can get a duck, pigeon, or cockatoo whenever welike, almost without going out of sight of our hut, besides a goodsupply of fish in the river; Murray cod, which in the Murray aresaid sometimes to weigh eighty pounds, but in our creeks generallyrun from two to twelve; also a kind of mussel, and a fish like alobster, not quite so large, but good eating.***
[* Footnote: Watercourses, running in flood time, but partially dry in dry seasons.]
[** Footnote: It feeds more on insects.]
[*** Footnote: Crawfish; the river lobster.]
Everyone who comes out does a very foolish thing in bringing such aquantity of clothes that he never wants. All you require, even inMelbourne, is a blue shirt, a pair of duck trousers, a straw hat orwide-awake, and what they call a jumper here. It is a kind ofoutside shirt, made of plaid, or anything you please, reaching justbelow the hips, and fastened round the waist with a belt. It wouldbe a very nice dress for Charley.* I should wear it myself if I were in England. It ought tobe made with a good-sized collar, and open at the breast, like awaistcoat, only to button at the neck, if required. We brought outthe wrong sort of straw hat, as they are only fit for summer, butwe sold all but two. One I made six shillings of, but thecabbage-tree hat is worth a pound. No one should bring out morethan he can carry on his back, except it be to sell. Boots andshoes are at a great price, but they should be thick and strong.Wages are very high for butchers, carpenters, and bakers. Abutcher's boy can get 3 pounds a week, with board and lodging.Bullock-drivers get the same. Innkeepers are making fortunes. Iknow a public-house, not larger than the Two Mile Oak, [Footnote: Asmall public-house between Totnes and Newton.] that cleared 500pounds in three months, so it was reported. Sydney, I hear, is ascheap to live in as London. As to the diggings, I cannot say muchabout them. I have seen many who have made money there, and manywho have lost it again. It is generally spent as fast as it is got.I hope we shall send you some specimens of gold dust soon. Pleaseto give my love to my mother and all at home.
[* Footnote: His youngest brother, at home.]
From your affectionate and dutiful son,
W.J. WILLS.
His subsequent letters were of the same kind, descriptive ofhis management in his shepherd's life in the bush. He tells how heconverted legs of mutton into excellent hams by pickling andsmoking them; and how he also obtained preserves of melons, bysowing seeds which produced abundantly. The flies and ants weretheir greatest torment, particularly the former. The heat was notgreat, as there was a constant breeze from one quarter or another.Deniliquin is in between 35 and 36 degrees south latitude. Thetrees are almost exclusively gum trees, but they differ inappearance and leaves, according to age and locality. This givesthe appearance of variety, when, in fact, there is none. The woodis hard and splits easily. The bark is tough and thick, and can beconverted into canoes by closing the ends of a piece taken fromhalf the circumference of a tree, and tying a cord round the centreto keep it from spreading. The colour is of a beautiful red. Amoisture sometimes exudes from the leaves in such abundance as toconvey the idea of an animal having been slain under the branches.It has the smell of carraways and is agreeably sweet. "How it woulddelight Bessy and Hannah," (his young sisters, then quitechildren), he says, "to go into the woods, picking up comfits underthe trees!"
He then speaks of the blacks in that district; of their habits andideas; but expresses a low opinion of their intellectual powers,and thinks little can be done with them. In May, he wrote to hismother and myself conjointly, fearing his former communicationsmight not have reached us, and briefly recapitulating theirpurport. I afterwards heard at Deniliquin that he had successfullyperformed a surgical operation. A shearer had run the point of hisshears into the neck of a sheep, and opened the carotid artery. Myson having a small pocket case of instruments, secured the vesseland saved the animal. I remember when it was considered a triumphin practice to effect this on a human subject. The letter I am nowalluding to concludes by hoping that we were all as comfortable athome as he and his brother were in the bush. He never tired ofexpatiating on the beauties of Australia and its climate. His next,in August, gave a more extended account of local peculiarities andfeatures. Deniliquin is at this time (1862) a place of considerableimportance, with a thriving population. The island on which my sonsshepherded their rams is formed by two branches of the EdwardRiver, which is itself a branch of the Murray.
I arrive in Australia.
Join my two Sons at their Sheep-station.
Return to Melbourne and Remove to Ballaarat.
Visit to Mr. Skene.
My son studies Surveying.
His Rapid Proficiency.
Appointed to take Charge of a Party.
Letters on various Subjects to his Mother and Brother at Home.
In the month of August, 1853, I reached Melbourne, after a goodvoyage, having obtained an appointment as superintending surgeon ofa government emigrant ship, commanded by Captain Young, a perfectsailor, and a gentleman I shall always remember with pleasurablefeelings. More than two months elapsed before I could discoverwhere my sons were. Having, at length, ascertained their locality,I purchased a horse and performed the journey in four days, restingone day on the road, at the station of Mr. Jefferies, on theCampaspe. I started at daylight, and made my fifty miles beforehalting, as I generally did about two P.M. I arrived at theshepherds' hut at five o'clock on a beautiful summer's evening,having remained two hours at the hotel at Deniliquin to refresh.
Robberies on the road--stickings up as they are called--were rifeat this period. Thefts also were common at the resting-houses. Agentleman who arrived at this hotel, not long before I was there,took the saddle off his horse, and placed it under the verandah:when he returned, after leading his animal to a paddock hard by, hemissed the saddle, which he supposed had been removed by someperson belonging to the house, and threw down his bridle on thesame place. After taking something to drink with the landlord hesaid, "You have got my saddle."--"No." "I left it under theverandah, where I have just placed my bridle." On going out to showthe spot, the bridle also had disappeared: both stolen. A goodsaddle and bridle at that time would fetch twenty pounds readily.
At the station I took a native black for my guide. He brought me toa place where my horse had nearly to swim across the creek, pointedto a dry path, exclaimed, "There," then turned his own animal androde off. I followed the track for about three miles, and foundmyself in front of the hut. My sons were both at home. Tom calledthe attention of his brother to my approach. They appeared as muchastonished as he describes the blacks near the Gulf of Carpentariato have been at sight of himself and companions. Presently came therecognition, a shout of joy, and a greeting such as may readily beimagined, on the part of two boys on seeing the father they had notlong before supposed to be separated from them by some sixteenthousand miles.
A few days after, we all left Deniliquin, each mounted on a horse,my sons having first disinterred their money, buried at the foot ofa gum tree on a hillock which they considered as a safe bank ofdeposit. It was their intention to have made a present of thegreatest part, 100 pounds, to their mother, on the first eligibleopportunity of forwarding it. On our way back we paid a visit tothe Bendigo diggings. William here evinced his skill as an explorerby leading us, with the aid of his compass, through a tracklessbush, by which we saved a circuit of several miles. At Matthison'shotel, on the Campaspe river, where we halted for the night, anamusing conversation occurred. In the evening there was a greatgathering of all nations in the parlour. I undertook to tell thedifferent parties of English, by their dialect, from whatparticular quarter they came. A person present, who articulatedwith much difficulty from having nearly lost the roof of his mouth,declared that he would defy any one to identify him by his speech.We all agreed that it exceeded our powers, when he informed us witha great effort that he was "a Kashman," meaning Scotchman.
On our return to Melbourne, we made preparations for a removal toBallaarat. William remained with me at the latter place for twelvemonths, attending to any patient that might come in my absence. Healso opened a gold office adjoining my tent and did very well. Herehe perfected a plan of his own for weighing specimens containingquartz and gold, in water, so as to find the quantity of eachcomponent. But he was ever pining for the bush. The "busy haunts ofmen" had no attraction for him. He preferred the society of a fewto that of many, but the study of nature was his passion. His lovewas fixed on animals, plants, and the starry firmament. With regardto medicine, he used to say that it was not clear and defined inpractice. He wanted to measure the scope of a disease, and tosupply the remedies by mathematical rule. He saw, too, that medicalmen were less valued for their real worth than for their tact inwinning confidence through the credulity of the public. This wasparticularly exemplified in a gold-field, where the greatestimpostors obtained credit for a time. His thoughts and conversationalso constantly reverted to the interior, and to the hope that hewould one day undertake the journey to the Gulf of Carpentaria. Hewas anxiously looking out for a movement in that direction, thenoften talked of.
About this period he made a pedestrian excursion to the Wannon, tosojourn for a short time with a Mr. Skene, a most worthy gentleman,now no more. He was actively employed at that place, and wrote tome frequently, describing the family, to which he was muchattached, the whimsicalities of his landlord--a thorough oldScotian, who amused himself by waking the echoes of the wildernesswith the bagpipes,--the noble fern trees and the fine blackcockatoos. He also continued his practice in surgery, but I believehe made no charge, as, not being duly licensed, he considered hehad no right to do so. He returned to Ballaarat in consequence of acommunication through me, from an American gentleman namedCatherwood. On receipt of my letter he lost not an hour, shoulderedhis swag (blankets, kit, etc.), took leave of Mr. Skene and family,and walked to Ballaarat, sleeping one night in the bush, by theway. On the 22nd of April, 1855, he wrote thus to his mother:
MY DEAR MOTHER,
I had the pleasure of receiving a letter from you a fortnightsince. I was at Moora Moora then, as you will see by a letter Iwrote just before I came down here, in the hope of joining a partythat is spoken of as about to explore the interior of the country,which you appear to have such a dread of. It seems uncertainwhether they will go at all. As to what you say about people beingstarved to death in the bush, no doubt it would be ratherdisagreeable. But when you talk of being killed in battle, I amalmost ashamed to read it. If every one had such ideas we shouldhave no one going to sea for fear of being drowned; no travellersby railway for fear the engine should burst; and all would live inthe open air for fear of the houses falling in. I wish you wouldread Coombe's Constitution of Man. As regards some remarks of yourson people's religious opinions, it is a subject on which so manydiffer, that I am inclined to Pope's conclusion who says:--
For modes of faith let graceless zealots fight; His can't be wrong whose life is in the right;
and I think we cannot have a better guide to our actions than
'to do unto others as we would be done by.'
Ever your affectionate son,
W.J. WILLS.
P.S. If I go, I will write again before starting.
The expedition he here speaks of turned out a mere venture to obtaincash, and nothing came of it. He remained but a short time atBallaarat, and never idle. In a month he completed a woodenaddition to my residence, building the sides, and shingling theroof in a most workmanlike manner. It was perfectly weatherproof,and stood good for some years, being only taken down when analteration in the line of the street rendered its removalnecessary. He now wished to study surveying. My acquaintance withMr. Taylor, district surveyor at Ballaarat, obtained for him anadmission as an amateur into his office. He there set to work withhis characteristic industry to perfect himself in trigonometry andEuclid; drawing and mapping in the office by day, and working hardin his own room by night. On rising from bed in the morning, I havefound him sitting as I had left him, working out his point, for henever deserted anything he had once taken up until he mastered it.At the expiration of a few months, Mr. Taylor promised me tointroduce him to a gentleman in the survey department named Byerly,with a view to reciprocal services. On the 20th of August, 1856, hespeaks for himself in a letter to his mother from Glendaruel:
MY DEAR MOTHER,
I have at length found time to write to you. You will no doubtexpect a long letter after so much delay, but I am afraid you willbe disappointed, as long letters are not my forte. In your last,you asked me to send Bessy any information I could. I can assureyou I shall be most happy to do so, and to encourage her taste forknowledge as much as lies in my power. I send her Bonwick'sGeography of Australia, which is a very useful little book, and inmost instances correct.
You must not look upon it as infallible. For instance, he says LakeBurrambeet is in the Pyrenees, whereas it is more than twenty milesfrom those mountains. But this may be a misprint. I would recommendyou to let the children learn drawing. I do not mean merelysketching, but perspective drawing, with scale and compasses. It isa very nice amusement, and may some day be found extremely useful.There is another thing would do them much good, if they shouldhappen to have a taste for it: this is Euclid. Not to learn byheart, but to read so as to understand it. Mathematics generally,and Euclid, and Algebra in particular, are the best studies youngpeople can undertake, for they are the only things we can depend onas true, (of course I leave the Bible out of the question).Christian and Heathen, Mahometan and Mormon, no matter what theirreligious faith may be, agree in mathematics, if in nothing else.But I must now tell you something of your undutiful son. I amlearning surveying under Mr. F. Byerly, a very superior man indeed.In fact I could not have had a better master had he been made toorder, for he is a first-rate surveyor, and we are exactly suitedto each other in our general ideas; and this, to tell the truth, isa rare chance for me.
I am getting 150 pounds per annum, and rations, but I hope intwelve months to have a party of my own. It is just the sort oflife for me, nearly always in the bush marking out land for sale,or laying down unknown parts. It is quite a different thing fromsurveying in England. Glendaruel is fifteen miles from Ballaarat. Isaw the Doctor and Tom a few days since. They were quite well; Ihope you are so also. Love to all.
Your affectionate son,
W.J. WILLS.
He was appointed to the charge of a field party before the timehe expected. I was anxious to give him a set of surveyinginstruments, and requested him to send me a list and an order tothe best London maker for such as he wanted. He transmitted thefollowing letter, which marks the progress of his knowledge, to beforwarded to Messrs. Troughton and Sims, Fleet Street. I obtainedit very recently from that house.
March 20th, 1857.
SIRS,
I shall be much obliged by your executing the following order asquickly as possible, and at your most reasonable prices.
1. One four-inch theodolite, best construction: 21 pounds.
2. One of Troughton's best reflecting circles, eight-inch radius,divided on silver: 23 pounds.
3. One prismatic compass, three and a-half inch, with silver ring:5 pounds 5 shillings.
4. One six-inch semicircular protractor, with Vernier: 3 pounds 3shillings.
5. One glass plane artificial horizon, ordnance pattern: 4 pounds 4shillings.
6. One brass rolling parallel ruler, two feet long; must not weighless than five pounds.
7. One twelve-inch brass sector: 1 pound.
8. One set of six-inch ivory plotting-scales, with offset scalescomplete: 4 pounds.
9. Two steel straight-edges, three feet each.
10. Four sixty feet land chains.
11. One small compact case of good sector-jointed, drawinginstruments with ivory parallel ruler: 3 pounds 3 shillings.
12. One very small achromatic telescope of the strongest make, notto exceed six inches in length, when closed: 1 pound.
13. A small chemical blowpipe with ivory mouthpiece, and twoplatina tips; also some platina foil and wire.
14. Two Nautical Almanacs, 1858 and 1859.
Leather cases and straps for theodolite, circle, and prismaticcompass. A catalogue of instruments with prices.
N.B. I should wish the theodolite and circles to be packed verydifferently from the usual way, as many instruments are seriouslyinjured by the box warping either inwards or outwards; in the onecase pressing too much on the instruments, and in the other, whichis worse, leaving them too much space, so that they shake aboutwhenever the box is carried. The consequence is that the screwsloosen, the glasses fall out of the telescopes, and the instrumentsbecome unfit for use just when they are most wanted. I think theseevils may be avoided by having the parts of the box which touch anyinstrument well padded with the most elastic materials, and for itto be supported entirely on steel springs, strong enough to keep itfirmly in its place, and with sufficient play to allow the box towarp without injury to any of the contents. I also wish animprovement in the stand of the theodolite, which ought not to besmaller than that of the five-inch one, and the joints made of themetals least likely to sustain damage from friction. The cap-pieceshould be nearly twice the depth, vertically, and cut out of onesolid piece of metal. I subjoin a sketch of it, with thedimensions. It may be made of whatever metal you think proper.There is no harm in having iron about it, because we seldom requireto use the needle. My reason for wanting this improvement is, thatthe legs get loose so quickly from the wearing away of brass, andthat the many small surfaces in contact are too disproportionate totheir length. Strength and durability are of far more consequencethan lightness, as we have not the facilities for getting thingsrepaired here that you have in England. The figures I have placedopposite to the instruments described are not supposed to be theexact prices, but merely suggested as guides. I hope you will dothe best you can with the improvements mentioned, especially in themode of packing the larger articles. Please also to insure them tothe full value.
I have the honour to be,
Gentlemen,
Your obedient servant,
W.J. WILLS.
He then in a postscript makes some suggestions as to thegraduation of the scales. The instruments were sent out in theshortest possible time and gave great satisfaction. On departingfor his last fatal expedition, he requested me, should he notreturn, to give all his remaining instruments to his friend Mr.Byerly, for whom his high estimation never abated. This injunctionI fulfilled as far as in my power. Any person who may happen to bein charge of some that I had not, will I trust deliver them totheir lawful owner, Frederick Byerly, Esquire, Surveyor, Melbourne.
About the time I am now referring to, I was often congratulated bygentlemen of the Surveying Department, who were acquainted with myson, on his rapid progress in the difficult branches of thescience. One, in particular, said: "I consider it wonderful thatyour son should have mastered this business almost by his ownexertions, whilst I have cost my father nearly a thousand pounds inEngland, under first-rate teachers, and am glad to go to him forinformation on many points." Mr. Byerly too, who is not given toflatter, when I thanked him for having so ably instructed andbrought my son forward in so short a time, replied: "Don't thankme; I really believe he has taught me quite as much as I havetaught him." In my own experience, his queries and suggestions ledme to investigate many things, which I had slightly considered,without thoroughly understanding them. He had a rare gift ofascertaining in a very short time the use of any instrument putinto his hands, and could detect at a glance its defects, if suchexisted. In the early part of 1858, a gentleman who had made errorsin his surveys asked him to look over some of his instruments.William, on taking one into his hand, said at once, with a smile:"If you work with this, you will find many errors." "That is why Iasked you," replied the owner. "I have been surveying with it, andhave committed nothing but mistakes." So much were people in thehabit of praising him, that it carried my thoughts back to my LatinGrammar, and the quotation from Terence:--
Omnes omnia
Bona dicere et laudare fortunas meas,
Qui gnatum haberem tali ingenio praeditum.
For himself, he was perpetually lamenting to me that at schoolhe had not received more mathematical instruction; that the timespent in classics exclusively, was, for many, time thrown away. ButI must do his late master the justice of saying, that when he firstreceived him under his tuition, he showed little fondness formathematics in general, although he had a taste for algebra. Thetwo following letters, to his brother and mother, bearing the samedate, in the spring of 1858, were despatched from the out-stationwhere he was engaged in a survey.
St. Arnaud, April 10th, 1858.
DEAR CHARLEY,
I do not think you have written a letter to me since we have beenout here. It gave me much pleasure to see yours to the Doctor. Iwish you could be here, instead of working for 40 or 50 pounds ayear at home, out of which you can save very little. Here you mightbe getting at least 100 pounds, and nothing to find yourself butclothes. But it will not do for you to come until the Doctor goeshome. I want you to write and tell me if you have any taste for anyparticular profession, and if you have been making good use of yourspare time, in reading useful works. You should remember never towaste a minute; always be doing something. Try and find out whatthings you have most taste for, as they are what you should studymost; but get a general knowledge of all the sciences. Whateverelse you learn, don't forget mathematics and the sciences moreimmediately deduced from them, (at the head of which standsastronomy,) if you have any love of truth--and if you have not, youhave none of your mother's blood in you. Mathematics are thefoundation of all truth as regards practical science in this world;they are the only things that can be demonstrably proved; no onecan dispute them. In geology, chemistry, and even in astronomy,there is more or less of mere matter of opinion. For instance, inastronomy we do not know for certain what the sun or stars are madeof, or what the spots are on the sun, and a few details of thatkind; but the main mathematical principles cannot be disputed. Thedistance and size of the sun or of any of the planets can beproved; the length of their days and years, and even the weight ofthe matter of which they are composed. Such things will probablyappear to you impossible, if you have read nothing of them;especially when you hear that the sun is ninety-five millions ofmiles off, and that the planet Neptune, which is the farthest knownplanet from the sun, is at such a distance that the light of thesun takes about five hours to reach it; that is, the sun isactually five hours above the horizon before the people there seeit rise. Its distance is 2850 millions of miles, and the sun asseen by them is not larger than Venus appears to us when an eveningstar. And although this planet is so distant that it can only beseen with large telescopes, they can not only compute its distanceand size, but also the mass of matter of which it is composed. Butyou will find all this thrown into the shade by the way in which itwas discovered. As I may be telling you what you know already, Iwill merely state, that from observed perturbations in the courseof the planet Uranus, it was supposed that another planet was inexistence beyond it; and two competitors set to work to calculateits size, situation, etc. The result was, the discovery of thisother planet within a few minutes of the place pointed out by them,and its size, etc., not very different from what they estimated itat. But besides this, astronomy includes matters more intimatelymixed up with our everyday affairs. In the Nautical Almanacs, whichare constructed for several years in advance, the situations andnearly everything connected with the different planets arecalculated for every day in the year, and can be found, ifrequired, for any minute in any day you please, for 10,000 years tocome. Also the eclipses of the sun or moon, with the exact momentat which they will commence or end, at any spot on the earth; theexact portion eclipsed, or, in fact, anything about it you like tomention for any given number of years in advance. Not only this,but you can find the eclipses of Jupiter's moons with the sameprecision. Now is there anything to be compared with this? But ifastronomy led to no other end than the mere gaining of knowledge,or the assistance of commerce, it would take a far lower stand thanit is really entitled to. As the great object of the science is thecorrection of error and the investigation of truth, it necessarilyleads all those that feel an interest in it to a higherappreciation and desire for truth; and you will easily perceivethat a man having a knowledge of all these vast worlds, so muchmore extensive than our own, must be capable of forming a farhigher estimate of that Almighty Being who created all thesewonders, than one who knows nothing more than the comparativelytrifling things that surround us on earth.
I send you 3 pounds, with which you are to get the following booksfor yourself and the girls:
Dr. Lardner's Museum of Science and Art, in six double volumes: 1pound 1 shilling.
Chambers' Mathematics, Parts 1 and 2, and Chambers' MathematicalTables, each: 3 shillings 6 pence.
A Nautical Almanac for next year: 2 shillings 6 pence.
The Art of Reasoning, or the Principles of Logic, by Samuel Niel: 4shillings 6 pence.
Twelve planispheres, forming a guide to the stars for every nightin the year, with an introduction: 6 shillings 6 pence.
Lardner's Museum of Science and Art is one of the best books thathas ever been written. It includes a general knowledge of nearlyeverything you can think of; and will be as useful to Bessy andHannah as to you.
Chambers' Mathematics, contain all that you are likely to requirein that branch, with the exception of Euclid and Algebra, both ofwhich you must get, unless you have them. You will need some one toassist you and explain points in the mathematics and algebra,otherwise your progress will be very slow. But remember thatwhenever you have puzzled over a problem for some time, and cannotunderstand it, do not give it up altogether, but leave it for a fewdays or weeks and then try it again. It will then, very likely,appear quite simple, and you will be astonished that you did notmake it out before. You will find the Nautical Almanac very useful,not only in giving you an idea of astronomical problems, but alsofor ascertaining the particulars of any strange stars you may see,or where to look for the different planets, etc. With the help ofthe twelve maps you will soon be acquainted with all the principalfixed stars.
You should carefully study the Art of Reasoning, as it is what mostpeople are very deficient in, and I know few things moredisagreeable than to argue, or even converse with a man who has noidea of inductive and deductive philosophy. After getting the booksI have mentioned, you may spend the balance in any others youplease, but remember, they must be scientific ones. If you write toWalton and Maberley, 27 Ivy Lane, Paternoster Row, they will sendyou a catalogue of books published by them, in which you will finddescriptions of nearly all that I have mentioned and plenty ofothers. You can order those you want direct from them, or get themthrough a local stationer. I expect you to acquire some practice atprinting, and ornamental writing, in the Bank. If you have a steadyhand, you should exercise yourself at it as much as possible, andlearn mechanical drawing at the same time. Draftsmen get well paidout here, and are greatly in demand. Being able to print neatly andevenly is the main point: all the rest is easily learned. My handis very unsteady, as you may see by my writing; I do not think Ishall ever be able to write a decent hand. One other piece ofadvice I must give you before I shut up; that is, never try to showoff your knowledge, especially in scientific matters. It is a sinthat certain persons we know have been guilty of. The first step isto learn your own ignorance, and if ever you feel inclined to makea display, you may be sure that you have as yet learned nothing. Ithink I must write to mamma next time. Give my love to her, thegirls, old Anne, Aunt M., Miss R., etc., and when you write, tellme what has become of Farwell, and any others of our schoolmatesyou may know about.
Your affectionate brother,
WILLIAM J. WILLS.
St. Arnaud, April 10th, 1858.
MY DEAR MOTHER,
It is all very well to say write about anything, but it iseasier said than done. You will find that I have written Charley along letter, and I had no idea of doing so when I began, as you seeI commenced on note paper. But what would be the use of my writingto you on such subjects, and all others are soon disposed of? (Youwould not think I was a surveyor, to look at the parallelism ofthese lines.) You tell me in one of your letters to write aboutmyself. That is a very poor subject, and one that a mother shouldnot recommend to a son. My father sent me a letter of yours a fewweeks ago, and I cannot say whether it most amused or pained me tosee the extraordinary way in which you rush to conclusions. Yourargument appears to be this: J. is acquainted with a Mr. T. anotherMr. T. has taken out some Miss G. G.'s, about whom there arescandalous reports (which are as likely to be false as true):therefore J. is sure to fall in love with one of the Miss G. G.'s.As it happens, J. has not had the pleasure of meeting any of theMiss G. G.'s, and it is quite probable that he never may, asAustralia is not a little place like Totnes; and I do not think hewould have any wish to connect himself with the G. family, or withany family in marriage, at present. There is another thing, my dearmother, in that letter. You talk about high and low people; Ipresume you use the words in a very different sense from that inwhich I understand them. I consider nothing low but ignorance,vice, and meanness, characteristics generally found where theanimal propensities predominate over the higher sentiments. I haveyet to learn that there is anything high about the T.'s. Mr. T. isa jolly little man, and lives more like a gentleman than most ofthe people about the bush; but he has rather a tendency to theanimal development than otherwise, which makes it probable thatthere may be some truth in the reports alluded to.
From what I can judge of this dear son of yours he is not likely, Ithink, to do anything very rashly; and as for getting married, hewill not be in a position to think of that for several years; andif ever he does, I hope it will be to some one at least equal tohimself in education. Give my love to Bessy and Hannah. I do notthink it would do them any harm to write a letter sometimes. Iexpect Bessy was tired long ago of the algebra you were talking somuch about.
Does it ever enter your head that it would be a good thing for allof you to come out here in a few years, when the girls havefinished their education? This country is undergoing great changesfor the better. Now the rush to the diggings is over, people arebeginning to live like civilized human beings. In a few yearseverything will be as settled as in England, and we shall be ableto live much cheaper.
Believe me ever, my dear mother,
Your affectionate son,
WILLIAM J. WILLS.
From a letter to myself of the 6th of June, which was rather along one, I give only the following extracts:--
"What you say about this world I do not quite agree with; Ithink it a very good world, and only requires a person to bereasonable in his expectations, and not to trust too much toothers. It appears to be almost equally divided into threeprincipal classes--honest fools, foolish rogues, and honestrational beings. Some may add another class, but there are so fewbelonging to it--scarcely one in ten thousand--that I think itshould be ranked amongst the phenomena of nature. I mean, thesuccessful rogues--men who do things neatly, and escape being foundout. The first and second are often useful to each other; the thirdbenefit by the first and second, inasmuch as they learn by theirexperience, without paying for it themselves." He then cautions meagainst certain money speculations. Another paragraph says: "I findI am likely to change my station, but have no instructions as yet.I do not care if they keep me here another month. I have first-rateneighbours, a Mr. and Mrs. M., who live just across the creek; verynice people, and no humbug. Mr. M. resembles you in many ways." Hethen mentions a colt he had reared, called Nelly; says she goes inand out of the tent as if she had been born in it, shakes handswith any one as soon as asked, and carries Mr. M.'s little boyWillie on her back with perfect gentleness. On his way back toMelbourne, he taught a colt of mine, in two or three days, to beequally docile, until it became the pet of the community. It wasreared by hand, and I fear I lost it through the kindly-meantattention of one of my neighbours.
In the summer of 1858 he went down to Melbourne in consequence of adisagreement between Mr. Byerly and the Chief Commissioner of Landand Works at that time, Mr. Duffy. He was not then employed in theregular survey, but took occasional contracts, under Mr.Hodgkinson, Deputy Surveyor General, who always expressed hisadmiration of his character. A letter to his mother at this datesays:--
Melbourne, August 15th, 1858.
MY DEAR MOTHER,
I have again to plead guilty of the sin of omitting to write. Itis many months since I have heard from you, and as for Charley andthe girls, they do not write at all. I have just left the bush andam living, for the present, in town. The change is pleasant, afterbeing so long in the bush. Melbourne is wonderfully altered since Ilast saw it. There are some very fair buildings in it now, andthings are a little cheaper than they used to be. I am, of course,living in lodgings, and am fortunate in getting into a comfortablehouse; a private family with no other lodgers, and Mrs. H. takesalmost as much care of me as you would. It is quite strange, and atthe same time amusing to me, to see her anxiety about my eating,drinking, catching cold, and all that sort of thing, as I have beenso long unaccustomed to these little attentions. I am sure if someof you who have never been away from home were to see how we livein the bush, you would not expect us to survive more than a fewweeks, and yet it does us no harm whatever. I passed throughBallaarat on my way down, and spent a few days with my father. Hewas looking better than he used to be, very healthy, and not sostout. It is astonishing how little he eats, and yet is alwayscomplaining of having eaten too much. I expect it will be the samewith me. I have as good an appetite as ever, but I can live on muchless food than other people can. I hope Charley has the books Itold him to get. I send you with this a Victoria News Letter, whichwill save me the trouble of writing what I suppose you will carelittle to hear, so I have no more news to tell you; and with bestlove to--etc. etc.,
Believe me, my dear mother,
Your affectionate son,
WILLIAM J. WILLS.
As I shall have occasion to allude to this letter in asubsequent portion of my narrative, I wish the latter part of it,with regard to eating, may be borne in mind.
My Son is appointed to the Magnetic Observatory at Melbourne, under Professor Neumayer.
His Rapid Advance in the Study of Magnetism and Mineralogy.
Letters to his Relatives at Home, descriptive of his Pursuits, Wishes, and Sentiments.
First suggestions of his Probable Employment on the Exploring Expedition.
In November, 1858, my son received an appointment in the MagneticObservatory at Melbourne, then recently established under ProfessorNeumayer, on the recommendation of Mr. Ligar, the Surveyor-General.This gentleman had his eye on him, as he told me himself, tosucceed the professor, in the event of his returning to his nativecountry, Germany; and also with the view of his being employed, onattaining a thorough knowledge of magnetic science, in the geodeticsurvey of the colony. Such was the progress he made, that Mr.Ellery, superintendent of the astronomical observatory atWilliamstown, tried to dissuade him from engaging in theexploratory expedition, when formed. But notwithstanding theprospect of double pay and less danger, he yielded to hislong-cherished desire of being one of the first to reach the Gulfof Carpentaria overland by a direct route, north from Melbourne;and therefore resolved to "set his life upon a cast, and stand thehazard of the die."
I now give a series of extracts from his letters to his mother,sisters, and brother, written during his residence at theObservatory. They indicate his character, sentiments, andoccupations more distinctly than I could do by rendering them in myown words. He and his chief boarded together; a great advantage, asit gave him the opportunity, even at table, of conversing on hisfavourite subjects, astronomy and magnetism. At times, he fearedthat he should lose this position. One cause of apprehension was,that the local parliament would discontinue the grant for theObservatory; another, that superior interest might wrest it fromhim, as he had not been regularly appointed to the staff byGovernment, but by Mr. Ligar himself, who had seen, by intercoursewith him during the survey, that he was putting "the right man inthe right place." In a letter to me, December, 1858, he says: "Ihope I shall not have to go into the bush again, I like Melbourneand my present occupation so much. But everything must be uncertainuntil after Christmas, as all depends on Parliament voting moneyfor the Observatory. Should they not allow the necessary sum, Imust return to surveying once more."
Magnetic Observatory, Melbourne, March 16th, 1859.
MY DEAR MOTHER,
It gave me much pleasure to receive a letter from you by thelast mail; but I can assure you that I am always so busy, and thetime passes so quickly, that I had almost forgotten to write to youuntil it was too late, as the mail closes early to-morrow morning.I am now living at the Observatory, Professor Neumayer havingkindly given me a room here, which is a great advantage in manyways. I hope that Charley will take every opportunity of learningthe things I mentioned in a letter to him some time ago, moreespecially mathematical drawing: and that I shall see in the nextletter I receive from him that he has changed his mind as regardsthe profession he said he had a taste for. I wish he would find outfor me whether there is a translation into English of ColonelSavage's Practical Astronomy. It is a Russian work, and the placeto inquire is of some of the booksellers in London who confinethemselves to foreign publications. I like my present employmentmore and more every day. My only trouble is the want of time. Ihope you all find your time pass as easily as I do; if the girls donot, they may as well kill some of it by writing letters. I have somuch to do that I must conclude, with love to all.
Ever, my dear mother,
Your affectionate son,
WILLIAM J. WILLS.
Magnetic Observatory, June 17th, 1859.
MY DEAR MOTHER,
It was my intention to have sent you a stereoscopic photographof your dear son by this mail; but owing to pressure of business Ihave been unable to get it done in time. I must therefore leave ituntil next month. I received a letter from Ballaarat a day or twoago, containing one from you to my father; you say something in itabout not hearing from me. I do not understand how that is, as Ihave been wonderfully regular lately, and have sent a letter everymonth to one of you. I am sorry to hear that the winter has been somild, for I fear that may cause much damage from frost in thespring. We have had a considerable quantity of rain here already,which is a great benefit to the country generally, but makes itrather unpleasant in Melbourne. Wonderful improvements have beenmade in our public library lately. It is now really a splendid one;in fact there are very few better anywhere. I enclose a NewsLetter, which is a great convenience to lazy fellows, or to thosewho have too much work. Give my love to all, and
Believe me, my dear mother,
Your affectionate son,
WILLIAM J. WILLS.
Magnetic Observatory, Melbourne, June 17th, 1859.
MY DEAR BESSY,
I must write a few lines to you, more especially as I wrote toHannah by the last mail; but mind, I must have a long answer byreturn of post. I want to know whether Charles got the maps of thestars that I told him to get some time ago. If so, he should beginat once to keep a register of meteors. In the first place, let himget a book--a good copybook would do--and rule it according to thefollowing form, to which I have attached an example:--
Column 1: Number (Name) of Meteor.Column 2: Day of Month.Column 3: Hour of Day.Column 4: Altitude. At commencement.Column 5: Altitude. At end.Column 6: Azimuth. At commencement.Column 7: Azimuth. At end.Column 8: Description of its situation with respect to certain Stars. At commencement.Column 9: Description of its situation with respect to certain Stars.
At end.1 : June 1 : 8 P.M. : 35 degrees : 20 degrees : north-east : east by south : 2 or 3 degrees below Spice. : To Anthers.Column 1: Size of Meteor.Column 2: Length of Tail.Column 3: Colour of Meteor.Column 4: Duration of Meteor.Column 5: Duration of Tail.Column 6: REMARKS.Column 7: Observer.May 2 : 5 degrees : Yellow : 1 second : 3 seconds : Small, but very bright. : west.
The time should be very carefully noted. If there is anything in theform that he does not understand he must ask me about it when hewrites. The altitude and azimuths will only be approximate, but themain thing is to see how the shooting stars are situated withreference to the fixed stars. It is of great importance to notethese meteors, even the small ones, as very little is yet known ofthem; and every observation, if carefully made, will some day helpto show what they are. The object in noting the stars they pass byis this: that if two or more observers see the same meteor fromplaces several miles from one another, the comparison of theirobservations will generally give a means of ascertaining thedistance of the meteor from the earth. But it is getting late, andI will write to Charley more about it by next mail; only tell himto make himself well acquainted with the stars. Give my love to himand Hannah, your aunt M., and old Anne; and tell me in your nexthow the latter is getting on: and do not forget to let me know allabout Charley and how he spends his time. I am afraid that youlittle girls take him out walking too much, and make him readpretty stories instead of the books he ought to be studying.
Your affectionate brother,
WILLIAM J. WILLS.
Magnetic Observatory, Melbourne, July 14th, 1859.
MY DEAR MOTHER,
The news by the last mail has put us all in a state ofexcitement about our defenses, in the event of England beinginvolved in the continental war. Melbourne is badly situated incase of an invasion. There is at present not the least protection;and unless the home government sends us out two or three good warsteamers, we shall most certainly get a good thrashing some day.The French have possession of the island of New Caledonia, which isnot very far from here, and is a convenient place of rendezvous forthem. I see by your letter to my father that you are rather afraidthe French may invade England. For my part I believe they have moresense. It is the most hopeless thing they can attempt. I send youtwo or three photographs; they are very poor, and not stereoscopicas I intended. The artist made a failure of the matter and gave methese. He is going to try it again some day with a better camera;but as that would be too late for the mail I must send you thesenow, and you may expect better next time. I find that the mail isto close this afternoon instead of Monday morning, but if asupplementary bag should be made up on Monday I will write again. Ihope that in future you will direct my letters to Melbourne insteadof Ballaarat, for I seldom get them until the return mail is aboutto start. We have had some rather cold weather lately; that is, thethermometer has been below thirty-two degrees once or twice, whichis cold for us. I am glad to hear that Charley has been appointedto the Bank, as it is a good thing for all parties at present. Ifear that I shall be unable to send you a News Letter this time. Iwish you would tell me whether you find anything of interest inthem; also whether you would like to have the Argus sometimes.Adieu for the present, my dear mother,
Your affectionate son,
WILLIAM J. WILLS.
August 6th, 1859.
MY DEAR MOTHER,
You see I have sent you the News Letter for this month, with along account of an unfortunate shipwreck that happened on the coastlast month. It is a wonder how those passengers that were savedmanaged to exist so long without food. The only reasonableexplanation that has been offered is, that as they were continuallywet, from the sea breaking over them, a large quantity of moisturemust have been absorbed by the skin, otherwise they could neverhave lived so long without fresh water. It must have been anawkward situation to be in. I fancy I would rather have beendrowned at once; but it is not easy to judge how we should feelunder the circumstances, unless we had tried it. As Pope says,'Hope springs eternal in the human breast; man never is,' etc. (ofcourse you know the rest). It strikes me that the height ofhappiness is, to hope everything and expect nothing, because youhave all the satisfaction of hope, and if you get nothing you arenot disappointed; but if you obtain what you want, you areagreeably surprised.
Your affectionate son,
WILLIAM J. WILLS.
Flagstaff Observatory, Melbourne, August 15th, 1859.
MY DEAR MOTHER,
I am glad to be able to acknowledge the receipt by this mail ofthe first letter that you have sent to me direct since I have beenin Melbourne. It is satisfactory to know that you are pleased withthe News Letters; I must endeavour to send them regularly. I had aletter from my father to-day. He has received yours, which wefeared was lost, as he saw nothing of it for some days after themail was in; but he found it at Bath's Hotel. One must make somelittle allowance for a mother's partiality in your account of B.and H.; I hope your prejudice against novels does not prevent theirreading those of Thackeray and Dickens, every one of whose works,especially the former, should be read by them, for they containsome of the best things, both in a moral and literary point ofview, that we have in the English language. I shall be more carefulin future about the postage; and now, my dear mother, with love toyourself and all,
I remain,
Your affectionate son,
WILLIAM J. WILLS.
Flagstaff Observatory, Melbourne, September 15th, 1859.
MY DEAR MOTHER,
I was rather disappointed at not receiving a letter from any oneby the last mail. I have not heard from my father since it arrived.I conclude he has not sent me your letters to him, thinking that Ihave received some myself. I suppose you are all glad that the warhas ended so unexpectedly. It is to be hoped that the peace will bea permanent one, although people here generally appear to thinkthat it will not prove so. The election of members for our lowerhouse will soon terminate. Judging from the results already known,we are likely to have a curious Parliament this time. Our winter isnearly over. Last night there was a festival held in honour ofAlexander von Humboldt. It was unfortunately a very wet evening,which prevented a great many from attending who would otherwisehave been there. I hope you are all in good health. It would havepleased you much to have seen the two splendid auroras, of which Ihave sent Charley a description. At one time it was light enough toread a newspaper out of doors, after the moon went down. I must nowsay adieu. With much love to all,
Believe me, my dear mother,
Your affectionate son,
WILLIAM J. WILLS.
Melbourne, September 15th, 1859.
MY DEAR CHARLEY,
I send you by this mail two accounts of auroras, which we havehad the pleasure of observing here, one on the 28th ultimo, and theother on the 2nd instant. I would recommend you to take care ofthese papers, as you may find it very interesting to refer to themat some future period. You will perhaps be so good as to let meknow by return of post whether anything of the kind was observed inEngland about the same time; and be careful to state the dates andhours, etc., as exactly as possible. You will find much, in thereports I have sent you, to object to, in the manner of expressionand the words used; but you must make due allowance for theirhaving been written by a German (Professor Neumayer). I havecorrected some of the most prominent errors in the second. I wishyou would look out for every description of auroras that may appearin the newspapers, as well as for the phenomena themselves. Youmight always cut out the paragraphs, and put them in a letter; andin the event of your seeing one yourself, you might write adescription, being particular to note the time of the differentphases as nearly as you can. By just taking this small amount oftrouble you will be rendering a much greater service to the scienceof magnetism than you imagine; for one of the most important pointsis to establish or prove the existence of a simultaneity in theNorthern and Southern Lights.
If you have yet obtained those books that I told you some time agoto get, you will find some elementary information on the subject inthem, particularly in Lardner's Museum of Science and Art.
I suppose I shall hear by the next mail whether you have been ableto obtain for me Savage's Practical Astronomy. I want to troubleyou with another commission of the same kind, namely, to find outwhether there is a translation from the German into English ofProfessor Carl Kreil's Introduction to Magnetic Observations, 2ndedition, Vienna, 1858. I fear you will have some trouble in gettingthis book for me, but it is of great importance that I should haveit if possible. It may not be translated yet, but it certainly willbe before long. Whenever you get any catalogues of scientific booksfrom the publishers in London, you might send them to me in aletter; or if they are too bulky, you have only to put a strip ofpaper round, and send it as a book, without letter or writing. Thepostage is sixpence for four ounces, and threepence for every twoounces more, up to three pounds, which is the greatest weight thatmay be sent in one parcel; its dimensions must not exceed two feetin any direction.
They have just succeeded in raising the two thousand pounds here,by subscription, that was wanted towards an exploration fund, forfitting out an expedition, that will probably start for theinterior of our continent next March. Camels have been sent for, tobe used in places where horses cannot go. You would be astonishedat the number of applications that are being made by people anxiousto join the expedition. Nine-tenths of them would wish themselveshome again before they had been out three months. Give my love tothe two girls, and believe me, my dear Charley,
Your affectionate brother,
WILLIAM J. WILLS.
Flagstaff Observatory, Melbourne, November 18th, 1859.
MY DEAR MOTHER,
The homeward mail closes in about half an hour, so that I havevery little time to write. The mail did not arrive here until a fewdays ago, being more than a week after time. I was glad to receiveyour short letter. We have had a very pleasant spring this year;not so many hot winds as usual. I have mentioned in my letter toB--that it is probable I shall be going up the country again in afew months, but that need not make any difference in the address ofmy letters, as Professor Neumayer will have the best opportunitiesof forwarding them to me. We have lately had a visit from Dr.Hochstelter, a German professor, who came out in the Novara, anAustrian frigate, sent by the Austrian government to make ascientific tour round the world. Dr. Hochstelter is a geologist,and has made a geological survey of New Zealand. He exhibited a fewevenings ago at our philosophical institute a great number of mapswhich he has compiled during the short time he remained on theisland, and stated many very interesting facts connected with them.From what he says, there is no place in the world, except Iceland,where boiling springs and geysers are so large and plentiful. Thedoctor goes home by this mail, and I suppose there will soon be agood work published by him, giving a description of all he hasseen. I hope to visit New Zealand as soon as I return from theinterior of this country.
Ever your affectionate son,
WILLIAM J. WILLS.
It will be perceived by the foregoing letters how diligentlyand anxiously he corresponded with his mother, sisters, and brotherin England, and how anxiously he desired the mental improvement ofthe latter. In his next communications he prepares them for theprobability of his being one of the exploring party. Yet he wroteon the subject as he had done to me, with reserve, until the mattershould be finally settled. He knew the anxiety it would occasion,and in the event of his not obtaining the appointment he soearnestly sought for, he wished to avoid creating that anxietyunnecessarily.
The same mail which bore his letter of the 18th of November to hismother, carried also the following to his sister:
MY DEAR BESSY,
I do not mean to bother you with such a long letter this time as Idid last month, and which I hope reached you. I rather expected tohave received the photograph I wrote to you for by the last mail. Iwish you would indite some good long letters by return of post, asit will probably be the last, or very nearly so, that I shall getfrom you for many months. It seems very likely that I shall beleaving Melbourne in March, to accompany the expedition for theexploration of the interior of this continent. It is calculatedthat we shall be away for about three years. It may be more, but itis not likely to be much less. IT IS NOT YET CERTAIN that I shallgo. In fact, nothing is decided, not even who will be the leader;but I thought it would be as well to mention it to you now, as youranswer to this cannot reach me until March. But remember that mygoing away need not prevent your writing frequently; for it islikely there will be occasional means of communication withMelbourne for the first six months, and Professor Neumayer willtake every opportunity of forwarding my letters. It is quitepossible that I may not go, but it is more likely that I shall, asProfessor N. is very anxious that I should, to make magnetic andmeteorological observations, and he is on the ExplorationCommittee. If you have not been able to get the books I wrote for,for myself, you may as well leave them for the present. I have beenindulging greatly in operas lately. I can understand that sort ofmusic better than high-flown oratorios. The operatic company at theTheatre Royal is not first-rate, but as good as we can expect tohave in a new colony like this. The pieces they have given are IlTrovatore, Lucia di Lammermoor, Lucrezia Borgia, and La Sonnambula;the latter is a delightful one, but they cannot manage itsatisfactorily, some of the songs are so difficult of execution.
Please to give my love, etc., etc.
Your affectionate brother,
WILLIAM J. WILLS.
The following reply to his mother alludes to the circumstance, whichshe had mentioned, of an aurora borealis, having appeared inEngland. This completes his letters for 1859.
Flagstaff Observatory, December 18th, 1859.
MY DEAR MOTHER,
Your letter of the 17th of October arrived here by the Columbianonly three or four days after time, which is a wonderful piece ofpunctuality for that miserable old tub. I am glad that you were somuch pleased with the sketch of the Observatory that I sent you. Inow forward a photograph made by a friend of mine, which willconvey a better idea than the other of the appearance of ourhabitation, etc. You will find an explanation of the various partsof the picture written in pencil on the back of each respectively.You had better have it mounted on a piece of cardboard by some onewho is accustomed to mounting photographs; when nicely done itlooks twice as well. It was intended that we should all have beentaken in this picture, but owing to some mismanagement, no noticewas given, so no one was outside at the time. Your remarks aboutthe aurora borealis of the 12th of October were very interestingand valuable. We knew that there was an aurora there, but of coursecould not tell where it was visible. You little thought that whileyou were looking at the vibrations of those beautiful streamers ofred and white light, I was watching sympathetic oscillations oflittle steel magnets, which we suspended by silk threads, in theunderground magnetic house that you see the top of in theforeground of the picture. The magnets were sometimes moving aboutso rapidly that I could scarcely read them; and although the aurorawas with you nearly at an end probably about ten o'clock, yet themagnets did not resume their normal position for nearly twenty-fourhours after. You will see from this the advantage to be derivedfrom noting all particulars with regard to these phenomena,whenever one has an opportunity of seeing them; for we must alwaysconsider the possibility of their not being visible at places wherethere are observatories, on account of clouds and other causes. Onegreat point that has yet to be satisfactorily determined is,whether the effect on a magnet at one end of the world issimultaneous with the auroral discharge at the other; or whether acertain time is required for the effect to be communicated throughthe earth. I had a letter from my father yesterday, enclosing theone you sent him. By-the-by, this day week is Christmas-day; and,if I am not mistaken, your birthday as well as Hannah's is nearabout this time. She must be thirteen or fourteen; but, upon myhonour, I do not certainly know my own age. Was I born in January1834 or 1835? I wish you all may have a merry Christmas and manyreturns of the same. Please to give my love as usual, and
Believe me, my dear mother,
Your affectionate son,
WILLIAM J. WILLS.
Postponement of the Exploring Expedition projected at the beginning of 1860.
My Son's Letter to his Sister on going into Society.
Mr. Birnie's Opinion of him, and Extract from his Lecture.
Letter from William to his Mother on Religious Views and Definitions of Faith.
His last Communications to his family at Home, before the Departure of the Expedition.
I omit my son's letters of January and February, 1860, as theycontain nothing on scientific matters, or on the subject ofAustralia, although interesting in other respects. They mark thehabitual tone of his feelings and principles, his constant habit ofself-examination, his study of his fellow-men, and how strongly hewas impressed with the truth of Pope's grand conclusion, that
"Virtue alone is happiness below."
"You will be glad to learn," he says, writing to his mother on the17th of March, "that the Exploring Expedition is postponed for sixmonths, for want of a suitable leader, as none of the candidateswho offered their services were thought qualified in a scientificpoint of view.* You need not work yourself up to such a state ofexcitement at the bare idea of my going, but should rather rejoicethat the opportunity presents itself. The actual danger is nothing,and the positive advantages very great. Besides, my dear mother,what avails your faith if you terrify yourself about such trifles?Were we born, think you, to be locked up in comfortable rooms, andnever to incur the hazard of a mishap? If things were at the worst,I trust I could meet death with as much resignation as others, evenif it came to-night. I am often disgusted at hearing young people Iknow, declare that they are afraid of doing this or that, becausethey MIGHT be killed. Were I in some of their shoes I should beglad to hail the chance of departing this life fairly in theexecution of an honourable duty."
[* Footnote: Oddly enough, Mr. Burke, who wasafterwards chosen, with many requisites of a high order, wasdeficient in this, which, indeed, he never for a moment pretendedto possess.]
The following selections from his numerous letters at this time arelittle more than extracts, and form but a small portion of thewhole. All speak his admiration of a great and beneficent Creator,derived from the study of his works. He had a great distaste forsectarianism, and for a too slavish devotion to forms andconventionalities, whether in religious or social practice, fearinglest these extremes might savour of untruthfulness or hypocrisy.
Magnetic Observatory, Melbourne, April 18th, 1860.
MY DEAR BESSY,
The mail was to have closed to-morrow, but the Emeu has met with anaccident which will delay it for another week, so that I hope totreat you to a long letter. I was much disappointed at receivingnothing from you this month. It would be a first-rate plan to dowhat a friend of mine was recommending to me only this evening,namely to commence an epistle at the beginning of each month, andadd a little daily, adopting as your motto the Latin proverb,"Nulla dies sine linea," which means, No day without a line. Youmight at least favour me with a few monthly. It would be as muchfor your own benefit as for my pleasure. Pray don't send a poorexcuse again about waiting for an answer to a former letter.
I must now return to the subject of my last. I hope you havecarefully considered the remarks contained therein; and I wish todraw your attention to other matters not so immediately connectedwith religion, but which may seriously affect your prosperity andhappiness in this world. I fear that mamma is too much inclined todiscourage your going into society. If so, with all due deferenceto my dear mother's experience and judgment, she has adopted amistaken view. You will perhaps say, you do not care for society.So much the worse; that proves the evil of seclusion. I had thesame ideas once, and greatly to my disadvantage in a general sense,although in one point they may have been beneficial, by making medevote more time to my studies. But I am doubtful even about that.At any rate, girls are differently situated. Having no need of deepscientific knowledge, their education is confined more to theordinary things of the world, the study of the fine arts, and ofthe manners and dispositions of people. It is often asserted thatwomen are much sharper than men in estimating character. Whetherthat be the case or not, is more than I can say, but I think itought to be, because women have better opportunities and moreleisure than we have for noticing little peculiarities and thenatural expression of the features. Now, my advice would be, to goas much as you can into quiet, good society, and moderately intogay; not to make it the business of life, as some do, who care forlittle beyond frivolous amusements, and that merely for the sake ofkilling time. But go to these places, even if you do not like them,as a duty you owe to yourself and others, even as you used to go toschool, when you would rather have remained at home.
You should cultivate, as much as possible, the acquaintance ofladies from other parts of the country, especially of those whohave travelled much. This is the best way of rubbing offprovincialisms, etc. Perhaps you think you have none; neverthelessI shall be prepared for some whenever I have the felicity of seeingyou. You cannot think how disagreeable the sound of the Devonshiredrawl is to me now, and all people of the county that I meet haveit more or less. You will, no doubt, wonder how I have become sochanged, and what has induced me to adopt social views so differentfrom those I formerly held. The fact is, that since I have beenhere, I have been thrown into every variety of companionship, fromthe highest to the lowest, from the educated gentleman and scholarto the uncultivated boor. The first effect was, a disposition toadmire the freedom and bluntness of the uncivilized; but morepersonal experience showed me the dark as well as the bright side,and brought out in their due prominence the advantages of theconventionalities of good society. While in the bush, thisconviction only impressed itself partially, but a return to townextended and confirmed it. When we are in daily contact andintercourse with an immense number of persons, some of whom welike, while we dislike or feel indifferent about many others, wefind a difficulty in avoiding one man's acquaintance withoutoffending him, or of keeping another at a distance without aninsult. It is not easy to treat your superiors with respect void ofsycophancy, or to be friendly with those you prefer, and at thesame time to steer clear of undue familiarity, adapting yourself tocircumstances and persons, and, in fact, doing always the rightthing at the proper time and in the best possible manner. I used tobe rather proud of saying that it was necessary for strangers toknow me for some time before they liked me. I am almost ashamed nownot to have had sense enough to see that this arose from sheerawkwardness and stupidity on my part; from the absence of address,and a careless disregard of the rules of society, which necessarilyinduce a want of self-confidence, a bashful reserve, annoying tosensible people and certainly not compensated for by the possessionof substantial acquirements, hidden, but not developed, andunavailable when wanted. I find now that I can get into the goodgraces of any one with whom I associate better in half an hour thanI could have done in a week two years ago. I know no one who putsthese matters in a better light than Lord Chesterfield in hisLetters to his Son, which you most probably have read.
Since I wrote to you last, I have received some light on thesubject of FAITH, which I was not at that time aware of. In adiscussion with a gentleman on religious matters, some remarks weremade upon faith and charity, which led to an analysis of theoriginal Greek word used to express the former by St. Paul, whichhas been translated "faith," and is generally accepted in theordinary sense we attach to that word in English; namely, animplicit trust in what you are told, without question or doubt. Butthis friend of mine, who is a splendid Greek scholar, called myattention to the fact that the Greek word, for which we have noexact equivalent, means an openness to conviction, or a willingnessto receive after proper proof; not a determination to believewithout investigation. He also pointed out to me what I was lessprepared to hear, that the charity spoken of does not mean, as Isupposed it to express, conscientiousness, but love andgood fellowship, in action and speech; in fact, more in accordancewith the sense in which the word is commonly understood. This willshow you the evil of coming to conclusions on insufficient data.Depend upon it, you must always hear both sides of a story beforeyou can get at the truth.
I am going out to dinner this evening expressly to meet two of thefinest girls in Melbourne. Some of my cautious friends say that Iam running a great risk, and that I shall never recover from theeffects. I cannot say that I feel much frightened. If anythingserious should happen, and the consequences are not immediatelyfatal, I shall add a few lines to-morrow. Look sharp aboutphotographs. I begin to suspect you are ashamed to show your facesin this remote region. Give my love to H., C., etc., and accept thesame from
Your ever affectionate brother,
WILLIAM J. WILLS.
P.S. 19th.--The elements interposed to save me from the danger Iwilfully determined not to avoid. It rained so heavily last eveningthat the syrens stayed at home.
In the month of May 1860, I went to Melbourne for a few days,and spent many pleasant hours with my son. I found him contented andhappy. His appointment to the Exploring Expedition, so long theyearning desire of his heart, he appeared to consider as a faitaccompli. He was in comfortable lodgings, and had established anintimacy with a gentleman of superior literary acquirements,personally acquainted with many London celebrities of our day. Iremember the delight with which he came to my hotel and said: "Youmust dine with me to-day; I want to introduce you to a person youwill much like. His greatest fault is one you possess yourself, aturn for satire, which sometimes makes him enemies." On the samemorning he had announced to his friend with beaming eyes, "Myfather is here;" and when the next day that same friend wished toengage him to an evening party, he replied: "You forget that I havea wild young father to take care of." Alluding again to this, in aletter to his mother, on the 17th of May, he says: "You must excusea brief epistle this time. The Doctor has been in town for a fewdays lately, and of course seduced me into all sorts of wildhabits. He is looking well, in good condition, but not so fat as hewas two years ago." At that time I had been living very frequentlyon little more than one hard egg per day. Milk and coffee in themorning, and half a pound of meat twice a week. In another letterto his mother, shortly after the above date, he says: "I have notheard from my father for the last fortnight. I am in very goodlodgings, at a boarding-house, not working hard, and have time tocultivate some agreeable society. The landlady is all that can bedesired and more than could be expected--the company far above theaverage. There is Mr. B., a barrister and Cambridge man, firstrate; and a nice old lady, Mrs. F., very intelligent andgood-natured. We three are great friends. Taking it altogether, thehouse is so comfortable, that I did not go to the theatre once lastmonth." The mutual good opinion may be estimated by the followingintroduction from the gentleman alluded to above, to the ColonialSecretary at Perth, in the event of his explorations leading my sonto Western Australia:
"I pray your hospitality for Mr. W. J. Wills, for whom I have avery high esteem and friendship. He makes me happy beyond flatteryby permitting me to think that I add something to his life. Youcannot fail to like him. He is a thorough Englishman, self-relyingand self-contained; a well-bred gentleman without a jot ofeffeminacy. Plucky as a mastiff, high-blooded as a racer,enterprising but reflective, cool, keen, and as composed as daring.Few men talk less; few by manner and conduct suggest more. Onefault you will pardon, a tendency to overrate the writer of thisletter."
This gentleman, Mr. Birnie, is a son of the late Sir RichardBirnie, so long an eminent police magistrate in London. At theclose of a lecture which he gave at Ballaarat on the 24th of May,1862, subsequent to the disastrous intelligence of my son's death,he introduced the following remarks, as reported in a colonialpaper:--
If amusement and gravity might be held compatible, they wouldbear with him in pronouncing the name of William John Wills.(Cheers.) The lecturer, when first in Melbourne, lived at aboarding-house, and there he met Wills. Their friendship soon grewand strengthened, in spite of the difference of their ages. Of theman as a public explorer, everybody knew as well as he did.Professor Neumayer said that Wills's passion for astronomy wasastonishing, and that his nights were consumed in the study. Yethis days also were spent in enlarging his literary attainments. Butwith all this labour, Wills never disregarded the commoner dutiesand virtues of life. Even at the breakfast-table he was as neat andclean as a woman. At the ball, of which he was as fond as a child,he was scrupulously temperate, and in speech pure as a lady. Willsread Sharon Turner, Hazlitt, Pope, Wordsworth, Tennyson, andcommented on all. Of Tennyson's In Memoriam he said it waswonderful for its frequent bordering on faults without everreaching them. He was a student of literature as well as ofastronomy and science. Much intercourse they had had, and when thelecturer heard of his death he felt glad that nothing existed forrecrimination or self condemnation. Wills was a great admirer ofShakespeare, and his remarks on that author were original andstriking. This tribute the lecturer would lay upon his friend'sbust, and humble though the offering was he felt it would beaccepted. The lecturer with much feeling concluded a peroration ofeloquent eulogy upon his deceased friend, amid the loud andprolonged applause of the audience, who had cheered him at frequentintervals throughout the whole of his discourse.
Mr. McDowall moved a vote of thanks to the lecturer, seconded byMr. Dimant, both gentlemen highly complimenting Mr. Birnie for hiskindness in giving his services on the occasion.
The vote was carried by acclamation, and Mr. Birnie, inacknowledging it, implored the audience not to let the movement dieaway. The proposed monument could not be too good for the fame ofthe heroic explorers, and particularly as commemorating thepatient, pious, unselfish manliness of Wills to the latest momentof his life. (Cheers.)
The proceedings then closed.
In his ordinary letters to me, and in his journals ofthe Expedition, which he knew were likely to become publicdocuments, my son seldom or never touched upon the all-importantsubject of religion. This has given rise to an opinion broadlyhinted in Australia by some, and of course believed by more, thathe was either a sceptic or a downright infidel. Nothing could befurther from the truth. His mother's love had instructed him earlyand zealously in the doctrines of Christianity, and prepared hismind for a conviction of their divine truth when he reached an agewhich would enable him to exercise his own judgment. As I havealready mentioned, even in childhood he had an inquiring mind and adisposition to take nothing for granted without investigation.Hence the questions which sometimes surprised and puzzled hisinstructress. The tendency grew with his growth, and displayeditself in his mode of dealing with every branch of knowledgecomprised in his education. If a new fact in science or animprovement in a mathematical or surgical instrument came under hisobservation, he closely examined their bearing and use before headopted them or subscribed to their truth or utility. Those whoquestion before they believe are not unfrequently pronouncedunbelievers because they question; an inverted mode of reasoningequally uncharitable and illogical. My son had an undisguiseddislike to any ostentatious display of religious sentiment andphraseology, particularly on the part of those who were notteachers by calling. He sometimes suspected more cant thansincerity in the practice, and thought these matters better suitedfor inward communication between man and his Maker than for publicexhibition on common occasions. With my wife's permission I insertthe following letter, now for the first time placed in my hands:--
Flagstaff Observatory, Melbourne, June 17th, 1860.
MY DEAR MOTHER,
The mail arrived here only two or three days ago, being nearlya fortnight behind time. I have received your letter of the 13th ofApril, and one from Bessy. Your endeavours to show that my remarkson religion were wrong, have tended to convince me more clearlythat I was right, and that you, partially at least, misunderstoodwhat I said. I did not charge you with being openly uncharitable orof plainly condemning any one; nor do I blame you for believing youare right. We all think we are right, or we should not believe aswe do. But I do blame those who pronounce everybody wrong butthemselves; for as far as we can judge, one may be as near thetruth as another. How often we hear VERY religious people,compassionately remarking upon a neighbour's death: "Ah, poor dearfellow, he was such a good sort of man! I hope and trust he died inthe faith!" meaning, of course, their own peculiar tenets, andobliquely implying that, in spite of all his estimable qualities,they have great doubts of his salvation. For my part, I considerthis as bad as the outspoken uncharitableness of bigots andpersecutors in the olden days. The inference may be true, but it isnot we who have a right to think, much less to utter it.
But I must now come to the more precise point on which wediffer--the meaning of a single expression, which I think I havenamed in a former letter. I allude to the word FAITH, which, as Iwas always taught to interpret it, appeared to my apprehensionanalogous to CREDULITY, or a blind belief without question;--anexplanation which went against my conscience and convictionwhenever it occurred to me from time to time. As I grew older Ifelt it to be wrong, although I was not sufficiently informed toexplain it differently. What perplexed me was that St. Paul shouldadvocate such a servile submission of the intellectual facultieswhich God has bestowed upon man; such an apparent degradation ofthe human mind to the level of the lower creation as to call uponus to lay aside our peculiar attributes of reason, common sense,and reflection, and to receive without inquiry any doctrine thatmay be offered to us. On this principle, we should be as likely tobelieve in the impostor as in the true saint, and having yielded upour birthright of judgment, become incapable of distinguishingbetween them. I have thought much on the subject with theassistance of better authorities and scholars than myself, and willnow endeavour to explain what I consider St. Paul meant by FAITH,or rather by the Greek word Piotis, which has been so translated.After you have read my explanation, and carefully examined your ownmind, will it be too much to expect an admission that of the threegreat elements of Christianity, faith, hope, and charity, you havehitherto had more of hope than of the other two? The Greek wordused by St. Paul signifies something more than faith, or implicitbelief, as many render it. It means a self-reliant confidencearising from conviction after investigation and study--the faiththat Paley advocates when he says, "He that never doubted neverhalf believed." It implies, in the first place, an unprejudicedmind, an openness to conviction, and a readiness to receiveinstruction; and then a desire to judge for ourselves. This must befollowed by a patient investigation of evidence pro and con, animpartial summing up, and a conclusion fairly and confidentlydeduced. If we are thus convinced, then we have acquired faith--areal, unshakeable faith, for we have carefully examined the titledeeds and know that they are sound. You will surely see that faithin this sense, and credulity, a belief without inquiry, are thevery reverse of each other, and how much superior is the former tothe latter. Credulity is a mere feather, liable to be blown aboutwith every veering wind of doctrine. Faith, as St. Paul means it,is as firm as a castle on a rock, where the foundations have beencarefully examined and tested, before the building was proceededwith.
In collateral evidence of what I have just said, I may instance theoften-repeated injunction to accept things as little children;which cannot mean with the ignorance and helpless submission ofinfancy, but with minds free from bigotry, bias, or prejudice, likethose of little children, and with an inclination, like them, toreceive instruction. At what period of life do any of us learn sorapidly and eagerly as in childhood? We acquire new ideas everytime we open our eyes; we are ever attracted by something we havenot observed before; every moment adds to our knowledge. If yougive a child something to eat it has not been accustomed to, doesit swallow it at once without examination? Does it not rather lookat, smell, feel, and then taste it? And if disagreeable, will iteat merely because the new food was given to it for that purpose?On the contrary, it is more inclined to reject the gift untilinfluenced by your eating some yourself, or by other modes ofpersuasion. Let us then, in like manner, examine all that isoffered to our belief, and test it by the faculties with which thegreat God has endowed us. These rare senses and powers of reasoningwere given to be used freely, but not audaciously, to discover, notto pervert the truth. Why were so many things presented as througha veil, unless to stimulate our efforts to clear away the veil, andpenetrate to the light? I think it is plain that St. Paul, while hecalls upon us to believe, never intended that we should bepassively credulous.*Credulity was one of the most prominent engines of the RomishChurch, but there was a trace of sense in their application of it.They taught that the ignorant and uneducated should have faith inthe doctrines introduced to them by their betters, and those whohad found time to investigate the matter; but some, in the presentday, support the monstrous delusion that enlightened andwell-trained intellects, the most glorious of all the earthly giftsof God, should bow to canting and illiterate fanaticism. . .
[* Footnote: My son might have further enforcedhis view by a passage from St. Paul, 1 Thessalonians, chapter 5verse 21, had it occurred to him: "Prove all things; hold fast thatwhich is good." By this the apostle implies, according toArchbishop Secker's commentary, all things which may be right orwrong according to conscience. And by "proving them" he means, notthat we should try them by experience, which would be an absurd andpernicious direction, but that we should examine them by ourfaculty of judgment, which is a wise and useful exhortation.]
Adieu for the present, my dear mother, and believe me everyour affectionate, and I hope unbigoted son,
W.J. WILLS.
This letter was the last but two he ever addressed to his mother,and I have not transcribed the whole. It is long and discursive,considering how much he had on his hands at that time, and howcompletely he was occupied with the pending expedition. In his nexthe refers to some apprehensions expressed by maternal solicitudethat his religious convictions might be altered by a friend whoentertained extremely different views. "I intended, my dearmother," he says, "to have replied at length to one of the remarksin your last, but I fear I must be very brief. Your idea that I aminfluenced by--'s notions of religion is amusingly erroneous. Inever imagined that I could have written anything to warrant suchan impression; but it shows how careful we should be to make clearstatements so as to avoid being misunderstood. Mr.--'s religion isto my mind supremely ridiculous; I can only find two points in itsfavour, namely, its charity and moral principles. But these,although admirable in themselves, do not go far towards proving thetruth of the theological notions entertained by its adherents. Ican assure you that such ideas of religion are quite as far removedfrom mine as yours can be." His final letter announces thecertainty of his being about to start on the enterprise so longprojected. He had hitherto withheld the fact, from a wish not todistress his mother unnecessarily while there was a chance that anyunforeseen obstacle might create further delay.
Flagstaff Observatory, Melbourne, July 25th, 1860.
MY DEAR MOTHER,
I am glad to be able to inform you of a matter that you perhapswill not much like, although I do not know why you should object toit. It is that we expect to start on this exploration trip in a fewweeks. You will find some particulars on the subject in the Argusthat I have sent to Charles. I fancy we shall not be away so longas was at first intended; probably not more than twelve or eighteenmonths. I anticipate being able to send you a letter sometimes, aswell as to receive yours to me, as they propose keeping up acommunication with Cooper's Creek. Professor Neumayer will probablyaccompany us as far as the Darling River, taking an opportunity, atthe same time, to prosecute the magnetic survey. This will makematters very pleasant, as well as being of great advantage to me inmany respects. We shall be travelling through the country in themost favourable and pleasant season, when there is plenty of water,and everything fresh and green. It will take us about two months toget to Cooper's Creek. I do not give up my position in theObservatory, having obtained leave of absence for the time duringwhich we may be engaged in the exploration. I am sorry I cannotgive you more particulars respecting our projected tour, but youwill hear enough about it by-and-by. I received a letter from myfather a day or two since, in which he speaks of coming down beforeI start. I do not expect to have time to go to Ballaarat before weleave. I sent you by the last mail one or two small photographs ofmyself, and a locket for Bessy, which she asked me for some timeago. I hope they arrived safely. There was also a photograph of myfather on paper. I have to thank some one, name unknown, for theTotnes papers that I received by the last mail. They appear to bewell edited, and are decidedly a credit to the town. I had heard ofthe paper before, but did not expect to find it so good as it is. Isuppose you have had a favourable view of the comet that has madeits appearance lately. It was visible here for about a week: atfirst it was of a good size, but being so low down in the west, atsunset it could only be seen for a short time, and then it wascomparatively dim, owing to the twilight. Since then it has rapidlydisappeared, moving in an east-south-easterly direction. With youit was probably very fine. With kind love, etc., etc.,
Believe me, my dear mother,
Your affectionate son,
WILLIAM J. WILLS.
THE EXPEDITION.
How the Expedition originated.
Appointment of the Leader,
Officers, and Party.
Mr. Robert O'Hara Burke, Mr. G.J. Landells, Mr. W.J. Wills, Dr. Herman Beckler, Dr. Ludwig Becker, etc.
The Expedition starts from Melbourne on the 20th of August, 1860.
Progress to Swan Hill.
Discharge of Mr. Ferguson, the Foreman.
Advance to Menindie.
Resignation of Mr. Landells and Dr. Herman Beckler.
Mr. Wills promoted to second in command, and Mr. Wright to third.
THE Exploring Expedition of 1860 originated thus. A gentleman,whose name is still concealed, offered one thousand pounds as aninducement to the Government and other parties to come forward andraise funds for an exploration of the island continent, now knownas Australia, but formerly as New Holland; the vast interior ofwhich had been supposed to be a desert, an inland sea, or anythingthat a poetical imagination might suggest. Attempts had been made,but always with insufficient means, and on too contracted a scale,to solve the problem. It was now for Victoria to take up thequestion in earnest. The 1000 pounds of the unknown contributor,increased to 2200 pounds by private subscriptions, with 6000 poundsvoted by the colonial legislature, supplied in all a sum of above9000 pounds for the prosecution of this great national enterprise.Let Victoria, then, receive the honour so justly her due, for anundertaking only on a par with her characteristic spirit ofadvancement. Any stranger who visits Melbourne, a place but ofyesterday, must be struck by the magnificent scale and number ofthe public buildings. Let him look at the Churches, Library, Houseof Parliament, University and Museum, Railways and Parks, Banks,Hotels, Theatres, Botanical Gardens,* etc., and then call tomind that all this is the growth of less than a quarter of acentury, and that the existence of the colony dates from a periodsubsequent to the accession of our beloved Queen.
[* Footnote: Under the charge of that noble father of industry, Dr. Mueller.]
The arrangements for the expedition were in progress from 1858 to1860, under Mr. O'Shannassy, a man far above the common order, whonow fills the superior office of Chief Colonial Secretary. Heentered into the object with his own peculiar zeal. On his personalresponsibility, Mr. Landells, who figures in this narrative, asalso in a preceding one, with little credit, was despatched toIndia to procure camels, those ships of the desert, whose aid intraversing the unknown interior was expected to prove invaluable."The camels are come!" was the cry when these new and interestingimmigrants made their first appearance in Melbourne. All the peoplewere en the qui vive. "What was to be done next? Who was to be theleader? When would the party start?" Mr. Nicholson had by this timetaken the place of Mr. O'Shannassy, and he hit on the unfortunateexpedient of delegating to the Royal Society of Melbourne thedirection of this important expedition. I say unfortunate, because,by this arrangement, the opinions to be consulted were too numerousto expect unanimity. It is true they elected a special committee,which included some who were well qualified for the duty, andothers who were less so; but, good or bad, the old adage of "toomany cooks" was verified in this instance. Had they all beenexcellent judges, the course was still objectionable, as dividedresponsibility falls on no one.
The first point to be settled was the choice of a leader. Meetingafter meeting was held, and I must do them the justice to say that,on the whole, no thoroughly unexceptionable candidate offeredhimself. The necessary combination of physical and scientificrequisites was not readily found. The question therefore fell intoabeyance for a time on that account. But at length, and after aconsiderable delay, Robert O'Hara Burke, Esquire, police inspectorat the Beechworth district, and afterwards at Castlemaine, wasappointed to the post. He was in his fortieth year, experienced,active, and well-connected, of one of the old Galway families, andhad held a commission as lieutenant in the Austrian army; onquitting which service, he procured an appointment in the Irishconstabulary. There he was so beloved by his men, that severalresigned when he left for Australia and accompanied him, in thehope of still serving under their favourite commander. He was abrave and true man, covetous of honour, but careless of profit; onewho would have sought reputation "even in the cannon's mouth." Withhis name that of my poor son is indelibly conjoined. From all Ihave since collected from King, their only surviving companion, Mr.Burke loved my son as a brother; and William, writing of him, says:"The more I see of Mr. Burke the more I like him;" and he wrotewith caution, adopted no hasty opinions, and seldom changed themwhen once formed.
Mr. Burke's appointment called forth discussions and strongcomments in the Melbourne papers. Gentlemen who considered theirown qualifications as superior to his, and their friends whothought with them, expressed their opinions with more ardour thanjustice or delicacy in their respective organs. The committee ofmanagement, selected originally from the "Royal Society ofMelbourne," now became united to another body called "TheExploration Fund Committee." The board comprised the followingmembers:--Chairman, the Honourable Sir William Stawell, one of theJustices of Victoria; Vice-Chairman, the Honourable John Hodgson,M.L.C.; Treasurer, the Honourable Dr. Wilkie; Secretary, theHonourable Dr. Macadam; Dr. Embling;--Ligar, Esquire, SurveyorGeneral; James Smith, Esquire; Professor McCoy; Dr. McKenna;Professor Neumayer; Sizar Elliott, Esquire; Dr. Mueller; Dr. Iffla;Captain Cadell; Angus McMillan, Esquire; A. Selwyn, Esquire; JohnWatson, Esquire; Reverend Mr. Blensdale; Dr. Eades; Dr. Gilbee,Deputy-Surveyor; and--Hodgkinson, Esquire The commander beingappointed, the next step was to name the second. This choice, by asad mistake, fell on Mr. G.J. Landells, who owed his preferment tothe circumstance of his having been employed to bring the camelsfrom India. His services, therefore, were considered indispensablefor their management in Australia. Having convinced the committeeof this, he demanded a salary considerably exceeding that of theleader, or refused to go. When Mr. Burke found that this point wasto be discussed at the next meeting, he, with his usual high andliberal spirit, requested that no obstacle might be raised on thataccount. We shall presently see how Mr. Landells repaid his leader,and proved himself worthy of this disinterestedness. My sontendered his services as astronomer and guide, not at the momentthinking of or desiring any distinct post of command, his objectbeing exclusively scientific. He had been for some time assistantto Professor Neumayer at the Magnetic Observatory, was a seasonedbushman, with great powers of endurance, and felt that he coulddischarge the duties he wished to undertake. He was not aware,until I informed him on his going into the Society's room to signthe contract, that any command had been allotted to him, neitherdid he stipulate for salary; but in consequence of Dr. LudwigBecker demanding an advance of pay, on the sum first fixed, myson's was raised from 250 to 300 pounds per annum. The nextappointments were Dr. Ludwig Becker, as naturalist and artist, andDr. Herman Beckler as botanist and medical adviser to theexpedition. These were scarcely more fortunate than that of Mr.Landells. The first named of these gentlemen was physicallydeficient, advanced in years, and his mode of life in Melbourne hadnot been such as to make up for his want of youth. I do not mean toimply by this that he indulged in irregular or dissipated habits.He possessed a happy gift of delineating natural objects with thepencil, but died before passing the boundaries of civilization,from causes unconnected with want or fatigue. Dr. Herman Beckler,who has since returned to his native country, was neither a man ofcourage, energy, nor of medical experience. He resigned when Mr.Landells did, and, as will be seen, for a very poor reason. Hisplace should have been immediately supplied; for had any one wortha straw been sent, by his position he must have been third incommand instead of Wright, a more ignorant being than whom couldnot have been extracted from the bush. He was scarcely able towrite his name.
The following is a copy of the memorandum of agreement, to whichall the members of the Exploration party attached their signatures:--
MEMORANDUM OF AGREEMENT,
Made the eighteenth day of August, in the year of our Lord onethousand eight hundred and sixty, between the Honourable DavidElliott Wilkie, as treasurer of the Exploration Committee of theRoyal Society, Melbourne, of the one part, and the several otherpersons whose names are hereto subscribed, of the other part. Thesaid persons forming an expedition about to explore the interior ofAustralia under Robert O'Hara Burke, hereby agree with the saidDavid Elliott Wilkie faithfully to discharge the special dutiesdescribed opposite to their respective names, and also generally toperform whatever in the opinion of the said Robert O'Hara Burke, asleader, or in the event of his death, in the opinion of the leaderfor the time being, may be necessary to promote the success of theexpedition: and they hereby further agree to place themselvesunreservedly under the orders of the leader, recognising GeorgeJames Landells as second; and William John Wills as third;and their right of succession in the order thus stated. Inconsideration of the above services being efficiently discharged,the said David Elliott Wilkie, as treasurer, and on behalf of thesaid committee, hereby agrees to pay the said persons the salaries,at the respective rates set opposite their names; such salaries tobe paid by monthly instalments, not exceeding one-half the amountthen due, on a certificate from the leader that the services havebeen efficiently performed up to the date; and the remainder on andrateably up to the day of the return of the expedition toMelbourne, and no more. And each of the said persons hereby lastlyagrees, on failure on his part fully to perform this agreement,that his salary shall be forfeited, and that he shall abide allconsequences, the power of discharge vesting with the leader, andthe power of dismissal and forfeiture of salary resting on therecommendation of the leader with the said David Elliott Wilkie,acting with the consent of the said committee. In witness whereofthe said parties have hereunto set their hands the day and yearabove written.
George James Landells--in charge of camels, second in command.
William John Wills--as surveyor and astronomical observer, third incommand.
Herman Beckler--medical officer and botanist.
Ludwig Becker--artist, naturalist, and geologist.
Charles J. Ferguson--foreman.
Thomas F. McDonagh--assistant.
William Paton--assistant.
Patrick Langan--assistant.
Owen Cowan--assistant.
William Brake--assistant.
Robert Fletcher--assistant.
John King--assistant.
Henry Creher--assistant.
John Dickford--assistant.
And three sepoys.
Signed by all the above in the presence of
JOHN MACADAM, M.D.
ROBERT DICKSON.
Monday, the 20th of August, 1860, will be a memorable day in theannals of Melbourne, as recording the commencement of theexpedition. It was not a false start but a bona-fide departure.Nearly the whole population suspended ordinary business and turnedout to witness the imposing spectacle. The camels were a greatattraction. The Melbourne Herald of the 21st gave the annexeddescription of the proceedings:--
Tom Campbell, in a tender moment, sang a sweet hymn to a"Name Unknown," and many an ardent youth in and since his time, hasborrowed inspiration from the dulcet numbers of the familiar bard,and allowed his imagination to run riot in "castle-building" uponthis simple theme. Had we the poet's gift, our enthusiasm might,doubtless, prompt us to extol in more lofty strain the praises ofthe "great unknown"--the donor of the handsome instalment of onethousand pounds towards the organization of an expedition toexplore the terra incognita of interior Australia. But in theabsence of the favour of the Muses, dull prose must serve thepurpose we have in view. If the "unknown" were present yesterday inthe Royal Park, his heart must have leaped for very joy, as didwith one accord the hearts of the "ten thousand" or more of ourgood citizens, who there assembled to witness the departure of theExploring Expedition. Never have we seen such a manifestation ofheartfelt interest in any public undertaking of the kind as on thisoccasion. The oldest dwellers in Australia have experienced nothingto equal it.
At an early hour crowds of eager holiday folks, pedestrian andequestrian, were to be seen hieing along the dusty ways to thepleasant glades and umbrageous shade (a warm breeze; the first ofthe season, was blowing from the north-east) of the Royal Park. Abusy scene was there presented. Men, horses, camels, drays, andgoods, were scattered here and there amongst the tents, in thesheds, and on the greensward, in picturesque confusion;--everythingpremised a departure--the caravansery was to be deserted. Hourafter hour passed in the preparations for starting. By-and-by,however, the drays were loaded--though not before a burden of threehundred-weight for each camel at starting was objected to, andextra vehicles had to be procured--the horses and the camels weresecurely packed, and their loads properly adjusted. Artists,reporters, and favoured visitors were all the time hurrying andscurrying hither and thither to sketch this, to take a note ofthat, and to ask a question concerning t'other. It is needless tosay, that occasionally ludicrous replies were given to seriousquestions, and in the bustle of hurried arrangements, some veryamusing contretemps occurred. One of the most laughable was thebreaking loose of a cantankerous camel, and the startling andupsetting in the "scatter" of a popular limb of the law. Thegentleman referred to is of large mould, and until we saw histumbling feat yesterday, we had no idea that he was such asprightly gymnast. His down-going and up-rising were greeted withshouts of laughter, in which he good-naturedly joined. The erringcamel went helter-skelter through the crowd, and was not secureduntil he showed to admiration how speedily can go "the ship of thedesert."
It was exactly a quarter to four o'clock when the expedition gotinto marching order. A lane was opened through the crowd, and inthis the line was formed; Mr. Burke on his pretty little grey atthe head. The Exploration Committee of the Royal Society, togetherwith a distinguished circle of visitors, amongst whom were severalof our most respectable colonists and their families, took up aposition in front.
The MAYOR OF MELBOURNE then mounted one of the drays, and said: Mr.Burke--I am fully aware that the grand assemblage, this day, whileit has impeded your movements in starting, is at the same time asource of much gratification to you. It assures you of the mostsincere sympathy of the citizens. (Hear, hear.) I will not detainyou; but for this great crowd, and on behalf of the colony atlarge, I say--God speed, you! (Cheers.) His Worship then called for"three cheers for Mr. Burke," "three cheers for Mr. Landells," and"three cheers for the party itself," which, it is needless to say,were responded to with all the energy and enthusiasm that are thecharacteristics of popular assemblages. He then concluded withagain saying, "God speed and bless you!"
Mr. BURKE (uncovered) said, in a clear earnest voice that was heardall over the crowd:
Mr. Mayor,--On behalf of myself and the Expedition I beg to returnyou my most sincere thanks. No expedition has ever started undersuch favourable circumstances as this. The people, the Government,the committee--all have done heartily what they could do. It is nowour turn; and we shall never do well till we justify what you havedone in showing what we can do. (Cheers.)
The party at once got into motion. Following the leader wereseveral pack horses, led by some of the assistants on foot. Thencame Mr. Landells, on a camel, next Dr. Becker, similarly mounted,and these were succeeded by two European assistants, riding oncamels--one leading the ambulance camel, and the other leading twoanimals loaded with provisions. Sepoys on foot led the remainder ofthe camels, four and five in hand, variously loaded, and thecaravan was closed by one mounted sepoy. Altogether twenty-sevencamels go with the expedition. Two new waggons, heavily loaded,followed at a good distance. These were built expressly for theexpedition, and one of them is so constructed, that at a very shortnotice it can be taken off the wheels, and put to all the uses of ariver punt, carrying an immense load high and dry on the water. Ifit be necessary to swim the camels, air bags are provided to belashed under their jowls, so as to keep their heads clear whencrossing deep streams. Two or three hired waggons and one of thenew ones, were detained in the park till nearly dusk, in charge ofthe astronomer, Mr. W.J. Wills, and the foreman, who had to look tothe careful packing of instruments, specimen cases, etc. The hiredwaggons will proceed as far as Swan Hill only. Issuing from thesouth gate of the park, the party went down behind the manuredepot, and thence on to the Sydney road, and the whole camped lastnight near the village of Essendon.
The first day's march scarcely exceeded seven miles, thecamping ground for the night being on an open space of greenswardnear the church at Essendon. Here I saw my son for the last time.It was with a feeling of great misgiving that I took leave of him.On shaking hands with Mr. Burke, I said frankly, "If it were in mypower, I would even now prevent his going." I then added, "If heknew what I am about to say, he would not, I think, be wellpleased; but if you ever happen to want my son's advice or opinion,you must ask it, for he will not offer it unasked. No matter whatcourse you may adopt, he will follow without remonstrance ormurmur." Mr. Burke shook me warmly by the hand in return, andreplied: "There is nothing you can say will raise him higher in myestimation than he stands at present; I will do as you desire."There were some photographers present to take likenesses. My sonrefused to be taken. "Should it ever be worth while," he said, "myfather has an excellent one, which you can copy from." Alas! it hasbeen copied very often since.
The progress of the party was slow through the enclosed districts,until they reached Swan Hill on the Murray, which, properlyspeaking, is the northern boundary of the colony of Victoria. Myson's first letter was dated August 26th.
MY DEAR FATHER,
We are now at the Mia-Mia, lying between McIvor and Castlemaine (aroadside public-house). We are all right enough, except as regardscleanliness, and everything has gone well, barring the necessarybreak-downs, and wet weather. We have to travel slowly, on accountof the camels. I suppose Professor Neumayer will overtake us in aday or two. I have been agreeably disappointed in my idea of thecamels. They are far from unpleasant to ride; in fact, it is muchless fatiguing than riding on horseback, and even with the littlepractice I have yet had, I find it shakes me less. I shall write toyou from Swan Hill, if not before.
Your affectionate son,
WILLIAM J. WILLS.
From Terrick Terrick, he writes, on the 31st of August, tohis friend Mr. Byerly: "Riding on camels is a much more pleasantprocess than I anticipated, and for my work I find it much betterthan riding on horseback. The saddles, as you are aware, aredouble, so I sit on the back portion behind the hump, and pack myinstruments in front, I can thus ride on, keeping my journal andmaking calculations; and need only stop the camel when I want totake any bearings carefully; but the barometers can be read andregistered without halting. The animals are very quiet, and easilymanaged, much more so than horses."
His next letter to me is dated from Swan Hill, September 8th:--
MY DEAR FATHER,
We arrived here on Saturday last, early in the afternoon. I hadnot time to write by the last post, which closed on the sameevening. We are all in good health and spirits. The road we areabout to take is not that which I had anticipated, namely, down theside of the Lower Darling, as we hear there is literally nothingfor the horses to eat; so that we are going right across thecountry to the Darling, passing the Murray at this place. We leaveSwan Hill about the middle of next week, and shall then be out ofthe colony of Victoria. We are expecting Professor Neumayer upshortly,--a scrap of paper to-day by the postman says to-morrow. Iam rather disappointed at not having yet an assistant surveyor, butI hope he will arrive shortly. Letters in future had better bedirected to the care of Dr. Macadam, the secretary, as they willhave to go by sea.
On the 17th of September he writes to his mother:--
Balranald, September 17th, 1860.
MY DEAR MOTHER,
As I have an opportunity of sending a few lines by this mail, I havedetermined to take advantage of the chance, because I know how gladyou will be to receive them; but I have not time sufficient to giveyou any account of our journey. We are now at the last township atwhich we shall touch on our way towards the interior of thecontinent. It is an out-of-the-way place, situated on the lowerpart of the Murrumbidgee River. Our journey so far has been verysatisfactory: we are most fortunate as regards the season, forthere has been more rain this winter than has been known for thelast four or five years. In fact, it seems probable that we shallfinish our work in a much shorter period than was anticipated; verylikely in ten or twelve months. The country up here is beautiful;everything green and pleasant; and if you saw it now, you would notbelieve that in two months' time it could have such a parched andbarren appearance as it will then assume. I hope to be able, eitherfrom the Darling or from Cooper's Creek, to send you some detailsof our proceedings. Please to remember me to all, and
Believe me, ever your affectionate son,
WILLIAM J. WILLS.
At Balranald, beyond the Murray, Mr. Burke found it impossibleto get on further with his foreman, Ferguson, and discharged him inconsequence. It required no deep penetration to discover that thiswould occur. Before they left the Royal Park, I made a remark toone of the committee on Ferguson's appearance and generaldemeanour: the gentleman I addressed replied, "I have just toldBurke he will have to shoot him yet."
When Ferguson returned to Melbourne, he published his own accountof the affair; and after the melancholy catastrophe of theexpedition became known, he brought his action against thecommittee, and obtained a verdict for a considerable sum on theground of unjust dismissal, proving his own statement in theabsence of counter-evidence. Those who could or might have refutedit were dead.
Mr. Burke had no sooner rid himself of his troublesome foreman,than his second began to exhibit insubordination in an unmistakablemanner. This reached a crisis by the time they had proceeded as faras Menindie, on the Darling. Whatever Mr. Landells' merits may havebeen as a manager of camels, his post of second in command hadevidently affected the equilibrium of his intellects. He mistookhis position, as also the character of his superior. His conductwas so manifestly unjustifiable that no one took his part, ordefended him in the slightest degree. What his real motive was,whether to escape from danger when danger was likely to commence,or to obtain the leadership of the expedition himself, is difficultto determine. He had been sowing dissension in the camp from anearly period. My son was so much engaged in his scientificavocations that he knew little of what was going on; but when Mr.Landells was ill-judged enough to talk plain sedition to him, hesaw at once, and clearly, the state of affairs. Mr. Burke was of agenerous and unsuspecting nature; he trusted every one untilpractical experience opened his eyes, and then he naturally becameangry, almost to violence. The following correspondence, which waspublished at the time, explains the affair exactly as it happened.Mr. Selwyn laid before the committee the letter from ProfessorNeumayer, enclosing my son's to him. The professor had been lost inthe bush, and had to cut his way through the scrub for a distanceof six miles.
Youngera, November 8.
MY DEAR SIR,
Bad news from the expedition since I left them at McPherson's. Ireally do not know what to think of it. I send you herewith aletter from Mr. Wills, descriptive of the whole affair, and giveyou authority to do with it according to your views. I am right inthe bush, and have just met with Captain Cadell, who is so kind asto take this to you, in order that you might have a chance ofhearing both sides of the question. Landells I spoke to last night;and, according to his statement, of course he is in the right.
I shall be in town in three or four weeks. Excuse my writing.
Sincerely yours,
NEUMAYER.
Alfred Selwyn, Esquire, Government Geologist.
Menindie, October 16, 1860.
MY DEAR PROFESSOR,
I suppose you are by this time safe in town again. Great things haveoccurred since you left; in fact, I have so much to tell you that Ido not know where to begin.
That Mr. Landells has resigned, and gives over his thingsto-morrow, is news at which you will not be much surprised; butthat Dr. Beckler has been foolish enough to follow his example, forno better reason than that he did not like the way in which Mr.Burke spoke to Mr. Landells, will I think rather astonish you. Ishall now give you a full account of the whole matter, so that youmay be in a position to make any statement that you may deemnecessary in explanation of the proceedings.
It will be necessary for me to remind you that when you leftKornpany, Mr. Landells was there with the camels, for the purposeof bringing on some of the heavy goods to lighten the waggons. Thishe did, and reached the camp at Bilbarka on Tuesday, the 2ndinstant, with about three tons, whilst Mr. Burke went round by thelower road with the waggons and horses; he was obliged to take thelatter with him, greatly to their disadvantage, because Mr.Landells would not assume the responsibility of bringing them withthe camels. In bringing the things from Kornpany, one of Coppin'scamels fell, having at the time on his back a load of upwards of 4hundred-weight. The result of this fall was, ACCORDING TO MR.LANDELLS' REPORT, a dislocation of the shoulder, for which he saidnothing could be done, so that the camel has been left behind aperfect cripple. I have dashed the above words because I myself donot believe it to be a dislocation, but only a strain; but that'smerely my idea; Mr. L. ought to know best. Certain it is that thepoor brute hobbled nearly twenty miles after us on Thursday last,and I think that is rather a good pull for one with a dislocationof the shoulder joint.
On Thursday, the 4th instant, our own two waggons came up toMcPherson's, and in the evening Mr. Landells and I went down to thestation to post some letters. On the way, Mr. L. made many remarksabout Mr. Burke and his arrangements that were quite uncalled for.He told me, amongst other things, that Mr. B. had no right tointerfere about the camels; that he had agreements with thecommittee of which he believed Mr. B. was ignorant; that everythingwas mismanaged; and, in fact, that if Mr. Burke had his wayeverything would go to the devil.
On Friday the other waggons came up, and it was intended that someof the camels should fetch up what things we required, and that theremainder should be stored at McPherson's; but the camels were notto be found until late at night. On Saturday morning Mr. Landellsand the Doctor went down with seventeen camels to the station, adistance of five miles, and, greatly to Mr. Burke's disgust, didnot return until after dark. In the meantime the nine remainingcamels had travelled off, and could not be found anywhere.
On Sunday morning, McPherson sent a note to Mr. Burke, requestinghim to come down, as all the shearers were drunk on some of thecamels' rum, which they had obtained from the waggons. Mr. Burkehereupon expressed his determination, which he had previouslymentioned to me, that he would leave the rum behind. Mr. Landellsobjected to this, and insisted on the necessity of taking it on,and told Mr. Burke, who was firm in his resolve, that he would notbe responsible for the camels. Mr. B. said he should do as hepleased, and left the camp; and as soon as he was gone, Mr. L.called me to take delivery of the Government things in charge, ashe intended to leave for Melbourne at once. He said that Mr. B. wasmad, and he was frightened to stay in the tent with him. He thenwent off, telling me that he should deliver over the camels as soonas he could find them. It appears that he went down to the station,and on meeting the waggon-drivers on the road, told them that hewas about to leave, so that every one in the camp knew it in a veryshort time. I should mention that everything was being got readyfor a start; and on my mentioning to Mr. Burke what had passed, hesaid that he should take no notice of it until it was broughtofficially before him. When Mr. Landells returned, he asked Mr.Burke in my presence to dismiss him, which Mr. B. refused to do,but said that he would forward his resignation if he wished it,with a recommendation that he should receive his pay up to thattime. This did not exactly satisfy Mr. L., who wished to appearbefore the public as the injured individual. He, nevertheless,expressed to me several times his fixed determination to stay nolonger. He took an opportunity in the evening, in his tent, to giveexpression to opinions of his, which would not tend, if listenedto, to raise a leader in the estimation of his officers. He saidthat Mr. B. was a rash, mad man; that he did not know what he wasdoing; that he would make a mess of the whole thing, and ruin allof us; that he was frightened at him; that he did not considerhimself safe in the tent with him, and many other things. Some ofthis was said in the presence of the Doctor and Mr. Becker; but themost severe remarks were to me alone after they were gone. OnMonday, Mr. Landells asked Hodgkinson to write out for him hisresignation, and then in a private conversation, told Hodgkinsonseveral things, which the latter thought it best to make a note ofat once. Hodgkinson's statement is this--that Mr. Landells havingasked him whether he could keep a secret, told him, afterextracting a sort of promise about holding his tongue, that Mr.Burke wanted an excuse for discharging him, and that he had senthim with the camels with an order to him (Mr. Landells) to findfault with him for that purpose. On hearing this, Hodgkinson wantedto go to Mr. Burke and speak to him about it at once; but Landellsprevented this by reminding him of his promise. This all came outowing to some remarks that Hodgkinson had made to me, and which Iconsidered myself in duty bound to tell Mr. Burke. On Mondayevening Mr. Landells was speaking to me about the best and quickestway of getting to town, when I suggested to him that he might beplacing himself in a disagreeable position by leaving in such ahurry without giving any notice. He replied that he did not care,but that he meant to propose certain terms to Mr. Burke, which heread to me from his pocket-book, and on these terms only he wouldgo:--"That Mr. Burke should give him a written agreement that he,Mr. L., should have full and unqualified charge of the camels, andthat from that time Mr. B. should not interfere with them in anyway; that they should travel no further nor faster than Mr. L.chose, and that he should be allowed to carry provisions for themto the amount of four camels' burthen." Just after this, Mr. B.came up and called Mr. L. aside, and, as the former told me, readto him a letter that he had written to accompany the resignation.The contents of this letter had a considerable effect on Mr. L.,who said that it was a pity they should have had any quarrel, andso acted on Mr. B.'s feelings, that he allowed him to withdraw hisresignation. I believe that the information which had arrived abouta steamer being on its way up the river had had a great influencein making Mr. Landells desirous to withdraw his resignation; butthe chief reason was, no doubt, that he feared, from the concludingsentence of Mr. Burke's letter, that the committee would refuse himhis pay.
After this, everything appeared to be healed for a day or two; buton Wednesday, from various matters that had occurred, I consideredit my duty to mention to Mr. Burke about Hodgkinson and some thingsthat Mr. Landells had said to me; whereupon it came out that Mr. L.had been playing a fine game, trying to set us all together by theears. To Mr. Burke he has been abusing and finding fault with allof us; so much so, that Mr. B. tells me that Landells positivelyhates me. We have, apparently, been the best of friends. To me, hehas been abusing Mr. Burke, and has always spoken as if he hatedthe Doctor and Mr. Becker; whereas with them he has been all milkand honey. There is scarcely a man in the party whom he has noturged Mr. Burke to dismiss.
Mr. Burke went ahead with the horses from Bilbarka, partly becausehe wanted to be here sooner than the rest, and partly in order toavoid a collision with Mr. Landells. He asked Dr. Beckler toaccompany him, for we both expected that Mr. Landells would betampering with him, as we found he had been with others; but theDoctor said that he preferred going with the camels, so that afterthe first day, when we found that Dr. Beckler would not go on withthe horses, Mr. Burke took Mr. Becker and myself with him. Wecrossed the horses at a very good crossing at Kinchica, six milesbelow Menindie. Mr. Burke sent me up from there in the steamer,whilst he took the horses up. On our arrival, we found that Mr.Landells had ridden up also, having left the camels at Kinchica; heobjected to making them swim the river, and wanted the steamer'sbarge to cross them over. This Mr. Burke refused, because thecaptain and every one else said that it would be a very dangerousexperiment, from the difficulty of getting them on or off, which isno easy matter to do safely, even on a punt arranged for thepurpose; and as for the barge, it can scarcely be brought withinsix feet of the bank; so Mr. Burke insisted on their swimming theriver at Kinchica. After dinner we went down to assist in crossingthem, but Mr. Landells said it was too late, and that he wouldcross them at ten o'clock next morning. On his remarking that therewas no rope here, I mentioned that we had just brought one acrosswith us, when he wanted to know what business I had to sayanything. Altogether he made a great fool of himself before severalof the men; and a Mr. Wright, the manager of the Kinchica station.For this Mr. Burke gave him an overhauling, and told him that ifhis officers misconducted themselves, he (Mr. B.) was the person toblow them up. Mr. Burke then told me, before Mr. Landells, that hewished me to be present at the crossing of the camels, at teno'clock to-morrow.
Mr. Landells then jumped up in a rage, asking Mr. Burke whether heintended that I should superintend him, and what he meant bydesiring me to be present. Mr. Burke answered him that if he knewhis place he would not ask such a question; that he had no right toask it, and that he (Mr. B.) should give what orders he thoughtproper to his officers without considering himself responsible toMr. L.; that Mr. Landells' conduct was insolent and improper, andthat he would have no more of it. This was on Monday.
On Tuesday morning Mr. L. sent in his resignation, and in thecourse of the day, Dr. Beckler followed his example, giving as hisreason that he did not like the manner in which Mr. Burke spoke toMr. Landells, and that he did not consider that the party was safewithout Mr. Landells to manage the camels. Now there is no mistake,Dr. Beckler is an honest little fellow, and well-intentionedenough, but he is nothing of a bushman, although he has had so muchtravelling. Landells has taken advantage of his diffidence for hisown purposes; and at the same time that he hates him, he has put onsuch a smooth exterior, that he has humbugged and hoodwinked himinto the belief that no one can manage the camels but himself.
The upshot was that the committee accepted the resignations of Mr.Landells and Dr. Beckler, and expressed their entire approbation ofthe conduct of Mr. Burke.
The following extract from the Melbourne leading journal, the"Argus,"--and with the view therein expressed all the othernewspapers coincided--shows pretty clearly the state of publicopinion on the question:--
Whatever may be the interest attached to thecommunications respecting the Victorian Exploring Expedition, asread before the committee of the Royal Society, there can be littledoubt but that the judgment pronounced on Mr. Landells remainsunaltered. He deserted his leader on the eve of the fight; and suchan act, so subversive of all discipline, and so far from thethoughts of the smallest drummer-boy, renders all explanationscontemptible. In the present instance, Mr. Landells' explanationsmake his act the more inexcusable. He is still of opinion that thecamels are indispensable to the safety of the party, and that he isindispensable to the safety of the camels. The inference is,therefore, that he knowingly left the party to perish. Indeed, weshould not at all enter into an examination of Mr. Landells'letter, but that it may enable us to form some opinion as to theprospects of the expedition itself, and as to the suitability ofMr. Burke for its leadership.
The charges brought against Mr. Burke by his late lieutenant,comprise almost everything that a commander should not be guiltyof. His acts of commission and omission comprehend everything thata bad general could possibly commit or omit, and Mr. Landells windsup his bad qualities by asserting that he "cultivates the spysystem," and treats his men like a parcel of "convicts." Not onlyis he "ungentlemanly" to his officers and "interfering with thebest interests of the party"--not only has he "displayed such awant of judgment, candour, and decision;" but he has also shown, inaddition to these and many other shortcomings, "such an entireabsence of any and every quality which should characterize him asits leader, as has led to the conviction in my own mind that underhis leadership the expedition will be attended by the mostdisastrous results."
But in this matter we are not left to decide between Mr. Landells'account and Mr. Burke's account. Mr. Wills, the third officer, maybe taken as an impartial observer, and his statement, a privatecommunication to the head of the department to which he latelybelonged, Professor Neumayer, is free from any suspicion oftoadyism. From it we may find abundant reason for the conduct whichMr. Landells calls "strange." If Mr. Burke was restless at nights,hasty in the day, and apparently undecided what course to pursue,we have from this account of the matter only to wonder that hemanaged to bear with Mr. Landells so long as he did. Here the rageis all on Mr. Landells' side. "Mr. Landells then jumped up in arage, asking Mr. Burke whether he intended that I shouldsuperintend him?" To talk, touch, or mention anything about hisfavourites, the camels, was sure to bring on "a scene." "On hisremarking that there was no rope here, I mentioned that we had justbrought one across with us, when he wanted to know what business Ihad to say anything. Altogether, he made a great fool of himselfbefore several of the men, and a Mr. Wright, the manager of theKinchica Station." These camels, under Mr. Landells' spoiling,appear to have become the plague of the expedition. They were tohave rum--solely, as it now appears, because Mr. Landells "knew ofan officer who took two camels through a two years' campaign inCabul, the Punjab, and Scinde, by allowing them arrack." They wereto carry more stores for themselves than they were worth. They werenot to make long journeys, nor to travel in bad weather, nor to besubject to any one's direction, or opinion, or advice. In fine, thechief difficulty of exploring Australia seemed to consist inhumouring the camels. We may imagine the feelings of a leader withsuch a drag as this encumbering him. Mr. Pickwick could never haveviewed with such disgust the horse which he was obliged to leadabout as Mr. Burke must have regarded his camels. When to this itis added that the leader observed various intrigues carried on, wecannot wonder that he determined to come to an open rupture beforeMr. Landells and the camels had completely disorganized theexpedition. "Whereupon it came out," writes Mr. Wills, "that Mr.Landells has been playing a fine game, trying to set us alltogether by the ears. There is scarcely a man in the party whom hehas not urged Mr. Burke to dismiss." Under such a state of things,the leader of the expedition must have been painfully aware thathis party was in no fit state of organization to enter on a mostperilous undertaking, and that while such continued, both he andhis men were going to inevitable destruction. If his conductappeared to Mr. Landells restless and uncertain, we may wonder how,under the circumstances, it could be otherwise. We find itimpossible to believe that the Exploring Committee of the RoyalSociety could have secretly informed Mr. Landells that he heldindependent command, for such a thing would be a burlesque ondiscipline. He claims the sole management of the camels; andperhaps the committee may have defined his duty as such. But soalso has a private soldier the sole management of his musket, butit is under the directions of his officer. Profound as may be Mr.Landells' knowledge of camels, it would be worse than uselessunless subject to the direction of his commanding officer.
Mr. Burke, on the resignation of Mr. Landells, immediatelypromoted my son to the post he had vacated, which appointment thecommittee confirmed. Here there was perfect union and reciprocalunderstanding. Neither had petty jealousies or reserved views. Thesuccess of the expedition was their object, and personal glorytheir aim. The leader had every confidence in his second, and thesecond was proud of his leader. But Mr. Burke committed an error inthe selection of Mr. Wright for the third position in command,without any previous knowledge or experience of his capabilities.In this he acted from his impulsive nature, and the consequencesbore heavily on his own and my son's fate. To the misconduct of Mr.Wright, in the words of the report of the Committee of Inquiry,"are mainly attributable the whole of the disasters of theexpedition, with the exception of the death of Gray." In appearanceand acquirements, there was nothing to recommend him. The gentlemansuggested by Mr. Burke as a substitute for Dr. Beckler, mostunjustly, according to general opinion, desired to supplant my son.This the majority of the committee refused to accede to, and Mr.Nicholson, the chief secretary, agreed with their decision. Others,including myself, offered to go; and a dispute, or rather adiscussion arose on the matter, which produced delay, so that noone was sent at all. Another fatal mistake. It will be a source ofsorrow and strong regret to me as long as I exist, that I did not,of my own will, push on to Menindie, where I might have beeninstrumental in saving one for whom I would willingly have riskedmy life. But no one then foresaw or expected the errors whichcaused the surviving travelers to perish on their return.
But the actual cause of what might appear to be neglect on the partof the committee, in procrastinating the medical appointment, orother matters that were delayed, arose from the want of funds. Thesum subscribed had been expended, and when Mr. Hodgkinson arrivedat Melbourne, with Wright's despatch (written, however, byHodgkinson), asking for cash, and a confirmation of his appointmentas third in command, the committee had no balance at theirdisposal. His Excellency, Sir Henry Barkly, to prevent anymisfortune on that ground, came forward on his personal guarantee,and became responsible until Parliament should again meet. Thefunds asked for by Wright, and even more, were granted; but Ibelieve it would puzzle the committee, to this day, to find whatbecame of them. One of the avowed objects was to purchase sheep;this, at least, was neglected. Hodgkinson fulfilled his missionzealously, and returned to Wright within as short a time aspossible. But Wright lingered inactively at Menindie, allowed theproper time for following out the track of Mr. Burke to glide awayand disgracefully broke faith with one who had too generouslytrusted him.
One word more with respect to Mr. Landells. His assertion, believedby no rational person at the time, and emphatically denounced byMr. Burke in his despatch as "false," that he had privateinstructions from the committee, rendering him in some respectsindependent of his leader, was utterly disproved by the evidence ofDr. Macadam, Honorary Secretary, related before the RoyalCommission, who said in reply to Question 110: "We gave Mr.Landells no private instructions whatever; that has been answeredover and over again."
From Menindie on the Darling to Torowoto.
Mr. Burke's Despatch, and Mr. Wills's Report from Torowoto.
Mr. Wright's unaccountable delay at Menindie.
The Expedition proceeds onwards to Cooper's Creek.
Exploring Trips in that neighbourhood.
Loss of three Camels.
Mr. Wills's Letter to his Sister, December 6th and 15th.
Incorrectness of McDonough's Statements.
THE incapables being happily disposed of, Mr. Burke and his partyleft Menindie on the 19th of October. The committee having decidedon Cooper's Creek as the basis of his operations, he pushed on inthat direction, and reached Torowoto on the 29th of the same month.From the latter encampment he forwarded the following despatch,including my son's surveying report.
Torowoto, October 29, 1860.
SIR,
I have the honour to report, that I left Menindie on the 19thinstant with the following party:--
Messrs. Burke, Wills, Brahe, Patten, McDonough, King, Gray,Dost Mahomet, fifteen horses and sixteen camels, and Mr. Wright, whohad kindly volunteered to show me a practical route towardsCooper's Creek, for a distance of a hundred miles from the Darling;and he has more than fulfilled his promise, for we have nowtravelled for upwards of 200 miles, generally through a finesheep-grazing country; and we have not had any difficulty aboutwater, as we found creeks, or waterholes, many of them having everyappearance of permanent water, at distances never exceeding twentymiles. Mr. Wills's report, herewith forwarded, gives all thenecessary details. Although travelling at the rate of twenty milesa day, the horses and camels have all improved in condition, andthe country improves as we go on. Yesterday, from Wanominta toPaldrumata Creek, we travelled over a splendid grazing country, andto-day, we are encamped on a creek or swamp, the banks of which arevery well grassed, and good feed all the way from our last camp(44), except for two miles, where the ground was barren and swampy.Of course it is impossible for me to say what effect an unusuallydry summer would produce throughout this country, or whether we arenow travelling in an unusually favourable season or not. I describethings as I find them.
Mr. Wright returns from here to Menindie. I informed him that Ishould consider him third officer of the expedition, subject to theapproval of the committee, from the day of our departure fromMenindie, and I hope that they will confirm the appointment. In themean time I have instructed him to follow me up with the remainderof the camels to Cooper's Creek, to take steps to procure a supplyof jerked meat, and I have written to the doctor to inform him thatI have accepted his resignation, as, although I was anxious toawait the decision of the committee, the circumstances will notadmit of delay, and he has positively refused to leave the settleddistricts. I am willing to admit that he did his best until hisfears for the safety of the party overcame him; but these fears, Ithink, clearly show how unfit he is for his post. If Mr. Wright isallowed to follow out the instructions I have given him, I amconfident that the result will be satisfactory; and if thecommittee think proper to make inquiries with regard to him theywill find that he is well qualified for the post, and that he bearsthe very highest character. I shall proceed on from here toCooper's Creek. I may, or may not, be able to send back from thereuntil we are followed up. Perhaps it would not be prudent to dividethe party; the natives here have told Mr. Wright that we shall meetwith opposition on our way there. Perhaps I might find it advisableto leave a depot at Cooper's Creek, and to go on with a small partyto examine the country beyond it.
Under any circumstances it is desirable that we should soon befollowed up. I consider myself very fortunate in having Mr. Willsas my second in command. He is a capital officer, zealous anduntiring in the performance of his duties, and I trust that he willremain my second as long as I am in charge of the expedition.
The men all conduct themselves admirably, and they are all mostanxious to go on; but the committee may rely upon it that I shallgo on steadily and carefully, and that I shall endeavour not tolose a chance or to run any unnecessary risk.
I have the honour to be, Sir,
Your most obedient servant,
R. O'HARA BURKE, Leader.,
P.S.--The two blacks and four horses go back with Mr. Wright.
The following is a list of the camps from Menindie to this place:--
October 19. Totoynya, a waterhole on the plains. . .Camp 35.
October 20. Kokriega, well in the Scope Ranges. . .Camp 36.
October 21. Bilpa Creek, do. . .Camp 37.
October 22. Botoja Clay-pans. . .Camp 38.
October 23. Langawirra Gully; Mount Doubeny Range. . .Camp 39.
October 24. Bengora Creek, Mount Doubeny Range. . .Camp 40.
October 25. Naudtherungee Creek. . .Camp 41.
October 26. Teltawongee Creek. . .Camp 42.
October 27. Wonominta Creek. . .Camp 43.
October 28. A clay-pan on the plains. . .Camp 44.
October 29. Torowoto Swamp...Camp 45.
Latitude, 30 degrees 1 minute 30 seconds south;
longitude, 142 degrees 27 minutes east.
October 30, 1860. Forwarded.
R. O'HARA BURKE, Leader.
Dr. Macadam, Secretary, Exploring Expedition.
FROM MR. WILLS, SECOND IN COMMAND, ASTRONOMER AND SURVEYOR OFTHEPARTY.
SURVEYOR'S REPORT.
The country, Bilbarka and Tolarno, in the immediate vicinity of theeastern bank of the River Darling, presents the most barren andmiserable appearance of any land that we have yet met with. Itconsists chiefly of mud flats, covered with polygonum bushes, boxtimber, and a few salsolaceous plants, of inferior quality. AboveTolarno there is a slight improvement, and between Kinchica andMenindie there is some fair grazing country. All agree in sayingthat there is fine grazing land back from the river; but the wantof water will probably prevent its being occupied, except in a verypartial manner, for many years; and I fear that the high sandridges, twenty to forty feet, and in some cases more than sixtyfeet above the level of the river banks, will form almostinsuperable barriers in the way of any one who may attempt toconduct water from the river by means of canals. It appears to me,from the information that I have been able to obtain, that thedifficulties with which settlers have here to contend arise not somuch from the absorbent nature of the soil as from the want ofanything to absorb. This last season is said to have been the mostrainy that they have had for several years; yet everything lookedso parched up that I should have imagined it had been anexceedingly dry one.
Gales.--I noticed that the forests for about 30 miles belowMenindie had been subjected to severe gales from west-north-west.This was so striking, that I at first thought it was the effect ofa hurricane; but I could find no indications of a whirling force,all the trees and branches lying in the same direction; besideswhich, they seemed to have been torn down at various times, fromthe different stages of decay in which they were found; and Mr.Wright has subsequently informed me that almost every spring theyhave a gale from west-north-west, which lasts but a short time, butcarries everything before it. It is this same strip of countrywhich is said to be more favoured with rain than that lower down.
Sand Drifting.--One can perceive everywhere in the neighbourhood ofMenindie, the effect of the winds in shifting the sand, by thenumerous logs in various stages of inhumation.
The Darling Pea.--It appears to be a disputed question, even on theriver, as to the effect of the Darling pea on horses, someasserting that they become cranky simply from eating that herb, andothers that it is starvation that makes them mad. I could get nosatisfactory information even as to the symptoms, which seem tovary considerably; but this I had from a reliable source, thathorses will eat the pea in large quantities without beinginjuriously affected, provided they can obtain other food as well;but that when they are on portions of the river where they can getnothing else to eat, then they soon get an attack of madness.
Menindie to Scrope Ranges.--The country between Menindie andKokriega, in the Scrope Ranges, a distance of thirty-six miles in anortherly direction, is a fine open tract of country, well grassed,but having no permanent water. At Kokriega there is a well whichmay be relied on for a small supply, but would be of no use inwatering cattle in large numbers. The ranges are composed offerruginous sandstone and quartz conglomerate, and as to vegetationare of a very uninviting aspect. The plain to the south is coveredwith quartz and sandstone pebbles. About five miles to thenorth-east of the Kokriega is a spot where the schist rock cropsout from under the sandstone, and the rises here have somewhat ofan auriferous character.
North of the Scrope Range.--To the north of the Scrope Range thecountry has much the same appearance, except that there are moretrees, and no stones until one reaches the Mount Doubeny Ranges, adistance of nearly forty miles. At a spot half way, named Botoga,there are some flats well calculated for collecting and retainingrain water.
Mount Doubeny Range.--In this range there are, no doubt, manyplaces where permanent water may be found in considerablequantities. Two places I may mention where the water is certainlypermanent--Mutwongee, a gully midway between camps 39 and 40; andBengora Creek, the latter camp.
Country North of Mount Doubeny.--From these ranges up to ourpresent position we have passed over as good grazing country as onewould wish to see; salt bushes of every kind, grass in abundance,and plenty of water. Amongst the ranges we found kangaroo grass ashigh as our shoulders, and on the plains the spear grass up to ourknees.
Naudtherungee Creek.--At this creek, which takes its rise nearMount Lyell, and probably flows into the McFarlane's Creek ofSturt, we found a small shallow pond of water, in the sandy bed ofthe creek. This did not look very promising, but on digging I foundthat the whole bed of the creek was a mass of loose sand, throughwhich the water freely permeated, and that the waterhole we foundwas only a spot where, the level of the surface of the sand beingbelow that of the water, the latter oozed through. I am informed byMr. Wright, who was here in January last, that the creek containedmuch more water then than now.
Country North of Naudtherungee Creek.--For a few miles to the northof this creek the ground is very sandy, and timbered with pines,acacias, and several descriptions of trees with which I amunacquainted. There are two very handsome trees that I have neverseen in any other part of the country--the leopard tree (called sofrom its spotted bark), and a tree which in general appearance muchresembles the poplar. On these sandhills the grass is very coarse,but in the flats there is good feed. Beyond the sand rises thecountry becomes more open again; and at about twelve or thirteenmiles one comes to quartz rises, from which there is a fine view tothe east, north, and west. Two creeks are distinctly visible by thelines of gum timber; they take their rise near some hills to theeastward, and passing around towards the north, join at a pointabout three miles north-west, from whence the resulting creekcontinues in a west-north-westerly direction, as far as the eye canreach. The hills are composed of an argillaceous schist. On severalof the lower rises, quartz reefs crop out, and some of the quartzwhich I examined had every appearance of being auriferous, exceptthe main one--the colour of the gold. There are some finewaterholes in the first creek (Teltawongee), but I cannot say forcertain that the water is permanent. The whole of the country fromhere to our next camp, a distance of twenty six miles, is thefinest I have seen for collecting and retaining water; and the onlyquestion as to a permanent supply of that essential liquid is,whether this part of the country is subject to long-continueddroughts; for the waterholes that we have met with are not largeenough to last for any great length of time, in the event of thecountry being stocked. At ten miles from Teltawongee, we came tothe Wonominta--a creek having all the characteristics ofwater-courses that take their rise in hills of schistoze formation.At first, the numberless small waterholes, without the trace of acreek connecting them, then the deep-cut narrow channel, with everyhere and there a fine waterhole. The banks of the creek are clothedwith high grass and marshmallows. The latter grow to an immensesize on nearly all the creeks out here.
The Wonominta Ranges are high, bare-looking hills, lying to theeastward of the creek; the highest peaks must be between two andthree thousand feet above the sea. The blacks say that there is nowater in them--an assertion that I can scarcely credit. They say,however, that there is a fine creek, with permanent water, to theeast of the ranges, flowing northwards. At the point of theWonominta Creek where we camped there is a continuous waterhole ofmore than a mile long, which, they say, is never dry. It is fromfifteen to twenty feet broad, and averages about five feet indepth, as near as I could ascertain. From this point, Camp 43, thecreek turns to the north-west and around to north, where it entersa swamp, named Wannoggin; it must be the same that Sturt crossed incoming across from Evelyn Plains. In going over to Wannoggin, adistance of fourteen miles, I found the plains everywhereintersected by small creeks, most of them containing water, whichwas sheltered from the sun by the overhanging branches of droopingshrubs, tall marshmallows, and luxuriant salt bushes; and at someof them were hundreds of ducks and waterhens. When crossing someflats of light-coloured clay soil, near Wannoggin, and which werecovered with box timber, one might almost fancy himself in anotherplanet, they were so arid and barren. The Wannoggin Swamp is atpresent dry, but I believe it is generally a fine place for water.Birds are very numerous about there, and I noticed that by far thegreater portion of the muslka trees (a species of acacia) containednests, either old or new.
At about twenty miles from Wonominta, in a north-north-easterlydirection, there is a fine creek, with a waterhole about a milelong, which we passed; and Mr. Wright tells me there is a largerone further up the creek.
The land in the neighbourhood of the Torowoto Swamp is very finefor pastoral purposes. It is rather low and swampy, and thereforebetter for cattle than for sheep. There appears to be a gradualfall in the land from Totoynya to this place, amounting to about500 feet. This swamp can scarcely be more than 600 feet above thesea, if so much. The highest ground over which we have passed hasbeen in the Mount Doubeny Ranges, from Langawirra to Bengora, andthat appears to be about 1000 feet above the sea. Mount Bengora is,by barometrical observation, about 300 feet above the camp atBengora, but it is not the highest peak in the range by perhapsfifty or sixty feet; and I think we may assume that the highestpeak does not exceed 1,500 feet above the sea.
Meteorogical.--We have been very fortunate up to the present timeas regards the weather, both in having had plenty of water andmoderate temperatures. The thermometer has never risen above 88.5degrees in the shade, and has seldom been below 50 degrees, theaverage daily range having been from 58 to 80 degrees. During ourstay on the Darling, the temperature of the water varied veryslightly, being always between 65 and 67 degrees. The winds havegenerally been light, frequently going all round the compass in thecourse of the day; but in any case it has almost invariably fallencalm after sunset. Cirri and cirrostratus clouds have been veryprevalent during the day, and cumulostratus during the night.
Wells and Creeks.--The temperature of the water in the well atKokriega, at ten A.M. October 21, was 58.5 degrees, being exactlythe same as the temperature of the air. That of the water betweenthe rocks, at Bilpa, at five P.M. on the same day, was 64 degrees,the temperature of air being 75 degrees. The temperature of thewater in the sand at Naudtherungee, at seven A.M. on the 26th, was59.5 degrees, that of the air being 62 degrees. At five A.M.October 28, the temperature of the water in Wonominta Creek was 63.5 degrees, that of the air being 62 degrees.
Note.--The temperature of the water is always taken within sixinches of the surface.
The Royal Commission of Inquiry censured Mr. Burke forthe appointment of Mr. Wright, without personal knowledge of him;and, judging by the lamentable results, a grave mistake it was. ButMr. Burke was placed in great difficulty by the resignation of Mr.Landells and Dr. Beckler, and acted to the best of his judgmentunder the circumstances, with the means at his disposal. Hisconfidence, too hastily bestowed, was repaid by ingratitude andcontumely. Wright never spoke of his commander without using termsof disparagement, and dwelling on his incapacity. "He was gone todestruction," he said, "and would lose all who were with him." Herepeated these words to me, and others even stronger, both inMelbourne and in Adelaide. McDonough, in his evidence before theRoyal Commission, was asked, "What did you say as to Mr. Wright'sdesponding?" He answered (436): "He always gave Mr. Burke up aslost; said he was neither gone to Queensland nor anywhere else; theman has rushed madly on, depending upon surface water, and is lostin the desert. He never gave us any hope for him; in fact, so muchso, that I offered to make a bet that he would be found atQueensland, or turn up somewhere."
It has been seen by Mr. Burke's despatch of the 29th of October,that he gave orders to Mr. Wright to follow him up to Cooper'sCreek with the remainder of the camels and supplies, withoutunnecessary delay. McDonough states (Answer 197) that Mr. Burkesaid to him, on the 15th of December, "I expect Mr. Wright up in afew days--a fortnight at farthest. I left him POSITIVE INSTRUCTIONSto follow me." King states (Answer 693) "that on the 16th ofDecember, Mr. Burke told the party 'he then expected Mr. Wrightdaily.'" Wright himself states in his evidence (Answer 1235), "Igave Mr. Burke my word that I would take the remainder of the partyout, as soon as I returned to Menindie."
A circumstance happened about this time, (December 1860), whichdelayed him, but not even that necessarily. Information reachedMelbourne that Mr. Stuart had nearly penetrated to the Gulf ofCarpentaria, more to the westward; that he had been driven back bythe natives, but would start again immediately. The Committeethought it advisable to forward the intelligence to Mr. Burke. Thiswas done by a despatch to Swan Hill, where Mr. Foster wassuperintendent of police. He accordingly sent on a trooper namedLyons, who followed in the track of the party, and arrived atMenindie just as Wright returned with his two natives, afterescorting the expedition to Torowoto. Lyons refused to give up thedespatch, as he had been ordered to place it in Mr. Burke's ownhands. Here was a plausible excuse for Wright, no doubt, so he sentMcPherson, a saddler by trade, who had been engaged en route by Mr.Burke, accompanied by Dick, a native, to assist Lyons in hispursuit of the leader. Had he put himself and the whole party inmotion at once, the subsequent misfortunes would have been averted.Lyons and McPherson lost their way, being quite unable to overtakeMr. Burke, who had eight days' start, travelling at the rate oftwenty miles a day. Neither had they ingenuity enough to find Mr.Burke's tracks, although accompanied by a native, which isinexplicable, if they trusted to Dick, who had both intelligenceand energy of purpose. He found his way back to Wright, however,and was thus the means of saving the lives of the trooper andMcPherson.
Hodgkinson, we have seen, was despatched by Wright to Melbourne,from Menindie, on the 19th of December, with letters assuming to bewritten by himself, but, in fact, by Hodgkinson. Whether thecommittee knew this does not appear: if they did not, here was onereason for confirming Wright's appointment. Hodgkinson reachedMelbourne on the morning of the 30th, riding nearly four hundredmiles in eleven days. A meeting of the committee was called onMonday, the 31st, at which his Excellency attended, and Hodgkinsonstarted on his return the same evening. This certainly wasbusiness. Nearly double the sum that he had asked was allowed toWright, in cash. From the 5th of November, he lingered at Menindie,until the 19th of December, doing nothing. He says he was waitingfor an answer to a letter he had previously sent. Dr. Macadam, theSecretary, denies that he ever received such a letter. Wright ishere unworthy of credit, for he could not write. This was extractedfrom himself, after considerable fencing, in his examination beforethe Commission on the 12th of December, 1861:--
MR. WM. WRIGHT further examined.
Question 1565. There is evidently some discrepancy betweenthe statement that you wrote yourself on the 5th of November, whenyou came back, and the statement of Dr. Macadam that no such letterwas ever received. This letter of yours of the 19th of December, isit written by yourself?--The one I sent myself?
1566. The one of the 19th of December, is it in your ownhandwriting?--The one that is missing?
1567. No; this one [handing a paper to the witness]?--No, it isnot; Hodgkinson did all the writing.
1568. Did he write the one that is stated to be missing?--No, hedid not.
1569. You wrote that one?--I wrote that with my own hand. I justwrote a few words.
1570. Could your memory serve you sufficiently to write the purportof that letter that is missing?--It would not.
1571. Nothing approaching to it?--I never thought for a moment ofkeeping a copy of it, or of giving it to Hodgkinson to keep a copy.
1572. Have you no recollection of the general purport of it?--Ijust mentioned that Mr. Burke had appointed me to take the partyout and take the command; that is about the heads of it.
1573. Have you any objection to write a letter similar to that one,as nearly as you can remember it?--No. I write a very indifferenthand.
1574. Which was the reason, it is to be presumed, why you got someone to write the letter of the 19th?--Yes.
Hodgkinson arrived at Menindie on the 9th of January, 1861, andimmediately placed in Wright's hands the following letter:--
Melbourne, December 31st.
SIR,
Your despatch of the 19th instant, forwarded per Mr. Hodgkinson, waslaid before a meeting of the members of the Exploration Committeeheld this day, when the following resolutions were carriedunanimously:
1. That a letter be forwarded to Mr. Wright, informing him that hisappointment as third in command of the Victorian Expedition, by Mr.Burke, has been approved of and confirmed by this committee.
2. That Mr. Wright, third officer of the Victorian Expedition, beempowered to procure a number of horses (not more than ten), andthe necessary accoutrements; and also one hundred and fifty (say150) sheep, and be authorized to draw on the treasurer, theHonourable David E. Wilkie, M.D., M.L.C., for an amount notexceeding four hundred (say 400) pounds sterling, for theirpurchase, and other necessary incidental expenses.
I have further to inform you that Mr. Hodgkinson, who returns asthe bearer of this despatch, will hand you an order from Mr.Superintendent Foster, of Swan Hill, to obtain from trooper Lyonsthe despatches for the leader, now in the possession of thatofficer, and which it is desired you should hand to Mr. Burke.
It is hoped by the committee, that trooper Lyons and saddlerMacpherson have safely returned to the camp, and you will kindlyreport as to the manner in which the former has endeavoured tocarry out the duty committed to his charge.
The medal for Dick, the aboriginal guide, bearing a suitableinscription, is forwarded with this despatch, and the committeeleave in your hands the bestowal of such additional reward as youmay deem proper--not exceeding five guineas (say 5 pounds 5shillings.)
Captain Cadell informed the committee to-day that his store atMenindie would be at your service for depositing any articles youmay find it inconvenient to remove to Cooper's Creek at present.
You will endeavour to secure, if possible, twelve pommelpack-saddles, now arrived, it is believed, on the Darling. Thesewere forwarded via Adelaide, and will no doubt be of great use tothe main party.
The committee desire that on your meeting with Mr. Burke, you willshow him, and deposit with him, this despatch, as also a copy ofyours of the 19th instant, together with copies of all despatchesyou may forward to the committee during Mr. Burke's absence; andthe committee expect that you will communicate under suchcircumstances as frequently as possible.
Mr. Hodgkinson bears letters for the leader and Mr. Wills.
In conclusion, it is hoped that your endeavours to remove thestores from your present depot to Cooper's Creek will be early andsuccessfully accomplished.
I have the honour to be, sir,
Your obedient servant,
(Signed) JOHN MACADAM, M.D., Secretary.
To Mr. Wright, third in command, temporary depot, Plurarmora Creek,Darling River, New South Wales.
Nothing can be clearer than the instructions herein conveyed; yet inthe face of them, Wright made no start until the 26th of January.His answers to the Royal Commission were full of contradictions,but to the main question of his delay he gave no answer at all.From my own inquiries I never could make out that any one atMenindie thought him fit for the post, or undertook to recommendhim. Captain Cadell did to the committee, but with Mr. Burke,Captain Cadell was not on speaking terms.
Mr. Burke and my son proceeded onwards, accompanied by the reducedparty, consisting of Brahe, King, Gray, Patten, McDonough, and DostMahomet, fifteen horses and sixteen camels, on the 29th ofSeptember, 1860, and reached Cooper's Creek on the 11th ofNovember, a distance of about 250 miles. Here my son went outoccasionally, taking a man with him, to explore the country, farand near. His great desire was to reach Carpentaria by the shortestpracticable cut, and he inclined to a direct northern course, or tothe eastward of north. The committee represented afterwards, asprominently as they could put it, that Mr. Burke was leftunshackled on this point, but still suggestions were offered, whicha leader naturally considers he is expected to listen to. One ofthese was, that on leaving Cooper's Creek they should proceedtowards Eyre's Creek and Sturt's Farthest (September, 1845); forwhich I refer the reader to the map. My son could not see thewisdom of this, as Sturt had declared that beyond that point he sawnothing but an impenetrable desert. McDouall Stuart's return toAdelaide was also reported, and that he was about to start again:it therefore became a rival race as to who should reach the goalfirst.
With reference to my son's exploration trips during the halt atCooper's Creek, Mr. Brahe, on his examination before the RoyalCommission, gave the following particulars:--
We travelled down the creek; our first camp on Cooper's Creekwas Camp 57; from some of the first camps Mr. Wills went outexploring the creek.
Question 148. How long did you remain at the first camp?--Onenight; at the second camp, two days; and at the third camp, twodays; and from each camp Mr. Wills went down tracing the creek.
149. And you remained two days at each camp for three camps downthe creek?--Yes.
150. Was the third camp the final camp formed on the creek?--No, atthe 63rd camp the first depot was formed. We remained there afortnight.
151. At the 63rd camp?--Yes, that would be the fifth or sixth campon the creek.
152. What were you doing that fortnight?--Mr. Wills was exploringthe country to the north; Mr. Burke was out with him once; Mr.Burke was out with me first, and we could not go far enough withhorses, not finding any water away from the camp.
153. How far did you go?--About twenty-five miles straight; theweather being very hot we could not go further: we had to returnthe second day to the camp.
151. Then Mr. Wills went out by himself?--He went ninety miles; hetook McDonough with him and three camels.
155. And he lost one of his camels, did he not?--He lost the threeand returned on foot.
156. Was he much weakened by that journey?--Not Mr. Wills.
157. But McDonough was?--Rather.
158. Did they suffer from want of food as well as want of water?--No, only from want of water.
159. How long did you remain after that before there was a finalstart again?--I believe we started two or three days after that.Mr. Wills went out a second time from that camp with King and onlytwo camels to bring down those things that he had left where helost the camels.
160. How far was that from the creek?--Ninety miles.
161. And he went out with King and two camels for the things thathe had left behind when he lost his camels and brought them back?--Yes; and on the same day, or the day after, when Mr. Wills wentout on that second journey, Mr. Burke removed the depot to thelower place.
162. Did those camels lost by Mr. Wills ever turn up?--I believetwo of them have been found near Adelaide.
163. In the meantime you went down to the last depot?--Yes.
164. How long did you remain there?--Mr. Burke started from thereabout five or six days after Mr. Wills returned from that secondjourney.
My son gives his own account of the exploration when the camels werelost, in the following letter to his sister:--
Cooper's Creek, December 6th, 1860. Latitude 27 degrees 36 minutes,Longitude 141 degrees 30 seconds.
MY DEAR BESSY,
You must excuse my writing with a pencil; ink dries so rapidly thatit is a nuisance to use it. We have been here now about threeweeks, and shall, I expect, make a start northwards in about afortnight. Our journey to this point has been interesting, but notin any particular that you will care much about. Our party hereconsists of eight men, sixteen camels, and fourteen horses. Weexpect the rest of the men and camels up in a few weeks. Everythinghas been very comfortable so far; in fact, more like a picnic partythan a serious exploration: but I suppose we shall have some littledifficulties to contend with soon. I had an intimation of somethingof the kind a few days ago, having been out reconnoitring thecountry to the north for three days, with one man and three camels,and had found no water, so that the animals were very thirsty, andon the third night managed to get away from us, leaving us abouteighty miles from the main camp, without hay or water, except whatremained of that which we had brought with us; so here was nothingfor it, but to walk home as soon as we could, carrying as muchwater as possible, to be drunk on the way. After searching about inorder to be sure that the camels had gone home, we started at abouthalf-past seven, and were lucky enough to find a creek with somewater in it about ten miles on, where we remained until evening;for it is dry work travelling in the middle of the day, with thethermometer varying from 90 to 105 degrees in the shade, and about140 degrees in the sun. Well, we started again in the evening andwalked until between nine and ten P.M.; and again at three A.M. andpushed on until midday. We then went on from five P.M., as before,until nine P.M.; and then from two A.M., and reached the camp atnine A.M., having walked more than eighty miles in rather less thanfifty hours, including sleeping, feeding, and all stoppages. Wefound no water all the way, except what I have mentioned above, sothat, as you may imagine, we ran rather short towards the end ofour journey, having not quite half a pint left between us. When westopped to rest the second night, it had been blowing a hot windall day, with the thermometer at 107 degrees in the shade. Thismade us require more water than usual. I can assure you there isnothing like a walk of this sort to make one appreciate the valueof a drink of cold water. We feel no inclination for anything else,and smack our lips over a drop such as you would not think oftasting, with as much relish as ever any one did over the bestsherry or champagne. I have enjoyed myself so far. It is now nearlyfour months since we left Melbourne, and you will see by the mapthat we are about half-way across the continent. I hope by the timethat this reaches you we shall not only have been entirely across,but back here again, and possibly on our way to Melbourne. There isno probability of the expedition lasting two or three years. Iexpect to be in town again within twelve months from the time ofstarting. I enclose a few chrysanthemums from the Australiandesert. I know you will highly prize them. To give you an idea ofCooper's Creek, fancy extensive flat, sandy plains, covered withherbs dried like hay, and imagine a creek or river, somewhatsimilar in appearance and size to the Dart above the Weir, windingits way through these flats, having its banks densely clothed withgum trees and other evergreens:--so far there appears to be aconsiderable resemblance, but now for the difference. The water ofCooper's Creek is the colour of flood-water in the Dart; the latteris a continuous running stream; Cooper's Creek is only a number ofwaterholes. In some places it entirely disappears, the water inflood-time spreading all over the flats and forming no regularchannel. The flies are very numerous, so that one can do nothingwithout having a veil on; and whilst eating the only plan is towear goggles.
His next letter is written with ink:--
December 15th.
DEAR BESSY,
Since scribbling the above, I have been up to the place fromwhence I had the walk I mentioned. The camels did not get away thistime. We have shifted our quarters to a better place, about twentymiles down the creek. To-morrow we start for Eyre's Creek, abouttwo hundred miles towards the Una. There have been heavythunderstorms towards the north, and I hope we shall find plenty ofwater. If so, I shall soon be able to send you a good long letterwithout resorting to the use of a pencil. I wish I could send mammaa few lines, but she must read yours and fancy it written to her: Ihave not even time to send a line to my father. Tell mamma that Iam getting into that robust state of health that I always enjoywhen in the bush; a tremendous appetite, and can eat anything. Oneof our chief articles of consumption is horseflesh: it is verynice; you would scarcely know it from beef. Give my love to all, and
Believe me,
Ever your affectionate brother,
WILLIAM J. WILLS.
Here we find my son, between the 1st and 15th of December,travelling about five hundred miles, and walking from eighty toninety. McDonough, in his examination, gave altogether a falsifiedaccount respecting the loss of the camels, as he also made abombastic statement of his great intimacy with Mr. Burke. The realtruth is, that McDonough was the least trustworthy of the party. Hewould not have been taken by my son, but in the morning Mr. Burkehad volunteered to accompany him, so that McDonough would not havebeen left alone; but after travelling a short distance, Mr. Burkedid not feel well, and returned. At the place mentioned by my sonas having dismounted, he told McDonough that he wished to make someobservations, and was going to a rising ground at a distance; thatthe camels should feed, but he was not to lose sight of them for aninstant. Instead of attending to his instructions, McDonough set towork to light a fire and boil his pannikin. Perhaps he went tosleep; for he pointed out some stunted bushes in the distance andsaid they were the camels. My son then sent him to search for them,but they could not be found. King, the only survivor of the party,on his examination, said:--
Mr. Wills told me that the camels were lost throughMcDonough's neglect during the time he was writing and takingobservations.
Question 1737. McDonough never disputed that, did he?--McDonoughtold me that it was while they were at supper in the evening; but Ido not see how that could be, because they generally took supper,and ourselves, about six o'clock; and it was so dark that theycould not see the camels, so that they were most likely lost whenMr. Wills was taking observations.
Mr. Burke, in his report from Cooper's Creek, dated Decemberthe 13th, says:--"Mr. Wills, upon one occasion, travelled ninetymiles to the north, without finding water, when his camels escaped,and he and the man who accompanied him were obliged to return onfoot, which they accomplished in forty-eight hours. Fortunately,upon their return they found a pool of water. The three camels havenot yet been recovered. . .Mr. Wills co-operates cordially with me.He is a most zealous and efficient officer."
King, in the course of his evidence stated as follows:--
Question 667. What did you do when you got to Cooper's Creek;did you go on any of these expeditions with Mr. Burke or Mr. Wills?--Yes; when Mr. Burke made our first depot at the creek, Mr. Burke,Mr. Wills, and McDonough started one morning to try and find watersome distance to the north. Mr. Burke seemed not to be well, andreturned after going a mile or so, and so McDonough and Mr. Willscontinued, and were away some few days; I do not know the exactnumber of days; they lost the camels (three in number) and had toreturn to the depot on foot.
668. After a few days?--Yes; after a few days.
669. Did you go out yourself on that expedition?--Not then; a fewdays after, Mr. Burke, Mr. Wills, and myself went to a distance ofabout seventy miles north; we could not find water; Mr. Wills foundwater when he and McDonough went before.
670. Did you go the same track as they did?--Yes; but I do not knowhow Mr. Wills could not find it; he seemed not to recognize theplace.
671. Did you lose any horses or camels then?--None; we just rested,and Mr. Wills and myself went the third time, and found the waterat a distance of about ninety miles to the north, and we also hadto bring the camel saddles, and riding saddles, which Mr. Burkeintended to take with him across the continent.
Mr. Wills's Survey of the line of Country pursued by theExpedition, from Torowoto Swamp to Cooper's Creek.
The following reports, which were duly forwarded and published,contain interesting particulars of the country traversed, and theobservations made between Torowoto and Cooper's Creek. They wereaccompanied by a tracing, which is shown on the map.
Camp 65, Depot, Cooper's Creek, December 15th, 1860.
SIR,
I have had the honour to place in the hands of our leader, fortransmission to the committee, my third report, and a tracing,showing the country traversed since my last was written. I regretthat I have been unable to devote as much attention to either as Icould have desired; but I have no doubt the committee will make dueallowance for my want of time, and the inconveniences attending theexecution of such work in our present position.
I have, etc.
WILLIAM J. WILLS, Surveyor and Assistant Observer.
(To) The Honorary Secretary of the Exploration Committee.
(Forwarded). Depot, December 16, 1860.
As Mr. Wills's report, with which I fully concur, contains all thenecessary details with regard to the state of the country throughwhich we passed, I have not referred to the subject in mine.
R. O'HARA BURKE, Leader.
(To) The Honorary Secretary of the Exploration Committee.
The accompanying tracing will show the course taken by theexpedition party from the Torowoto Swamp, in latitude 30 degrees 1minute 30 seconds south, longitude 142 degrees 36 minutes east, tothe depot on Cooper's Creek, Camp 65, latitude 27 degrees 37minutes 8 seconds south, longitude 141 degrees 6 minutes east.
Water supply between Torowoto and Wright's Creek.--The countrytraversed to the north of the Torowoto Swamp, and lying betweenthat place and Wright's Creek, is neither so well grassed norwatered as that to the south of the Swamp; the land fallsconsiderably as far as Cangapundy, and a great extent of it issubject to inundation. Nearly all the water met with was thick andmuddy: it was met with in small clay pans, most of which wouldprobably be dry in three weeks. This applies to all the places atwhich we found water, with the exception of Cannilta, Cangapundy,--and the four waterholes to the south of Wright's Creek.
Cannilta.--Cannilta is a waterhole of good clear water in a smallrocky creek which runs out on the low mud flats and swampy groundlying between Altoka and Tangowoko: it is situated in latitude 29degrees 26 minutes 42 seconds south, longitude 142 degrees 40minutes east, by account, nearly a mile from the north-westernmostpoint of the swampy ground. This point may be distinguished by thegrowth of a coarse kind of reedy grass, which does not make itsappearance on the southern portion of the swamp or lake. The waterin the hole was only two or three feet deep, but is well shaded bybox trees, and will probably last two or three months. Thetemperature of the surface of the water at seven A.M., 2nd ofNovember, was 60.5 degrees; that of the air being at the same time60 degrees.
The Cangapundy Swamp.--The Cangapundy Swamp is an extensive tractof low clay land, which bears the appearance, as regards thevegetation of its banks, of having a tolerably permanent supply ofwater; but, unless some portions of the swamp are much deeper thanwhere we passed, the water could not last throughout a dry season.The banks of the swamp are densely clothed with grasses,marshmallows, polygonum bushes, and shrubs, which shelter numerouskinds of waterfowl and snakes.
Character of Land.--It will be seen by the tracing that a largeproportion of the land between Torowoto and Wright's Creek iscomposed of low mud plains and clay flats, subject to inundation.Most of these are devoid of vegetation of any kind, and otherscarry some stunted salt bushes and coarse grasses, which appear tobe struggling between life and death. Bounding the mud-flats aregenerally some stony rises well grassed and sometimes lightlytimbered. The more elevated plains are sandy, and support a finesupply of healthy salt bushes, as well as here and there a fewgrasses. On the rises to the south-south-east of Cannilta may beseen great quantities of quartz rock, forming dykes in the schistrises: the latter in some places adjoin, and run into hills ofloose stone, having the appearance of indurated clay. FromCangapundy to Wright's Creek the ground is light-coloured, and of aclayey nature: it forms a series of dry clay-pans, separated fromone another by low sandy banks, on which the vegetation was freshand green. At about seventeen miles from the former place are threelarge holes with water from two to three feet deep in the deepestpart, and at six miles further another large one which might almostbe termed a lake, being nearly 1000 links square. About these therewere some lines of sandhills running about north-east andsouth-west; and in one of the flats between the sandhills I foundseveral pieces of satin spar in lumps of the size of one's hand,partially buried in the ground, and all of them with the plane ofcleavage nearly perpendicular with the surface to the ground.
Balloo, or Wright's Creek.--The lower portion of Wright's Creek,called by the natives "Balloo," is situated in latitude 28 degrees48 minutes south, and longitude 142 degrees 53 minutes east byaccount. At this point, the creek, after breaking into severalsmall channels, runs out on a grassy plain, the water running in asoutherly direction, probably until it meets that from the Torrensand other creeks at the Cangapundy Swamp. There was plenty of waterin this part of the creek when we passed, but I cannot speak to itspermanence. The banks are well lined with box timber, as well aswith marshmallows and wild spinach: the land on either sideconsists of well-grassed sandy rises. At four or five miles abovethis, the creek is a narrow, dry, sandy watercourse, windingthrough a grassy valley, which everywhere presents indications ofthe most violent floods. Beyond this is an extensive grassy plain;and for three or four miles scarcely a trace of the creek could beseen. We then came to a clump of trees, amongst which were twolarge waterholes surrounded by polygonum bushes, and containinggreat numbers of small fish. These holes appear to be permanent. Wefound about sixty blacks camped here. Above these waterholes, whichare together about half a mile long, the creek again disappears onthe plain. The land for the next ten or twelve miles in anorth-north-easterly direction is very fine for pastoral purposes,being alternately grassy plains and ridges. At twelve or thirteenmiles we crossed the creek where it has cut for itself a deepnarrow channel, the banks of which are densely timbered and wellgrassed, but the waterholes are small, and contained very littlewater. For a distance of six miles the creek is of a veryinsignificant character. It appears to be divided into severalbranches, which traverse clay flats badly grassed. Here and thereare some lines of low sandy rises, with plenty of feed on them. Allthe watercourses are distinctly marked by lines of box timber. Atabout nine miles from where we crossed the creek, and aftertraversing some loose polygonum ground, which was covered withmussel shells and a shell resembling a periwinkle, we came to abranch of the creek containing a splendid waterhole 150 links broadand about half a mile long. A little above this the creek againdisappears for a short distance, and then there is a long narrowchannel of undoubtedly permanent water, being nearly four feet deepin the shallowest places; it is only on an average about fiftylinks broad, and well sheltered by overhanging box trees. Thetemperature of the water on the morning of the 7th November, at sixo'clock, was 68 degrees; the temperature of the air at the sametime being 50.5 degrees. Our camp at this place is indicated by abox tree marked B over LII in square, the geographical position ofwhich is by account 28 degrees 26 minutes 9 seconds south latitude,and longitude 143 degrees 0 minutes east. In proceeding from herein a north-north-easterly direction up the course of the creek, orrather of the water, for the creek is again lost on the plains forfive or six miles, we passed the southernmost point of a prominentsandstone range, the nearest portion of which lay about a mile anda half to the westward. At about nine miles we again touched thecreek, where it is about three chains broad. The banks are firm andshelving, from ten to twelve feet above the water, and lined withbox, acacias, some large gums, gigantic marshmallows, polygonum,etc. In the creek there is abundance of fish, and the ducks andother waterfowl on it are numberless. From what we have seen of theblacks, I should say the population cannot be far short of 150, andit might be considerably more. From here we proceeded in aneast-north-easterly direction along the west bank of this finewaterhole, and at two and a half miles found it begin rapidly todecrease in breadth, and a little further on there was nothing buta few small stony watercourses traversing a dense box forest: atthis point there is a level bed of sandstone pebbles, close to andover a part of which the creek flows. The blacks have here gone tothe trouble of making paths for themselves, along which we turnedoff from the creek on a north-north-easterly course, and at aboutthree miles, coming on earthy plains, with no signs of water ahead,we again turned in to the creek and camped at a small waterhole.From here the line of river timber continues in a north-easterlydirection. To the west and north-north-west is a line of sandstoneranges running off in the same direction. The land in the immediatevicinity of the creek on the west side is very poorly grassed allthe way up from where we crossed it: that on the east side appearedto be better.
I think there can scarcely be a doubt but that this creek is thelower portion of the Warrego River, although I believe that itsmain supply of water is obtained from the adjoining ranges, whichsend down innumerable creeks into the flats through which it flows.
Some latitude observations at Camp 53, (the furthest point to whichwe traced the creek) placed us in 28 degrees 16 minutes 40 secondssouth; our latitude, by account, being 28 degrees 17 minutes 8seconds, and longitude, 143 degrees 18 minutes east. On Thursday,November 8th, we left Wright's Creek with the intention of crossingthe ranges to Cooper's Creek. We found the land as we approachedthe hills well grassed, and in some places densely timbered: it isintersected by numerous watercourses with deep sandy channels, inmost of which there seemed little chance of finding water. Wecamped at a waterhole in McDonagh's Creek; the spot is indicated bya gum tree marked B over LIV within square.
De Rinsy's Tracks.--Near here we found the tracks of drays; therewere four distinct tracks, two of which appeared to be those ofheavy horse drays, the other two might have been made by light onesor ring carts; we were unable to make out the tracks of the horsesor cattle. I cannot imagine what tracks these are, unless they maybe those of De Rinsy, who, I believe, had some drays with him, andreported that he had been somewhere in this direction. From Camp 54to Camp 55 we were obliged to take a very circuitous route onaccount of the rugged and stony nature of the ranges, which weremore extensive than we had anticipated. They stretch away far tothe north and north-north-west, and although we kept well out tothe north-west we were unable to avoid the low stony rises whichadjoin them.
On the north-west side of the hills we crossed two dry creeks whichflow in a north-north-easterly direction; their banks are thinlylined with box trees, and the holes in them were quite dry. Fromthis we took a west-north-westerly course, across an undulatingcountry covered with sandstone, quartz, and (magnetic) ironstonepebbles, so densely and firmly set together in some places as tohave the appearance of an old-fashioned pavement. At about threemiles, we had to change our course to north-west, to avoid a spurof the high range on our left. At two miles further we came to agrassy flat through which ran a fine-looking creek, but the bed wassandy and quite dry; there were, however, a good many small birdsabout here, which would indicate that there must be water in theneighbourhood. We here again changed our course to west-north-west,and at six miles camped at a dry stony creek, having travelledabout eight-and-twenty miles over the worst ground that we hadyet met with. On the morning of the 10th we continued on awest-north-westerly course, across stony ground of the same natureas that passed during the previous day; but at a distance of fivemiles we turned to west quarter south, as the ranges appeared to beas low in that direction as in the other; and as they ran nearlynorth-north-west there seemed a chance of sooner getting out ofthem, which we did at a distance of about eight miles more.
From the point at which we emerged from these ranges the view wasas follows:--From south-west nearly up to north-west were extensiveplains, as far as the eye could reach, intersected by numerouslines of timber, the general direction of which was aboutnorth-north-west. Several columns of smoke were visible along theselines, some of which had the appearance of camp and others of bushfires. From north-west to north were lines of ranges running in anorth-westerly direction, and in the valley between us and thefirst spur was a fine line of timber, indicating the course of whatappeared to be a large creek, probably the recipient of all thesmall creeks that we had crossed during the morning; in every otherdirection there was nothing to be seen but timbered sandstoneranges. At noon we crossed a small creek running nearly north: thegrass had been burnt on its banks. About half a mile beyond it wasanother creek of a more promising appearance, and as we approachedit we saw several crows, as well as other birds, in the trees. Wehere found a small hole with the water fast drying up; it containeda lot of young fish about half an inch long, and just sufficientwater to replenish our water bags and give the horses a drink;below it the creek took a north-north-westerly course, and was dryand sandy for a distance of two miles and a half, at which point wefound some large but shallow holes of milky-looking water. On theplains near these holes we found large flocks of pigeons. The grasswas very coarse and dry, and the water would probably not last morethan a few weeks.
Horse Tracks.--On the plains to the east of the creek were thetracks of a single horse, which had evidently crossed when theground was very soft, and gone in a south-westerly direction.
Position of Water.--The waterholes are situated in latitude 27degrees 51 south, longitude 142 degrees 40 minutes east, by accountfrom Camp 55. From here a course of west half south took us in adistance of about twenty miles to Cooper's Creek, which we firststruck in latitude 27 degrees 49 minutes south, longitude 142degrees 20 minutes east. The land through which we passed on the11th was so low and wooded as to prevent me from seeing thedirection of the ranges; the first five or six miles was tolerablyopen. We then came to a box forest, where the soil was loose andearthy, similar to polygonum ground; there were in every directionsigns of heavy floods and frequent inundations. We crossed severalsmall watercourses, in one of which there was a hole of rathercreamy water, at which we halted for an hour. From the waterhole wequite unexpectedly obtained a rather fine fish, about eight incheslong, of the same description as the young ones we had found inBrahe's Creek.
Cooper's Creek.--At the point at which we first struck Cooper'sCreek it was rocky, sandy, and dry; but about half a mile furtherdown we came to some good waterholes, where the bed of the creekwas very boggy, and the banks richly grassed with kangaroo andother grasses. The general course is a little north of west, but itwinds about very much between high sand hills. The waterholes arenot large, but deep, and well shaded, both by the steep banks andthe numerous box trees surrounding them. The logs and bushes highupon the forks of the trees, tell of the destructive floods towhich this part of the country has been subjected, and that at novery distant period, as may be seen by the flood marks on trees ofnot more than five or six years' growth.
From Camp 57 we traced the creek in a west-north-westerly directionabout six miles. It then runs out among the sand hills, the waterflowing by various small channels in a south-westerly direction.The main channel, however, continues nearly south until it is loston an extensive earthy plain covered with marshmallows andchrysanthemums.
Creek.--In one of the valleys between the sand hills, at a distanceof about ten miles in a south-westerly direction, we found ashallow waterhole where a creek is formed for a short distance, andis then lost again on the earthy plain beyond. West by north andwest from here, about twelve miles, there are some splendid sheetsof water, in some places two and three chains broad; the banks welltimbered, but the land in the neighbourhood so loose and rottenthat one can scarcely ride over it. I expect this is the reason whywe saw no blacks about here, for it must be worse for them to walkover than the stony ground. From Camp 60 the general course of thecreek is north-west, but it frequently disappears on the earthyplains for several miles, and then forms into waterholes againfiner than before. At our first depot, Camp 63, in latitude 27degrees 36 minutes 15 seconds south, longitude 141 degrees 30minutes east, there is a fine hole about a mile long, and on anaverage one chain and a half broad. It exceeds five feet in deptheverywhere that I tried it, except within three or four feet of thebank. Two or three miles above this camp we saw the first melaburusgrowing around the waterholes, some of them as large as a moderatesize gum tree.
Earthy Flat.--The feed in the vicinity of Camp 63 isunexceptionable, both for horses and camels but the herbage on thecreek generally down to this point is of a very inferior quality;the grasses are very coarse, and bear a very small proportion tothe other plants. By far the chief portion of the herbage consistsof chrysanthemums and marshmallows; the former, to judge from theirdried-up powdery state, can contain very little nourishment,although some of the horses and camels eat them with great relish;the latter, I need hardly mention, are at this time of the yearmerely withered sticks. A few small salsolaceous plants are to befound on some of the flats, but they are scarcely worth mentioning.In some places where the bed of the creek is shallow and dry, thereis an abundance of good grass and rushes of several kinds. Thepolygonum bushes are also fresh and good, in such places.
Stony Rises.--The stony rises are generally bare and barren; butsome of those on the north side of the creek carry a fair crop oflight grass.
Sand Hills.--Wherever there are sand banks or ridges the feed isalmost invariably good; the salt bush is healthy and abundant, andthere are a variety of plants on which cattle would do well. Forcamels, these hills are particularly well adapted, for there isscarcely a plant grows on them that they will not eat, with theexception of porcupine grass; but there is very little of thatuntil one gets many miles back from the creek.
Character of Ground.--I have mentioned three distinct kinds ofground--the earthy plains, the stony rises, and the sand ridges.The latter, which is by far the most agreeable whether fortravelling on, for feed, or in respect to the freedom from flies,ants, musquitoes, and rats, is simply a series of hills composed ofblown sand of a red colour, very fine, and so compactly set thatthe foot does not sink in it much. In some places the ridges havea uniform direction, in others the hills are scattered aboutwithout any regularity; the average direction of the ridges isnorth-north-east and south-south-west. In the valleys between thehills, are shallow clay plains, in which the water rapidlycollects, even after slight showers; but when full they seldomexceed five or six inches in depth, so that in summer they are soondry again.
Stony Rises.--The stony ground, in contradistinction to thesandstone ranges, appears to have been formed from the detritus ofthe latter, deposited in undulating beds of vast extent. Thegreater portion of this ground appears almost level when one is onit, but when viewed from a distance the undulations are verydistinct; the stones are chiefly water-worn pebbles of sandstone,quartz, and iron-stone; in some places the rises approach morenearly to the nature of the sandstone ranges, and here the stonesare less water-worn, and are mixed with large blocks of rock. Ifound the magnetic polarity to be very distinct in some of theironstone pebbles on these rises.
Earthy Plains.--The earthy plains which are such an importantgeological feature in this part of the country, will, I fear,greatly interfere with its future occupation. When dry they are sointersected by chasms and cracks that it is in some placesdangerous for animals to cross them, and when wet they would bequite impassable. Cattle would, perhaps, do well on them for sometime after an inundation, and the ground might improve after havingbeen stocked. The boggy nature of the banks of the creeks passingthrough this ground would be another impediment to settlers, fromthe losses of cattle that it would sometimes entail. To furnish anidea of the danger in that respect, I may mention that there areplaces where, for a distance of two or three miles, neither abullock nor a horse could get to the water with safety, and it waswith difficulty that we could approach it ourselves; the safestspots are at the lower end of the waterhole, where the creeks runout on the plains. A peculiar geological feature that I have neverseen so strongly exhibited elsewhere is, that the watercourses onthese plains have a strong tendency to work away to the south andsouth-west; the fall of the ground, as shown by the flow of theflood water, being to the west and north-west. I found that atalmost every place where a portion of the creek ran out, the smallbranches into which it split before disappearing, struck off atnearly right angles to the creek, and that the flow of the water onthe level plain was invariably in a west or north-westerlydirection; whereas the creeks generally had a course considerablyto the south and west, more especially before running out. Thebranch creeks and waterholes are always lined with box trees andpolygonum bushes; they are generally situated between or nearsandhills, and have doubtless been formed by the rush of waterconsequent on the interference of these hills by the general flow.In some places the direction of the sand ridges was the course ofthe creeks, trending to the southward; but I allude to the tendencyas exhibited on the open plain, with no sand ridges near the creek.
Country to the north of Camp 63,--Cooper's.--During our stay atCamp 63, from which spot we found it necessary to remove forseveral reasons, but chiefly because the rats attacked our storesin such numbers that we could keep nothing from them, unless bysuspending it in the trees, four excursions were made to the northof that place in search of a practicable route to the Gulf. Thefirst attempt was made with horses, which were soon knocked up fromthe strong nature of the ground and the want of water; the otherswe made with camels, by the help of which the country was wellexamined to a distance of nearly ninety miles. Water was found attwo places at distances of about seventy and seventy-three milesnorth of the creek, but it was fast drying up, and would not lastbeyond Christmas. No blacks were seen, but a column of smoke wasobserved to the north-north-east, at a distance of about fifteenmiles, as ascertained by some bearings, from the point at which weturned back. The chief portion of the land traversed consists ofland-dunes and flats of the same nature, the latter clothed withporcupine grass, the former with salt bushes, grasses, and avariety of shrubs, sometimes intermixed with mesembryanthemums andporcupine grass. The sandy ground is bounded on either side bysandstone ranges, from which numerous small creeks flow east andwest until they are lost in small flats and clay pans amongst thesand hills. Their course is marked by an acacia, which is somewhatanalogous in its general characteristics to the common wattle; afew are favoured with some box trees, but we only found water inone. The whole country has a most deplorably arid appearance; birdsare very scarce, native dogs numerous. The paths of the blacks onthe strong ground look as if they had been used many years.Anthills and beds are to be found everywhere in great numbers andof considerable size; the paths to and from them are better markedand more worn than any I have ever seen before; but nearly all ofthem are deserted, and those that are inhabited contain a small andweakly population that seems to be fast dying away. Neither aboutthe flats nor the ranges did we see any signs of the heavy floodsthat have left such distinct marks in other parts, and theappearance of the whole country gave me the idea of a place thathad been subjected to a long-continued drought. At the northernmostend of the eastern line of ranges, and on the west side of them, inlatitude 26 degrees 30 minutes south, longitude 141 degrees 40minutes east, is a low detached line of range about seven milesfrom north to south. On passing inside this range at its southernextremity, one enters a flat bounded to the south by high red sandhills to the west and north by the low range, and running up to thenorth-north-east, until it reaches the main range. On the lowerpart of the flat there is no creek, but on proceeding up it, at amile and a half there are three waterholes with a few bushesgrowing around them; the water was fast drying up when we werethere. There were some ducks, snipe, and pigeons about them: theformer always returned to the holes after having been disturbed, soI imagine there is not much more water in the vicinity. Incontinuing up the flat, the main creek appears to be that alongwhich the box timber grows, but the bed is sandy and quite dry. Bykeeping off a little to the left, at a mile above the waterholes,one comes on the bed of another creek, with only here and there agum tree and a few bushes. Up this creek at a distance of threemiles nearly north from the three holes, and where the creekemerges from the ranges, is a large hole well shaded by heavy boxtrees; it contained only a small quantity of water when we passed,but I fancy that in ordinary seasons the water would be permanent.This creek has been much frequented by blacks at one time, but notlately. Hundreds of hawks and a good many crows and magpies were inthe trees near the waterhole.
Geographical position.--The geographical position of the threewaterholes is by account from Cooper's Creek latitude 26 degrees 34minutes south, longitude 140 degrees 43 minutes east.
Meteorological remarks.--It would be rather premature for me tooffer any opinion on the climate of Cooper's Creek on so short astay, and my other duties have prevented me from making anyobservations that would be worth forwarding in detail. I maymention, however, that neither on the creek, nor during the journeyup, have we experienced any extreme temperatures: the heat,although considerably greater here than in Melbourne, as shown by athermometer, is not felt more severely by us. The maximum dailytemperatures since our arrival on Cooper's Creek have generallyexceeded 100 degrees; the highest of all was registered on November27th at Camp 63, when the thermometer stood at 109 degrees in theshade. There was at that time a strong wind from the north, whichfelt rather warm, but had not the peculiar characteristics of a hotwind. One of the most noticeable features in the weather has beenthe well-marked regularity in the course of the wind, which almostinvariably blew lightly from the east or south-east soon aftersunrise, went gradually round to north by two o'clock, sometimesblowing fresh from that quarter, followed the sun to west bysunset, and then died away or blew gently from the south throughoutthe night. A sudden change took place yesterday, December 14th; theday had been unusually hot, temperature of air at one P.M. 106degrees, at which time cirrocumulus clouds began to cross the skyfrom north-west, and at two P.M. the wind sprang up in thesouth-west, blowing with great violence (force 6); it soon shiftedto south, increasing in force to (7) and sometimes (8); itcontinued to blow from the same quarter all night, and has not yetmuch abated. Once during the night it lulled for about an hour, andthen commenced again; it is now (four P.M.) blowing with a force of(5) from south by east, with a clear sky. Before the wind hadsprung up the sky had become overcast, and we were threatened witha thunderstorm; rain was evidently falling in the west andnorth-west, but the sky partially cleared in the evening withoutour receiving any. Flashes of distant lightning were visibletowards the north. During the night, the thunderstorm from thenorth approached sufficiently near for thunder to be distinctlyheard; the flashes of lightning were painfully brilliant, althoughso far away. The storm passed to the south-east without reachingus; the sky remained overcast until between eight and nine A.M.,since when it has been quite clear; the temperature of air, whichat sunrise was as low as 72 degrees, has reached a maximum of 92degrees: it is at present 89 degrees, and that of the surface ofthe water in the creek 78 degrees. Two other thunderstorms havepassed over since we have been on the creek, from only one of whichwe have received any rain worth mentioning.
Mr. Brahe, who remains here in charge of the depot, and from whom Ihave received great assistance both in making meteorologicalobservations and in the filling in of feature surveys, will keep aregular meteorological register. I have handed over to him for thatpurpose an aneroid barometer, Number 21,543, and four thermometers,two for dry and wet bulb observations, and the others fortemperature of water, etc.
With regard to hot winds, the direction of the sand-ridges wouldseem to indicate a prevalence of east and west winds here ratherthan of northerly.
WILLIAM J. WILLS,
Surveyor and Astronomical Observer.
Cooper's Creek, 15th December, 1860.
This concludes my son's third report; the first, as far as Ican ascertain, was never published. This last was accompanied bymany observations taken with the sextant and other instruments,requiring long experience to understand and handle correctly.Brahe, a German, had been instructed by my son in their use, andhad made some progress. Notwithstanding his fatal error in leavingthe depot contrary to orders, he had, in some respects, superiorrequisites to either of the others left with him. He was a goodtraveller, and a better bushman than Wright. Had he been associatedwith a single companion of nerve and energy, the consequentmisfortunes might have been surmounted.
Departure from Cooper's Creek for the Gulf of Carpentaria.
Arrangements for the continuance of the Depot at Cooper's Creek.
Mr. Brahe left in Charge.
Determination of Route.
Progress and Incidents.
Mr. Wills's Field Books, from the 16th of December, 1860, to the 30th of January, 1861, 1 to 9.
Shores of Carpentaria.
During the halt at Cooper's Creek, it was reported through anAdelaide paper that Mr. McDouall Stuart had returned from hisattempt to explore in a north-western direction, and was preparingto start again with Government aid, and no longer confined entirelyto the private resources and enterprise of Mr. James Chambers. TheGulf of Carpentaria was not so much the immediate object ofStuart's efforts, as the opening of a commercial avenue with a viewto future trade, in a direction more toward the north-west coast,and as far north as the 16 or 18 degrees of southern latitude. Thisline of exploration appeared preferable to the strong practicalmind of Mr. Chambers, who had in view the quid pro quo. Stuart'sobject was therefore plain business, and the immediate advantage ofthe colony with which he was connected; whilst the VictorianExpedition included scientific discoveries, and the settlement of agreat geographical problem. Stuart is again out, since August,1861, and doubts are entertained for his safety. Mr. Chambers hasdied in the interim, and cannot know the result of the work he setafloat with so much spirit. Thus it is in all ages of discovery,that few of the early pioneers live to travel on the roads theyopen with so much difficulty and endurance.
Mr. Burke and my son, impatient of Wright's delay, and seeing thetime slip by that could never return, determined to make a dash forthe Gulf while the opportunity still remained to them. I was notaware, until after a communication with Mr. Brahe, on his firstvisit to Melbourne, subsequent to his desertion of his post at thedepot, that my son had strongly advocated a direct coursenorthward; but Mr. Burke hesitated to adopt this, unless he couldfeel confident in a supply of water; the committee having includedsomething in his instructions as to proceeding north-west towardsEyre's Creek and Sturt's Furthest. In his excursions round the campand the district of Cooper's Creek, with the all-important questionof water in view, my son must have gone over little short of athousand miles. When he lost his camels he had seen smoke in thedirection of north by east, which he believed to be a native fire,but the disaster frustrated his attempts to ascertain the fact.Unable thoroughly to assure his leader on the point of water, themore western course was adopted at the commencement of the journey,for a day or two, after which they turned to the east, and scarcelydeviated throughout from the 141st degree of eastern longitude.
The party left Cooper's Creek on the morning of the 16th ofDecember, 1860. It consisted of Mr. Burke, Mr. Wills, King, andGray, (or Charley as my son calls him in his journal); one horse,and six camels. It appears strange to me that they did not takemore horses. As they had been living on horseflesh so much theywould have increased their available food, in addition to thefacility of carrying burthens.
Mr. Brahe remained at Cooper's Creek depot with Patten, McDonough,Dost Mahomet, an Indian, six camels, and twelve horses. He was leftin charge until the arrival of Mr. Wright or some other person dulyappointed by the committee to take command of the remainder of theexpedition at Menindie. A surveyor also was expected to assist myson, and plenty of work was laid out for all, until Mr. Burke'sreturn, had the authorities known how to employ the proper peopleand employed them in time.
There can be no doubt that Brahe received MOST POSITIVE ORDERS TOREMAIN AT COOPER'S CREEK UNTIL THE RETURN OF THE EXPLORING PARTYFROM THE GULF OF CARPENTARIA. Three and four months were named asthe possible time of absence. Brahe did remain over four months;but even then it was in his power to have waited much longer, andhe ought to have done so. But the man was over-weighted; theposition was too much for him, and he gave way when a stronger mindmight have stood firm. The worst point about him appears to be hiswant of consistency and miserable prevarication; but this may havebeen weakness rather than absolute absence of principle, or of anydue sense of right or wrong. He was unfit to direct, but he mighthave been directed. Mr. Burke has been blamed for trusting Brahe;but he was the best of those who remained behind, and there werenot many to choose from. King has since told me that it was by myson's advice Brahe was appointed, and that the arrival of the partyfrom Menindie was considered so certain, that the appointment waslooked upon only as a temporary affair. It has been also said thatKing might have been left behind in charge, and Brahe taken on.This arrangement, eligible in some respects, was open to objectionin others. Brahe could travel by compass and observation, whichKing could not; and one so qualified might be wanted for a journeyto Menindie.
The details of the journey are given as follows, in my son's FieldBooks, numbered from 1 to 7 consecutively, transcribed by Dr.Mueller, Mr. Smith, and Mr. Cooper. I was associated with them as amatter of personal delicacy to the memory of the deceased explorer.
[The omissions in this diary are supplied by the informationcontained in the maps, with the exception of the last two days onthe shore of the Gulf.]
Sunday, 16th December, 1860.--The horse having been shod and ourreports finished, we started at 6.40 A.M. for Eyre's Creek, theparty consisting of Mr. Burke, myself, King, and Charley, havingwith us six camels, one horse, and three months' provisions. Wefollowed down the creek to the point where the sandstone rangescross the creek, and were accompanied to that place by Brahe, whowould return to take charge of the depot. Down to this point thebanks of the creek are very rugged and stony, but there is atolerable supply of grass and salt bush in the vicinity. A largetribe of blacks came pestering us to go to their camp and have adance, which we declined. They were very troublesome, and nothingbut the threat to shoot them will keep them away. They are,however, easily frightened; and, although fine-looking men,decidedly not of a warlike disposition. They show the greatestinclination to take whatever they can, but will run no unnecessaryrisk in so doing. They seldom carry any weapon, except a shield anda large kind of boomerang, which I believe they use for killingrats, etc. Sometimes, but very seldom, they have a large spear;reed spears seem to be quite unknown to them. They are undoubtedlya finer and better-looking race of men than the blacks on theMurray and Darling, and more peaceful; but in other respects Ibelieve they will not compare favourably with them, for from thelittle we have seen of them, they appear to be mean-spirited andcontemptible in every respect.
Monday, 17th December, 1860.--We continued to follow down thecreek. Found its course very crooked, and the channel frequentlydry for a considerable distance, and then forming into magnificentwaterholes, abounding in water fowl of all kinds. The country oneach side is more open than on the upper part of the creek. Thesoil on the plains is of a light earthy nature, supportingabundance of salt bush and grass. Most of the plains are lightlytimbered, and the ground is finer and not cracked up as at the headof the creek. Left Camp 67 at ten minutes to six A.M., havingbreakfasted before leaving. We followed the creek along from pointto point, at first in a direction west-north-west for about twelvemiles, then about north-west. At about noon we passed the lastwater, a short distance beyond which the creek runs out on apolygonum flat;* but the timberwas so large and dense that it deceived us into the belief thatthere was a continuation of the channel. On crossing the polygonumground to where we expected to find the creek we became aware ofour mistake. Not thinking it advisable to chance the existence ofwater ahead, we camped at the end of a large but shallow sheet ofwater in the sandy bed of the creek.
[* Footnote: Polygonum Cunninghami.]
The hole was about 150 links broad, and -- [Note: Blank inoriginal.] feet deep in most places. In many places the temperatureof the water was almost incredibly high, which induced me to try itat several points. The mean of two on the shady side of the creekgave 97 4/10 degrees. As may be imagined this water tasteddisagreeably warm, but we soon cooled some in water bags, andthinking that it would be interesting to know what we might callcool, I placed the thermometer in a pannikin containing some thatappeared delightfully so, almost cold in fact; its temperature was,to our astonishment, 78 degrees. At half-past six, when a strongwind was blowing from south, and temperature of air had fallen to80 degrees, the lowest temperature of water in the hose, that hadbeen exposed to the full effect of evaporation for several hourswas 72 degrees. This water for drinking appeared positivelycold, and is too low a temperature to be pleasant under thecircumstances. A remarkable southerly squall came on between fiveand six P.M., with every appearance of rain. The sky however sooncleared, but the wind continued to blow in a squally and irregularmanner from the same quarter at evening.
Wednesday, 19th December, 1860.--Started at a quarter-past eight A.M., leaving what seemed to be the end of Cooper's Creek. We took acourse a little to the north of west, intending to try and obtainwater in some of the creeks that Sturt mentioned that he hadcrossed, and at the same time to see whether they were connectedwith Cooper's Creek, as appeared most probable from the directionin which we found the latter running, and from the manner in whichit had been breaking up into small channels, flowing across theplains in a north and north-north-west direction. We left on ourright the flooded flats on which this branch of the creek runs out,and soon came to a series of sand ridges, the directions of whichwere between north half-west and north-north-west. The country iswell grassed and supports plenty of salt bush. Many of the valleysare liable to be inundated by the overflow of the main creek. Theyhave watercourses and polygonum flats bordered with box trees, butwe met with no holes fit to hold a supply of water. At about tenmiles we crossed a large earthy flat lightly timbered with box andgum. The ground was very bad for travelling on, being much crackedup and intersected by innumerable channels, which continuallycarried off the water of a large creek. Some of the valleys beyondthis were very pretty, the ground being sound and covered withfresh plants, which made them look beautifully green. At fifteenmiles we halted, where two large plains joined. Our attention hadbeen attracted by some red-breasted cockatoos, pigeons, a crow, andseveral other birds, whose presence made us feel sure that therewas water not far off; but our hopes were soon destroyed by findinga claypan just drying up. It contained just sufficient liquid tomake the clay boggy. At ten minutes to seven P.M., we moved on,steering straight for Eyre's Creek, north-west by north, intendingto make a good night's journey and avoid the heat of the day; butat a mile and a half we came to a creek which looked so well thatwe followed it for a short distance, and finding two or threewaterholes of good milky water we camped for the night. Thisenabled me to secure an observation of the eclipse of Jupiter's (I)satellite, as well as some latitude observations. The night was socalm that I used the water as an horizon; but I find it much moresatisfactory to take the mercury for several reasons.
Thursday, 20th December.--We did not leave this camp untilhalf-past eight, having delayed to refill the water-bags with themilky water, which all of us found to be a great treat again. It iscertainly more pleasant to drink than the clear water, and at thesame time more satisfying. Our course from here, north-west bynorth, took us through some pretty country, lightly timbered andwell grassed. We could see the line of creek timber winding throughthe valley on our left. At a distance of five miles there was abush fire on its banks, and beyond it the creek made a considerablebend to the south-west. At two miles farther we came in sight of alarge lagoon bearing north by west, and at three miles more wecamped on what would seem the same creek as last night, near whereit enters the lagoon. The latter is of great extent and contains alarge quantity of water, which swarms with wild fowl of everydescription. It is very shallow, but is surrounded by the mostpleasing woodland scenery, and everything in the vicinity looksfresh and green. The creek near its junction with the lagooncontains some good waterholes five to six feet deep. They are foundin a sandy alluvium which is very boggy when wet. There was a largecamp of not less than forty or fifty blacks near where we stopped.They brought us presents of fish, for which we gave them some beadsand matches. These fish we found to be a most valuable addition toour rations. They were of the same kind as we had found elsewhere,but finer, being from nine to ten inches long, and two to threeinches deep, and in such good condition that they might have beenfried in their own fat. It is a remarkable fact, that these werethe first blacks who have offered us any fish since we reachedCooper's Creek.
Friday, 21st December.--We left Camp 70 at half-past five A.M., andtried to induce one or two of the blacks to go with us, but it wasof no use. Keeping our former course we were pulled up at threemiles by a fine lagoon, and then by the creek that flows into it;the latter being full of water, we were obliged to trace it a mileup before we could cross. I observed on its banks two wild plantsof the gourd or melon tribe, one much resembling a stuntedcucumber: the other, both in leaf and appearance of fruit, was verysimilar to a small model of a water melon.* The latter plant I also found at Camp 68.On tasting the pulp of the newly-found fruit, which was about thesize of a large pea, I found it to be so acrid that it was withdifficulty that I removed the taste from my mouth. At eight or ninemiles from where we crossed the creek we passed another largelagoon, leaving it two miles on our left, and shortly afterwards wesaw one nearly as far on our right. This last we should haveavailed ourselves of, but that we expected to find water in a creekwhich we could see, by the timber lining its banks, flowed from thelagoon on our left and crossed our course a few miles ahead. Wereached it at a distance of four or five miles farther, and found asplendid waterhole at which we camped. The creek at the point flowsin a northerly direction through a large lightly timbered flat, onwhich it partially runs out. The ground is, however, sound and wellclothed with grass and salsolaceous plants. Up to this point thecountry through which we have passed has been of the finestdescription for pastoral purposes. The grass and saltbush areeverywhere abundant, and water is plentiful with every appearanceof permanence. We met with porcupine grass, [Footnote: Triodiapungens.--Br.] and only two sand ridges before reaching Camp 71.
[* Footnote: Probably Muckia micrantha.--F.M.]
Saturday, 22nd December.--At five minutes to five A.M. we left oneof the most delightful camps we have had in the journey, andproceeded on the same course as before, north-west by north, acrosssome high ridges of loose sand, many of which were partiallyclothed with porcupine grass. We found the ground much worse totravel over than any we have yet met with, as the ridges wereexceedingly abrupt and steep on their eastern side, and althoughsloping gradually towards the west, were so honeycombed in someplaces by the burrows of rats, that the camels were continually indanger of falling. At a distance of about six miles, we descendedfrom these ridges to undulating country of open box forest, whereeverything was green and fresh. There is an abundance of grass andsalt bushes, and lots of birds of all descriptions. Several flocksof pigeons passed over our heads, making for a point a little toour right, where there is no doubt plenty of water, but we did notgo off our course to look for it. Beyond the box forest, whichkeeps away to the right, we again entered the sand ridges, and at adistance of six miles, passed close to a dry salt lagoon, theridges in the vicinity of which are less regular in their form anddirection, and contain nodules of limestone. The ground in theflats and claypans near, has that encrusted surface that cracksunder the pressure of the foot, and is a sure indication of salinedeposits. At a distance of eight miles from the lagoon, we campedat the foot of a sand ridge, jutting out on the stony desert. I wasrather disappointed, but not altogether surprised, to find thelatter nothing more nor less than the stony rises that we hadbefore met with, only on a larger scale and not quite asundulating. During the afternoon several crows came to feed on theplain. They came from an east-north-east direction, no doubt from aportion of the creek that flows through the forest that we left onour right. In the morning, as we were loading, a duck passed over,but it was too dark to see which way it went.
Sunday, 23rd December.--At five A.M. we struck out across thedesert in a west-north-west direction. At four and a-half miles wecrossed a sand ridge, and then returned to our north-west by northcourse. We found the ground not nearly as bad for travelling on asthat between Bulloo and Cooper's Creek. In fact I do not knowwhether it arose from our exaggerated anticipation of horrors ornot, but we thought it far from bad travelling ground, and as topasture it is only the actually stony ground that is bare, and manya sheep run is in fact worse grazing ground than that. At fifteenmiles we crossed another sand ridge, for several miles round whichthere is plenty of grass and fine salt bush. After crossing thisridge we descended to an earthy plain, where the ground was ratherheavy, being in some places like pieces of slaked lime, andintersected by small watercourses; flocks of pigeons rose fromamongst the salt bushes and polygonum; but all the creeks were dry,although marked by lines of box timber. Several gunyahs of theblacks were situated near a waterhole that had apparently containedwater very lately, and heaps of grass were lying about the plains,from which they had beaten the seeds. We pushed on, hoping to findthe creeks assuming an improved appearance, but they did not, andat one o'clock we halted, intending to travel through part of thenight. About sunset, three flocks of pigeons passed over us, allgoing in the same direction, due north by compass, and passing overa ridge of sand in that direction. Not to have taken notice of suchan occurrence would have been little short of a sin, so wedetermined to go eight or ten miles in that direction. Starting atseven o'clock P.M., we, at six miles, crossed the ridge over whichthe birds had flown, and came on a flat, subject to inundation. Theground was at first hard and even like the bottom of a claypan, butat a mile or so, we came on cracked earthy ground, intersected bynumberless small channels running in all directions. At nine mileswe reached the bed of a creek running from east to west: it wasonly bordered by polygonum bushes, but as there was no timbervisible on the plains, we thought it safer to halt until daylight,for fear we should miss the water. At daylight, when we hadsaddled, a small quantity of timber could be seen at the point of asand ridge about a mile and a half or two miles to the west of us,and on going there we found a fine creek, with a splendid sheet ofwater more than a mile long, and averaging nearly three chainsbroad: it is, however, only two or three feet deep in most parts.
Monday, 24th December, 1860.--We took a day of rest on Gray's Creekto celebrate Christmas. This was doubly pleasant, as we had never,in our most sanguine moments, anticipated finding such a delightfuloasis in the desert. Our camp was really an agreeable place, for wehad all the advantages of food and water, attending a position of alarge creek or river, and were at the same time free from theannoyance of the numberless ants, flies, and mosquitoes that areinvariably met with amongst timber or heavy scrub.
Tuesday, 25th December, 1860.--We left Gray's Creek at half-pastfour A.M. and proceeded to cross the earthy rotten plains in thedirection of Eyre's Creek. At a distance of about nine miles wereached some lines of trees and bushes which were visible from thetop of the sand ridge at Gray's Creek. We found them growing on thebanks of several small creeks which trend to the north andnorth-north-west; at a mile and a half further we crossed a smallcreek north-north-east, and joining the ones above mentioned. Thiscreek contained abundance of water in small detached holes fromfifty to a hundred links long, well shaded by steep banks andoverhanging bushes. The water had a suspiciously transparent colourand a slight trace of brackishness, but the latter was scarcelyperceptible. Near where the creek joined the holes is a sandhilland a dense mass of fine timber. The smoke of a fire indicated thepresence of blacks, who soon made their appearance and followed usfor some distance, beckoning us away to the north-east. We howevercontinued our course north-west by north, but at a distance of onemile and a half found that the creek did not come round as weexpected, and that the fall of the water was in a direction nearlyopposite to our course, or about west to east. We struck off northhalf west for a high sand ridge, from which we anticipated seeingwhether it were worth while for us to follow the course of thecreeks we had crossed. We were surprised to find all thewatercourses on the plains trending rather to the south of east,and at a distance of three miles, after changing our course, andwhen we approached the sandhills towards which we had beensteering, we were agreeably pulled up by a magnificent creek comingfrom the north-north-west, and running in the direction of the firewe had seen. We had now no choice but to change our course again,for we could not have crossed even if we had desired to do so. Onfollowing up the south bank of the creek we found it soon keeping amore northerly course than it had where we first struck it. Thisfact, together with its magnitude and general appearance, lessenedthe probability of its being Eyre's Creek, as seemed at first verylikely from their relative positions and directions. The day beingvery hot and the camels tired from travelling over the earthyplains, which by-the-by are not nearly so bad as those at the headof Cooper's Creek, we camped at one P.M., having traced the creekup about five miles, not counting the bends. For the whole of thisdistance we found not a break or interruption of water, whichappears to be very deep; the banks are from twenty to thirty feetabove the water, and very steep; they are clothed near the water'sedge with mint and other weeds, and on the top of each side thereis a belt of box trees and various shrubs. The lower part of thecreek is bounded towards the north by a high red sand ridge, and onthe south side is an extensive plain, intersected by numerouswatercourses, which drain off the water in flood-time. The greaterportion of the plain is at present very bare, but the stalks of drygrass show that after rain or floods there will be a good crop onthe harder and well drained portion; but I believe the loose earthyportion supports no vegetation at any time. The inclination of theground from the edge of the creek-bank towards the plain is in manyplaces very considerable; this I should take to indicate that theflooding is or has been at one time both frequent and regular.
Wednesday, 26th December, 1860.--We started at five A.M., followingup the creek from point to point of the bends. Its general coursewas at first north-by-west, but at about six miles, the sand ridgeon the west closed in on it, and at this point it takes a turn tothe north-north-east for half a mile, and then comes aroundsuddenly north-west. Up to this point it had been rather improvingin appearance than otherwise, but in the bend to the north-west thechannel is very broad. Its bed being limestone rock and induratedclay, is for a space of five or six chains quite dry; thencommences another waterhole, the creek keeping a little moretowards north. We crossed the creek here and struck across theplain in a due north course, for we could see the line of timbercoming up to the sand ridges in that direction. For from seven toeight miles we did not touch the creek, and the eastern sand ridgeseceded to a distance, in some places of nearly three miles, fromour line, leaving an immense extent of grassy plain between it andthe creek. The distinctly marked feature on the lower part of thiscreek is that whenever the main creek is on one side of a plain,there is always a fine billibong on the opposite side, each of themalmost invariably sticking close to the respective sand ridges.Before coming to the next bend of the creek a view from the top ofa sandhill showed me that the creek received a large tributary fromthe north-west at about two miles above where we had crossed it. Afine line of timber, running up to the north-west, joined anextensive tract of box forest, and the branch we were following waslost to view in a similar forest towards the north. The sand ridgewas so abrupt when we came to the creek, that it was necessary todescend into its bed through one of the small ravines adjoining it.We found it partially run out, the bed being sand and strewed withnodules of lime, some of which were from one half to two feet long:they had apparently been formed in the sanddowns by infiltration.
FIELD BOOK 3.
CAMPS 78 TO 85.* LATITUDE SOUTH 25 1/2 TO 23 3/4 DEGREES.
[* Footnote: This Field Book was mostly occupied by notes ofastronomical observations, and surveyor's notes for mapping.]
Sunday, 30th December, 1860.--Finding that the creek was trendingconsiderably towards the east without much likelihood of alteringits course, we struck off from it, taking a ten days' supply ofwater, as there were ranges visible to the north, which had theappearance of being stony. A north-east by north course was firsttaken for about seven miles in order to avoid them. The whole ofthis distance was over alluvial earthy plains, the soil of whichwas firm, but the vegetation scanty.
(Fine Country, Tropics.)
Saturday, 5th January, 1861.--On leaving Camp 84, we found slightbut distinct indications of rain in the groves, and a few blades ofgrass and small weeds in the little depressions on the plain: theseindications were, however, so slight, that, but for the fact of ourhaving found surface-water in two holes near our camp, we shouldhardly have noticed them. At a distance of about two miles in anorth-north-easterly direction, we came to a creek with a longbroad shallow waterhole. The well-worn paths, the recent tracks ofnatives, and the heaps of shells, on the contents of which thelatter had feasted, showed at once that this creek must beconnected with some creek of considerable importance. The camelsand horses being greatly in need of rest, we only moved up abouthalf a mile, and camped for the day.
Sunday, 6th January, 1861.--Started at twenty minutes to sixo'clock, intending to make an easy day's stage along the creek. Aswe proceeded up in a northerly direction, we found the waterhole todiminish in size very much, and at about two and a half miles thecreek ran out in a lot of small watercourses. At the upper end ofthe creek we found in its bed what appeared to be an arrangementfor catching fish: it consisted of a small oval mud paddock abouttwelve feet by eight feet, the sides of which were about nineinches above the bottom of the hole, and the top of the fencecovered with long grass, so arranged that the ends of the bladesoverhung scantily by several inches the sides of the hole. As therewas no sign of timber to the north, we struck off to north-west bynorth for a fine line that came up from south-west, and seemed torun parallel with the creek we were about to leave. At a distanceof about three miles, we reached the bank of a fine creekcontaining a sheet of water two chains broad, and at least fifteenfeet deep in the middle. The banks are shelving, sandy, and lightlyclothed with box trees and various shrubs. On starting to cross theplains towards this creek we were surprised at the bright greenappearance of strips of land, which look in the distance likeswamps. On approaching some of them, we found that there had been aconsiderable fall of rain in some places, which had raised a finecrop of grass and portulac*wherever the soil was of a sandy and light nature; but the amountof moisture had been insufficient to affect the hard clayey groundwhich constitutes the main portion of the plain. The sight of twonative companions feeding here, added greatly to the encouragingprospects; they are the only specimens of that bird that I rememberto have seen on that side of the Darling.
[* Footnote: Portulaca oleracea. L.]
7th January, 1861.--We started at half-past four A.M. withoutwater, thinking that we might safely rely on this creek for oneday's journey. We, however, found the line of timber soon began tolook small; at three miles the channel contained only a few poolsof surface water. We continued across the plains on a due northcourse, frequently crossing small watercourses, which had beenfilled by the rain, but were fast drying up. Here and there, as weproceeded, dense lines of timber on our right showed that the creekcame from the east of north; at a distance of thirteen miles weturned to the north-north-east towards a fine line of timber. Wefound a creek of considerable dimensions, that had only two orthree small water-holes, but as there was more than sufficient forus, and very little feed for the beasts anywhere else, we camped. Ishould have liked this camp to have been in a more prominent andeasily recognizable position, as it happens to be almost exactly onthe tropic of Capricorn. The tremendous gale of wind that we had inthe evening and night prevented me from taking a latitudeobservation, whereas I had some good ones at the last camp and atCamp 87. My reckoning cannot be far out. I found, on taking out myinstruments, that one of the spare thermometers was broken, and theglass of my aneroid barometer cracked; the latter I believe nototherwise injured. This was done by the camel having taken it intohis head to roll while the pack was on his back.
Tuesday, 8th January, 1861.--Started at a quarter past five A.M.with a load of water, determined to be independent of all creeksand watercourses. At a mile and a half, found surface water in asmall creek, and at a mile farther, water in two or three places onthe open plains. The country we crossed for the first ten milesconsists of fine open plains of firm argillaceous soils, too stiffand hard to be affected by the small quantity of rain that hasfallen as yet. They are subject to inundations from the overflow ofa number of small creeks, which intersect them in a directioneast-north-east to west-south-west. Nearly all the creeks are linedwith box trees and shrubs in a tolerably healthy state; of theremains of dead trees there is only a fair proportion to the livingones. After traversing a plain of greater extent than the rest, we,at ten miles, reached the creek, proportionately large andimportant looking. The channel, however, at the point where westruck it, was deep, level, and dry; but I believe there is waterin it not far off, for there were some red-breasted cockatoos inthe trees, and native parrots on each side. On the north side thereis a part bearing off to the north-north-west. The mirage on theplain to the south of the creek was stronger than I have beforeseen it. There appear to be sheets of water within a few yards ofone, and it looks sufficiently smooth and glassy to be used for anartificial horizon. To the westward of the plains, some finesandhills were visible, nearly in the direction in which the creekflowed. To the north of the creek the country undergoes a greatchange. At first there is a little earthy land subject toinundation. The soil then becomes more sandy, with stony pans inwhich water collects after rain; the whole country is slightlyundulating, lightly timbered, and splendidly grassed. A number ofsmall disconnected creeks are scattered about, many of whichcontained water protected from the sun and wind by luxuriant growthof fine grasses and small bushes. We passed one or two little risesof sand and pebbles, on which were growing some trees quite new tome; but for the seed pods I should have taken them for a species ofCasuarina, although the leaf-stalks have not the jointedpeculiarities of those plants. The trunks and branches are like theshe oak, the leaves like those of a pine; they droop like a willow,and the seed is small, flat, in a large flat pod, about six inchesby three-quarters of an inch. As we proceeded, the country improvedat every step. Flocks of pigeons rose and flew off to the eastward,and fresh plants met our view on every rise; everything green andluxuriant. The horse licked his lips, and tried all he could tobreak his nose-string in order to get at the food. We camped at thefoot of a sandy rise, where there was a large stony pan with plentyof water, and where the feed was equal in quality, and superior asto variety, to any that I have seen in Australia, excepting perhapson some soils of volcanic origin.
Wednesday, 9th January, 1861.--Started at five minutes past five,without water, trusting to get a supply of water from the rain thatfell during the thunderstorm. Traversed six miles of undulatingplains covered with vegetation richer than ever. Several ducks rosefrom the little creeks as we passed, and flocks of pigeons wereflying in all directions. The richness of the vegetation isevidently not suddenly arising from chance thunderstorms, for thetrees and bushes on the open plain are everywhere healthy and freshlooking; very few dead ones are to be seen; besides which, thequantity of dead and rotten grass which at present almostoverpowers in some places the young blades shows that this is notthe first crop of the kind. The grasses are numerous and many ofthem unknown to me, but they only constitute a moderate portion ofthe herbage. Several kinds of spurious vetches and portulac, aswell as salsolaceae, add to the luxuriance of the vegetation. Atseven miles we found ourselves in an open forest country, where thefeed was good, but not equal to what we had passed, neither had itbeen visited by yesterday's rain. We soon emerged again on openplains, but the soil being of a more clayish nature, they were notnearly so much advanced in vegetation as the others. We foundsurface water in several places, and at one spot disturbed a finebustard which was feeding in the long grass; we did not see himuntil he flew up. I should have mentioned that one flew over ourcamp last evening in a northerly direction; this speaks well forthe country and climate. At noon we came to a large creek thecourse of which was from east-north-east to west-south-west; thesight of the white gum trees in the distance had raised hopes,which were not at all damped on a close inspection of the channel.At the point where we struck it there was certainly no greatquantity of water; the bed was broad and sandy, but its wholeappearance was that of an important watercourse, and the large gumswhich line its banks, together with the improved appearance of thesoil, and the abundance of feed in the vicinity, satisfied us as tothe permanency of the water and the value of the discovery.Although it was so early in the day, and we were anxious to make agood march, yet we camped here, as it seemed to be almost a sin toleave such good quarters. The bed of the creek is loose sand,through which the water freely permeates; it is, however,sufficiently coarse not to be boggy, and animals can approach thewater without any difficulty.
Thursday, 10th January, 1861.--At twenty minutes past five A.M., weleft our camp with a full supply of water, determined to risk noreverses, and to make a good march. I should mention that lastevening we had been nearly deafened by the noise of the cicadariae,and but for our large fires should have been kept awake all nightby the mosquitoes. A walk of two miles across a well grassed plainbrought us to a belt of timber, and we soon afterwards foundourselves pulled up by a large creek in which the water was broadand deep; we had to follow up the bank of the creek in anorth-easterly direction for nearly a mile before we could cross,when to our joy we found that it was flowing; not a muddy streamfrom the effects of recent floods, but a small rivulet of purewater as clear as crystal. The bed of the river at this place isdeep and rather narrow; the water flows over sand and pebbles,winding its way between clumps of melalema, and gum saplings. Afterleaving the river, we kept our old course due north, crossing, at adistance of one mile, three creeks with gum trees on their banks.The soil of the flats through which they flow is a red loam of fairquality and well grassed. Beyond the third creek is a large plain,parts of which are very stony, and this is bounded towards the eastby a low stony rise, partly composed of decayed and honeycombedquartz rock in situ, and partly of waterworn pebbles and otheralluvial deposits. At about two miles across this plain, we reachedthe first of a series of small creeks with deep waterholes: thesecreeks and holes have the characteristics peculiar to watercourseswhich are found in flats formed from the alluvial deposits ofschistose rocks. The banks are on a level with the surroundingground, and are irregularly marked by small trees, or only by tuftsof long grass which overhang the channel and frequently hide itfrom one's view, even when within a few yards. At about five milesfrom where we crossed the river, we came to the main creek in theseflats, Patten's Creek; it flows along at the foot of a stony range,and we had to trace it up nearly a mile in a north-north-easterlydirection before we could cross it; as it happened, we might almostas well have followed its course up the flat, for at a little morethan two miles we came to it again. We re-crossed it at a stonyplace just below a very large waterhole, and then continued ourcourse over extensive plains, not so well grassed as those we hadpassed before, and very stony in some places. At eight miles fromPatten's Creek, we came to another, running from south-west tosouth-east: there was plenty of water in it, but it was evidentlythe result of recent local rains. On the banks was an abundance ofgood feed but very little timber.
Friday, 11th January, 1861.--We started at five A.M., and in theexcitement of exploring fine well-watered country, forgot all aboutthe eclipse of the sun until the reduced temperature and peculiarlygloomy appearance of the sky drew our attention to the matter; itwas then too late to remedy the deficiency, so we made a good day'sjourney, the moderation of the midday heat, which was only about 86degrees, greatly assisting us. The country traversed has the mostverdant and cheerful aspect; abundance of feed and watereverywhere. All the creeks seen to-day have a course more or lessto the east by south. The land improves in appearance at everymile. A quantity of rain has fallen here and to the south, and someof the flats are suitable for cultivation, if the regularity of theseasons will admit.
(Standish Ranges.)
Saturday, 12th January, 1861.--We started at five A.M., and,keeping as nearly as possible a due north course, traversed forabout eight miles a splendid flat, through which flow several finewell-watered creeks, lined with white gum trees. We then entered aseries of slaty, low, sandstone ranges, amongst which were somewell-grassed flats, and plenty of water in the main gullies. Themore stony portions are, however, covered with porcupine grass, andhere and there with mallee; large ant-hills are very numerous; theyvary in height from two and a half to four feet. There was acontinuous rise perceptible all the way in crossing the ranges, andfrom the highest portion, which we reached at a distance of aboutseven miles, we had a pretty good view of the country towards thenorth. As far as we could see in the distance, and bearing duenorth, was a large range, having somewhat the outline of a granitemountain. The east end of this range just comes up to the magneticnorth; on the left of this, and bearing north-north-west, is asingle conical peak, the top of which only is visible. Further tothe west there were some broken ranges, apparently sandstone; tothe east of north the tops of very distant and apparently higherranges were seen, the outline of which was so indistinct that I canform no idea as to their character; the intermediate country belowus appeared alternations of fine valleys and stony ranges, such aswe had just been crossing. From here a descent of two miles broughtus to a creek having a northern course, but on tracing it down forabout a mile, we found it to turn to the south-east and joinanother from the north. We crossed over to the latter on anorth-by-west course, and camped on the west bank. It has a broadsandy channel; the waterholes are large, but not deep; the banksare bordered with fine white gums, and are in some places veryscrubby. There is abundance of rich green feed everywhere in thevicinity. We found here numerous indications of blacks having beenhere, but saw nothing of them. It seems remarkable that where theirtracks are so plentiful, we should have seen none since we leftKing's Creek. I observed that the natives here climb trees as thoseon the Murray do, in search of some animal corresponding in habitsto the opossum, which they get out of the hollow branches in asimilar manner. I have not yet been able to ascertain what theanimal is.
Sunday, 13th January, 1861.--We did not leave camp this morninguntil half-past seven, having delayed for the purpose of gettingthe camels' shoes on--a matter in which we were eminentlyunsuccessful. We took our breakfast before starting, for almost thefirst time since leaving the depot. Having crossed the creek, ourcourse was due north as before, until, at about six miles, we camein sight of the range ahead, when we took a north-half-eastdirection for the purpose of clearing the eastern front of it. Wefound the ground more sandy than what we had before crossed, and agreat deal of it even more richly grassed. Camp 93 is situate atthe junction of three sandy creeks, in which there is abundance ofwater. The sand is loose, and the water permeates freely, so thatthe latter may be obtained delightfully cool and clear by sinkinganywhere in the beds of the creeks.
(Upper part of Cloncurry.)
Saturday, 19th January, 1861.--Started from Camp 98 at 5.30 A.M.,and passing to the north-west of Mount Forbes, across a fine andwell-grassed plain, kept at first a north-by-east direction. At adistance of three miles, the plain became everywhere stony, beingscattered over with quartz pebbles; and a little further on we cameto low quartz ranges, the higher portions of which are covered withporcupine grass, but the valleys are well clothed with a variety ofcoarse and rank herbage. At about five miles we crossed a creekwith a sandy bed, which has been named Green's Creek; there wereblacks not far above where we crossed, but we did not disturb them.After crossing the creek, we took a due north course over veryrugged quartz ranges of an auriferous character. Pieces of ironore, very rich, were scattered in great numbers over some of thehills. On our being about to cross one of the branch creeks in thelow range, we surprised some blacks--a man who, with a young fellowapparently his son, was upon a tree, cutting out something; and alubra with a piccaninny. The two former did not see me until I wasnearly close to them, and then they were dreadfully frightened;jumping down from the trees, they started off, shouting whatsounded to us very like "Joe, Joe." Thus disturbed, the lubra, whowas at some distance from them, just then caught sight of thecamels and the remainder of the party as they came over the hillinto the creek, and this tended to hasten their flight over thestones and porcupine grass. Crossing the range at the head of thiscreek, we came on a gully running north, down which we proceeded,and soon found it open out into a creek, at two or three points inwhich we found water. On this creek we found the first specimen ofan eucalyptus, which has a very different appearance from themembers of the gum-tree race. It grows as high as a good-sized gumtree, but with the branches less spreading: in shape it muchresembles the elm; the foliage is dark, like that of the lightwood; the trunk and branches are covered with a grey barkresembling in outward appearance that of the box tree. Finding thatthe creek was trending too much to the eastward, we struck off tothe north again, and at a short distance came on a fine creekrunning about south-south-east. As it was now nearly time to camp,we travelled it up for about one and a-half mile, and came to afine waterhole in a rocky basin, at which there were lots of birds.
(Middle part of Cloncurry.)
Sunday, 27th January, 1861.--Started from Camp 105 at fiveminutes past two in the morning. We followed along the bendsof the creek by moonlight, and found the creek wind about verymuch, taking on the whole a north-east course. At about fivemiles it changed somewhat its features; from a broad and sandychannel, winding about through gum-tree flats, it assumes theunpropitious appearance of a straight, narrow creek, running in anorth-north-east direction between high, perpendicular, earthybanks. After running between three or four miles in this manner, ittook a turn to the west, at which point there is a fine waterhole,and then assumed its original character. Below this we found waterat several places, but it all seemed to be either from surfacedrainage or from springs in the sand. The land in the vicinity ofthe creek appears to have received plenty of rain, the vegetationeverywhere green and fresh; but there is no appearance of the creekhaving flowed in this part of the channel for a considerableperiod. Palm trees are numerous, and some bear an abundance ofsmall, round dates (nuts) just ripening. These palms give a mostpicturesque and pleasant appearance to the creek.
Wednesday, 30th January, 1861.--Started at half-past seven A.M.,after several unsuccessful attempts at getting Golah out of the bedof the creek. It was determined to try bringing him down until wecould find a place for him to get out at; but after going in thisway two or three miles it was found necessary to leave him behind,as it was almost impossible to get him through some of thewaterholes, and had separated King from the party, which became amatter for very serious consideration when we found blacks hidingin the box trees close to us.
Having reached the point indicated by the last date and passage in"Field Book 7," Mr. Burke and my son determined to leave Gray andKing there in charge of the camels, and to proceed onwards to theshores of Carpentaria, themselves on foot and leading the horse.The river or creek down which they passed is named in the journalthe Cloncurry. The channel making a sudden turn, my son remarkedthat it might be a new river. "If it should prove so," said Mr.Burke, "we will call it after my old friend Lord Cloncurry."
With reference to this locality, marked in the map as Camp 119,King was asked in his examination before the Royal Commissioners:
Question 815. Was the water salt?--Quite salt.
816. Who first made the discovery of reaching the sea, or did youall come upon it together; that is, reaching the salt water wherethe tide was?--Mr. Wills knew it; he had told us two or three daysbefore we reached the salt water that we were in the country thathad been discovered by Mr. Gregory and other previous explorers.
817. Some days before you got upon it he told you that?--Yes, andshowed us on the chart the supposed place where Mr. Gregory crossedthis small creek.
It will be seen by these answers of King, that Mr. Burke assumed notopographical knowledge of the position. The Melbourne Argus statedand repeated that he had mistaken the Flinders for the Albert. Nowthe river in question was never mentioned as either, and themistake, if made, was Mr. Wills's and not Mr. Burke's. This portionof the map was said to have been lost on the morning of its arrivalin Melbourne; and this I can readily believe, as also that moremight have met with the same fate had I not fortunately been there.
Lower part of Cloncurry.
Returning from Carpentaria to Cooper's Creek.
Sunday, February, 1861.--Finding the ground in such a state from theheavy falls of rain, that camels could scarcely be got along, itwas decided to leave them at Camp 119, and for Mr. Burke and I toproceed towards the sea on foot. After breakfast we accordinglystarted, taking with us the horse and three days' provisions. Ourfirst difficulty was in crossing Billy's Creek, which we had to dowhere it enters the river, a few hundred yards below the camp. Ingetting the horse in here, he got bogged in a quicksand bank sodeeply as to be unable to stir, and we only succeeded inextricating him by undermining him on the creek's side, and thenlugging him into the water. Having got all the things in safety, wecontinued down the river bank, which bent about from east to west,but kept a general north course. A great deal of the land was sosoft and rotten that the horse, with only a saddle and abouttwenty-five pounds on his back, could scarcely walk over it. At adistance of about five miles we again had him bogged in crossing asmall creek, after which he seemed so weak that we had great doubtsabout getting him on. We, however, found some better ground closeto the water's edge, where the sandstone rock crops out, and westuck to it as far as possible. Finding that the river was bendingabout so much that we were making very little progress in anortherly direction, we struck off due north and soon came on sometable-land, where the soil is shallow and gravelly, and clothedwith box and swamp gums. Patches of the land were very boggy, butthe main portion was sound enough; beyond this we came on an openplain, covered with water up to one's ankles. The soil here was astiff clay, and the surface very uneven, so that between the tuftsof grass one was frequently knee deep in water. The bottom,however, was sound and no fear of bogging. After flounderingthrough this for several miles, we came to a path formed by theblacks, and there were distinct signs of a recent migration in asoutherly direction. By making use of this path we got on muchbetter, for the ground was well trodden and hard. At rather morethan a mile, the path entered a forest through which flowed a nicewatercourse, and we had not gone far before we found places wherethe blacks had been camping. The forest was intersected by littlepebbly rises, on which they had made their fires, and in the sandyground adjoining some of the former had been digging yams, whichseemed to be so numerous that they could afford to leave lots ofthem about, probably having only selected the very best. We werenot so particular, but ate many of those that they had rejected,and found them very good. About half a mile further, we came closeon a black fellow, who was coiling up by a camp fire, whilst hisgin and piccaninny were yabbering alongside. We stopped for a shorttime to take out some of the pistols that were on the horse, andthat they might see us before we were so near as to frighten them.Just after we stopped, the black got up to stretch his limbs, andafter a few seconds looked in our direction. It was very amusing tosee the way in which he stared, standing for some time as if hethought he must be dreaming, and then, having signalled to theothers, they dropped on their haunches, and shuffled off in thequietest manner possible. Near their fire was a fine hut, the bestI have ever seen, built on the same principle as those at Cooper'sCreek, but much larger and more complete: I should say a dozenblacks might comfortably coil in it together. It is situated at theend of the forest towards the north, and looks out on an extensivemarsh, which is at times flooded by the sea water. Hundreds of wildgeese, plover and pelicans, were enjoying themselves in thewatercourses on the marsh, all the water on which was too brackishto be drinkable, except some holes that are filled by the streamthat flows through the forest. The neighbourhood of this encampmentis one of the prettiest we have seen during the journey. Proceedingon our course across the marsh, we came to a channel through whichthe sea water enters. Here we passed three blacks, who, as isuniversally their custom, pointed out to us, unasked, the best partdown. This assisted us greatly, for the ground we were taking wasvery boggy. We moved slowly down about three miles and then campedfor the night; the horse Billy being completely baked. Next morningwe started at daybreak, leaving the horse short hobbled.
Memo.--Verbally transcribed from the Field Books of the late Mr.Wills. Very few words, casually omitted in the author'smanuscripts, have been added in brackets. A few botanicalexplanations have been appended. A few separate general remarksreferring to this portion of the diary will be published, togetherwith the meteorological notes to which they are contiguous. Noother notes in reference to this portion of the journey are extant.
5/11/61 FERD. MUELLER.
It will be observed in following these Field Books that thereare occasional intervals and omissions, which I account for thus:--My son's first entries, in pencil, are more in the form of notes,with observations, and figures to guide him in mapping; because,when his maps are accurate and attended to, his journal isimperfect, and vice versa. Besides, there can be no doubt that Mr.Burke kept a journal, though perhaps not a complete one, and ofwhich a very small portion has come to hand. In it he mentions adifficult pass they went through on the route to Carpentaria, ofwhich my son does not speak. King confirms Mr. Burke's statement,and says my son knew he had written it, which was the reason why hedid not himself repeat the same passage.
The Royal Commissioners in their Report said:
"It does not appear that Mr. Burke kept any regular journal, orthat he gave written instructions to his officers. Had he performedthese essential portions of the duties of a leader, many of thecalamities of the Expedition might have been averted, and little orno room would have been left for doubt in judging the conduct ofthose subordinates who pleaded unsatisfactory and contradictoryverbal orders and statements."
With all due submission and humility, I think this opinion tooconclusive, and formed on unsatisfactory evidence, as any statementmust be considered, proceeding from one who destroyed his owncredit by self-contradiction to the extent that Mr. Brahe did. Headmitted, on his examination, that he had burnt some of Mr. Burke'spapers at Mr. Burke's own request. How then is it possible todetermine what he may otherwise have burnt or placed out of theway? In fact, what written instructions, if any, he did or notreceive, and what he did with them?
Return from Carpentaria to Cooper's Creek.
Mr. Wills's Journals from February 19th to April 21st, 1861.
Illness and Death of Gray.The Survivors arrive at Cooper's Creek Depot and find it deserted.
A Small Stock of Provisions left.
Conduct of Brahe.
Report of the Royal Commission.
MR. BURKE and Mr. Wills having accomplished the grand object of theExpedition by reaching the Gulf of Carpentaria, rejoined Gray andKing at Camp 119, where they had left them with the camels. On the13th of February the party turned their faces to the south, andcommenced their long and toilsome march in return. The entries inmy son's journals were transcribed as follows:--
Tuesday, 19th February, 1861.--Boocha's Camp.
Wednesday, 20th February, 1861.--Pleasant Camp; 5R.
Thursday, 21st February, 1861.--Recovery Camp; 6R. Between fourand five o'clock a heavy thunderstorm broke over us, having givenvery little warning of its approach. There had been lightning andthunder towards south-east and south ever since noon yesterday. Therain was incessant and very heavy for an hour and a half, whichmade the ground so boggy that the animals could scarcely walk overit; we nevertheless started at ten minutes to seven A.M., and afterfloundering along for half an hour halted for breakfast. We thenmoved on again, but soon found that the travelling was too heavyfor the camels, so camped for the remainder of the day. In theafternoon the sky cleared a little, and the sun soon dried theground, considering. Shot a pheasant, and much disappointed atfinding him all feathers and claws. This bird nearly resembles acock pheasant in plumage, but in other respects it bears more thecharacter of the magpie or crow; the feathers are remarkably wiryand coarse.
Friday, 22nd February, 1861.--Camp 7R. A fearful thunderstorm inthe evening, about eight P.M., from east-south-east, movinggradually round to south. The flashes of lightning were so vividand incessant as to keep up a continual light for short intervals,overpowering the moonlight. Heavy rain and strong squalls continuedfor more than an hour, when the storm moved off west-north-west.The sky remained more or less overcast for the rest of the night,and the following morning was both sultry and oppressive, with theground so boggy as to be almost impassable.
Saturday, 23rd February, 1861.--Camp 8R. In spite of thedifficulties thrown in our way by last night's storm, we crossedthe creek, but were shortly afterwards compelled to halt for theday on a small patch of comparatively dry ground, near the river.The day turned out very fine, so that the soil dried rapidly, andwe started in the evening to try a trip by moonlight. We were veryfortunate in finding sound ground along a billibong, whichpermitted of our travelling for about five miles up the creek, whenwe camped for the night. The evening was most oppressively hot andsultry, so much so that the slightest exertion made one feel as ifhe were in a state of suffocation. The dampness of the atmosphereprevented any evaporation, and gave one a helpless feeling oflassitude that I have never before experienced to such an extent.All the party complained of the same symptoms, and the horsesshowed distinctly the effect of the evening trip, short as it was.We had scarcely turned in half an hour when it began to rain, someheavy clouds having come up from the eastward in place of the layerof small cirrocumulus that before ornamented the greater portion ofthe sky. These clouds soon moved on, and we were relieved from thedread of additional mud. After the sky cleared, the atmospherebecame rather cooler and less sultry, so that, with the assistanceof a little smoke to keep the mosquitoes off, we managed to pass atolerable night.
Sunday, 24th February, 1861.--Camp 9R. Comparatively little rainhas fallen above the branch creek with the running water. Thevegetation, although tolerably fresh, is not so rank as that wehave left; the water in the creek is muddy, but good, and has beenderived merely from the surface drainage of the adjoining plains.The Melaleneus continues on this branch creek, which creeps alongat the foot of the ranges.
Monday, 25th February, 1861.--Camp 10R. There has been very littlerain on this portion of the creek since we passed down; there was,however, no water at all then at the pans. At the Tea-tree spring,a short distance up the creek, we found plenty of water in thesand, but it had a disagreeable taste, from the decomposition ofleaves and the presence of mineral matter, probably iron. Thereseems to have been a fair share of rain along here, everything isso very fresh and green, and there is water in many of the channelswe have crossed.
Tuesday, 26th February, 1861.--Apple-tree Camp; 11R.
Thursday, 28th February, 1861.--Reedy Gully Camp; 12R. Came intothe Reedy Gully Camp about midnight on Tuesday, the 26th; remainedthere throughout the day on Wednesday; starting at two A.M. onThursday.
Friday, 1st March, 1861.--Camp of the Three Crows; 13R.
Saturday, 2nd March, 1861.--Salt-bush Camp; 14R. Found Golah. Helooks thin and miserable; seems to have fretted a great deal,probably at finding himself left behind, and he has been walking upand down our tracks till he has made a regular pathway; could findno sign of his having been far off, although there is a splendidfeed to which he could have gone. He began to eat as soon as he sawthe other camels.
Sunday, 3rd March, 1861.--Eureka Camp; 15R. In crossing a creek bymoonlight, Charley rode over a large snake; he did not touch him,and we thought that it was a log until he struck it with thestirrup iron; we then saw that it was an immense snake, larger thanany I have ever before seen in a wild state. It measured eight feetfour inches in length and seven inches in girth round the belly; itwas nearly the same thickness from the head to within twenty inchesof the tail; it then tapered rapidly. The weight was 11 1/2 pounds.From the tip of the nose to five inches back, the neck was black,both above and below; throughout the rest of the body, the underpart was yellow, and the sides and back had irregular browntransverse bars on a yellowish brown ground. I could detect nopoisonous fangs, but there were two distinct rows of teeth in eachjaw, and two small claws of nails, about three-eighths of an inchlong, one on each side of the vent.
Monday, 4th March, 1861.--Feasting Camp; 16R. Shortly afterarriving at Camp 16 we could frequently hear distant thundertowards the east, from which quarter the wind was blowing. Duringthe afternoon there were frequent heavy showers, and towardsevening it set in to rain steadily but lightly; this lasted tillabout eight P.M., when the rain ceased and the wind got round towest; the sky, however, remained overcast until late in the night,and then cleared for a short time; the clouds were soon succeededby a dense fog or mist, which continued until morning. The vapourhaving then risen, occupied the upper air in the form of lightcirrostratus and cumulus clouds.
Tuesday, 5th March, 1861.--Camp 17R. Started at two A.M. on asouth-south-westerly course, but had soon to turn in on the creek,as Mr. Burke felt very unwell, having been attacked by dysenterysince eating the snake; he now felt giddy and unable to keep hisseat. At six A.M., Mr. Burke feeling better, we started again,following along the creek, in which there was considerably morewater than when we passed down. We camped, at 2.15 P.M., at a partof the creek where the date trees* were very numerous, and found the fruit nearly ripe and very muchimproved on what it was when we were here before.
[* Footnote: Probably Livistonas.]
Wednesday, 6th March, 1861.--Camp 18R. Arrived at our former camp,and found the feed richer than ever, and the ants just astroublesome. Mr. Burke is a little better, and Charley lookscomparatively well. The dryness of the atmosphere seems to have abeneficial effect on all. We found yesterday, that it was ahopeless matter about Golah, and we were obliged to leave himbehind, as he seemed to be completely done up and could not comeon, even when the pack and saddle were taken off.
Thursday, 7th March, 1861.--Fig-tree Camp; 19R; Palm-tree Camp,104, and 20 degrees Latitude, by observation, coming down, 20degrees 21 minutes 40 seconds. There is less water here than therewas when we passed down, although there is evidence of the creekhaving been visited by considerable floods during the interval.Feed is abundant, and the vegetation more fresh than before. Mr.Burke almost recovered, but Charley is again very unwell and unfitto do anything; he caught cold last night through carelessness incovering himself.
Friday, 8th March, 1861.--Camp 20R. Followed the creek more closelycoming up than going down. Found more water in it generally.
Saturday, 9th March, 1861.--Camp 21R. Reached our former camp at 1.30 P.M. Found the herbage much dried up, but still plenty of feedfor the camels.
Sunday, 10th March, 1861.--Camp 22R. Camped at the junction of asmall creek from the westward, a short distance below our formercamp, there being plenty of good water here, whereas the supply atSpecimen Camp is very doubtful.
Monday, 11th March, 1861.--Camp 23R. Halted for breakfast at theSpecimen Camp at 7.15 A.M., found more water and feed there thanbefore; then proceeded up the creek and got safely over the mostdangerous part of our journey. Camped near the head of the Gap in aflat, about two miles below our former camp at the Gap.
Tuesday, 12th March, 1861.--Camp 24R.
Wednesday, 13th March, 1861.--Camp 25R. Rain all day, so heavilythat I was obliged to put my watch and field book in the pack tokeep them dry. In the afternoon the rain increased, and all thecreeks became flooded. We took shelter under some fallen rocks,near which was some feed for the camels; but the latter was of novalue, for we had soon to remove them up amongst the rocks, out ofthe way of the flood, which fortunately did not rise high enough todrive us out of the cave; but we were obliged to shift our packs tothe upper part. In the evening the water fell as rapidly as it hadrisen, leaving everything in a very boggy state. There werefrequent light showers during the night.
Thursday, 14th March, 1861.--Camp 26R; Sandstone cave. The water inthe creek having fallen sufficiently low, we crossed over from thecave and proceeded down the creek. Our progress was slow, as it wasnecessary to keep on the stony ridge instead of following theflats, the latter being very boggy after the rain. Thinking thatthis creek must join Scratchley's, near our old camp, we followedit a long way, until finding it trend altogether too much eastward,we tried to shape across for the other creek, but were unable to doso, from the boggy nature of the intervening plain.
Friday, 15th March, 1861.--Camp 27R.
Saturday, 16th March, 1861.--Camp 28R. Scratchley's Creek.
Sunday, 17th March, 1861.--Camp 29R.
Monday, 18th March, 1861.--Camp 30R.
Tuesday, 19th March, 1861.--Camp 31R.
Wednesday, 20th March, 1861.--Camp 32R. Feasting Camp. Last eveningthe sky was clouded about nine P.M., and a shower came down fromthe north. At ten o'clock it became so dark that we camped on thebank of the creek, in which was a nice current of clear water.To-day we halted, intending to try a night journey. The packs weoverhauled and left nearly 60 pounds weight of things behind. Theywere all suspended in a pack from the branches of a shrub close tothe creek. We started at a quarter to six, but were continuallypulled up by billibongs and branch creeks, and soon had to camp forthe night. At the junction of the two creeks just above are thethree cones, which are three remarkably small hills to theeastward.
Thursday, 21st March, 1861.--Humid Camp, 33R.--Unable to proceed onaccount of the slippery and boggy state of the ground. The rain hasfallen very heavily here to-day, and every little depression in theground is either full of water or covered with slimy mud. Anotherheavy storm passed over during the night, almost extinguishing themiserable fire we were able to get up with our very limitedquantity of waterlogged and green wood. Having been so unfortunatelast night, we took an early breakfast this morning at Camp 33,which I had named the Humid Camp, from the state of dampness inwhich we found everything there; and crossing to the east bank ofthe main creek, proceeded in a southerly direction nearly parallelwith the creek. Some of the flats near the creek contain therichest alluvial soil, and are clothed with luxuriant vegetation.There is an immense extent of plain, back, of the finest characterfor pastoral purposes, and the country bears every appearance ofbeing permanently well watered. We halted on a large billibong atnoon, and were favoured during dinner by a thunderstorm, theheavier portion of which missed us, some passing north and somesouth, which was fortunate, as it would otherwise have spoiled ourbaking process, a matter of some importance just now. We startedagain at seven o'clock, but the effects of the heavy rain preventedour making a good journey.
Friday, 22nd March, 1861.--Muddy Camp, 34R.--Had an early breakfastthis morning, and started before sunrise. Found that the wet swampyground that checked our progress last night was only a narrowstrip, and that had we gone a little further we might have made afine journey. The country consisted of open, well-grassed, pebblyplains, intersected by numerous small channels, all containingwater. Abundance of fine rich portulac was just bursting intoflower along all these channels, as well as on the greater portionof the plain. The creek that we camped on last night ran nearlyparallel with us throughout this stage. We should have crossed it,to avoid the stony plains, but were prevented by the flood from sodoing.
Saturday, 23rd March, 1861.--Mosquito Camp, 35R.--Started at aquarter to six and followed down the creek, which has much of thecharacteristic appearance of the River Burke, where we crossed iton our up journey. The land in the vicinity greatly improves as onegoes down, becoming less stony and better grassed. At eleveno'clock we crossed a small tributary from the eastward, and therewas a distant range of considerable extent visible in thatdirection. Halted for the afternoon in a bend where there wastolerable feed, but the banks are everywhere more or less scrubby.
Sunday, 24th March, 1861.--Three-hour Camp, 36R.
Monday, 25th March, 1861.--Native-Dog Camp, 37R.--Started athalf-past five, looking for a good place to halt for the day. Thiswe found at a short distance down the creek, and immediatelydiscovered that it was close to Camp 89 of our up journey. Had notexpected that we were so much to the westward. After breakfast,took some time-altitudes, and was about to go back to last camp forsome things that had been left, when I found Gray behind a treeeating skilligolee. He explained that he was suffering fromdysentery, and had taken the flour without leave. Sent him toreport himself to Mr. Burke, and went on. He, having got King totell Mr. Burke for him, was called up, and received a goodthrashing. There is no knowing to what extent he has been robbingus. Many things have been found to run unaccountably short. Startedat seven o'clock, the camels in first-rate spirits. We followed ourold course back (south). The first portion of the plains had muchthe same appearance as when we came up, but that near Camp 88,which then looked so fresh and green, is now very much dried up;and we saw no signs of water anywhere. In fact, there seems to havebeen little or no rain about here since we passed. Soon after threeo'clock we struck the first of several small creeks or billibongs,which must be portions of the creek with the deep channel that wecrossed on going up, we being now rather to the westward of ourformer course. From here, after traversing about two miles of thebarest clay plain, devoid of all vegetation, we reached a smallwatercourse, most of the holes in which contained some water of amilky or creamy description. Fine salt bush and portulac beingabundant in the vicinity, we camped here at 4.30 A.M. When westarted in the evening, a strong breeze had already sprung up inthe south, which conveyed much of the characteristic feeling of ahot wind. It increased gradually to a force of five and six, but byeleven o'clock had become decidedly cool, and was so chilly towardsmorning that we found it necessary to throw on our ponchos. A fewcirrocumulus clouds were coming up from the east when we started,but we left them behind, and nothing was visible during the nightbut a thin hazy veil. The gale continued throughout the 26th,becoming warmer as the day advanced. In the afternoon it blewfuriously, raising a good deal of dust. The temperature of air atfour P.M. was 84 degrees in the shade. Wind trees all day.
This last entry contains an unpleasant record of poorGray's delinquency. He appears to have been hitherto rather afavourite with my son.
King, on his examination before the Royal Commission, finding thatMr. Burke was censured for chastising Gray, at first denied itstrongly. My son only relates in his diary what Mr. Burke had toldhim; "I have given Gray a good thrashing, and well he deserved it."King blamed my son for mentioning this, but admitted that Mr. Burkegave Gray several slaps on the head; afterwards, seeing that Mr.Burke was found fault with for not keeping a journal, King was madeto appear to say that Mr. Wills's journal was written inconjunction with and under the supervision of Mr. Burke; and thusaccounted for the absence of one by Mr. Burke. I was present atKing's examination, and can bear witness that he said nothing ofthe kind. His answers, as given in the Royal Commission Report,were framed to suit the questions of the interrogator, whichappeared to astonish King, and he made no reply. King's statements,as far as he understood what he was asked, I believe to have beengenerally very truthful, and honestly given.
After March 25th, an interval of three days occurs, in whichnothing is noted. Gray's illness, attending to the maps, with extralabour, may account for this omission.
March 29.--Camels' last feast; fine green feed at this camp:plenty of vines and young polygonums on the small billibongs.
March 30.--Boocha's rest.--Poor Boocha was killed; employed all dayin cutting up and jerking him: the day turned out as favourable forus as we could have wished, and a considerable portion of the meatwas completely jerked before sunset.
March 31.--Mia Mia Camp.--Plenty of good dry feed; various shrubs;salt bushes, including cotton bush and some coarse kangaroo grass;water in the hollows on the stony pavement. The neighbouringcountry chiefly composed of stony rises and sand ridges.
April 5--Oil Camp.--Earthy and clayey plains, generally sound andtolerably grassed, but in other places bare salt bush, andwithered.
April 6 and 7.--Earthy flats, cut into innumerable water courses,succeeded by fine open plains, generally very bare, but having insome places patches of fine salt bush. The dead stalks of portulacand mallows show that those plants are very plentiful in someseasons. Towards noon came upon earthy plains and numerousbillibongs. The next day the water and feed much dried up, andnearly all the water has a slightly brackish taste of a peculiarkind, somewhat resembling in flavour potassio-tartrate of soda(cream of tartar).
On the 8th, poor Gray, suffering under the bad odour of hispeculations, was thought to be pretending illness, because he couldnot walk, and my son, when he was himself ill, much regretted theirsuspicions on this point; but it appears from King's evidence, thatGray's excuse for using the provisions surreptitiously, that he wasattacked by dysentery, was without foundation.
Monday, April 8.--Camp 50R.--Camped a short distance above Camp 75.The creek here contains more water, and there is a considerablequantity of green grass in its bed, but it is much dried up sincewe passed before. Halted fifteen minutes to send back for Gray, whopretended that he could not walk. Some good showers must havefallen lately, as we have passed surface water on the plains everyday. In the latter portion of to-day's journey, the young grass andportulac are springing freshly in the flats, and on the sides ofthe sand ridges.
Tuesday, April 9.--Camp 51R.--Camped on the bank of the creek,where there is a regular field of salt bush, as well as some grassin its bed, very acceptable to the horse, who has not had a properfeed for the last week until last night, and is, consequently,nearly knocked up.
Wednesday, April 10.--Camp 52R.--Remained at Camp 52 R all day, tocut up and jerk the meat of the horse Billy, who was so reduced andknocked up for want of food that there appeared little chance ofhis reaching the other side of the desert; and as we were runningshort of food of every description ourselves, we thought it best tosecure his flesh at once. We found it healthy and tender, butwithout the slightest trace of fat in any portion of the body.
In the journal to the Fifteenth, there is nothing worthy of note;there were watercourses daily, the character of the country thesame; the plants chiefly chrysanthemums and salt bush. On thelatter day it rained heavily, commenced at five in the morning, andcontinued pretty steadily throughout the day. The camel, Linda, gotknocked up owing to the wet, and having to cross numerous sandridges; and at four o'clock they had to halt at a clay-pan amongthe sandhills.
On Wednesday, the 17th, my son notes the death of poor Gray: "Hehad not spoken a word distinctly since his first attack, which wasjust about as we were going to start." Here King mentions that theyremained one day to bury Gray. They were so weak, he said, that itwas with difficulty they could dig a grave sufficiently deep tointer him in. This is not in the journal, but in King's narrative.
On the 19th, camped again without water, on the sandy bed ofthe creek, having been followed by a lot of natives who weredesirous of our company; but as we preferred camping alone, we werecompelled to move on until rather late, in order to get away fromthem. The night was very cold. A strong breeze was blowing from thesouth, which made the fire so irregular that, as on the twoprevious nights, it was impossible to keep up a fair temperature.Our general course throughout the day had been south-south-east.
On Sunday, April 21, the survivors, Mr. Burke, my son, King, and twocamels, reached Cooper's Creek at the exact place where the depotparty had been left under Brahe. THERE WAS NO ONE THERE! During thelast few days every exertion had been made, every nerve strained toreach the goal of their arduous labours--the spot where theyexpected to find rest, clothing, and provisions in abundance. Kingdescribes in vivid language the exertions of that last ride ofthirty miles; and Burke's delight when he thought he saw the depotcamp; "There they are!" he exclaimed; "I see them!" The wish was"father to the thought." Lost and bewildered in amazement, heappeared like one stupefied when the appalling truth burst on him.King has often described to me the scene. "Mr. Wills looked abouthim in all directions. Presently he said, 'King, they are gone;'pointing a short way off to a spot, 'there are the things they haveleft.' Then he and I set to work to dig them up, which we did in ashort time. Mr. Burke at first was quite overwhelmed, and flunghimself on the ground." But soon recovering, they all three set towork to cook some victuals. When thus refreshed, my son made thefollowing entry in his journal:
Sunday, April 21.--Arrived at the depot this evening, just in timeto find it deserted. A note left in the plant by Brahe communicatesthe pleasing information that they have started today for theDarling; their camels and horses all well and in good condition. Weand our camels being just done up, and scarcely able to reach thedepot, have very little chance of overtaking them. Brahe hasfortunately left us ample provisions to take us to the bounds ofcivilization namely:--Flour, 50 pounds; rice, 20 pounds; oatmeal,60 pounds; sugar, 60 pounds; and dried meat, 15 pounds. Theseprovisions, together with a few horse-shoes and nails, and someodds and ends, constitute all the articles left, and place us in avery awkward position in respect to clothing. Our disappointment atfinding the depot deserted may easily be imagined;--returning in anexhausted state, after four months of the severest travelling andprivation, our legs almost paralyzed, so that each of us found it amost trying task only to walk a few yards. Such a leg-bound feelingI never before experienced, and hope I never shall again. Theexertion required to get up a slight piece of rising ground, evenwithout any load, induces an indescribable sensation of pain andhelplessness, and the general lassitude makes one unfit foranything. Poor Gray must have suffered very much many times when wethought him shamming. It is most fortunate for us that thesesymptoms, which so early affected him, did not come on us until wewere reduced to an exclusively animal diet of such an inferiordescription as that offered by the flesh of a worn-out andexhausted horse. We were not long in getting out the grub thatBrahe had left, and we made a good supper off some oatmeal porridgeand sugar. This, together with the excitement of finding ourselvesin such a peculiar and most unexpected position, had a wonderfuleffect in removing the stiffness from our legs. Whether it ispossible that the vegetables can have so affected us, I know not;but both Mr. Burke and I remarked a most decided relief and astrength in the legs greater than we had had for several days. I aminclined to think that but for the abundance of portulac that weobtained on the journey, we should scarcely have returned toCooper's Creek at all.
I asked King how my son behaved. His answer was, that he neveronce showed the slightest anger or loss of self-command. From undera tree on which had been marked, "DIG, 21st April, 1861," a box wasextracted containing the provisions, and a bottle with thefollowing note:--
Depot, Cooper's Creek, April 21, 1861.
The depot party of the V.E.E. leaves this camp to-day to returnto the Darling. I intend to go south-east from Camp 60 to get intoour old track near Bulloo. Two of my companions and myself arequite well; the third, Patten, has been unable to walk for the lasteighteen days, as his leg has been severely hurt when thrown by oneof the horses. No one has been up here from the Darling. We havesix camels and twelve horses in good working condition.
WILLIAM BRAHE.
Brahe has been blamed for not having left a true statement ofhis condition, and that of those with him; but it was truth when hewrote it. He believed Patten's to have been a sprain. It wasafterwards that he contradicted himself, in his journal WRITTEN INMELBOURNE, and in his evidence before the Royal Commission. Brahehad no journal when he came down the first time with a message fromWright, and was requested, or ordered, by the committee to produceone, which he subsequently did. In this journal, Brahe enters, onthe 15th April:
Patten is getting worse. I and McDonough begin to feel ALARMINGSYMPTOMS of the same disease (namely, a sprain).
April 18.--There is no probability of Mr. Burke returning this way.Patten is in a deplorable state, and desirous of returning to theDarling to obtain medical assistance; and our provisions will soonbe reduced to a quantity insufficient to take us back to theDarling if the trip should turn out difficult and tedious. Beingalso sure that I and McDonough would not much longer escape scurvy,I, after most seriously considering all circumstances, made up mymind to start for the Darling on Sunday next, the 21st.
That day he abandoned the depot at ten A.M. leaving 50 poundsof flour, taking with him 150 pounds; leaving 50 pounds of oatmeal,taking ABOUT 70 pounds; leaving 50 pounds of sugar, taking 75pounds; leaving rice 30 pounds, taking one bag. He left neither teanor biscuits, and took all the clothes, being the property of Mr.Wills. The latter, he said before the Royal Commissioners, wereonly shirts, omitting the word flannel, and added that they werebadly off themselves. He was asked:--
Question 323: Had you any clothes of any description atCooper's Creek that might have been left?--Yes, I had a parcel ofclothes that were left with me by Mr. Wills; these were all that Iknow of, and we ourselves were very badly off.
Question 1729. By Dr. Wills (through the chairman)--I wish to knowwhether a portmanteau was left with you, belonging to Mr. Wills, myson? Yes, a bag, a calico bag containing clothes.
1730.--You were aware it was his own property?--I was.
1731.--What made you take those clothes back to Menindie, and notleave them in the cache?--Mr. Wills was better supplied than anyother member of the party, and I certainly did not think he wouldbe in want of clothes.
With a somewhat unaccountable disposition to sympathize with Brahe,on the part of the Committee and the Royal Commission, the lattersummed up their impression of his conduct thus:
The conduct of Mr. Brahe in retiring from his position at the depotbefore he was rejoined by his commander, or relieved from theDarling, may be deserving of considerable censure; but we are ofopinion that a responsibility far beyond his expectations devolvedupon him; and it must be borne in mind that, with the assurance ofhis leader, and his own conviction that he might each day expect tobe relieved by Mr. Wright, he still held his post for four monthsand five days; and that only when pressed by the appeals of acomrade sickening even to death, as was subsequently proved, hispowers of endurance gave way, and he retired from the positionwhich could alone afford succour to the weary explorers should theyreturn by that route. His decision was most unfortunate; but webelieve he acted from a conscientious desire to discharge his duty,and we are confident that the painful reflection that twenty-fourhours' further perseverance would have made him the rescuer of theexplorers, and gained for himself the praise and approbation ofall, must be of itself an agonizing thought, without the additionof censure he might feel himself undeserving of.
Proceedings in Melbourne.
Meeting of the Exploration Committee.
Tardy Resolutions.
Departure of Mr. Howitt.
Patriotic Effort of Mr. Orkney.
South Australian Expedition under Mr. McKinlay.
News of White Men and Camels having been seen by Natives in the Interior.
Certain Intelligence of the Fate of the Explorers reaches Melbourne.
In March, 1861, I began, in the absence of all intelligence, tofeel some apprehension for my son's safety, and the result of theexpedition. On the 8th, Professor Neumayer, in reply to a letterfrom me, said: "You have asked me about the Exploring Expedition,and it is really a difficult matter to give a definite answer tothe question. I think that by this time the party must have reachedthe Gulf of Carpentaria, supposing them to have proceeded in thatdirection. In fact, I think they may have recrossed already a greatpart of the desert country, if everything went on smoothly afterleaving Cooper's Creek. I have a thorough confidence in Mr. Wills'scharacter and energy, and I am sure they will never fail. I cannothelp regretting that the Committee should not have understood theforce of my arguments, when I advised them to send the expeditiontowards the north-west. This would very likely have forwarded thetask considerably. My feeling is not very strong as to the resultswe may expect from the present attempt. Indeed, as far as scienceand practical advantages are concerned, I look upon the whole as amistake. Mr. Wills is entirely alone; he has no one to assist himin his zeal, and take a part of his onerous duties from him. Had hebeen put in a position to make valuable magnetic observations, hewould have earned the thanks of the scientific world. But, underexisting circumstances, he can do nothing at all for theadvancement of this particular branch. However, I hope futureexpeditions will afford him an opportunity to fill up thatdeficiency, if he should now be successful. The affair withLandells was nothing more nor less than what I expected and wasquite prepared to hear. The man was not more qualified for the taskhe undertook than he would have been for any scientific position inthe expedition. I am confident Mr. Wills is all right, and that Mr.Burke and he will agree well together."
All this was complimentary and gratifying to a father's feelings.Still, as time passed on, forebodings came upon me that this greatexpedition, starting with so much display from Melbourne, with asteady, declared, and scientific object, would dwindle down into aflying light corps, making a sudden dash across the continent andback again with no permanent results. Discharges and resignationshad taken place, and no efforts were made by the committee to fillup the vacancies. No assistant surveyor had been sent to my son, nosuccessor appointed to Dr. Beckler. The last-named gentlemanbrought back many of the scientific instruments intrusted to hischarge, alleging that if he had not done so, Mr. Burke, who wasunscientific and impatient of the time lost in making andregistering observations, threatened to throw them into the nextcreek. The supineness of the committee was justly, not too severelycommented on in the Report of the Royal Commission: "TheExploration Committee, in overlooking the importance of thecontents of Mr. Burke's despatch from Torowoto, and in not urgingMr. Wright's departure from the Darling, committed errors of aserious nature. A means of knowledge of the delay of the party atMenindie was in possession of the committee, not indeed by directcommunication to that effect, but through the receipt of lettersfrom Drs. Becker and Beckler, at various dates up to the end ofNovember;--without, however, awakening the committee to a sense ofthe vital importance of Mr. Burke's request in that despatch thathe should 'be soon followed up;'--or to a consideration of thedisastrous consequences which would be likely to result, and didunfortunately result, from the fatal inactivity and idling of Mr.Wright and his party on the Darling."
During the month of March, the Argus newspaper called attention tothe matter, and a letter, signed Lockhart Moreton, expressed itselfthus "What has become of the expedition? Surely the committee arenot alive to the necessity of sending some one up? Burke has bythis time crossed the continent, or is lost. What has become ofWright? What is he doing?"
Then came a letter from Menindie, expressing strong opinions on thestate of affairs, but flattering to my son. It was evident to methat these gentlemen knew or thought more than they felt disposedto state directly in words. I have already mentioned that Mr.Burke, while within the districts where newspapers could reach him,had been harassed, from the time of his appointment, by remarks inthe public prints, evidently proceeding from parties and theirfriends who thought the honour of leading this grand processionmore properly belonged to themselves. Being a gentleman ofsensitive feelings, these observations touched him to the quick.When he was no longer within reach, they still continued, but hefound defenders in the all-powerful Argus. I am sorry to say, forthe sake of human nature, that there were some who went so far asto wish no successful result to his enterprise.
Believing and trusting that these remarks of Mr. Moreton andothers, would stir up the committee to take some steps to ascertainif Mr. Wright was moving in his duty, I contented myself withwriting to the Magnetic Observatory, to learn from ProfessorNeumayer what was going on. He being absent on scientific tours, Ireceived answers from his locum tenens, to the effect that within amonth certain information was expected. The committee I did nottrouble, as their Honorary Secretary had deigned no reply toletters I had previously sent.
In the month of June, unable to bear longer suspense, with a smallpack on my shoulders and a stick in my hand, I walked fromBallaarat to Melbourne, a distance of seventy-five miles, stoppingfor a couple of nights on the way at the house of a kind andhospitable friend, Dugald McPherson, Esquire, J.P., at Bungel-Tap.This gentleman has built a substantial mansion there, in theElizabethan style, likely, from its solidity, to last forcenturies. I arrived at Melbourne on Saturday, the 16th of June. OnMonday, the 18th, I called on the Honourable David Wilkie, honorarytreasurer to the committee. I found him issuing circulars for ameeting to consider what was to be done. My heart sank within mewhen I found that no measures whatever had yet been taken. I calledon those I knew amongst the committee to entreat their attendance.I hastened to Professor Neumayer, with reference to Mr. Lockhart'sletter, to ask if it had been arranged with Mr. Burke that a vesselshould be despatched round the coast to the Gulf to meet him there.His answer was that a conversation on that point had taken placebetween Mr. Burke, my son, and himself, but that Mr. Burke hadenjoined him (the professor) not to move in it, for that, if sodisposed, he would himself apply to the committee by letter.
A meeting took place on the evening of the 18th. The opinions wereas numerous as the members in attendance. Quot homines totsententiae. One talked of financial affairs, another of science, athird of geography, a fourth of astronomy, and so on. A chapter inthe Circumlocution Office painfully unfolded itself. Mr. Ligarrather rudely asked me what I was in such alarm about; observedthat "there was plenty of time; no news was good news; and I hadbetter go home and mind my own business." I felt hurt, naturallyenough, some of my readers may suppose, and replied that had I notbeen convinced something was doing, I should scarcely have remainedquiet at Ballaarat for three months. A gentleman, with whom I hadno previous acquaintance, seeing my anxiety, and feeling that theemergency called for immediate action, appealed to them warmly, andthe result was a decision, nemine contradicente, that it was timeto move, if active and trustworthy agents could be found. I offeredmy services for one, but the meeting adjourned without coming toany decision, and was followed by other indefinite meetings andadjournments de die in diem.
On the following day, Dr. Macadam, Honorary Secretary, attended(the press of the morning had incited movement) and announced thewelcome intelligence that Mr. A. Howitt was in Melbourne; that hehad seen him; that he was ready to go on the shortest notice. Sofar all was good. But now I saw the full misery and imbecility ofleaving a large body to decide what should have been delegated to aquorum of three at the most. The meetings took place regularly, butthe same members seldom attended twice. New illusions and conceitssuggested themselves as often as different committee-men found itconvenient to deliver their opinions and vouchsafe their presence.Let me here specially except Ferdinand Mueller, M.D. and F.R.S., ofLondon, who though a foreigner, a Dane by birth, I believe, has wonby his talents that honourable distinction. His energy in all heundertakes is untiring and unsurpassable. On this occasion he wasever active and unremitting, while his sympathy and kindness tomyself have never varied from the first day of our acquaintance.The Honourable David Wilkie, at whose private house we met nightly,deserves the highest credit for expediting the business, whichended in the despatch of the party under Mr. Howitt. Mr. Healesalso, then Chief Secretary for the Colony, promised assistance inmoney, and the use of the Victoria steamer, under Captain Norman,to be sent round to the Gulf of Carpentaria as soon as she could begot ready.
The Melbourne Argus, of June 19th, contained the following leadingarticle:--
The public will be glad to learn that the Exploration Committeeof the Royal Society have at length resolved to set about partlydoing what in April last we urged upon them. A small party is to bedespatched to Cooper's Creek with means to supply necessaries tothe Exploring Expedition, and to make all possible efforts toascertain the whereabouts of Mr. Burke. It is well this should bedone, and that quickly, for we some eight months since learned thatMr. Burke had provisions calculated to last his party for fivemonths only. But this is not all that should be done. Whenreferring to this subject two months ago, basing our calculationson the knowledge we then had--and it has since received noincrease--we reckoned that Mr. Burke, who left Menindie on the 19thof October last, would reach Cooper's Creek by the beginning ofNovember, and that if he determined upon making for the Gulf ofCarpentaria, he might be expected to reach the north coast by aboutthe middle of March last. If his provisions enabled him to do this,it is unlikely they would suffice him for a return journeysouthwards, or an expedition westward. We cannot think, then, thata party sent to Cooper's Creek should be regarded as sufficient.Why should not the Victoria be utilized? Were she sent round thewest coast to the point Mr. Burke might be expected to strike--if,instead of bearing north, after reaching the centre, he has turnedwestward, as we anticipated he might do--he would possibly be heardof there. If not, the Victoria would be still so far on her way tothe Gulf of Carpentaria--the only other goal he is likely to aim atreaching. Two expeditions, therefore, should at once bedespatched--the party to Cooper's Creek, and the colonial steamerround the coast. Let it not be said to our disgrace that anythinghas been neglected which money or energy could have done to insurethe safety of the men who have devoted themselves to a work inwhich the whole civilized world is interested, and of which, if nowcarried on with success, this colony will reap all the glory. It isa work which all men must have at heart, whether as lovers of theirfellow-men, of science, or of their country. Let it not be marredby aught of niggardliness or supineness. The work must be well andquickly done. The progress of Mr. Stuart and of Mr. Burke is nowwatched with the warmest interest and sympathy by men of science inEurope. Mr. Stuart is well and generously cared for by the SouthAustralian Government and people. What will be said if Victoriaalone, by parsimony or apathy, allowed her Exploring Expedition tofail or her public servants to suffer unnecessary hardships, oreven death?
As to the men to whom the inland expedition is to be intrusted,some conversation took place at the recent meeting of theExploration Committee. Dr. Wills, of Ballaarat, father of Mr.Wills, second in command with Mr. Burke, was present, and offeredto accompany the party. Professor Neumayer suggested a gentlemannamed Walsh, from his own office, as suitable for the enterprise;and Dr. Embling, it is rumoured, supports Mr. Landells as a fitperson for the post of leader. We have nothing to say for oragainst the two former suggestions, but this last demands notice.We consider that Mr. Landells has already shown himself singularlyunfitted to fill a post of this kind.
Mr. Howitt's offer did away with the necessity for my pressingto go. Although I felt tolerably confident in my own physicalpowers, I should have much regretted had they failed on experiment,and thereby retarded rather than aided the object in view. Mr.Walsh went, but was of no service, as he lost the sight of one eyein the first observation he attempted to make; but Mr. Howittproved equal to the emergency and did the work.*
[* Footnote: A strange incident connected with Mr. Walsh's misfortune was reportedabroad, but I do not vouch for its truth. When under surgicaltreatment for his impaired vision, it was said that the operatorsin consultation decided on an experiment to test the powers of theretina to receive light, and in so doing blinded the other eye. Mr.Walsh went to England, having had a sum granted to him by theVictoria government. Whether he has recovered his sight I know not.]
Mr. Howitt being equipped and despatched, I returned to Ballaarat,somewhat relieved, after my fortnight's anxious labours with thecommittee; but on the evening of Friday, the 5th of July, I wasstartled by reading the following statement in the Melbourne WeeklyAge:--
THE NEWS FROM THE EXPLORING EXPEDITION.
The unexpected news of Mr. Burke's expedition of discovery, which wepublish this morning, is positively disastrous. The entire companyof explorers has been dissipated out of being, like dewdrops beforethe sun. Some are dead, some are on their way back, one has come toMelbourne, and another has made his way to Adelaide, whilst onlyfour of the whole party have gone forward from the depot atCooper's Creek upon the main journey of the expedition to explorethe remote interior. The four consist of the two chief officers andtwo men; namely, Mr. Burke, the leader, and Mr. Wills, the surveyorand second in command of the party, together with the men King andGray. This devoted little band left Cooper's Creek for the farinterior on the 16th of December last, more than six months ago,taking with them six camels and one horse, and only twelve weeks'provisions. From Mr. Burke's despatch we learn that he meant toproceed in the first place to Eyre's Creek; and from that place hewould make an effort to explore the country northward in thedirection of the Gulf of Carpentaria. He states also that he meantto return to Cooper's Creek within three months at the farthest;that is, about the middle of March. Before starting on this routehe had already tried a passage northward between Gregory's andStuart's tracks; but he found this passage impracticable, from wantof water. He does not state anything that would enable us to forman opinion of what his intentions might be after leaving Eyre'sCreek, beyond his saying that he meant to push northwards towardsthe Gulf. Neither does it appear that he left any instructions ordirections upon the matter with Mr. Brahe. He merely informed thelatter that he meant to run no risks, and that he would be backwithin a brief stated period, and that Mr. Brahe was not to waitfor him at the depot beyond three months. Mr. Brahe's statement, infact, throws very little light upon the probabilities of Mr.Burke's future course, after leaving the depot at Cooper's Creek.He accompanied him one day's journey, some twenty miles or so, onhis way towards the north. But he seems to know very little of whatMr. Burke's ultimate intentions were. Perhaps, indeed, Mr. Burkehimself had no very definite scheme sketched out in his own mind,as to any settled purpose for the future, beyond his trying to makethe best of his way in the direction of the Gulf of Carpentaria. Heprobably never entertained the idea of its being necessary to planout various different alternatives to adopt, in case of the failureof any one particular course of proceeding. The facility anddespatch with which he had got over the ground to Cooper's Creekmay have produced too confident a state of mind as to the future.And his having learned that Stuart had, with only two or threecompanions, advanced within a couple of days' journey of thenorthern coast, would tend greatly to increase that too confidenttone of mind. Both circumstances were likely to produce a feeling,especially in a sanguine temperament like Burke's, that there wasno need of his arranging beforehand, and leaving behind him, withMr. Brahe, plans of intended procedure on his part, the knowledgeof which would subsequently give a clue to his fate, in case of hiscontinued absence. He seems not to have formed any anticipation ofa vessel being sent round to meet him on the north coast, accordingto Mr. Brahe's account.
What then did he propose to do, and what is likely to have becomeof him? The fear forces itself upon us, that, acting under theinfluence of excessive confidence, arising from the causes alreadyreferred to, Mr. Burke and his little band of three companions wentforth towards the north in a state of mind unprepared to meetinsurmountable obstacles; that difficulties, arising chiefly fromwant of water, sprung up in his path, and assumed greater magnitudethan the previous experience of the expedition could have led themto anticipate; and that if the little party has not succumbed tothese difficulties before now, they are to be sought for either onthe northern coast, by a vessel to be sent there for that purpose,or in the country towards the Gulf of Carpentaria, by an overlandparty despatched in that direction. Indeed, both attempts should bemade simultaneously, and with the least possible delay. The presentperiod of the year is most propitious for the inland journey, bothon account of the abundance of water and the moderate temperatureincident to the winter season. There should not be a moment lost,then, in forwarding this portion of the search; and the coastingportion of it should be commenced as soon after as possible.
The sufferings to which the unhappy men are exposed will beunderstood from Mr. Wright's report of what befell the party underhis charge. They were prostrated by scurvy, as well as beingadditionally enfeebled by the irregular supply of water. And atlength four of their number, worn out by their sufferings, perishedby a wretched, lingering death in the wilderness. There issomething deeply melancholy in such a fact. Poor Becker! He hadscarcely the physique for encountering the toils of such anexpedition. However, regrets over the past are vain. What is ofimportance now is to save the remainder of the party, if possible.And perhaps the best way of opening up the search inland would befor the committee to avail themselves of Mr. Howitt's offer toproceed at once, with an enlarged party, including Mr. Brahe, toCooper's Creek, and thence to Eyre's Creek, and northwards towardsthe coast, should they not previously have encountered Mr. Burkeand his companions on their return.
It is somewhat disheartening to find that when Mr. Wright returnedfor the last time to the Cooper's Creek depot, namely, so recentlyas the first week in May--that is, five months after Burke set outon his final excursion--he did not think it necessary to make anyexamination of the country, as far at least as Eyre's Creek. Itmight naturally be supposed that on finding, by examining theconcealed stores, that Mr. Burke had not revisited the depot, Mr.Wright would endeavour to make some search for him, to the extentof a few days' journey at all events. Before turning their backfinally upon the solitude where their companions were wandering,one last search might have well been made. But perhaps the disabledcondition of the men, horses, and camels may be taken to accountfor this seeming neglect. It may not be too late even now, however,to make amends for this strange oversight, by hastening on Mr.Howitt's party. The whole expedition appears to have been oneprolonged blunder throughout; and it is to be hoped that therescuing party may not be mismanaged and retarded in the same wayas the unfortunate original expedition was. The savans have made asad mess of the whole affair; let them, if possible, retrievethemselves in this its last sad phase.
I returned immediately to Melbourne, and found the committeein earnest at last, the Government aiding them in every possibleway. Mr. Heales offered all the assistance he could give. TheVictoria, which I thought had been made ready, was now put underimmediate repair. Proceedings were reported in the Herald asfollows:--
The adjourned meeting of the Exploration Committee washeld yesterday afternoon, in the Hall of the Royal Society, VictoriaStreet. Dr. Mueller occupied the chair, in the unavoidable absenceof Sir William Stawell.
The minutes of the previous meeting were read and confirmed.
The Chairman said the honorary treasurer would lay before thecommittee the result of the interview the deputation had the honourto hold with the Chief Secretary that day. Unfortunately they hadnot had the advantage of Dr. Macadam's assistance, but he was gladthat gentleman was now present, and that they had one member of theGovernment.
The Honourable Dr. Wilkie, M.L.C., said that Dr. Mueller, himself,and Dr. Wills, father of Mr. Wills, a member of the expedition,waited on the Chief Secretary and communicated to him theresolution passed by the Exploration Committee, stronglyrecommending the Government to give the Victoria steamer for thepurpose of proceeding to the Gulf of Carpentaria in aid of Mr.Burke's party. He might state that the deputation entered fullyinto the whole question, and that the Chief Secretary verycordially promised that the Victoria should be given, and that atthe same time he (the Chief Secretary) said it was the desire ofthe Government to promote the wishes of the Exploration Committee,as far as possible, in rendering assistance to Mr. Burke. Furtherdiscussion took place with reference to other matters, which wouldimmediately come under the consideration of the committee;--as tothe sending a land party from Rockhampton; and the Government hadpromised every possible assistance that they could render.
Mr. Howitt, who returned the next day, was soon despatchedagain with increased means, to follow up his work in aid. Acommunication was immediately opened with the Queensland Governmenton the north-east to get up an expedition under some competentperson, but at the charge of Victoria; and Mr. Walker, who hadalready acquired note as a leader of a party of native police, wasproposed for the command. Captain Norman with the Victoria steamerwas to start as soon as possible, coasting round to the Gulf,taking with him a small tender; whilst Walker, or whoever might beappointed in Queensland, should proceed north, overland. Nothingfurther could be done in Melbourne by the committee or Government;but I have now to narrate a noble act on the part of a privateindividual.
James Orkney, Esquire, M.L.A. for West Melbourne, had a smallsteamer of sixteen tons, built by himself from a model of the GreatEastern, which was quite ready for sea; and having also a captainwilling to embark in her, he undertook to send her round to theGulf of Carpentaria at his own charge. The adventurous gentlemanwho offered his services was no less a personage than Wyse, theskipper of Lord Dufferin's yacht on his celebrated voyage to theNorth Seas, which his lordship has commemorated in his delightfullittle book entitled, Letters from High Latitudes. The Sir CharlesHotham, for so the little craft was called, was intended to precedeCaptain Norman, as the Victoria would take at least a fortnight inequipping. She was expected, from her light draught of water, torender much aid in exploring the rivers and steaming againstcurrents. She left on the 6th of July, towed out of Hudson's Bay bythe Sydney steamer. The weather became stormy, and the steamer wascompelled to cut her adrift during the night. Left to herself andher gallant captain, with a crew of two men only, she made her wayto Sydney. During this time the coast was visited by severe gales,and much anxiety was felt for the Sir Charles Hotham. The agents ofthe Sydney steamer regretted that they had not heard of theproposed arrangement a few hours earlier, as they would readilyhave taken her on deck. But they did all that was in their power.
Mr. Orkney soon received the pleasing intelligence that his littlecraft was safe in Sydney Harbour, but requiring some repairs. Thesewere completed with as much speed as possible, Mr. Orkney bearingevery expense, including that of the telegrams, which wasconsiderable. Again the miniature steamer proceeded from Sydney,northward; but after some progress, Wyse, steering her into shallowwater, near shore, to anchor for the night, ran her on thepeak of the anchor, which made a hole in her bottom, and quiteincapacitated her from further service. Thus Mr. Orkney lost thehope he entertained and the satisfaction he would have enjoyed, ofbeing serviceable to the lost explorers; but the credit due to himis far from being diminished by his want of success, and thepatriotic effort deserves to be recorded to his eternal honour.Through this incident I made his acquaintance, and ever since wehave been, and I hope shall continue to be, sincere friends.
My anxiety for my son's safety interfered with my attention toordinary professional avocations. I accordingly left Ballaarat fora time, and continued in Melbourne, casting about to see how Icould render myself useful in the great object of my thoughts. Atfirst I inclined to go round to the Gulf with Captain Norman, andobtained permission to do so, when an announcement reachedMelbourne by telegram to the effect that the South AustralianGovernment had decided on sending an Expedition from that quarter,and asking for the loan of some camels, with the use of the twothat had strayed in that direction, and had been brought down toAdelaide from Dr. Brown's station. These turned out to be two ofthe three that my son had lost when out on an excursion fromCooper's Creek, the circumstances of which have been alreadymentioned. Mr. McKinlay was at that time in Melbourne. Heimmediately started by the Havelock steamer to offer his servicesas leader of the party. I sent a letter to Sir Richard McDonnel,the Governor, by him, proposing to accompany them as surgeon, andto assist as guide. I received a reply by telegram asking if Iwould put myself under Mr. McKinlay, and also requesting from theGovernment some additional camels. I obtained permission from Mr.Heales to have those that might be useful, and in three daysstarted in the Oscar (since lost) with the camels.
On arriving in Adelaide, I found that the South AustralianExpedition was instructed to proceed, in the first instance, toCooper's Creek, whither Mr. Howitt had already gone. This I thoughta mistaken direction, as Howitt would be there before us, and thenorth and east search being amply provided for, it appearedprofitless. The Government also proposed a surveying tour on theirown account, in conjunction with the search for the missingexplorers. These plans not exactly falling in with my view of thebusiness, I gave up my intention of forming one of the party. Mr.McKinlay was a fine fellow, well adapted to the work; hiscompanions strong and lively, and of a proper age, neither too oldnor too young. Having seen him off, I determined to remain for atime in Adelaide, a delightful place, where I found some of thekindest and most agreeable acquaintances I have ever had the goodfortune to meet with.
The South Australian Register, of the 24th of August, 1861, gavethe following summary of the measures in progress:--
Our readers will perhaps be surprised to learn that a newexploring expedition has just been sent to the northern interior. Toexplore is clearly one of the missions of South Australia; but thistime the object is less one of curiosity than humanity. With Mr.Stuart and his party still engaged in the work of opening a routeto the north-west coast, no one would have thought it desirable,under ordinary circumstances, to undertake fresh explorations. Butthe whole colony has been moved by the dreadful doubt which hangsover the fate of Mr. Burke, the Victorian explorer, who, with threemen, left Cooper's Creek at the beginning of the year; having onlya few months' provisions with him. They have not been heard ofsince, and there is not much hope entertained of their safety. Butall that can be done to assist them or to ascertain their fate isbeing done. The three adjacent provinces have sent in search of thelost explorers, and this colony has also despatched its expeditionfor the same good purpose. Mr. McKinlay, an experienced bushman,has left Adelaide upon this chivalric task, taking with him sixmen, twenty-four horses, and four camels. His first duty is to seekfor Burke, and in the next place to obtain a knowledge ofunexplored country in the north.
After general instructions, Mr. McKinlay's duties weremore specifically defined:--
You will in all matters keep the following objects in full view:--
Firstly. The relief of the expedition under the command of Mr.Burke, or the acquiring a knowledge of its fate. This is the greatobject of the expedition under your command.
When you may have accomplished the foregoing, or may have deemed itnecessary to abandon the search for Mr. Burke, then,
Secondly. The acquiring a knowledge of the country between Eyre'sCreek and Central Mount Stuart.
Thirdly. The acquiring a knowledge of the western shores of LakeEyre. A separate letter of instructions is given to you and theparticular matters to which you will direct your attention in thislocality.
I had been in Adelaide nearly a month when I was startled bythe following note, from Major Egerton Warburton:--
September 19th.
MY DEAR SIR,
Would you kindly call in at my office? I have important newswhich must interest you.
Yours very truly,
J. EGERTON WARBURTON.
I hastened to him, and asked, almost breathlessly, "Whatnews--good or bad?" He replied, "Not so bad;" and then gave me theinformation which was made known in the House of Assembly thatnight, and embodied in the Adelaide Advertiser, the next day, tothe following effect:--
On Thursday morning, considerable interest was excited inAdelaide by a rumour to the effect that intelligence from theinterior had been received of Burke's party. We lost no time ininstituting inquiry, and found that the report was certainly notunfounded. It was stated that a police trooper in the north hadsent down information, derived through a black, that at a longdistance beyond the settled districts some white men were living,and that the black had obtained a portion of their hair. The whitemen were described as being entirely naked, and as living upon araft on a lake, supporting themselves by catching fish: that theyhad no firearms nor horses, but some great animals, which, from thedescription given by the native, were evidently camels. Therecould, therefore, be but little doubt as to this being Burke'sparty, or a portion of it; and as soon as it was ascertained thatthe rumour had some tangible kind of foundation, public curiosityfor fuller and more authentic details speedily rose very high. Onthe assembling of Parliament, the Commissioner of Crown Lands,desirous of allaying the anxiety of the public, read from his placethe letter brought by the native, of which the following is a copy:--
Wirrilpa, September 12, 1861,
SIR,
I have the honour to forward the following particulars gatheredfrom the blacks, seeming to refer to Mr. Burke and party. A blackfellow called Sambo, who has lately come in from Lake Hope, broughtwith him the hair of two white men, which he showed to the cook andstockman at Tooncatchin. He says it was given to him by otherblacks, who told him that there were white men living much fartherout than where he had been. Frank James, one of Mr. Butler'sstockmen, saw Sambo again on the 6th instant, and tried to get thehair from him. He had unfortunately given it away to other blacks.James promised him tobacco for it, and he has promised to get itagain. Sambo says that the white men are naked, have no firearms orhorses, but animals which from his description are evidentlycamels; that they sleep on a raft, which they build on the water.They live on fish which they catch with nets made with grass. Sambosays that the other blacks had told him that the white men arrivedthere this winter. According to Sambo, the people are twenty sleepsfrom Tooncatchin, by way of Lake Hope Creek. I do not think thatthese sleeps on the average exceed ten miles, so it is probablethat they are on or near Cooper's Creek. Sambo is quite willing togo out all the way with a party of white men. He also says that theblacks on Lake Hope Creek are afraid of these white men. I receivedthe above information from Mr. H. Butler, Frank James, and Cleland,on my arrival at Blanche on the 8th instant. Knowing that Mr.McKinlay and party were on their way, I accordingly left Blanche onthe 9th, and I met Mr. McKinlay and party to-day on BandnootaPlain, 145 miles south of Blanche, when I put that gentleman inpossession of the above particulars.
I have etc.
JAMES HOWE, Police Trooper.
To George Hamilton, Esquire, J.P., Inspector of Police.
The Surveyor-General (Mr. Goyder) says that from the general tenorof the letter he inclines to the opinion that the white men are onsome of the newly-discovered waters between Cooper's Creek andEyre's Creek; and if so, this is precisely in the direction thatMr. McKinlay would, according to his instructions, have taken. Butthe most gratifying portion of the whole statement is that whichassures us of Mr. McKinlay being placed in possession of the wholeof the circumstances of the case; and considering the date when theinformation was given him, there is little doubt but that Mr.McKinlay, as the reader's eye rests on these words, is ON THE SPOTINDICATED by the black; and should this prove to be correct, andthe party be saved, South Australia will have, in the cause ofhumanity, reason to rejoice that the Parliament took such promptand vigorous measures to send out the relief expedition. TheCommissioner of Crown Lands telegraphed to Melbourne, withoutdelay, the substance of the trooper's letter; but it is not likelythat any practical use could be made of it there, though it wouldrevive the hopes of many of the friends of Burke and his party. Ifthe white men spoken of in the letter are where Mr. Goyder imaginesthem to be, it is not very likely that Mr. Howitt's relief partywould find them; so that it may, after all, be the destiny of SouthAustralia not only to find men to cross the Australian continent,but to relieve and restore other explorers who have failed in thathazardous attempt.
Mr. Burke's party consists of himself as leader, Mr. Wills,astronomer and surveyor, and who is second in command,--two men,six camels, and one horse. Dr. Wills, who is now in Adelaide,having come round from Melbourne with the additional camels, saysthat the two camels which a short time since made their way intothis colony overland, and were brought to town from Truro, were twoout of the three that belonged to his son, and that they wereallowed to stray, by a man left in charge of them whilst Mr. Willswas engaged in some astronomical pursuits. The man left the camelsto make some tea, and, on his return, the animals had disappeared.Two of them, as already stated, have been recovered, but no tidingshave been received of the third, unless it be the one recently saidto have arrived at Fort Bourke. We hope we shall soon have furtherinformation, not only respecting Burke and his party, but also ofStuart, the time of whose anticipated return now draws on rapidly.
***We had scarcely written the above lines when we received aprivate telegram, informing us that Mr. Stuart was on his way toAdelaide.
This intelligence raised my sinking hopes to a high pitch. I feltconvinced that this was the missing party. The black fellow haddescribed the animals, which the natives called "gobble gobble,"from the noise they made in their throats. Mr. McKinlay put littlefaith in the story; and I was vexed to hear by the next report fromhim that he was not hastening to the rescue. But it would then havebeen too late. The white men alluded to were, unquestionably,Burke, my son, and King, with exaggeration as to their beingwithout clothes, and living on a raft.
Shortly after this I returned to Melbourne, and in another week thesad catastrophe became public beyond all further doubt. Theintelligence had reached Melbourne on a Saturday night. I wasstaying at that time at the house of my kind friend Mr. Orkney. Hehad gone to the opera with Mrs. Orkney and another lady, and camehome about half-past ten. I was surprised at their early return,and thought something unpleasant must have happened. A servant cameto say that he wished to speak with me privately, and then Ireceived the terrible communication which had been announced at thetheatre during an interval between the acts. As soon as I hadsufficiently recovered the shock, we proceeded in a car to theresidence of Dr. Wilkie, the treasurer of the Committee. He hadheard a report, but was rather incredulous, as nothing official hadreached the Committee. At this moment, Dr. Macadam, the HonorarySecretary, came in. He was perfectly bewildered, believed nothing,and had received no telegram. "But," said I, "when were you at yourown house last?" "At seven o'clock," was the reply. "Good God!" Iexclaimed, "jump into the car." We proceeded to his house, andthere indeed was the telegram, which had been waiting for him somehours.
The next morning, Sunday, November the 3rd, Brahe arrived at anearly hour at the Spencer-street Station, having been sent in byMr. Howitt with the journals and letters dug up in the cache atCooper's Creek. I was anxiously waiting his arrival. Dr. Macadamwas also there, and appeared confused, as if he had been up allnight. He insisted on dragging me on to the Governor's house, fourmiles from Melbourne, Heaven only knows with what object. With somedifficulty I obtained from him possession of the bundle of papers,and deposited them for safety in the hands of Dr. Wilkie. I havenothing more to say of Dr. Macadam, except that I sincerely trustit may never be my fortune to come in contact with him again, inany official business whatever. He is a man of unbounded confidencein his own powers, ready to undertake many things at the same time;and would not, I suspect, shrink from including the honorarygovernorship of the colony, if the wisdom of superior authoritywere to place it at his disposal.
The attempt to reach South Australia and Adelaide by Mount Hopeless.
Mistake of selecting that Route.
Mr. Wills's Journals from the 23rd of April to the 29th of June, 1861.
Adventures with the Natives.
Discovery of Nardoo as a Substitute for Food.
Mr. Burke and King go in search of Natives for assistance.
Mr. Wills left alone in the Desert.
The Last Entry in his Journal.
ON the morning of Thursday, the 23rd of April, 1861, Mr. Burke, myson, and King, being refreshed and strengthened by the provisionsthey found at Cooper's Creek, again resumed their journeyhomewards. It was an unfortunate resolve of Burke's, to select theroute to the Adelaide district by Mount Hopeless, instead ofreturning by the Darling. King says, "Mr. Wills and I were ofopinion that to follow Brahe was the best mode of proceeding; butMr. Burke had heard it stated positively at the meeting of theRoyal Society, that there were South Australian settlers within onehundred miles of Cooper's Creek in the direction he proposed totake;" and by this very questionable assertion, without evidence,his mind was biassed. There was, in fact, nothing to recommend theroute by Mount Hopeless, while everything was in favour of that bythe Darling. Blanche Water, the nearest police-station on theAdelaide line, was distant between four and five hundred miles. Theone road they knew nothing of, the other was familiar to them. Thecamels, too, would have plucked up spirit on returning after theothers on the old track. It is true that Brahe's false statement ofthe condition of his party held out no encouragement that theymight be able to overtake him; but there was a chance that a newparty might even then be coming up, or that the laggard Wrightwould be on the advance at last, as proved to be the fact. AMelbourne paper, commenting on these points, had the followingremarks, which were as just as they were doubly painful, beingdelivered after the event:--
Wills and King it appears were desirous of following their track outfrom Menindie, which would unquestionably have been the wisercourse; but Mr. Burke preferred striking for the South Australianstations, some of which, he had been informed by the RoyalCommittee of Exploration, were only one hundred and fifty milesfrom Cooper's Creek. It was a most unfortunate and fatal matter forMr. Burke that these Royal people had anything whatever to do withhis movements.
He made two attempts to strike in the direction in which they hadassured him he would easily reach a settled district, and twice washe driven back for want of water. It was a fatal mistake on hispart to follow the suggestion of these ready advisers. Thepractical impressions of Wills or King were worth a world oftheoretical conjectures and philosophic presumption. But it seemsto have been decreed that Burke should have favoured the formerinstead of the latter; the consequences of which were that himselfand poor Wills were to perish miserably.
Much as I approve of and admire my son's steady obedience tohis leader, I cannot but regret and wonder that in this particularinstance he was not more resolute in remonstrance. It bears outwhat I said to Mr. Burke on taking leave of him: "If you ask hisadvice, take it; but he will never offer it; and should he see yougoing to destruction, he will follow you without a murmur."
The party, before they left Cooper's Creek, buried my son'sjournals in the cache, with the subjoined note from Mr. Burke,which were dug out and brought up by Brahe.
Depot 2, Cooper's Creek Camp 65.
The return party from Carpentaria, consisting of myself, Wills, andKing (Gray dead), arrived here last night and found that the depotparty had only started on the same day. We proceed on, to-morrow,slowly down the creek towards Adelaide by Mount Hopeless, and shallendeavour to follow Gregory's track; but we are very weak. The twocamels are done up, and we shall not be able to travel faster thanfour or five miles a day. Gray died on the road, from exhaustionand fatigue. We have all suffered much from hunger. The provisionsleft here will, I think, restore our strength. We have discovered apracticable route to Carpentaria, the chief position of which liesin the 140 degrees of east longitude. There is some good countrybetween this and the Stony Desert. From thence to the tropics theland is dry and stony. Between the Carpentaria a considerableportion is rangy, but well watered and richly grassed. We reachedthe shores of Carpentaria on the 11th of February, 1861. Greatlydisappointed at finding the party here gone.
(Signed) ROBERT O'HARA BURKE, Leader.
April 22, 1861.
P.S. The camels cannot travel, and we cannot walk, or we shouldfollow the other party. We shall move very slowly down the creek.
My son's journal is now written in a more complete andconsecutive form. He had no instruments for observation or mapping,so that his time and mind were concentrated on the one employment.
APRIL, 1861.--JOURNAL OF TRIP FROM COOPER'S CREEK TOWARDS ADELAIDE.
The advance party of the V.E.E., consisting of Burke, Wills, andKing (Gray being dead), having returned from Carpentaria, on the21st April, 1861, in an exhausted and weak state, and finding thatthe depot party left at Cooper's Creek had started for the Darlingwith their horses and camels fresh and in good condition, deemed ituseless to attempt to overtake them, having only two camels, bothdone up, and being so weak themselves as to be unable to walk morethan four or five miles a day. Finding also that the provisionsleft at the depot for them would scarcely take them to Menindie,they started down Cooper's Creek for Adelaide, via Mount Hopeless,on the morning of 23rd April, 1861, intending to follow as nearlyas possible, the route taken by Gregory. By so doing they hoped tobe able to recruit themselves and the camels whilst saunteringslowly down the creek, and to have sufficient provisions left totake them comfortably, or at least without risk, to some station inSouth Australia.
Their equipment consists of the following articles:--Flour, 50pounds; sugar, 60 pounds; rice, 20 pounds; oatmeal, 60 pounds;jerked meat, 25 pounds; ginger, 2 pounds; salt, 1 pound.--[Thenfollow some native words with their meanings.]
From Depot.
Tuesday, 23rd April, 1861.--Having collected together all the oddsand ends that seemed likely to be of use to us, in addition toprovisions left in the plant, we started at 9.15 A.M., keeping downthe southern bank of the creek; we only went about five miles, andcamped at 11.30 on a billibong, where the feed was pretty good. Wefind the change of diet already making a great improvement in ourspirits and strength. The weather is delightful, days agreeablywarm, but the nights very chilly. The latter is more noticeablefrom our deficiency in clothing, the depot party having taken allthe reserve things back with them to the Darling.--To Camp 1.
From Camp 1.
Wednesday, 24th April, 1861.--As we were about to start thismorning, some blacks came by, from whom we were fortunate enough toget about twelve pounds of fish for a few pieces of straps and somematches, etc. This is a great treat for us, as well as a valuableaddition to our rations. We started at 8.15 P.M., on our way downthe creek, the blacks going in the opposite direction, littlethinking that in a few miles they might be able to get lots ofpieces for nothing, better than those they had obtained from us.--To Camp 2.
From Camp 2.
Thursday, 25th April, 1861.--Awoke at five o'clock after a mostrefreshing night's rest--the sky was beautifully clear, and the airrather chilly--the terrestrial radiation seems to have beenconsiderable, and a slight dew had fallen. We had scarcely finishedbreakfast, when our friends the blacks, from whom we obtained thefish, made their appearance with a few more, and seemed inclined togo with us and keep up the supply. We gave them some sugar, withwhich they were greatly pleased--they are by far the mostwell-behaved blacks we have seen on Cooper's Creek. We did not getaway from the camp until 9.30 A.M., continuing our course down themost southern branch of the creek which keeps a general south-westcourse. We passed across the stony point which abuts on one of thelargest waterholes in the creek, and camped at 12.30 about a milebelow the most dangerous part of the rocky path. At this latterplace we had an accident that might have resulted badly for us: oneof the camels fell while crossing the worst part, but wefortunately got him out with only a few cuts and bruises. To Camp3.--The waterhole at this camp is a very fine one, being severalmiles long, and on an average about--chains broad. The water-fowlare numerous, but rather shy, not nearly so much so, however, asthose on the creeks between here and Carpentaria; and I amconvinced that the shyness of the latter, which was also remarkedby Sturt on his trip to Eyre's Creek, arises entirely from thescarcity of animals, both human and otherwise, and not from anypeculiar mode of catching them that the blacks may have.
From Camp 3.
Friday, 26th April, 1861.--Last night was beautifully calm andcomparatively warm, although the sky was very clear. We loaded thecamels by moonlight this morning, and started at a quarter to six:striking off to the south of the creek, we soon got on a nativepath which leaves the creek just below the stony ground and takes acourse nearly west across a piece of open country, bounded on thesouth by sand ridges and on the north by the scrub by ground whichflanks the bank of the creek at this part of its course. Leavingthe path on our right at a distance of three miles, we turned up asmall creek, which passes down between some sandhills, and findinga nice patch of feed for the camels at a waterhole, we halted at 7.15 for breakfast. We started again at 9.50 A.M., continuing ourwesterly course along the path: we crossed to the south of thewatercourse above the water, and proceeded over the most splendidsalt-bush country that one could wish to see, bounded on the leftby sandhills, whilst to the right the peculiar-looking flat-toppedsandstone ranges form an extensive amphitheatre, through the farside of the arena of which may be traced the dark line of creektimber. At twelve o'clock we camped in the bed of the creek atcamp--, our last camp on the road down from the Gulf, having takenfour days to do what we then did in one. This comparative rest andthe change in diet have also worked wonders, however; the leg-tiedfeeling is now entirely gone, and I believe that in less than aweek we shall be fit to undergo any fatigue whatever. The camelsare improving, and seem capable of doing all that we are likely torequire of them.--To Camp 4.
From Camp 4.
Saturday, 27th April, 1861.--First part of night clear, with alight breeze from south. Temperature at midnight 10 degrees(Reaumur). Towards morning there were a few cirrocumulus cloudspassing over north-east to south-west, but these disappeared beforedaylight. At five A.M. the temperature was 7.5 degrees (Reaumur).We started at six o'clock, and following the native path, which atabout a mile from our camp takes a southerly direction, we sooncame to the high sandy alluvial deposit which separates the creekat this point from the stony rises. Here we struck off from thepath, keeping well to the south of the creek, in order that wemight mess in a branch of it that took a southerly direction. At 9.20 we came in on the creek again where it runs due south, andhalted for breakfast at a fine waterhole with fine fresh feed forthe camels. Here we remained until noon, when we moved on again,and camped at one o'clock on a general course, having beenthroughout the morning south-west eight miles. The weather is mostagreeable and pleasant; nothing could be more favourable for us upto the present time. The temperature in the shade at 10.30 A.M. was17.5 degrees (Reaumur), with a light breeze from south and a fewsmall cirrocumulus clouds towards the north. I greatly feel thewant of more instruments, the only things I have left being mywatch, prism compass, pocket compass, and one thermometer(Reaumur).--To Camp 5.
From Camp 5.
Sunday, 28th April, 1861.--Morning fine and calm, but ratherchilly. Started at 4.45 A.M., following down the bed of a creek ina westerly direction by moonlight. Our stage was, however, veryshort for about a mile--one of the camels (Landa) got bogged by theside of a waterhole, and although we tried every means in ourpower, we found it impossible to get him out. All the groundbeneath the surface was a bottomless quicksand, through which thebeast sank too rapidly for us to get bushes of timber fairlybeneath him; and being of a very sluggish stupid nature he couldnever be got to make sufficiently strenuous efforts towardsextricating himself. In the evening, as a last chance, we let thewater in from the creek, so as to buoy him up and at the same timesoften the ground about his legs; but it was of no avail. The brutelay quietly in it, as if he quite enjoyed his position.--To Camp 6.
Camp 6.
Monday, 29th April, 1861.--Finding Landa still in the hole, we madea few attempts at extricating him, and then shot him, and afterbreakfast commenced cutting off what flesh we could get at forjerking.
Tuesday, 30th April, 1861.--Remained here to-day for the purpose ofdrying the meat, for which process the weather is not veryfavourable. [Meteorological note follows.]
From Camp 6.
Wednesday, 1st May, 1861.--Started at 8.40, having loaded our onlycamel, Rajah, with the most necessary and useful articles, andpacked up a small swag each, of bedding and clothing for our ownshoulders. We kept on the right bank of the creek for about a mile,and then crossed over at a native camp to the left, where we got ona path running due west, the creek having turned to the north.Following the path we crossed an open plain, and then some sandridges, whence we saw the creek straight ahead of us running nearlysouth again: the path took us to the southernmost point of the bendin a distance of about two and a-half miles from where we hadcrossed the creek, thereby saving us from three to four miles, asit cannot be less than six miles round by the creek.--To Camp 7.
From Camp 7.
Thursday, 2nd May, 1861.--Breakfasted by moonlight and started at6.30. Following down the left bank of the creek in a westerlydirection, we came at a distance of six miles on a lot of nativeswho were camped on the bed of a creek. They seemed to have justbreakfasted, and were most liberal in their presentations of fishand cake. We could only return the compliment by some fishhooks andsugar. About a mile further on we came to a separation of thecreek, where what looked like the main branch, turned towards thesouth. This channel we followed, not however without somemisgivings as to its character, which were soon increased by thesmall and unfavourable appearance that the creek assumed. On ourcontinuing along it a little further it began to improve andwidened out with fine waterholes of considerable depth. The bankswere very steep, and a belt of scrub lined it on either side. Thismade it very inconvenient for travelling, especially as the bed ofthe creek was full of water for a considerable distance. At elevenA.M., we halted, until 1.30 P.M., and then moved on again taking asouth-south-westerly course for about two miles, when at the end ofa very long waterhole it breaks into billibongs, which continuesplitting into sandy channels until they are all lost in the earthysoil of a box forest. Seeing little chance of water ahead, weturned back to the end of the long waterhole and camped for thenight. On our way back, Rajah showed signs of being done up. He hadbeen trembling greatly all the morning. On this account his loadwas further lightened to the amount of a few pounds by the doingaway with the sugar, ginger, tea, cocoa, and two or three tinplates.--To Camp 8.
From Camp 8.
Friday, 3rd May, 1861.--Started at seven A.M., striking off in anortherly direction for the main creek. At a mile and a-half cameto a branch which--[Left unfinished].--To Camp 9.
Junction.--From Camp 9.
Saturday, 4th May, 1861.--Night and morning very cold. Sky clear,almost calm, occasionally a light breath of air from south. Rajahappears to feel the cold very much. He was so stiff this morning asto be scarcely able to get up with his load. Started to return downthe creek at 6.45, and halted for breakfast at 9 A.M., at the samespot as we breakfasted at yesterday. Proceeding from there down thecreek we soon found a repetition of the features that wereexhibited by the creek examined on Thursday. At a mile and a-halfwe came to the last waterhole, and below that the channel becamemore sandy and shallow, and continued to send off billibongs to thesouth and west, slightly changing its course each time until itdisappeared altogether in a north-westerly direction. Leaving Kingwith the camel, we went on a mile or two to see if we could findwater; and being unsuccessful we were obliged to return to where wehad breakfasted as being the best place for feed and water.--ToCamp 10.
Sunday, 5th May, 1861.--Started by myself, to reconnoitre thecountry in a southerly direction, leaving Mr. Burke and King withthe camel at Camp 10. Travelled south-west by south for two hours,following the course of the most southerly billibongs; found theearthy soil becoming more loose and cracked up, and the box trackgradually disappearing. Changed course to west for a high sandridge, which I reached in one hour and a half, and continuing inthe same direction to one still higher, obtained from it a goodview of the surrounding country. To the north were the extensivebox forests bounding the creek on either side. To the east earthyplains intersected by watercourses and lines of timber, and boundedin the distance by sand ridges. To the south the projection of thesand ridge partially intercepted the view; the rest was composed ofearthy plains, apparently clothed with chrysanthemums. To thewestward another but smaller plain was bounded also by high sandridges running nearly parallel with the one on which I wasstanding. This dreary prospect offering no encouragement toproceed, I returned to Camp 10 by a more direct and better routethan I had come, passing over some good salt-bush land whichborders on the billibongs to the westward.--[Here follow somemeteorological notes.]
From Camp 10 back to 9.
Monday, 6th May, 1861.--Moved up the creek again to Camp 9, at thejunction, to breakfast, and remained the day there. The presentstate of things is not calculated to raise our spirits much; therations are rapidly diminishing; our clothing, especially theboots, are all going to pieces, and we have not the materials forrepairing them properly; the camel is completely done up and canscarcely get along, although he has the best of feed and is restinghalf his time. I suppose this will end in our having to live likethe blacks for a few months.
From Camp 9.
Tuesday, 7th May, 1861.--Breakfasted at daylight; but when about tostart, found that the camel would not rise even without any load onhis back. After making every attempt to get him up, we were obligedto leave him to himself.
Mr. Burke and I started down the creek to reconnoitre; at abouteleven miles we came to some blacks fishing; they gave us somehalf-a-dozen fish each, for luncheon, and intimated that if wewould go to their camp we should have some more and some bread. Itore in two a piece of macintosh stuff that I had, and Mr. Burkegave one piece and I the other. We then went on to their camp aboutthree miles further. They had caught a considerable quantity offish, but most of them were small. I noticed three different kinds;a small one that they call Cupi, from five to six inches long, andnot broader than an eel; the common one, with large coarse scales,termed Peru; and a delicious fish, some of which run from a poundto two pounds weight; the natives call them Cawilchi. On ourarrival at the camp they led us to a spot to camp on, and soonafterwards brought a lot of fish, and a kind of bread which theycall nardoo. The lighting a fire with matches delights them, butthey do not care about having them. In the evening various membersof the tribe came down with lumps of nardoo and handfuls of fish,until we were positively unable to eat any more. They also gave ussome stuff they call bedgery or pedgery; it has a highlyintoxicating effect when chewed even in small quantities. Itappears to be the dried stems and leaves of some shrub.
Wednesday, 8th May, 1861.--Left the blacks' camp at 7.30, Mr. Burkereturning to the junction, whilst I proceeded to trace down thecreek. This I found a shorter task than I had expected, for it soonshowed signs of running out, and at the same time kept considerablyto the north of west. There were several fine waterholes withinabout four miles of the camp I had left, but not a drop all the waybeyond that, a distance of seven miles. Finding that the creekturned greatly towards the north, I returned to the blacks'encampment, and as I was about to pass they invited me to stay;--Idid so, and was even more hospitably entertained than before,being, on this occasion, offered a share of a gunyah, and suppliedwith plenty of fish and nardoo, as well as a couple of nice fatrats--the latter found most delicious; they were baked in theirskins.
Last night was clear and calm, but unusually warm. We slept by afire just in front of the blacks' camp; they were very attentive inbringing us firewood and keeping the fire up during the night.
Thursday, 9th May, 1861.--Parted from my friends, the blacks, at 7.30, and started for camp 9.
From Camp 9.
Friday, 10th May, 1861.--Mr. Burke and King employed in jerking thecamel's flesh, whilst I went out to look for the nardoo seed formaking bread: in this I was unsuccessful, not being able to find asingle tree of it in the neighbourhood of the camp. I, however,tried boiling the large kind of bean which the blacks call padlu;they boil easily, and when shelled are very sweet, much resemblingin taste the French chestnut; they are to be found in largequantities nearly everywhere.
Saturday, 11th May, 1861.--To-day Mr. Burke and King started downthe creek to the blacks' camp, determined to ascertain allparticulars about the nardoo. I have now my turn at the meatjerking, and must devise some means for trapping the birds andrats, which is a pleasant prospect after our dashing trip toCarpentaria, having to hang about Cooper's Creek, living like theblacks.
Sunday, 12th May, 1861.--Mr. Burke and King returned this morning,having been unsuccessful in their search for the blacks, who itseems have moved over to the other branch of the creek.
Decided on moving out on the main creek tomorrow, and then tryingto find the natives of the creek.
Monday, 13th May, 1861.--Shifted some of the things, and broughtthem back again, Mr. Burke thinking it better for one to remainhere with them for a few days, so as to eat the remains of thefresh meat, whilst the others went in search of the blacks andnardoo.
Tuesday, 14th May, 1861.--Mr. Burke and King gone up the creek tolook for blacks with four days' provisions. Self employed inpreparing for a final start on their return.
This evening Mr. Burke and King returned, having been someconsiderable distance up the creek and found no blacks. It is nowsettled that we plant the things, and all start together the dayafter to-morrow.
The weather continues very fine; the nights calm, clear and cold,and the days clear, with a breeze generally from south, but to-dayfrom east, for a change; this makes the first part of the dayrather cold. When clouds appear they invariably move from west toeast.
Wednesday, 15th, 1861.--Planting the things and preparing to leavethe creek for Mount Hopeless.
Thursday, 16th, 1861.--Having completed our planting, etc., startedup the creek for the second blacks' camp, a distance of about eightmiles: finding our loads rather too heavy we made a small planthere of such articles as could best be spared.--[Here follow a fewmeteorological notes.]
Nardoo, Friday, 17th May, 1861.--Started this morning on a blacks'path, leaving the creek on our left, our intention being to keep asouth-easterly direction until we should cut some likely lookingcreek, and then to follow it down. On approaching the foot of thefirst sandhill, King caught sight in the flat of some nardoo seeds,and we soon found that the flat was covered with them. Thisdiscovery caused somewhat of a revolution in our feelings, for weconsidered that with the knowledge of this plant we were in aposition to support ourselves, even if we were destined to remainon the creek and wait for assistance from town. Crossing some sandridges, running north and south, we struck into a creek which runsout of Cooper's Creek, and followed it down; at about five miles wecame to a large waterhole, beyond which the watercourse runs out onextensive flats and earthy plains.
Calm night; sky cleared towards morning, and it became very cold. Aslight easterly breeze sprung up at sunrise but soon died awayagain. The sky again became overcast and remained so throughout theday. There was occasionally a light breeze from south, but duringthe greater portion of the day it was quite calm. Fine halo aroundthe sun in the afternoon.
Camp 16.
Saturday, 18th May, 1861.--[No entry except the followingmeteorological entry on an opposite page, which may probably referto this date.] Calm night; sky sometimes clear and sometimespartially overcast with veil clouds.
Sunday, 19th May, 1861.--[No entry beyond this citation of date.]
Monday, 20th May, 1861.--[No entry beyond this citation of date.]
Tuesday, 21st May.--Creek.--[No entry beyond this citation of date.]
Wednesday, 22nd May, 1861.--Cooper's Creek.--[No entry beyond thiscitation of date.]
Thursday, 23rd May, 1861.--[No entry beyond this citation of date.]
Friday, 24th May, 1861.--Started with King to celebrate the Queen'sbirthday by fetching from Nardoo Creek what is now to us the staffof life; returned at a little after two P.M. with a fair supply,but find the collecting of the seed a slower and more troublesomeprocess than could be desired. Whilst picking the seed, abouteleven A.M., both of us heard distinctly the noise of an explosion,as if of a gun, at some considerable distance. We supposed it tohave been a shot fired by Mr. Burke, but on returning to the campfound that he had not fired, nor had heard the noise. The sky waspartially overcast with high cumulostratus clouds, and a lightbreeze blew from the east, but nothing to indicate a thunderstormin any direction.
Saturday, 25th May, 1861.--[No entry beyond this.]
Sunday, 26th May.--[No entry beyond this.]
Monday, 27th May, 1861.--Started up the creek this morning for thedepot, in order to deposit journals and a record of the state ofaffairs here. On reaching the sandhills below where Landa wasbogged, I passed some blacks on a flat collecting nardoo seed.Never saw such an abundance of the seed before. The ground in someparts was quite black with it. There were only two or three ginsand children, and they directed me on, as if to their camp, in thedirection I was before going; but I had not gone far over the firstsandhill when I was overtaken by about twenty blacks, bent ontaking me back to their camp, and promising any quantity of nardooand fish. On my going with them, one carried the shovel, andanother insisted on taking my swag in such a friendly manner that Icould not refuse them. They were greatly amused with the variouslittle things I had with me. In the evening they supplied me withabundance of nardoo and fish, and one of the old men, PokoTinnamira, shared his gunyah with me. . .The night was very cold,but by the help of several fires--[The entry suddenly stops here;but in the margin of the opposite page is written the names ofseveral natives, and certain native words with their meanings inEnglish.]
Tuesday, 28th May, 1861:--Left the blacks' camp, and proceeded upthe creek; obtained some mussels near where Landa died, and haltedfor breakfast. Still feel very unwell from the effects ofconstipation of the bowels. After breakfast travelled on to ourthird camp coming down.
Wednesday, 29th.--Started at seven A.M. and went on to theduck-holes, where we breakfasted coming down. Halted there at 9.30A.M. for a feed, and then moved on. At the stones saw a lot ofcrows quarrelling about something near the water; found it to be alarge fish, of which they had eaten a considerable portion. As itwas quite fresh and good, I decided the quarrel by taking it withme. . .It proved a most valuable addition to my otherwise scantysupper of nardoo porridge. This evening I camped very comfortablyin a mia-mia, about eleven miles from the depot. The night was verycold, although not entirely cloudless. A brisk easterly breezesprang up in the morning, and blew freshly all day. In the eveningthe sky clouded in, and there were one or two slight showers, butnothing to wet the ground.
Thursday, 30th May, 1861.--Reached the depot this morning at elevenA.M.; no traces of any one except blacks having been here since weleft. Deposited some journals and a notice of our presentcondition. Started back in the afternoon, and camped at the firstwaterhole. Last night, being cloudy, was unusually warm andpleasant.*
[* Footnote: The notice left in the cache ran as follows:--Depot Camp, May 30th.
We have been unable to leave the creek. Both camels are dead,and our provisions are exhausted. Mr. Burke and King are down thelower part of the creek. I am about to return to them, when weshall probably come up this way. We are trying to live the best waywe can, like the blacks, but find it hard work. Our clothes aregoing to pieces fast. Send provisions and clothes as soon aspossible.
W.J. WILLS.
The depot party having left, contrary to instructions, has put usin this fix. I have deposited some of my journals here for fear ofaccident.
W.J.W.]
Friday, 31st May, 1861.--Decamped at 7.30 A.M., having firstbreakfasted; passed between the sandhills at nine A.M., and reachedthe blanket mia-mias at 10.40 A.M.; from there proceeded on to therocks, where I arrived at 1.30 P.M., having delayed abouthalf-an-hour on the road in gathering some portulac. It had been afine morning, but the sky now became overcast, and threatened toset in for steady rain; and as I felt very weak and tired, I onlymoved on about a mile further, and camped in a sheltered gullyunder some bushes. Night clear and very cold; no wind; towardsmorning, sky became slightly overcast with cirrostratus clouds.
Saturday, 1st June, 1861.--Started at 7.45 A.M.; passed theduck-holes at ten A.M. and my second camp up, at two P.M., havingrested in the meantime about forty-five minutes. Thought to havereached the blacks' camp, or at least where Landa was bogged, butfound myself altogether too weak and exhausted; in fact, hadextreme difficulty in getting across the numerous little gullies,and was at last obliged to camp from sheer fatigue. Nightultimately both clear and cloudy, with occasional showers.
Sunday, 2nd June, 1861.--Started at half-past six, thinking tobreakfast at the blacks' camp below Landa's grave. Found myselfvery much fagged, and did not arrive at their camp until ten A.M.,and then found myself disappointed as to a good breakfast, the campbeing deserted. Having rested awhile and eaten a few fish-bones, Imoved down the creek, hoping by a late march to be able to reachour own camp; but I soon found, from my extreme weakness, that thatwould be out of the question. A certain amount of good luck,however, still stuck to me, for on going along by a large waterholeI was so fortunate as to find a large fish, about a pound and ahalf in weight, which was just being choked by another which it hadtried to swallow, but which had stuck in its throat. I soon had afire lit, and both of the fish cooked and eaten: the large one wasin good condition. Moving on again after my late breakfast, Ipassed Camp 67 of the journey to Carpentaria, and camped for thenight under some polygonum bushes.
Monday, 3rd June, 1861.--Started at seven o'clock, and keeping onthe south bank of the creek was rather encouraged at about threemiles by the sound of numerous crows ahead; presently fancied Icould see smoke, and was shortly afterwards set at my ease byhearing a cooey from Pitchery, who stood on the opposite bank, anddirected me round the lower end of the waterhole, continuallyrepeating his assurance of abundance of fish and bread. Having withsome considerable difficulty managed to ascend the sandy path thatled to the camp, I was conducted by the chief to a fire where alarge pile of fish were just being cooked in the most approvedstyle. These I imagined to be for the general consumption of thehalf-dozen natives gathered around, but it turned out that they hadalready had their breakfast. I was expected to dispose of thislot--a task which, to my own astonishment, I soon accomplished,keeping two or three blacks pretty steadily at work extracting thebones for me. The fish being disposed of, next came a supply ofnardoo cake and water until I was so full as to be unable to eatany more; when Pitchery, allowing me a short time to recovermyself, fetched a large bowl of the raw nardoo flour mixed to athin paste, a most insinuating article, and one that they appear toesteem a great delicacy. I was then invited to stop the nightthere, but this I declined, and proceeded on my way home.
Tuesday, 4th June, 1861.--Started for the blacks' camp intending totest the practicability of living with them, and to see what Icould learn as to their ways and manners.
Wednesday, 5th June, 1861.--Remained with the blacks. Light rainduring the greater part of the night, and more or less throughoutthe day in showers. Wind blowing in squalls from south.
Thursday, 6th June, 1861.--Returned to our own camp: found that Mr.Burke and King had been well supplied with fish by the blacks. Madepreparation for shifting our camp nearer theirs on the morrow.
During my son's absence, which lasted for eleven days, in whichhe travelled altogether above seventy miles, King mentions in hisnarrative that Mr. Burke, whilst frying some fish set fire to themia-mia (a shelter made by the blacks with bushes of trees, sothickly laid that it serves to exclude the sun and a great deal ofrain); thus destroying every remnant of clothing. King told me thatnothing was saved but a gun, although his narrative says a pistolalso; but Mr. Burke's pistol was burnt.
The incidents of the journal from the 27th of May to the 5th ofJune, show how well my son had established himself in the goodgraces of the natives. Had it been his fortune to have survived, weshould probably have had an interesting account of these simpleaborigines and their doings.
Friday, 7th June, 1861.--Started in the afternoon for theblacks' camp with such things as we could take; found ourselves allvery weak in spite of the abundant supply of fish that we havelately had. I, myself, could scarcely get along, although carryingthe lightest swag, only about thirty pounds. Found that the blackshad decamped, so determined on proceeding to-morrow up to the nextcamp, near the nardoo field.
Saturday, 8th June, 1861.--With the greatest fatigue and difficultywe reached the nardoo camp. No blacks, greatly to our disappointment;took possession of their best mia-mia and rested for the remainderof the day.
Sunday, 9th June, 1861.--King and I proceeded to collect nardoo,leaving Mr. Burke at home.
Monday, 10th June, 1861.--Mr. Burke and King collecting nardoo;self at home too weak to go out; was fortunate enough to shoot acrow.--[Here follow some meteorological notes which appear torelate to another period.]
Tuesday, 11th June, 1861.--King out for nardoo; Mr. Burke up thecreek to look for the blacks.
Wednesday, 12th June, 1861.--King out collecting nardoo; Mr. Burkeand I at home pounding and cleaning. I still feel myself, ifanything, weaker in the legs, although the nardoo appears to bemore thoroughly digested.
Thursday, 13th June, 1861.--Last night the sky was pretty clear,and the air rather cold, but nearly calm, a few cirrostratus hungabout the north-east horizon during the first part of the night.Mr. Burke and King out for nardoo; self weaker than ever; scarcelyable to go to the waterhole for water. Towards afternoon,cirrocumulus and cirrostratus began to appear moving northward.Scarcely any wind all day.
Friday, 14th June, 1861.--Night alternately clear and cloudy;cirrocumulus and cumulostratus moving northwards; no wind;beautifully mild for the time of year; in the morning some heavyclouds on the horizon. King out for nardoo; brought in a goodsupply. Mr. Burke and I at home, pounding and cleaning seed. I feelweaker than ever, and both Mr. B. and King are beginning to feelvery unsteady in the legs.
Saturday, 15th June, 1861.--Night clear, calm, and cold; morningvery fine, with a light breath of air from north-east. King out fornardoo; brought in a fine supply. Mr. Burke and I pounding andcleaning; he finds himself getting very weak, and I am not a bitstronger.
I have determined on beginning to chew tobacco and eat less nardoo,in hopes that it may induce some change in the system. I have neveryet recovered from the constipation, the effect of which continuesto be exceedingly painful.
Sunday, 16th June, 1861.--Wind shifted to north; clouds moving fromwest to east; thunder audible two or three times to the southward:sky becoming densely overcast, with an occasional shower about nineA.M.
We finished up the remains of the camel Rajah yesterday, fordinner; King was fortunate enough to shoot a crow this morning.
The rain kept all hands in, pounding and cleaning seed during themorning. The weather cleared up towards the middle of the day, anda brisk breeze sprang up in the south, lasting till near sunset,but rather irregular in its force. Distant thunder was audible towestward and southward frequently during the afternoon.
Monday, 17th June, 1861.--Night very boisterous and stormy;northerly wind blowing in squalls, and heavy showers of rain, withthunder in the north and west; heavy clouds moving rapidly fromnorth to south; gradually clearing up during the morning; the windcontinuing squally during the day from west and north-west.
King out in the afternoon for nardoo.
Tuesday, 18th June, 1861.--Exceedingly cold night; sky clear,slight breeze, very chilly and changeable; very heavy dew. Aftersunrise, cirrostratus clouds began to pass over from west to east,gradually becoming more dense, and assuming the form ofcumulostratus. The sky cleared, and it became warmer towards noon.
Wednesday, 19th June, 1861.--Night calm; sky during first partovercast with cirrocumulus clouds, most of which cleared awaytowards morning, leaving the air much colder; but the sky remainedmore or less hazy all night, and it was not nearly as cold as lastnight.
About eight o'clock a strong southerly wind sprung up, whichenabled King to blow the dust out of our nardoo seed, but made metoo weak to render him any assistance.
Thursday, 20th June, 1861.--Night and morning very cold, sky clear.I am completely reduced by the effects of the cold and starvation.King gone out for nardoo; Mr. Burke at home pounding seed; he findshimself getting very weak in the legs. King holds out by far thebest; the food seems to agree with him pretty well.
Finding the sun come out pretty warm towards noon, I took asponging all over; but it seemed to do little good beyond thecleaning effects, for my weakness is so great that I could not doit with proper expedition.
I cannot understand this nardoo at all--it certainly will not agreewith me in any form; we are now reduced to it alone, and we manageto consume from four to five pounds per day between us; it appearsto be quite indigestible, and cannot possibly be sufficientlynutritious to sustain life by itself.
Friday, 21st June, 1861.--Last night was cold and clear, winding upwith a strong wind from north-east in the morning. I feel muchweaker than ever and can scarcely crawl out of the mia-mia. Unlessrelief comes in some form or other, I cannot possibly last morethan a fortnight.
It is a great consolation, at least, in this position of ours, toknow that we have done all we could, and that our deaths willrather be the result of the mismanagement of others than of anyrash acts of our own. Had we come to grief elsewhere, we could onlyhave blamed ourselves; but here we are returned to Cooper's Creek,where we had every reason to look for provisions and clothing; andyet we have to die of starvation, in spite of the explicitinstructions given by Mr. Burke--"That the depot party should awaitour return;" and the strong recommendation to the Committee "thatwe should be followed up by a party from Menindie."
About noon a change of wind took place, and it blew almost as hardfrom the west as it did previously from the north-east. A fewcirrocumulus continued to pass over towards east.
Saturday, 22nd June, 1861.--Night cloudy and warm; every appearanceof rain; thunder once or twice during the night; clouds moving inan easterly direction; lower atmosphere perfectly calm. There werea few drops of rain during the night, and in the morning, aboutnine A.M., there was every prospect of more rain until towardsnoon, when the sky cleared up for a time.
Mr. Burke and King out for nardoo; the former returned muchfatigued. I am so weak to-day as to be unable to get on my feet.
Sunday, 23rd June, 1861.--All hands at home. I am so weak as to beincapable of crawling out of the mia-mia. King holds out well, butMr. Burke finds himself weaker every day.
Monday, 24th June, 1861.--A fearful night. At about an hour beforesunset, a southerly gale sprung up and continued throughout thegreater portion of the night; the cold was intense, and it seemedas if one would be shrivelled up. Towards morning it fortunatelylulled a little, but a strong cold breeze continued till nearsunset, after which it became perfectly calm.
King went out for nardoo in spite of the wind, and came in with agood load; but he himself terribly cut up. He says that he can nolonger keep up the work, and as he and Mr. Burke are both gettingrapidly weaker, we have but a slight chance of anything butstarvation, unless we can get hold of some blacks.
Tuesday, 25th June, 1861.--Night calm, clear and intensely cold,especially towards morning. Near daybreak, King reported seeing amoon in the east, with a haze of light stretching up from it; hedeclared it to be quite as large as the moon, and not dim at theedges. I am so weak that any attempt to get a sight of it was outof the question; but I think it must have been Venus in theZodiacal Light that he saw, with a corona around her.
26th.--Mr. Burke and King remain at home cleaning and poundingseed; they are both getting weaker every day; the cold plays thedeuce with us, from the small amount of clothing we have: mywardrobe consists of a wide-awake, a merino shirt, a regatta shirtwithout sleeves, the remains of a pair of flannel trousers, twopairs of socks in rags, and a waistcoat, of which I have managed tokeep the pockets together. The others are no better off. Besidesthese, we have between us, for bedding, two small camel pads, somehorse-hair, two or three little bits of rag, and pieces ofoil-cloth saved from the fire.
The day turned out nice and warm.
Wednesday, 27th June, 1861.--Calm night; sky overcast with hazycumulostratus clouds; an easterly breeze sprung up towards morning,making the air much colder. After sunrise there were indications ofa clearing up of the sky, but it soon clouded in again, the uppercurrent continuing to move in an easterly direction, whilst abreeze from the north and north-east blew pretty regularlythroughout the day. Mr. Burke and King are preparing to go up thecreek in search of the blacks; they will leave me some nardoo,wood, and water, with which I must do the best I can until theyreturn. I THINK THIS IS ALMOST OUR ONLY CHANCE. I feel myself, ifanything, rather better, but I cannot say stronger: the nardoo isbeginning to agree better with me; but without some change I seelittle chance for any of us. They have both shown great hesitationand reluctance with regard to leaving me, and have repeatedlydesired my candid opinion in the matter. I could only repeat,however, that I considered it our only chance, for I could not lastlong on the nardoo, even if a supply could be kept up.
Thursday, 28th June, 1861.--Cloudy, calm, and comparatively warmnight, clouds almost stationary; in the morning a gentle breezefrom east. Sky partially cleared up during the day, making itpleasantly warm and bright; it remained clear during the afternoonand evening, offering every prospect of a clear cold night.
Friday, 29th June, 1861.--Clear cold night, slight breeze from theeast, day beautifully warm and pleasant. Mr. Burke suffers greatlyfrom the cold and is getting extremely weak; he and King startto-morrow up the creek to look for the blacks; it is the onlychance we have of being saved from starvation. I am weaker thanever, although I have a good appetite and relish the nardoo much;but it seems to give us no nutriment, and the birds here are so shyas not to be got at. Even if we got a good supply of fish, I doubtwhether we could do much work on them and the nardoo alone. Nothingnow but the greatest good luck can save any of us; and as formyself I may live four or five days if the weather continues warm.My pulse is at forty-eight, and very weak, and my legs and arms arenearly skin and bone. I can only look out, like Mr. Micawber, 'forSOMETHING TO TURN up;' starvation on nardoo is by no means veryunpleasant, but for the weakness one feels, and the utter inabilityto move one's self; for as far as appetite is concerned, it givesthe greatest satisfaction. Certainly fat and sugar would be more toone's taste; in fact those seem to me to be the great stand-by forone in this extraordinary continent: not that I mean to depreciatethe farinaceous food; but the want of sugar and fat in allsubstances obtainable here is so great that they become almostvalueless to us as articles of food, without the addition ofsomething else.
(Signed) W.J. WILLS.
King's Narrative.
Mr. Burke and King again go in search of the Natives, as a last resource.
Death of Mr. Burke.
King returns and finds Mr. Wills dead in the Gunyah.
He falls in with the Natives and wanders about with them until delivered by Mr. Howitt's party.
Extract from Mr. Howitt's Diary.
Extract from Mr. McKinlay's Diary.
My Son's last Letter to me, dated June 27th, 1861.
Strong Attachment between Mr. Burke and my Son.
King delivers the Letter and Watch intrusted to him.
With some difficulty I recover the Pistol.
King's Reception in Melbourne.
Sir H. Barkly's Letter to Sir Roderick Murchison.
Summary of Events and their Causes.
THE latter portion of my poor son's journal was transcribed by Mr.Archer, Registrar-General of Victoria. We may believe that afterwriting the last paragraph to which he subscribed his name, he didnot survive for many hours. The sequel, as far as any of its detailscan ever be made known to us, is best told in the unaffected language of
Mr. Burke, Mr. Wills, and I, reached the depot at Cooper's Creek,on April 21st, about half-past seven in the evening, with twocamels; all that remained of the six Mr. Burke took with him. Allthe provisions we then had consisted of one-and-a-half pound ofdried meat. We found the party had gone the same day; and lookingabout for any mark they might have left, found the tree with 'DIG,Ap. 21.' Mr. Wills said the party had left for the Darling. We dugand found the plant of stores. Mr. Burke took the papers out of thebottle, and then asked each of us whether we were able to proceedup the creek in pursuit of the party; we said not, and he then saidthat he thought it his duty to ask us, but that he himself wasunable to do so, but that he had decided upon trying to make MountHopeless, as he had been assured by the Committee in Melbourne,that there was a cattle station within 150 miles of Cooper's Creek.Mr. Wills was not inclined to follow this plan, and wished to godown our old track; but at last gave in to Mr. Burke's wishes. Ialso wished to go down by our old track. We remained four or fivedays to recruit, making preparations to go down the creek by stagesof four or five miles a day, and Mr. Burke placed a paper in theplant stating what were our plans. Travelling down the creek, wegot some fish from the natives; and some distance down, one of thecamels (Landa) got bogged, and although we remained there that dayand part of the next, trying to dig him out, we found our strengthinsufficient to do so. The evening of the second day we shot him ashe lay, and having cut off as much meat as we could, we lived on itwhile we stayed to dry the remainder. Throwing all the leastnecessary things away, we made one load for the remaining camel(Rajah), and each of us carried a swag of about twenty-five pounds.We were then tracing down the branches of the creek running south,and found that they ran out into earthy plains. We had understoodthat the creek along Gregory's track was continuous; and findingthat all these creeks ran out into plains, Mr. Burke returned, ourcamel being completely knocked up. We then intended to give thecamel a spell for a few days, and to make a new attempt to push onforty or fifty miles to the south, in the hope of striking thecreek. During the time that the camel was being rested, Mr. Burkeand Mr. Wills went in search of the natives, to endeavour to findout how the nardoo grew. Having found their camp, they obtained asmuch nardoo cake and fish as they could eat, but could not explainthat they wished to be shown how to find the seed themselves: theyreturned on the third day bringing some fish and nardoo cake withthem. On the following day the camel Rajah seemed very ill, and Itold Mr. Burke I thought he could not linger out more than fourdays, and as on the same evening the poor brute was on the point ofdying, Mr. Burke ordered him to be shot; I did so, and we cut himup with two broken knives and a lancet: we cured the meat andplanted it, and Mr. Burke then made another attempt to find thenardoo, taking me with him: we went down the creek expecting tofind the natives at the camp where they had been last seen, butfound that they had left; and not knowing whether they had gone upor down the creek, we slept in their gunyahs that night, and on thefollowing morning returned to Mr. Wills. The next day, Mr. Burkeand I started up the creek, but could see nothing of them, and werethree days away, when we returned and remained three days in ourcamp with Mr. Wills. We then made a plant of all the articles wecould not carry with us, leaving five pounds of rice and a quantityof meat, and then followed up the creek to where there were somegood native huts. We remained at that place a few days; and findingthat our provisions were beginning to run short, Mr. Burke said,that we ought to do something, and that if we did not find thenardoo, we should starve, and that he intended to save a littledried meat and rice to carry us to Mount Hopeless. The three of usthen came to the conclusion that it would be better to make asecond attempt to reach Mount Hopeless, as we were then as strongas we were likely to be, our daily allowance being then reduced.Mr. Burke asked each of us whether we were willing to make anotherattempt to reach the South Australian settlements, and we decidedon going; we took with us what remained of the provisions we hadplanted--two-and-a-half pounds of oatmeal, a small quantity offlour, and the dried meat: this, with powder and shot, and othersmall articles, made up our swags to thirty pounds each, and Mr.Burke carried one billy of water; and I another. We had not gonefar before we came on a flat, where I saw a plant growing which Itook to be clover, and on looking closer saw the seed, and calledout that I had found the nardoo; they were very glad when I foundit. We travelled three days, and struck a watercourse coming southfrom Cooper's Creek; we traced this as it branched out andre-formed in the plains, until we at last lost it in flat country;sandhills were in front of us, for which we made, and travelled allday but found no water. We were all greatly fatigued, as ourrations now consisted of only one small Johnny cake and threesticks of dried meat daily. We camped that evening about fouro'clock, intending to push next day until two o'clock P.M., andthen, should we not find water, to return. We travelled and foundno water, and the three of us sat down and rested for one hour, andthen turned back. We all felt satisfied that had there been a fewdays' rain we could have got through: we were then, according toMr. Wills's calculation, forty-five miles from the creek. Wetravelled, on the day we turned back, very late, and the followingevening reached the nearest water at the creek. We gathered somenardoo and boiled the seeds, as we were unable to pound them. Thefollowing day we reached the main creek; and knowing where therewas a fine waterhole and native gunyahs, we went there intending tosave what remained of our flour and dried meat for the purpose ofmaking another attempt to reach Mount Hopeless. On the followingday Mr. Wills and I went out to gather nardoo, of which we obtaineda supply sufficient for three days, and finding a pounding stone atthe gunyahs, Mr. Burke and I pounded the seed, which was such slowwork that we were compelled to use half flour and half nardoo. Mr.Burke and Mr. Wills then went down the creek for the remainder ofthe dried meat which we had planted; and we had now all our thingswith us, gathering nardoo and living the best way we could. Mr.Burke requested Mr. Wills to go up the creek as far as the depot,and to place a note in the plant there, stating that we were thenliving on the creek, the former note having stated that we were onour road to South Australia. He also was to bury there thefield-books of the journey to the Gulf. Before starting he gotthree pounds of flour and four pounds of pounded nardoo, and abouta pound of meat, as he expected to be absent about eight days.During his absence I gathered nardoo and pounded it, as Mr. Burkewished to lay in a supply in case of rain.
A few days after Mr. Wills left, some natives came down the creekto fish at some waterholes near our camp. They were very civil tous at first and offered us some fish. On the second day they cameagain to fish, and Mr. Burke took down two bags, which they filledfor him. On the third day they gave us one bag of fish, andafterwards all came to our camp. We used to keep our ammunition andother articles in one gunyah, and all three of us lived together inanother. One of the natives took an oilcloth out of this gunyah,and Mr. Burke seeing him run away with it followed him with hisrevolver and fired over his head, and upon this the native droptthe oilcloth; while he was away, the other blacks invited me awayto a waterhole to eat fish, but I declined to do so as Mr. Burkewas absent, and a number of natives were about who would have takenall our things. When I refused, one took his boomerang and laid itover my shoulder, and then told me by signs that if I called outfor Mr. Burke (as I was doing) that he would strike me; upon this Igot them all in front of the gunyah and fired a revolver over theirheads, but they did not seem at all afraid until I got out the gun,when they all ran away. Mr. Burke hearing the report came back, andwe saw no more of them until late that night, when they came withsome cooked fish and called out "white fellow." Mr. Burke then wentout with his revolver, and found a whole tribe coming down, allpainted, and with fish in small nets carried by two men. Mr. Burkewent to meet them, and they wished to surround him; but he knockedas many of the nets of fish out of their hands as he could, andshouted out to me to fire. I did so, and they ran off. We collectedfive small nets of cooked fish. The reason he would not accept thefish from them was, that he was afraid of being too friendly lestthey should be always at our camp. We then lived on fish until Mr.Wills returned. He told us that he had met the natives soon afterleaving us, and that they were very kind to him, and had given himplenty to eat both on going up and returning. He seemed to considerthat he should have very little difficulty in living with them, andas their camp was close to ours he returned to them the same dayand found them very hospitable and friendly, keeping him with themtwo days. They then made signs to him to be off: he came to us andnarrated what had happened, but went back to them the followingday, when they gave him his breakfast, but made signs for him to goaway; he pretended not to understand them, and would not go, uponwhich they made signs that they were going up the creek, and thathe had better go down: they packed up and left the camp, giving Mr.Wills a little nardoo to take to us.
During his absence, while Mr. Burke was cooking some fish during astrong wind, the flames caught the gunyah and burned so rapidlythat we were unable not only to put it out but to save any of ourthings, excepting one revolver and a gun. Mr. Wills havingreturned, it was decided to go up the creek and live with thenatives if possible, as Mr. Wills thought we should have but littledifficulty in obtaining provisions from them if we camped on theopposite side of the creek to them. He said he knew where they weregone, so we packed up and started. Coming to the gunyahs where weexpected to have found them, we were disappointed, and seeing anardoo field close by halted, intending to make it our camp. Forsome time we were employed gathering nardoo, and laying up asupply. Mr. Wills and I used to collect and carry home a bag eachday, and Mr. Burke generally pounded sufficient for our dinnerduring our absence; but Mr. Wills found himself getting very weak,and was shortly unable to go out to gather nardoo as before, oreven strong enough to pound it, so that in a few days he becamealmost helpless. I still continued gathering, and Mr. Burke nowalso began to feel very weak, and said he could be of very littleuse in pounding; I had now to gather and pound for all three of us.I continued to do this for a few days; but finding my strengthrapidly failing, my legs being very weak and painful, I was unableto go out for several days, and we were compelled to consume sixdays' stock which we had laid by. Mr. Burke now proposed that Ishould gather as much as possible in three days, and that with thissupply we should go in search of the natives--a plan which had beenurged upon us by Mr. Wills as the only chance of saving him andourselves as well, as he clearly saw that I was no longer able tocollect sufficient for our wants. Having collected the seed asproposed, and having pounded sufficient to last Mr. Wills for eightdays, and two days for ourselves, we placed water and firewoodwithin his reach and started; before leaving him, however, Mr.Burke asked him whether he still wished it, as under no othercircumstance would he leave him, and Mr. Wills again said that helooked on it as our only chance. He then gave Mr. Burke a letterand his watch for his father, and we buried the remainder of thefield-books near the gunyah. Mr. Wills said that, in case of mysurviving Mr. Burke, he hoped that I would carry out his lastwishes, in giving the watch and letter to his father.
In travelling the first day, Mr. Burke seemed very weak, andcomplained of great pain in his legs and back. On the second day heseemed to be better, and said that he thought he was gettingstronger, but on starting, did not go two miles before he said hecould go no further. I persisted in his trying to go on, andmanaged to get him along several times, until I saw that he wasalmost knocked up, when he said he could not carry his swag, andthrew all he had away. I also reduced mine, taking nothing but agun and some powder and shot, and a small pouch and some matches.In starting again, we did not go far before Mr. Burke said weshould halt for the night; but as the place was close to a largesheet of water, and exposed to the wind, I prevailed on him to go alittle further, to the next reach of water, where we camped. Wesearched about and found a few small patches of nardoo, which Icollected and pounded, and with a crow, which I shot, made a goodevening's meal. From the time we halted Mr. Burke seemed to begetting worse, although he ate his supper; he said he feltconvinced he could not last many hours, and gave me his watch,which he said belonged to the committee, and a pocket-book to giveto Sir William Stawell, and in which he wrote some notes. He thensaid to me, "I hope you will remain with me here till I am quitedead--it is a comfort to know that some one is by; but, when I amdying, it is my wish that you should place the pistol in my righthand, and that you leave me unburied as I lie." That night he spokevery little, and the following morning I found him speechless, ornearly so, and about eight o'clock he expired. I remained a fewhours there, but as I saw there was no use remaining longer I wentup the creek in search of the natives. I felt very lonely, and atnight usually slept in deserted wurleys belonging to the natives.Two days after leaving the spot where Mr. Burke died, I found somegunyahs where the natives had deposited a bag of nardoo, sufficientto last me a fortnight, and three bundles containing variousarticles. I also shot a crow that evening; but was in great dreadthat the natives would come and deprive me of the nardoo.
I remained there two days to recover my strength, and then returnedto Mr. Wills. I took back three crows; but found him lying dead inhis gunyah, and the natives had been there and had taken away someof his clothes. I buried the corpse with sand, and remained theresome days, but finding that my stock of nardoo was running short,and as I was unable to gather it, I tracked the natives who hadbeen to the camp by their footprints in the sand, and went somedistance down the creek shooting crows and hawks on the road. Thenatives, hearing the report of the gun, came to meet me, and tookme with them to their camp, giving me nardoo and fish: they tookthe birds I had shot and cooked them for me, and afterwards showedme a gunyah where I was to sleep with three of the single men. Thefollowing morning they commenced talking to me, and putting onefinger on the ground and covering it with sand, at the same timepointing up the creek saying "white fellow," which I understood tomean that one white man was dead. From this I knew that they werethe tribe who had taken Mr. Wills's clothes. They then asked mewhere the third white man was, and I also made the sign of puttingtwo fingers on the ground and covering them with sand, at the sametime pointing up the creek. They appeared to feel great compassionfor me when they understood that I was alone on the creek, and gaveme plenty to eat. After being four days with them, I saw that theywere becoming tired of me, and they made signs that they were goingup the creek and that I had better go downwards; but I pretendednot to understand them. The same day they shifted camp, and Ifollowed them, and on reaching their camp I shot some crows, whichpleased them so much that they made me a breakwind in the centre oftheir camp, and came and sat round me until such time as the crowswere cooked, when they assisted me to eat them. The same day one ofthe women, to whom I had given part of a crow, came and gave me aball of nardoo, saying that she would give me more only she hadsuch a sore arm that she was unable to pound. She showed me a soreon her arm, and the thought struck me that I would boil some waterin the billy and wash her arm with a sponge. During the operation,the whole tribe sat round and were muttering one to another. Herhusband sat down by her side, and she was crying all the time.After I had washed it, I touched it with some nitrate of silver,when she began to yell, and ran off, crying out "Mokow! Mokow!"(Fire! Fire!). From this time, she and her husband used to give mea small quantity of nardoo both night and morning, and whenever thetribe was about going on a fishing excursion he used to give menotice to go with them. They also used to assist me in making awurley or breakwind whenever they shifted camp. I generally shot acrow or a hawk, and gave it to them in return for these littleservices. Every four or five days the tribe would surround me andask whether I intended going up or down the creek; at last I madethem understand that if they went up I should go up the creek, andif they went down I should also go down; and from this time theyseemed to look upon me as one of themselves, and supplied me withfish and nardoo regularly: they were very anxious, however, to knowwhere Mr. Burke lay, and one day when we were fishing in thewaterholes close by, I took them to the spot. On seeing hisremains, the whole party wept bitterly, and covered them withbushes. After this, they were much kinder to me than before, and Ialways told them that the white men would be here before two moons;and in the evening when they came with nardoo and fish they used totalk about the "white-fellows" coming, at the same time pointing tothe moon. I also told them they would receive many presents, andthey constantly asked me for tomahawks, called by them "Bomay Ko."From this time to when the relief party arrived, a period of abouta month, they treated me with uniform kindness, and looked upon meas one of themselves. The day on which I was released, one of thetribe who had been fishing came and told me that the "whitefellows," were coming, and the whole of the tribe who were then incamp sallied out in every direction to meet the party, while theman who had brought the news took me over the creek, where Ishortly saw the party coming down.
Brahe having quitted Cooper's Creek, as we have seen, on the 21st ofApril, retraced his steps, towards the Darling. On the 28th or 29th(there is a doubt about the exact date), he fell in with Wright'sparty at Bulloo, and placed himself under his orders. On the 29th,Dr. Becker died. On the 1st of May they left Bulloo, on theirreturn to Menindie. On the 3rd, Wright makes the following entry inhis diary:--
Friday, Koorliatto.--As I was anxious to ascertain, beforefinally leaving the country, whether Mr. Burke had visited the olddepot at Cooper's Creek, between the present date and that on whichhe left on his advance northward, or whether the stores cachedthere had been disturbed by the natives, I started with Mr. Braheand three horses for Cooper's Creek and reached the head waters ofthat creek on Sunday, the 5th May, in about seventy miles, steeringabout west-north-west. I did not find any water throughout thedistance, but crossed several fine large gum creeks, and saw animmense number of native dogs.
Thursday, May 9th.--This morning I reached Cooper's Creek depot,and found no sign of Mr. Burke having visited the creek, or of thenatives having disturbed the stores. I therefore retraced my stepsto the depot that remained at Koorliatto.
On the examination of Wright and Brahe before the Royal Commission,it came out that they did not remain more than a quarter of an hourat Cooper's Creek depot, casting only a hurried glance around; andbelieving that no one had been there, never thought of opening thecache to identify the fact. Had they done so, they would have foundthe papers and letters deposited by Mr. Burke, and all would yethave been well. It is much to be regretted, and may excite somesurprise, that Burke and my son, after opening and closing up thecache, affixed no EXTERNAL token of their having been there. Butthe apathy, stupidity, and carelessness of Wright and Brahe arereally beyond comprehension. The effect of their miserably evasiveand contradictory evidence, when under examination, can never beforgotten by those who were present. They, too, left no indicationsof their useless visit. It will be remembered that twenty-two daysafter, on the 30th of May, my son returned to Cooper's Creek forthe last time, and deposited his journals and letters in the cache.
The following extracts from Mr. Howitt's diary relate the discoveryof King, with the finding and interment of the remains of Mr. Burkeand my son.
September 14th, 1861.--Latitude, 27 degrees 4 minutes; longitude140 degrees 4 minutes.--Camped on a large waterhole, about aquarter of a mile below Mr. Burke's first camp, after leaving thedepot at Cooper's Creek. We could see where the camels had beentied up, but found no marked tree. To-day I noticed in two or threeplaces old camel-droppings and tracks, where Mr. Brahe informed mehe was certain their camels had never been, as they were watchedevery day near the depot and tied up at night. Mr. Burke's camelswere led on the way down. It looked very much as if stray camelshad been about during the last four months. The tracks seemed to meto be going up the creek, but the ground was too strong to be ableto make sure.
September 15th.--Camp 32.--Latitude, 27 degrees 44 minuts;longitude, 140 degrees 40 minutes.--On leaving this morning I wentahead with Sandy, to try and pick up Mr. Burke's track. At thelower end of a large waterhole, from which one or two horses hadbeen feeding for some months, the tracks ran in all directions toand from the water, and even as recent as a week. At the same placeI found the handle of a clasp-knife. From here struck out south fora short distance from the creek, and found a distinct camel's trackand droppings on a native path: the footprint was about four monthsold and going east. I then sent the black boy to follow the creek,and struck across some sandy country in a bend on the north side.No tracks here; and coming on a native path leading my way, Ifollowed it, as the most likely place to see any signs. In aboutfour miles this led me to the lower end of a very large reach ofwater, and on the opposite side were numbers of native wurleys. Icrossed at a neck of sand, and at a little distance again came onthe track of a camel going up the creek; at the same time I found anative, who began to gesticulate in a very excited manner, and topoint down the creek, bawling out, "Gow, gow!" as loud as he could.When I went towards him he ran away, and finding it impossible toget him to come to me, I turned back to follow a camel track, andto look after my party. The track was visible in sandy places, andwas evidently the same I had seen for the last two days. I alsofound horse traces in places, but very old. Crossing the creek, Icut our track, and rode after the party. In doing so I came uponthree pounds of tobacco, which had lain where I saw it for sometime. This, together with a knife-handle, fresh horse tracks, andthe camel track going eastward, puzzled me extremely, and led meinto a hundred conjectures. At the lower end of the large reach ofwater before mentioned, I met Sandy and Frank looking for me, withthe intelligence that King, the only survivor of Mr. Burke's party,had been found. A little further on I found the party halted, andimmediately went across to the blacks' wurleys, where I found Kingsitting in a hut which the natives had made for him. He presented amelancholy appearance--wasted to a shadow, and hardly to bedistinguished as a civilized being but by the remnants of clothesupon him. He seemed exceedingly weak, and I found it occasionallydifficult to follow what he said. The natives were all gatheredround, seated on the ground, looking with a most gratified anddelighted expression.
September 18th.--Left camp this morning with Messrs. Brahe, Welsh,Wheeler, and King, to perform a melancholy duty, which has weighedon my mind ever since we have encamped here, and which I have onlyput off until King should be well enough to accompany us. Weproceeded down the creek for seven miles, crossing a branch runningto the southward, and followed a native track leading to that partof the creek where Mr. Burke, Mr. Wills, and King encamped aftertheir unsuccessful attempt to reach Mount Hopeless and the northernsettlements of South Australia, and where poor Wills died. We foundthe two gunyahs situated on a sand-bank between two waterholes andabout a mile from the flat where they procured nardoo seed, onwhich they managed to exist so long. Poor Wills's remains we foundlying in the wurley in which he died, and where King, after hisreturn from seeking for the natives, had buried him with sand andrushes. We carefully collected the remains and interred them wherethey lay; and, not having a prayer-book, I read chapter 15 of 1Corinthians, that we might at least feel a melancholy satisfactionin having shown the last respect to his remains. We heaped sandover the grave, and laid branches upon it, that the natives mightunderstand by their own tokens not to disturb the last repose of afellow-being. I cut the following inscription on a tree close by,to mark the spot:--
W.J.WILLS,
XLV. YDS.
W.N.W.
A.H.
(W. J. WILLS, 45 yards, west-north-west. A.H.)
The field-books, a note-book belonging to Mr. Burke, varioussmall articles lying about, of no value in themselves, but nowinvested with a deep interest, from the circumstances connectedwith them, and some of the nardoo seed on which they had subsisted,with the small wooden trough in which it had been cleaned, I havenow in my possession.
September 21st.--Finding that it would not be prudent for King togo out for two or three days, I could no longer defer making asearch for the spot where Mr. Burke died, and with such directionsas King could give, I went up to the creek this morning withMessrs. Brahe, Welsh, Wheeler, and Aitkin. We searched the creekupwards for eight miles, and at length, strange to say, found theremains of Mr. Burke lying among tall plants under a clump ofbox-trees, within two hundred yards of our last camp, and notthirty paces from our track. It was still more extraordinary thatthree or four of the party and the two black boys had been close tothe spot without noticing it. The bones were entire, with theexception of the hands and feet; and the body had been removed fromthe spot where it first lay, and where the natives had placedbranches over it, to about five paces' distance. I found therevolver which Mr. Burke held in his hand when he expired partlycovered with leaves and earth, and corroded with rust. It wasloaded and capped. We dug a grave close to the spot, and interredthe remains wrapped in the union jack--the most fitting covering inwhich the bones of a brave but unfortunate man could take theirlast rest. On a box-tree, at the head of the grave, the followinginscription is cut in a similar manner to the above:--
R.O'H.B.
21/9/61
A.H.
September 23rd.--Went down the creek to-day in search of the natives. . .I could not think of leaving without showing them that wecould appreciate and reward the kindness they had shown to Burke'sparty and particularly to King. . .Passed the first feeder ofStrleczki's Creek, going to the southward, and at a large reach ofwater below, found the natives camped. They made a great commotionwhen we rode up, but seemed very friendly. I unpacked my blanket,and took out specimens of the things I intended giving them,--atomahawk, a knife, beads, a looking-glass, comb, and flour andsugar. The tomahawk was the great object of attraction, after thatthe knife, but I think the looking-glass surprised them most. Onseeing their faces reflected, some seemed dazzled, others openedtheir eyes like saucers, and made a rattling noise with theirtongues expressive of wonder. We had quite a friendly palaver, andmy watch amused them immensely. I made them understand that theywere to bring the whole tribe up next morning to our camp toreceive their presents, and we parted the best of friends.
September 24th.--This morning, about ten o'clock, our black friendsappeared in a long procession, men, women, and children, or, asthey here also call them, piccaninnies; and at a mile distance theycommenced bawling at the top of their voices as usual. Whencollected altogether on a little flat, just below our camp, theymust have numbered between thirty and forty, and the uproar wasdeafening. With the aid of King, I at last got them all seatedbefore me, and distributed the presents--tomahawks, knives,necklaces, looking-glasses, combs--amongst them. I think no peoplewere ever so happy before, and it was very interesting to see howthey pointed out one or another whom they thought might beoverlooked. The piccaninnies were brought forward by their parentsto have red ribbon tied round their dirty little heads. An oldwoman, Carrawaw, who had been particularly kind to King, was loadedwith things. I then divided fifty pounds of sugar between them,each one taking his share in a union-jack pocket-handkerchief,which they were very proud of. The sugar soon found its way intotheir mouths; the flour, fifty pounds of which I gave them, they atonce called "white-fellow nardoo," and explained that theyunderstood that these things were given to them for having fedKing. Some old clothes were then put on some of the men and women,and the affair ended in several of our party and several of theblack fellows having an impromptu "corroboree," to the intensedelight of the natives, and I must say, very much to our amusement.They left, making signs expressive of friendship, carrying theirpresents with them. The men all wore a net girdle; and of the womensome wore one of leaves, others of feathers. I feel confident thatwe have left the best impression behind us, and that the "whitefellows," as they have already learned to call us, will be lookedon henceforth as friends, and that, in case of emergency, any onewill receive the kindest treatment at their hands.
The South Australian Register, of the 26th of November, 1861,published at Adelaide, contained the following statement, whichexcited universal attention:--
The Government have just received from Mr. McKinlay, leader ofthe expedition sent from this colony in search of Burke, a diary ofhis proceedings up to the 26th of October last. This documentcontains a most singular narrative, being nothing less than anaccount of McKinlay's discovery of what he believes to be theremains of Burke's party, who he considers were some time since notonly murdered, but partly eaten by the natives in the neighbourhoodof Cooper's Creek. He, of course, had heard nothing of the resultof Mr. Howitt's expedition, or of Mr. King having been found aliveby that expedition. When, therefore, he came to a spot where therewere graves containing the bones of white men, and where there wereindications of a conflict having taken place with the natives, someof whom spoke of those white men having been killed and partlyeaten, he came to the conclusion that he had ascertained all thatwas possible of Mr. Burke and his companions. He accordingly burieda letter, containing a statement to this effect, at a place nearwhere the remains were found, and then after forwarding to Adelaidethe despatch which has now reached us, proceeded westward upon someother business intrusted to him by the Government.
It seems fated that every chapter of the unfortunate Burkeexploration shall be marked with unusual interest. The failures atthe beginning of the enterprise, the tragedy of the explorers'deaths, and the remarkable rescue of the survivor King, are nowfollowed by a subject of interest altogether new and mysterious.Certain as it is that McKinlay cannot have discovered the remainsof Burke's party, as he so firmly believed he had, it is equallyclear that some other white men must have met their deaths at thespot reached by him, and that those deaths were, to all appearance,the result of foul play. That the remains found by McKinlay cannothave been those of Burke and Wills, disinterred, removed, andmangled after death, may be inferred from a number of circumstancesdetailed by him in the extracts which we have given from his diary.It will be seen that marks of violence were found on the remains,that there were indications of white men having camped in theneighbourhood (which was far distant from any camp of Burke's),that one of the natives bore marks of having been engaged in aconflict where pistols were used, and that, lastly, the nativesthemselves said the bones were those of white men who had beenmurdered and eaten. All this would probably appear conclusive toMr. McKinlay that he had ascertained the fate of the explorers whomhe had been in search of. He was prepared for such a result, andthere were many circumstances favourable to its probability. He saweven, as he believed, positive indications of camels having been atthe place where he found the graves; and yet, it will be seen, hespeaks of appearances indicating that the remains were buried along time ago, and states that some of the human hair discoveredwas in a state of decay. This certainly would not accord with thesupposition of the remains being those of Burke. But it is uselessto seek an explanation of this strange matter from the facts atpresent before us. It is a mystery which will have further to beinquired into, and which Mr. McKinlay himself will perhaps be ableto throw some light upon when he reviews all the particulars of thediscovery, with the knowledge before him that Burke and hiscompanions were not killed by the natives, but died fromstarvation, and were buried at places far distant from the spotwhere these new remains were discovered.
The following extract from McKinlay's diary details theincidents here spoken of more minutely.
October 21st.--Up in good time. Before starting for the grave wentround the lake, taking Mr. Hodgkinson with me, to see if nativeswere really on the lake, as I did not intend saddling the camelsto-day if there were no natives here, intending to leave our campunprotected--rather unwise, but being so short of hands could nothelp it, the grave being much out of sight. Found no natives roundthe lake, nor any very recent traces, saving that some of the treeswere still burning that they (when here last) had lighted. Westarted at once for the grave, taking a canteen of water with usand all the arms. On arrival removed the ground carefully, andclose to the top of the earth found the body of a Europeanenveloped in a flannel shirt with short sleeves--a piece of thebreast of which I have taken--the flesh, I may say, completelycleared from the bones, and very little hair but what must havebeen decomposed; what little there was, I have taken. Descriptionof body: Skull marked with slight sabre cuts, apparently two innumber--one immediately over the left eye, the other on the righttemple, inclining over right ear, more deep than the left; decayedteeth existed in both sides of lower jaw and right of upper; theother teeth were entire and sound. In the lower jaw were twoteeth--one on each side (four between in front) rather projecting,as is sometimes called in the upper jaw "back teeth." I havemeasured the bones of the thigh and leg as well as the arm with acord, not having any other method of doing it; gathered all thebones together and buried them again, cutting a lot of boughs andother wood and putting over top of the earth. Body lies head south,feet north, lying on face, head severed from body. On a small treeimmediately south we marked "MK, 21st Oct., 61." Immediately thiswas over we questioned the native further on the subject of hisdeath. He says he was killed by a stroke from what the natives calla sword (an instrument of semicircular form, five to eight feetlong, and very formidable). He showed us where the whites had beenattacked when encamped. We saw lots of fish-bones, but no evidencethere on the trees to suppose whites had been there. They hadcertainly chosen a very bad camp, in the centre of a box scrub,with native huts within 150 to 200 yards of them. On furtherexamination we found the dung of camels and horse or horsesevidently tied up a long time ago. Between that and the grave wefound another grave, evidently dug with a spade or shovel, and alot of human hair of two colours, that had become decomposed in theskin of the skull and fallen off in flakes, some of which I havealso taken. I fancy they must all have been murdered here. Dug outthe new-found grave with a stick, the only instrument we had, butfound no remains of bodies, save one little bone. The blackaccounted for this in this manner--he says they had eaten them.Found in an old fireplace immediately adjoining what appeared to bebones very well burnt, but not in any quantity. In and about thelast grave named, a piece of light blue tweed and fragments ofpaper, and small pieces of a Nautical Almanac were found, and anexploded Eley's cartridge; no appearance on any of the trees ofbullet marks as if a struggle had taken place. On a furtherexamination of the blacks' camp where the pint pot was found, therewas also found a tin canteen similar to what is used for keepingnaphtha in, or some such stuff, both of which we keep. The nativessay that any memos the whites had are back on the last camp we wereat on the lake with the natives, as well as the iron-work ofsaddles, etc., which on our return we mean to endeavour to recover,if the blacks can be found. It may be rash, but there is necessityfor it. Intend before returning to have a further search.
The next day they dug up a quantity of baked horsehair, whichhad apparently been used for saddle stuffing. The hostilitydisplayed by the blacks compelled Mr. McKinlay and his party tofire upon them. The mystery attached to the remains here spoken ofhas yet to be cleared up. The idea at first entertained that theywere those of Gray is not tenable. A glance at the map will showthat Gray died and was buried far away to the north-east ofMcKinlay's track.
On the day of King's arrival in Melbourne, my son's watch, a goldchronometer, which he had used to calculate the longitudes by, wasduly delivered to me in presence of the Governor; also his lastletter, distinctly traced in a firm hand on a ruled page torn fromsome book. It was not sealed, but neatly wrapped in a loose cover.The relic is invaluable.
MR. WILLS'S LAST LETTER TO HIS FATHER. BROUGHT DOWN BY KING.
Cooper's Creek, 27 June, 1861.
MY DEAR FATHER,
These are probably the last lines you will ever get from me. We areon the point of starvation, not so much from absolute want of food,but from the want of nutriment in what we can get.
Our position, although more provoking, is probably not near sodisagreeable as that of poor Harry* and his companions.
[* Footnote: Harry, his cousin, Lieutenant Le Vescompte, who perishedwith Sir John Franklin.]
We have had very good luck, and made a most successful tripto Carpentaria, and back to where we had every right to considerourselves safe, having left a depot here consisting of fourmen, twelve horses, and six camels. They had provisions enoughto have lasted them twelve months with proper economy, and wehad also every right to expect that we should have been immediatelyfollowed up from Menindie by another party with additionalprovisions and every necessary for forming a permanent depotat Cooper's Creek. The party we left here had special instructionsnot to leave until our return, UNLESS FROM ABSOLUTE NECESSITY.We left the creek with nominally three months' supply, butthey were reckoned at little over the rate of half rations. Wecalculated on having to eat some of the camels. By the greatestgood luck, at every turn, we crossed to the gulf, through a gooddeal of fine country, almost in a straight line from here. On theother side the camels suffered considerably from wet; we had tokill and jerk one soon after starting back. We had now been out alittle more than two months, and found it necessary to reduce therations considerably; and this began to tell on all hands, but Ifelt it by far less than any of the others. The great scarcity andshyness of game, and our forced marches, prevented our supplyingthe deficiency from external sources to any great extent; but wenever could have held out but for the crows and hawks, and theportulac. The latter is an excellent vegetable, and I believesecured our return to this place. We got back here in four monthsand four days, and found the party had left the Creek the same day,and we were not in a fit state to follow them.
I find I must close this, that it may be planted; but I will writesome more, although it has not so good a chance of reaching you asthis. You have great claims on the committee for their neglect. Ileave you in sole charge of what is coming to me. The whole of mymoney I desire to leave to my sisters; other matters I pass overfor the present. Adieu, my dear Father. Love to Tom.*
[* Footnote: Tom, his brother in Melbourne.]
W.J. WILLS.
I think to live about four or five days. My spirits are excellent.
The remark that I had great claims on the committee was insertedin the letter, as King informed me, in consequence of Mr. Burkeobserving, "Wills, be sure to say something to that effect." Theletter was read to Burke and King by my son, as soon as he hadconcluded it. On King's examination, he was questioned as follows,on this point:
Question 1068. Do you see that letter--[pointing to the letterwritten by Mr. Wills to his father]?--That is the letter Mr. Willsread.
1069. Did he read it out for the purpose of being corrected ifthere was any statement in it that was not quite correct?--Ibelieve the reason was, in case the letter should be found, that heshould not say anything to our disadvantage, mine or Mr. Burke's;he thought that we would see it was the truth and nothing but thetruth.--[Watch produced]--That is the watch Mr. Wills desired thesurvivor to give to his father, which I have done.
1070. There was a pocket-book, was there not?--Yes, which Mr. Burkegave me on the evening before his death, requesting me to deliverit to Sir William Stawell, but under any circumstances I was not todeliver it to any other gentleman of the committee. I delivered itto Sir William Stawell this morning.
1071. Did you know anything of the nature of the contents of it?--No, except what Mr. Burke read to me affecting myself, and whichSir William Stawell has read to me this morning. The same book Ishowed to Mr. Howitt, telling him that it was Mr. Burke's desirethat I should deliver it to Sir William Stawell himself. Mr. Burkealso gave me his watch, and told me it was the property of thecommittee; the same I delivered to Mr. Howitt.
1072. You kept possession of the book?--Yes, and gave it over toSir William Stawell this morning.
1073. How did you preserve all those things while with the blacks?--I had a small canvas pouch, which I always carried about with meon my person.
1074. Did they ever covet anything?--Yes, they used often to makeme show them the contents of it.
The letter and watch being handed to Mr. Burke, my son then lent himhis pistol, the only defence he could have retained against hostileattack, and lying on the bare ground, resigned to his fate,urgently requested them to leave him. Imagination, with all the aidof poetical fancy, can conceive no position to exceed this in utterdesolation. It has been said, and many may think, they ought not tohave separated. No consideration, or argument, should have inducedhis two companions to abandon him. It was indeed a tryingalternative, but falling in with the blacks appeared to be the onlychance of rescue for the whole party; and had this fortunatelyhappened before the sudden and total prostration of Burke, therecan be no doubt they would have hastened immediately to bring thesame succour to my son. King informed me that Mr. Burke wasdreadfully distressed, and that he had great difficulty inpersuading him to go on. At times he would stop and exclaim, "Howcan I leave him, that dear, good fellow?" He was usually inthe habit of addressing him as "My dear boy," for althoughtwenty-seven, and wearing a beard, he had such a youthfulappearance that few would have taken him for more than twenty whenhe left Melbourne.
During the whole journey, and through all their trials, King saidthat not an approach to altercation, or a word of difference, evertook place between my poor boy and his leader. When I claimed thepistol above alluded to, it was considered of too much consequenceto be surrendered without minute investigation. To my firstapplication I received the following diplomatic reply:
EXPLORATION COMMITTEE,
Royal Society of Victoria,
Victoria Street, Melbourne, January 28th, 1862.
SIR,
I have the honour to inform you that, at a committee meeting held27th instant, the Honourable Dr. Wilkie in the chair, the subjectof delivering the "Burke" pistol to you, which you claim asyour late son's property, was discussed. The report of theAssistant-Secretary was to the effect that, as the tradesmen whosupplied the fire-arms did not register the numbers, the identityof this particular pistol could not be traced as one supplied tothe expedition; but that as there were several "Colt's" revolversfurnished, there is room for doubt as to whether this may not beone of them.
As the committee merely wishes to be fully satisfied of thevalidity of your claim before parting with such a melancholy andinteresting relic, instructions have been given to apply to Mr.King for any information he may be able to supply, to guide thecommittee to a right decision.
I have the honour to be, sir,
Your most obedient servant,
JOHN MACADAM, M.D.,
Hon. Secretary.
W. WILLS, ESQ. M.D.
Finally, and with much trouble, after I know not how many meetings,and what amount of discussion, the pistol was handed over to me,and is now in my possession. So much for my claims on theCommittee, who are the only parties acquainted with the merits ofmy poor son from whom I have received anything like coldness oroffence. On the day of King's arrival, as the mail was leaving forEngland, I was anxious to obtain at once the letter which I knewwas in his possession. My earnestness interrupted an arrangementthey had made for receiving him, and my unseasonable importunity,as it was considered, drew on me something bearing a closeresemblance to a vote of censure.
King, who although only a common soldier, has a heart and feelingswhich would do no dishonour to a gentleman of education, would havepreferred coming into Melbourne, after the loss of his officers, atleast unostentatiously, if not in sackcloth and ashes. But he wasgreeted with a howling and shouting more suitable to the receptionof some notorious bush-ranger recently captured. Many, in commonwith myself, considered the ovation out of place and character;while others, and apparently the more numerous party, were of adifferent opinion. Perhaps it was well meant, and chacun a songout. Public enthusiasm is not always gaugeable by the standard ofreason or good taste. The following account was printed:--
From about five o'clock, groups of persons anxious to welcomeback the first who had crossed and re-crossed the Australiancontinent began to pour into the station, and its vicinity was socrowded with cars and spectators that it was impossible to reachthe entrance. The arrival of the train was hailed with vociferouscheering. The carriage in which King was a passenger was at oncerecognized by its being decorated with flags. Such was the "rush"to see King that it was some time before the porters could reachthe carriage door, and when they had reached it they experiencedconsiderable difficulty in getting the door opened. Dr. Gilbee, whowas accompanied by Dr. Macadam, was in attendance with his privatecarriage to convey King as quietly as possible to the RoyalInstitute, where the Exploration Committee and a numerousassemblage of ladies and gentlemen were in waiting to see him.Those gentlemen, however, were unable to reach the carriage; andDr. Wills, who was fortunately opposite the door, seeing that itwas impossible for the arrangements to be carried out, immediatelyconveyed King to an open car and drove off. Dr. Gillbee and Dr.Macadam, with King's sister, immediately followed. The cars werethen rushed; and cars, buggies, horses, and pedestrians raced alongCollins Street to William Street, and thence to Government House. Agreat many were, of course, disappointed by this alteration, as itwas generally expected that King would be received by HisExcellency and the Committee at the Royal Institute, and thereforedrove along the streets that were likely to facilitate theirreaching the institution before King's arrival. On reachingGovernment House, King was assisted up stairs, for though he lookedvery healthy and robust; he was scarcely able to stand. He wastaken into the room adjoining the Chief Secretary's office, wherehe was shortly afterwards joined by his sister. Their meeting was,of course, strictly private. In a few minutes the approaches toGovernment House, the lobbies, stairs, and landing were impassablycrowded, so that it was necessary for the police to clear a passagefor His Excellency from his own office to that of the ChiefSecretary. His Excellency, accompanied by Captain Timins, enteredthe Chief Secretary's office, and after a short conversation withWelch, who accompanied King to town, went into the anteroom;accompanied by Captain Timins, and followed by Dr. Wills, Welch,and Brahe. When His Excellency entered the room, King and hissister respectfully stood up, but His Excellency requested them tobe seated, as King was evidently unable to stand on his feet. Theexcitement was almost too much for the poor fellow, and it wasthought advisable to get him away as speedily and as privately aspossible to St. Kilda, where his sister resides.
A few days afterwards, at a meeting of the Exploration Committee, aseries of questions, more or less pertinent to the circumstancesunder which he appeared before them, were personally put to him bymembers of the committee, and which he answered calmly, displayingconsiderable intelligence and precision of mind in his replies tothe rather discursive examination he was subjected to. The Herald,in reference to the interview, had the following observations:--John King was an object of great and curious interest. Havingcome out of such great tribulation--having fasted for so many daysin the desert--having been wasted by privations till he became sonear death that for Death to have overcome him would have been notriumph--he was regarded with feelings similar to those which madethe people say of Dante, "There goes the man who has been inHades." Though only a subordinate, he is a man possessing, weshould say--or, indeed, as we know--good leading qualities, theattributes of a hero; and though his intellectual powers have notbeen highly cultivated, he evidently possesses no small share ofintelligence. A man who would mind his own business, and not givento ask very many questions, which as things have turned out is tobe regretted; but with a memory capable of retaining everythingthat came within his knowledge. His coolness rather took abackthose members of the committee, yesterday, who seemed to have comeloaded to the muzzle with questions, which they proceeded to fireoff indiscriminately. He seemed to know better than thoseinquisitors the way in which his examination should be conducted;that the inquiry had a more important object than gratifying sheercuriosity; and when he goes before the Royal Commission nextThursday they will find him a very good witness. The deepestsympathy was expressed by the meeting, and it will be mostsincerely felt by every soul to whom his extraordinary history willbecome known.
The Exploration Committee held a private meeting on the 29th, atwhich King was present. He there stated that the tide rose and fellsix inches at the part of the river where he was left by Messrs.Burke and Wills when they proceeded on foot with the object ofdiscovering the sea. The gallantry of King is amply testified to bysome memoranda in the handwriting of poor Burke--the last he everwrote. The documents were contained in a pocket-book which thedying explorer committed to the care of the survivor, charging himto deliver it into the hands of Sir William Stawell. This lastdesire of his unfortunate commander was most scrupulously observedby King. The manuscript ran as follows:--
I hope that we shall be done justice to. We have fulfilled our task,but we have been abandoned. We have not been followed up as weexpected, and the depot party abandoned their post.
R. O'HARA BURKE.
Cooper's Creek, June 26th.
King has behaved nobly. I hope that he will be properly cared for.He comes up the creek in accordance with my request.
R. O'HARA BURKE.
Cooper's Creek, June 28th.
Again, the next entry says:--
King has behaved nobly. He has stayed with me to the last,and placed the pistol in my hand, leaving me lying on the surface asI wished.
R. O'H. BURKE.
Cooper's Creek, June 28th.
The following sketch of the journey across the continentof Australia, by Messrs. Burke and Wills, in a letter from theGovernor of Victoria, Sir Henry Barclay, to Sir Roderick Murchison,was read before the Royal Geographical Society in London on the15th of January, 1862, and was ordered to be printed in theirproceedings. The letter also appeared in the Times of the 15th ofJanuary:--
MY DEAR SIR RODERICK,
Knowing the interest you have ever taken in the exploration ofthe interior of Australia, and that you still occupy the post ofVice-President of the Royal Geographical Society, it was myintention to address you fully by the present mail-steamerrespecting the Victorian expedition under Burke and Wills, whichyou will learn has achieved the honour of first crossing from seato sea, by a route far distant and utterly distinct from that ofMcDouall Stuart, from whose great fame as an explorer I have notthe least desire to detract.
I wished, indeed, as the expedition had cost the gallant leaders ofit their lives, to narrate in a connected form its design andhistory from the very commencement, in order that it might servethe Geographical Society as a record, and prevent any misconceptionof the causes which have marred its triumphant result.
I find, however, that the pressure of other business will preventmy carrying out this design, and I must content myself thereforewith forwarding the newspapers which contain the best report ofwhat has recently come to light, together with the diaries of Burkeand Wills, as published in a pamphlet form, and lastly with a mapof Australia, on which our Surveyor-General has added to otherrecent explorations, a reduced tracing of the track of theexpedition, from the depot on Cooper's Creek to the Gulf ofCarpentaria, where it struck, as would appear, the Flinders River,and not the Albert, as the explorers supposed.
I would refer you, at the same time, for precise details of thewhole enterprise to my several despatches of 21st of August, 1860;20th of July, and 20th of November, 1861; which I am confident theDuke of Newcastle will put at your disposal for the information ofthe Geographical Society, if applied to.
On one account I am not sorry to be obliged to postpone a detailedcommunication on the subject, for it would be difficult to tell thesad story of the sufferings and death of the brave men who returnedto the spot where they expected to find friends and ample store ofprovisions and clothing, only to find the depot abandoned, and toperish miserably in default of assistance, without at leastimplying blame in some quarter or other; and, as a good deal isstill enveloped in mystery, and I have appointed a commission ofinquiry to take evidence and report thereupon, it would obviouslybe improper in me to anticipate their conclusion.
The sole survivor of the party who crossed the continent, JohnKing, once, I believe, a soldier in India, is expected to reachMelbourne to-night; and with the aid of his recollections of thejourney, the Surveyor-General hopes to be enabled to add to thechart on a large scale, which he is constructing from Mr. Wills'sfield books, fuller particulars as to the nature of the country; aswell as to supply some blanks which were evidently left to befilled in afterwards, especially in regard to the route back,which, from the determination at our observatory of one of hisearlier camps, from an observation of one of the planets which isrecorded, seems to have been considerably to the eastward of thecourse pursued in going, though this is not expressly so stated.
I need hardly add that as soon as Mr. Ligar finishes this chart Iwill send you copies of it, as also the report of the commission ofinquiry.
The country towards Carpentaria or Burke's Land--as I hope it willbe called--seems so good that there can be little doubt of theformation, at no distant date, of a colony on the shores of thatestuary;--a project which you have long, I know, had at heart; andbefore we recall the several parties sent out for the relief of themissing expedition, I trust we shall be able so far to complete thetask as to connect the settled country, by Mr. Howitt's aid, withBurke's Land by the best possible route; and, by means of the partysent by sea in the Victoria steamer, to add greatly to ourknowledge of the Gulf, and of the embouchures of the differentrivers falling into it.
Believe me ever,
My dear Sir Roderick,
Yours very truly,
HENRY BARKLY.
Government Offices, Melbourne, 25th November, 1861.
P.S.--After I had finished my letter, I received a memorandum fromthe Surveyor-General respecting Mr. Wills's astronomicalobservations, which is of so much importance that I enclose it foryour information, not having time to get a copy made.
H.B.
It has been remarked, with some disposition to drawuncharitable conclusions therefrom, that no religious expressions,or any specific references to that all-important subject, are to befound in the field-books and journals that have been given to thepublic. On this point, King said, in reply to Question 1714, "Iwish to state, with regard to there being no particular tokens ofreligion recorded in any part of the diaries, that we each had ourBible and Prayer-book, and occasionally read them going and comingback; and also the evening before the death of Mr. Burke, I amhappy to say, he prayed to God for forgiveness for the past, anddied happy, a sincere Christian."
The curtain drops here on the history of the great VictorianExploring Expedition, and little more remains to be told of itsresults or shortcomings. The continent was crossed, the Gulfreached, and the road indicated by the hardy pioneers, which theirsuccessors will find it comparatively easy to level and macadamize.Already the stimulant of the Burke and Wills catastrophe has calledinto active exercise the successive expeditions and discoveries ofHowitt, Norman, Walker, Landsborough, and McKinlay. Others willrapidly follow, with the characteristic energy and perseverance ofthe Saxon race. Now that time has, to a certain extent, allayed thepoignant grief of those who are most nearly and dearly interestedin the fate of the original explorers; when first impulses havecooled down, and the excitement of personal feelings has given waybefore unquestionable evidence, we may safely ascribe, as far ashuman agencies are concerned, the comparative failure of theenterprise to the following specific causes:--
1. The double mistake on the part of the leader, of dividingand subdividing his forces at Menindie and Cooper's Creek;
2. The utter unfitness of Wright for the position in which he wasplaced;
3. The abandonment by Brahe of the depot at Cooper's Creek;
4. The resolve of the surviving explorers to attempt the route byMount Hopeless, on their homeward journey;
And lastly, to the dilatory inefficiency of the Committee, in nothurrying forward reliefs without a moment's delay, as the state ofcircumstances became gradually known to them.
It is not so easy to estimate the relative quantity of blame whichought justly to attach to all who are implicated. Each willendeavour to convince himself that his own share is light, and thatthe weight of the burden should fall on the shoulders of some oneelse. Meanwhile, there remain for the heroic men who died inharness without a murmur in the unflinching exercise of their duty,an undying name, a public funeral, and a national monument; theunavailing sympathy and respect which rear an obelisk instead ofbestowing a ribbon or a pension; recorded honours to theunconscious dead, in place of encouraging rewards to the triumphantliving. A reverse of the picture, had it been permitted, might havebeen more agreeable; but the lesson intended to be conveyed, andthe advantages to be derived from studying it, would have been farless salutary and profitable.
Letters of sympathy and condolence; from Sir Henry Barkly; Major Egerton Warburton; A.J. Baker, Esquire; P.A. Jennings, Esquire; Dr. Mueller; The Council of Ballaarat East; Robert Watson, Esquire; John Lavington Evans, Esquire.
Meeting at Totnes.
Resolution to erect a Monument to Mr. Wills.
Proceedings in the Royal Geographical Society of London.
Letter from Sir Roderick Murchison to Dr. Wills.
Dr. Wills's Reply.
'The Lost Explorers,' a poetical tribute.
Concluding Observations.
As soon as my son's death became publicly known, and there could nolonger be a doubt on the subject, letters of condolence andsympathy poured in upon me from many quarters. From these I selecta few as indicating the general impression produced by his untimelyfate, and the estimation in which he was held by those who werepersonally acquainted with him. The afflicting event wascommunicated to his mother in Totnes, Devon, by a telegram afortnight before the regular mail, accompanied by the followingletter from Sir Henry Barkly, Governor of Victoria:--
Government Office, Melbourne, November 26th, 1861.
DEAR MADAM,
Though you will hear of the bereavement which has befallen youinthe loss of your gallant son from those that are near and dearboth to you and to himself, I cannot refrain, in the position Ihave the honour to hold, from adding my assurance of the sympathyof the entire community with your grief, and the universaladmiration of his abilities as displayed throughout the expedition,and which his noble and heroic conduct to the last hour of his lifehave inspired.
You may rely upon it that the name of William John Wills will godown to posterity, both at home and in this colony, amongst thebrightest of those who have sacrificed their lives for theadvancement of scientific knowledge and the good of theirfellow-creatures.
Believe me, dear Madam,
Yours very respectfully,
(Signed) HENRY BARKLY,
Governor of Victoria.
Mrs. Wills, Totnes, Devon.
Sir Henry also moved in the committee and the motion wascarried nemine contradicente, that from the important part Mr. Willshad taken, the expedition should be called, "The Burke and Willsexploring Expedition." Some spiteful remarks by opposite partisanswere made in the Melbourne Argus on this very natural andcomplimentary resolution. An advocate on one side said, "If theexpedition had failed would it have been called the Burke and WillsExpedition?--We opine not." To which another replied the followingday, in the same columns, "Would the expedition have succeeded ifWills had not been there?--We opine not." None would have regrettedthese invidious observations more than the generous, free-heartedBurke, and my gallant son, had they lived to see them. They had nopetty jealousies. Each knew his position, and they acted throughoutwith unswerving confidence as friends as well as associatedexplorers.
It was asserted by Burke's enemies that he was violent, and nothaving sufficient command over himself, was therefore unfitted tocommand others. This conclusion, sound enough in the abstract, ismore easily made than proved, and in the present instance receivesdirect contradiction from the undeviating cordiality between theleader and his second. In the cases of Landells and Dr. Beckler,universal opinion pronounced Burke to be in the right.
FROM MAJOR EGERTON WARBURTON.
Adelaide.
MY DEAR DR. WILLS,
Vain as must be any consolation that can be offered to you under thecircumstances of almost unparalleled distress attending the loss ofyour son, I cannot but avail myself of our acquaintanceship toexpress my most humble and hearty sympathy in the terriblecatastrophe.
Anger and horror combine to drive us away from the contemplation ofthe causes of this tragic termination of a feat of heroism andendurance such as has been rarely before achieved; and we turn withdeep sorrow and admiration to dwell upon that noble display offaithful, patient courage which calmly awaited an early andunbefriended grave on the spot where the foot-prints of triumphwere reasonably to have been expected.
We all share in your grief; and would fain hope that this maysomewhat lessen its bitterness to you; but it must be a source ofpride and comfort to you to remember that your son died having DONEhis duty to his country and his companions. More than this no mancan do, live he ever so long, and few there are who do so much.
Permit me to subscribe myself a deep sympathiser with you in youraffliction,
J. EGERTON WARBURTON.
The Major had been a candidate for the office of leader, but hisconditions as to his second were objected to. The next letter isfrom a gentleman who had accompanied Major Warburton as second onsome explorations from Adelaide. At Totnes I knew him when a boy.
Dorset Terrace, Adelaide.
MY DEAR SIR,
I truly sympathize with you in the loss you have met with inso heroic and superb a fellow as your son. I cannot read hisjournals without wishing that I had been with him, for hisqualities as an explorer were perfect in my humble opinion. Thenews of his sad death has been a great blow to all of us, and wesincerely feel for you in your affliction. But though dead in theflesh, the brave spirit of your son will stand emblazoned on thepages of our country's history as one of those heroes who have diedfor the cause in which he was engaged, in the flush of victory,cheerfully fulfilling his duties to the last.
I cannot believe that Wright and Brahe ever returned to Cooper'sCreek. If they had done so a stockman so well experienced intracking as Wright must be, would have detected the presence ofsigns that might escape the eye of one less practised; for it isascertained now that the stores had been removed about the timethat Brahe left, and before, as they say, they returned in company.
I also believe that, had Burke taken his companions' advice, andfollowed down Brahe's tracks, they would have been saved, for it iswell known to all travellers that animals will feel cheered infollowing the footsteps of their late associates; but to attempt toforce his party to explore new country when a well-known route wasopen to him was little short of madness. I have not patience tocriticize Wright and Brahe's conduct. If Brahe had even left morestores, clothing especially, we should have had the pleasure ofwelcoming the explorers home.
But God's wise providence knows what is best, and in saying, Hiswill be done, I pray that He may comfort you and yours in thisgreat bereavement. Mrs. B. and my daughter unite with me in kindestregards, and believe me to be as ever,
My dear sir,
Your sincere friend,
ARTHUR JOHN BAKER.
FROM P.A. JENNINGS, ESQUIRE, ST. ARNAUD, VICTORIA.
St. Arnaud, December 15th, 1861.
MY DEAR SIR,
I did not like to intrude upon your sorrow before; but Ifeel desirous of now testifying the sympathy of myself and friendsat St. Arnaud with you under your heavy affliction. I had thepleasure of forming an intimacy with your lamented and gallant sonduring his stay here; an intimacy which soon ripened into a truefriendship.
It was in the year 1858, from March to July, that your son stoppedin this vicinity, as the promoter of the survey of this town. I wasthrown much into his company, and soon learned to appreciate hisamiable and noble disposition. My mother and sisters, who alsofound pleasure in his society, had the deepest regard andadmiration for him; and the expedition in which he was engagedtherefore possessed an unusual interest for us.
I assure you I can hardly find words to express our feelings, atthe thought of his fate, and the base desertion of Burke andhimself by those who should have endeavoured to sustain them. I hadthe most profound confidence in your son's ability as an explorer,knowing well the varied nature of his scientific attainments, hisgreat practical knowledge of bush life, and the clear common sensewhich was his leading characteristic. Many a time we have talkedabout him; and every time we mentioned his name the same feeling ofassurance in his safe return was always expressed, even to thelast. Such was our confidence in him. A week before the sad tidingsof his death reached Melbourne, I had a conversation with Mr.Byerly, whom I then met accidentally, and who had just returnedfrom Queensland. Our conversation reverted to your son, and Mr.Byerly coincided with me in my faith in him, but remarked that allhis exertions could be of little avail if not properly supported.Mr. Byerly had at first expressed a fear that the party HAD BEENALLOWED TO PERISH through the remissness of those whose duty itshould have been to use every possible means to rescue them in theproper time. His words were, unfortunately, prophetic.
I know, my dear sir, that almost anything like consolation for younow must come from other than man, but I could not help sayingthese few words to you; and I know that no persons unconnected byblood with your family, and enjoying such brief personalacquaintance with your son as myself; and mother and sisters, canbe more sincerely or deeply moved at the harrowing record of hisuntimely fate. Indeed, it has cast a gloom over every one; and thehardest heart could not but be affected by such a noble spectacleas the last days of his glorious life present.
It is proposed here to erect an obelisk to his memory, and I amabout to get one of the streets named after him. I cannot commitmyself to write further on the subject, but will conclude bysubscribing myself,
Yours, ever faithfully,
P.A. JENNINGS.
W. Wills, Esquire, M.D.
FROM DR. MUELLER.
December 11th, 1861.
MY DEAR DOCTOR,
His Excellency informed me by note last night that Mr. Heales thinksto leave the consideration of everything connected with the greatand glorious enterprise of your son and Mr. Burke, to theCommission, which Mr. Heales will probably have installed beforeleaving office.
His Excellency adds, that every thought shall be given, that thefamily who immortalized their name by the work of your lamented sonshall not be forgotten. I hope to be in town to-morrow, and will domyself the pleasure of calling on you.
Very regardfully yours,
FERD. MUELLER.
The Melbourne Advertiser, of December the 4th, 1861, containedthe following leading paragraph:
It is the intention of Mr. O'Shanassy to place a sum of 5000 poundson the Estimates towards the erection of a national monument toBurke and Wills, and it is believed a like amount will be raised bypublic subscription in various parts of the colony; so that theaggregate amount will enable us to raise a memorial worthy ofVictoria, and worthy of the heroes whom we design to honour. Thisis as it should be. Burke and Wills achieved a splendid exploit:their lives were the forfeit of their daring; and we owe it totheir reputation, as well as to our own character, to preserve adurable record of their great achievement, and to signalize toafter-ages our admiration of its simple grandeur, and our gratitudeto the brave men who accomplished it. A time will come when a beltof settlements will connect the shores of Port Phillip with thoseof the Gulf of Carpentaria; when, on the banks of the Albert or ofthe Flinders, a populous city will arise, and will constitute theentrepot of our commerce with the Indies; and when beaten roadswill traverse the interior, and a line of electric telegraph willbisect the continent. The happy valley of Prince Rasselas was notmore verdant or more fertile than much of the country passedthrough by the explorers, whose loss we deplore; and it is certainthat these beautiful solitudes will be rapidly occupied by theflocks and herds of the squatter. Agricultural settlements willfollow; towns and villages will be established, gold-fieldsprobably discovered, and waves of population will overflow and willfertilize vast tracts of country which we have hitherto concludedto be a sterile desert. These events will owe their initiation tothe adventurous pioneers who first crossed the continent from seato sea. Theirs was the arduous effort; theirs the courage,endurance, and sustaining hope; theirs the conflict with danger andthe great triumph over difficulties; theirs the agony of alingering death, and theirs the mournful glory of a martyr's crown.Defrauded, as it were, of the honours which would have rewardedthem had they lived to receive the congratulations they had earned,it becomes the melancholy duty of their fellow-citizens toperpetuate the memory of Burke and Wills by a monument which shalltestify to their worth and our munificence.
FROM DR. MUELLER.
Melbourne, December 21st, 1861.
MY VERY DEAR DOCTOR,
I need not assure you that I shall be but too happy to renderyou any services within my power, and especially such as areconnected with doing justice to your poor and great son.
Having been duly authorized by you to secure the pistol of yourlate son, I will take an early opportunity to claim it for you andbring it to your son Thomas. I will also very gladly do what I canin restoring to you any other property I may hear of as belongingto your lamented son William. As soon as Professor Neumayerreturns, we can learn with exactness what instruments were yourson's. I will also inquire about the telescope. I believe I forgotmentioning to you, that it would be a source of the highestgratification to me to call some new plant by the name of thefamily, who claim as their own, one of now imperishable fame. But Iwill not be unmindful that, in offering an additional tribute,humble as it is, to your son's memory, it will be necessary toselect, for the Willsia, a plant as noble in the Australian floraas the young savant himself who sacrificed his life in accomplishinga great national and never-to-be-forgotten enterprise.
Trusting, my dear and highly valued friend, that the greatness ofthe deed will, to a certain extent, alleviate your grief and sorrowfor an irreparable loss, and that Providence may spare you long inhealth and happiness, for your family.
I remain,
Your faithfully attached,
FERD. MUELLER.
W. Wills, Esquire, M.D.
Melbourne Botanical Gardens, January 5th, 1862.
MY DEAR DR. WILLS,
It affords me a melancholy satisfaction that the humbletribute which I wish to pay to the memory of your lamented son, inattaching his name to the enclosed plant, elicited such kindrecognition from yourself. I need not assure you that I shallcontinue to maintain, as I have done on all previous occasions,that only by the skilful guidance and scientific talents of yourunfortunate son, the great geographic success is achieved, which hesealed with his heroic death.
We can only now deeply deplore the loss of SUCH a man, and awardthat honour to his memory which his great exploit for ever merits.
With the deepest sympathy for you, ever dear and respected friend,
Yours,
FERD. MUELLER.
The plant is thus registered in the Fragmenta PhytographiaeAustraliae:--
EREMOPHILA WILLSII:
Speciem Eremophilae Goodwinii (F. M. Report on the Plantsof Babble's Expedition, page 17) propinquam tesqua Australiaecentralis ornantem, elegi ut botanicis recordarem gloriam nunquamobliviscendam intrepidi et ingeniosi sed infelicissimi GulielmiWills, qui primo terram Australiae continentalem a litore ad litusperagravit, sua morte praecocissima in tacito eremo triumphumaeternum agens.*
[* Footnote: I have chosen a species of Eremophilaresembling Goodwin's, which adorns the deserts of centralAustralia, to record by botany the glory never to be forgotten ofthe intrepid and talented, but most unfortunate, William Wills, whowas the first to traverse the continent of Australia from shore toshore, winning for himself, by his too early death in the silentwilderness, an eternal triumph.]
FROM DR. MUELLER.
June 6th, 1862.
DEAR DR. WILLS,
Once more I wish you a most cordial goodbye, and trust that in thecircle of your family you will feel some consolation for thedreadful bereavement which has befallen you in the loss of yourson. May it alleviate your affliction to some small extent, toremember that your son has gained by the sacrifice of his preciouslife a world-wide fame, and an appreciation which will remainunobliterated throughout all ages.
With the deepest solicitude for your health and happiness, Iremain, my very dear Dr. Wills,
Your attached friend,
FERD. MUELLER.
At an earlier period, the Municipal Council of Ballaarat Eastpaid me the compliment of the subjoined address:--
TO W. WILLS, ESQUIRE, M.D.
Council Chamber, Ballaarat East, November 7th, 1861.
SIR,
The Municipal Council of Ballaarat East, for itself and on behalf ofthe native community of this district, with feelings of the deepestsorrow and commiseration, beg leave to sympathize with you in themost severe and irreparable bereavement which you are sounfortunately called upon to bear in the loss of your worthy anddevoted son, Mr. William John Wills. It would however hope that allpossible consolation will be yours in the knowledge of his havingnobly and successfully accomplished his mission, the benefits ofwhich cannot be too highly appreciated by the whole of theinhabitants of the Australian Colonies; and which must secure tohis future memory, under the unfortunate circumstances by which hewas sacrificed, not only honour and fame, but the sympathy, love,and respect of his fellow-men in all parts of Her Majesty'sdominions, and in every civilized country throughout the world.These considerations the Council trusts you will endeavour to bringto your aid in overcoming the intense grief with which you must beafflicted.
I am, sir,
In the most heartfelt sorrow,
Yours very truly,
W.B. RODIER,
TOWN CLERK.
A proclamation in a supplement to one of the Melbourne Gazettes,towards the end of November, announced that the Governor, with theadvice of the Executive Council, had directed that the portions ofMain-street, Ballaarat East, lying between the Yarrowee River andPrincess Street, shall hereafter be designated Wills Street, inmemory of the companion of Burke.
The two following letters, written by Devonians settled inVictoria, appeared in the Totnes Weekly Times:--
Batesford, Geelong, 25th November, 1861.
DEAR SIR,
I have sent you by this mail the sad history of poor Burkeand Wills, which I am sure will be read with painful interest by allyour fellow-townsmen. The Melbourne papers have been very severe onthe Exploration Committee, and it was my intention to have sent youcopies of the Argus, from 4th to 9th November, but they cannot nowbe procured at any price. My brother will lend you his, if youdesire it.
Nothing that has occurred here for many years has thrown such agloom over the whole of the Australian Colonies. We are generally,perhaps, a cold, unfeeling people, but there are few whose heartshave not been touched by this sad event.
It is scarcely possible that you, accustomed as you are to thegreen pastures, the shady lanes, and crystal springs of dear oldDevon, can realize to the full extent the sickening hardships theyhad to endure, or the cruel disappointment under which even they atlast gave way. I cannot conceive a situation more heartrending thantheirs must have been on their return to Cooper's Creek, to findthe depot abandoned. They had succeeded in accomplishing theglorious feat which so many brave men had tried in vain toaccomplish; they had endured hardships which might make thestoutest heart quail; they had returned alive, but footsore, wornout and in rags, to where they might have hoped for help andsuccour; they were on their way to where honour and glory, well andnobly earned, awaited them; and now they must lie down in thedreary wilds of an almost unknown country, and die that mosthorrible of all deaths, starvation, They must have felt, too, that,worse than even this death itself, the fruits of their labourswould, in all probability, perish with them, their fate remainunknown, and the glorious page of the world's history which theywould have written would be buried in oblivion, and all this--ALLthis because
'Some one had blundered.'
It has been decided that the remains are to be brought to Melbourneand have a public funeral. Monuments are also to be erected to thememory of the brave fellows:--
"These come too late, and almost mock whom they are intended to honour."
Poor Wills! you will remember him as a boy. It has occurred tome that Totnes may wish in some way to perpetuate the memory of onewho perished so young and with such honour in a noble cause. Shouldit be so, I have asked my brother to be there with something fromme. Every good man must deeply regret his loss, and sincerelysympathize with his relatives and friends.
Your hero has passed to no ignoble grave; He died not ere a deathless fame was won; And earth must count amongst her true and brave, The brave and patient Wills, Devonia's son.
I am, dear Sir,
Yours truly,
ROBT. WATSON.
To the Editor of the Totnes Times.
TO THE EDITOR OF THE TOTNES WEEKLY TIMES.
Melbourne, November 26, 1861.
By this mail, I have sent you the public journals of this city,containing detailed accounts of the Exploring Expedition,despatched hence on the 20th August last, to find its way to andreturn from the Gulf of Carpentaria. Only one of the party hassucceeded in accomplishing this unparalleled undertaking, threehaving fallen victims to hunger and disease. R. O'Hara Burke wasthe leader of the Expedition, and W.J. Wills, a native of Totnes,and son of a physician from your locality, was the second incommand, observer and astronomer. The Expedition had visited theGulf, and had returned to Cooper's Creek, where a depot had beenformed, but unfortunately broken up only six hours before thereturn of the weary travellers. Their disappointment at findingsuch to be the case, you must gather from Wills's journal, whichwas the best kept of the party, and is replete with information ofthe country through which they passed. To Mr. Wills, senior, theloss of his favourite son is a sad blow, under such distressingcircumstances; yet, amid all, young Wills was full of spirit to thelast, and his final entry in his journal must have been made justsix hours before he breathed his last. For him and for them, thecolonists in Australia have shed tears of sorrow, and theGovernment have given instructions that their remains are to bebrought to the city, and interred with all the pomp and solemnitybefitting such an occasion. A sum of money is voted by Parliamentto mark specially the event by erecting an obelisk in someconspicuous part of the city, most probably in face of one of ourParliament Houses. A number of Devonians, however, have resolved tosubscribe, and with the consent of the municipal authorities, wishto mark the event more especially in his native town; and it isthought the Plains, at Totnes, is a suitable place for the erectionof such a monument. To that end, subscription lists will be openedin our principal towns, and by next mail I hope to report thatsatisfactory progress is being made. The school where he waseducated (Ashburton), conducted, too, by a Totnes man, Mr. Paige,has not been forgotten; and as there are schoolfellows of Wills'sin this colony, they also intend bearing testimony to his worth byplacing a tablet, with the consent of the trustees, in the GrammarSchool of St. Andrew's. None more worthy exists in that ancienthall of learning.
In conclusion, I would just remark that the continent has beentraversed from north to south, but there is yet the important featof crossing from east to west. For whom is this wreath reserved? Isit to be won by a Totnes or an Ashburton man, or one from thiscountry? Time will decide.
I remain,
Yours truly,
JOHN LAVINGTON EVANS.
A correspondent to the Bendigo Advertiser concluded a longletter with the subjoined paragraph:--
Poor Wills, the martyr, whose history of the journey is all thatis left to us, is deserving of a nation's tears: his youth--hisenduring patience--his evenness of temper, which must have beensorely tried--his lively disposition even in extremities--hisdevotion to his leader--all tend to stamp him as the realmaster-mind of the expedition, and as such let Victoria be justlyproud of him--let no false delicacy keep the memory of the nobleyouth from the pinnacle it is so justly entitled to.
The Mayor of Totnes, J. Derry, Esquire, in compliance witha requisition from many of the principal inhabitants, convened ameeting at the Guildhall on the 31st of January, 1862, which wasmost numerously attended. Eloquent speeches were made, extractsfrom the letters of Mr. Watson, and Mr. Lavington Evans, were read,and the following resolutions were unanimously passed:
1. That this Meeting is of opinion that a Memorial should beerected in Totnes to the late Mr. William John Wills, who perishedat Cooper's Creek on his homeward journey, after, with threeothers, having for the first time successfully crossed the greatIsland Continent of Australia.
Perhaps when the subscriptions were received they would be able todecide what form the memorial should assume. It had been suggestedthat a tablet should be placed in the church, but he, Mr. Cuming,the mover, rather demurred to this: the church would not be aconspicuous place for it; and as many would subscribe who did notattend the parish church, he thought the Plains, or some otherpublic site, should be chosen, but it would be well to leave thismatter for the present an open question.
2. That a committee be now formed to solicit subscriptions for thepurpose of carrying into effect the last resolution, and that suchcommittee consist of the following gentlemen:--The Mayor, Messrs.Bentall, Kellock, Cuming, Presswell, Heath, Windeatt, Watson,Michelmore, Condy, Clarke, Ough, Endle; with power to add to theirnumber.
3. That as soon as the subscription list is completed, and theDevonshire men resident in the colony have communicated theirwishes and intentions to the committee, according to theintimations expressed by them, the committee be requested to call ameeting of the subscribers to decide on the character of thememorial to be erected.
The subscriptions at Totnes have been very liberal, and are stillopen. Mr. Watson and his family contributed most liberally. TheDuke of Somerset gave ten pounds. Each of the members, AdmiralMitchell, and various others five pounds; but the character of themonument has not yet been decided on. At Ashburton Grammar School amemorial has been erected, Mr. Lavington Evans and his brothercontributing ten pounds from Australia.
At the annual meeting of the Royal Geographical Society of London,held on the 26th of May, 1862, Lord Ashburton awarded the founder'sGold Medal to the representative of the late Robert O'Hara Burke,and a gold watch to King. These were handed to his Grace the Dukeof Newcastle, who attended in his public capacity as Secretary ofState for the Colonies, and undertook to deliver them to therespective parties, with many justly eulogistic observations. LordAshburton read a paper on the progress of geographical science, andSir R. Murchison, in the course of a notice on Australia, suggestedthat that portion which had been explored by Mr. Burke should behereafter called Burke's Land. But it so happened that my son'sname was neither mentioned nor alluded to in the publishedproceedings.
At the first meeting of the Society for the present season, held onthe 10th November, 1862, and at which I was present, Sir RoderickMurchison introduced the subject of Australian exploration in hisaddress, in a manner quite unexpected by me. The next day Ireceived the following official communication, which embodied thesubstance of what he had said, and nearly in the same words.
TO DR. WILLS.
15, Whitehall Place, 11th November, 1862.
SIR,
At the first meeting of the Council of this Society, during thissession, I brought under the consideration of my associates, astatement of the distinguished botanist, Dr. Mueller, of Victoria,to the effect that the friends of your deceased son weredissatisfied on finding that Mr. Burke, the leader of the lateexpedition to the Gulf of Carpentaria, had received a gold medal,and that Mr. King had received a watch, whilst no testimonial ofthe services of Mr. Wills had been presented on the part of theRoyal Geographical Society.
Permit me to assure you that when the award of the gold medal wasmade, every member of the Council, as well as myself, who proposedit, felt that to your son alone was due the determination of allthe geographical points, by his astronomical observations, and thattherefore the honour should be shared between the leader andhimself.
Continuing to entertain the same sentiments, and regretting thatthe rule of the society prevented them from granting more than onegold medal for an expedition, the Council have authorized me tooffer this explanation to you, in order that it may be preserved asa memorial.
As nothing less than a medal could have been adjudicated to so gooda geographer as your lamented son, so I trust that thisexplanation, and the words, which fell from me last evening at thegeneral meeting, in eulogizing his valuable services, may provesatisfactory. Rely upon it, that his merits will never be forgottenby my associates and myself.
I have the honour to be, Sir,
Your very faithful servant,
(Signed) RODERICK MURCHISON,
President of the Royal Geographical Society.
P.S. This letter shall be printed in the Proceedings of theSociety.
I replied thus:--
TO SIR RODERICK MURCHISON,
President of the Royal Geographical Society.
27 Arundel Street, Strand, 18th November, 1862.
SIR,
It was with much satisfaction that I received your letter ofthe 11th instant, acknowledging the appreciation by yourself and theCouncil of the Royal Geographical Society, of the merits of mylamented son in the Burke and Wills Exploring Expedition inAustralia. That he, and he alone, was the only one who had theleast pretension to the title of geographer, is manifest;--therefore it is not strange that Dr. Mueller and my friends inAustralia should feel somewhat annoyed in the matter of the Medal.
I am not surprised that it should have so happened under thecircumstances. The motto 'Sic vos non vobis', would be appropriatefor him in memoriam. The clothes, for the want of which he died, soamply provided by himself, were worn by others; the land discoveredhas been called exclusively by another name;--the Gold Medal shouldfollow.
Still I am grateful for your well-expressed remarks at the meetingof the 10th instant, and for this written testimonial of the 11th,from yourself and the Council.
I have the honour to be,
Sir Roderick,
Your obedient and humble servant,
WILLIAM WILLS,
Father of the late Explorer.
Several poetical tributes in honour of the adventurous deadwere published in Victoria. I select one which appeared in theMelbourne Herald, on the 1st of December, 1861.
THE LOST EXPLORERS.'Tis but a little lapse of time
Since they passed from out our sight;
Their hearts with hope were buoyant,
And each face with gladness bright;
And many were the fervent prayers
That in safety they might go,
Through a hidden land to the distant strand
Where ocean billows flow.Theirs was no gay adventure
In some softly pleasant place:
They left home's quiet sanctitude
To meet a hostile race;
To carve a passage through the land,
That down its channels wide,
With a joyous start might flow a part
Of the restless human tide.Across bleak stony deserts,
Through dense scrub and tangled brier,
They passed with hearts undaunted,
And with steps that would not tire;
Through morass and flooding waters,
Undismayed by toil and fears,
At their chief's command, with salient hand,
Fought on the pioneers.Battled with cold and famine,
Battled with fiery heat,
Battled o'er rocks till a trail of blood
Was left by their wounded feet;
Battled when death with his icy hand
Struck down the body of Gray;--
'Onward!' they said, as they buried the dead,
And went on their gloomy way.Now gather round your household hearths,
Your children by your knee;
'Tis well that they should understand
This tale of misery.
'Tis well that they should know the names
Of those whose toil is o'er;
Whose coming feet, we shall run to meet
With a welcome NEVER MORE.Tell how these modern martyrs,
In the strength and pride of men,
Went out into the wilderness
And came not back again;
How they battled bravely onward,
For a nobler prize than thrones,
And how they lay, in the glaring day,
With the sun to bleach their bones.Tell how their poor hearts held them up
Till victory was won;
How with fainting steps they journeyed back,
The great achievement done.
But of their anguish who may know,
Save God, who heard each groan,
When they saw no face at the trysting place,
And found themselves alone!Left alone with gaunt starvation,
And its sickly brood of ills,
Stood Burke the sanguine, hopeful King,
And the hero-hearted Wills;
Sad and weary stood the pioneers,
With no hand to give relief,
And so each day winged on its way
As a dark embodied grief.Who can guess the depth of agony--
That no mortal tongue may tell--
Which each felt when slowly dying
At the brink of hope's dry well!
Deserted, famished garmentless,
No voice of friendship nigh,
With loving care, to breathe a prayer
When they settled down to die.Yet God be praised, that one dear life
Was held within His hand,
And saved, the only rescued one
Of that devoted band
Who went into the wilderness,
In the strength and pride of men:
The goal was won and their task was done,
But they came not back again.We cannot break their calm, grand sleep,
By fond endearing cries;
We cannot smile them back again,
However bright our eyes;
But we may lowly bend the head,
Though not asham'd of the tears
We sadly shed, for the lowly dead,
Cut down in their bloom of years.And laurel garlands, greener
Than war's heroes ever bought
With the blood of slaughtered thousands,
Shall by loving hands be brought;
And sanctified by many prayers,
Laid gently in their grave,
That the coming race may know the place
Where sleep our martyr'd brave.--F.M. HUGHAN.
CONCLUDING OBSERVATIONS.
The narrative I have felt called upon to give to the public, foundedon an unexaggerated statement of facts, with many of which no otherperson could have been so well acquainted, is now concluded,--withthe natural anguish of a father for the loss of a son of whom hewas justly proud, and who fell a victim to incapacity andnegligence not his own. Still, I have no desire to claim merit forhim to which he is not entitled, or to abstract an iota from whatis justly due to others. The Report of the Royal Commission is tobe found at full in the Appendix; unaccompanied necessarily by themass of conflicting evidence, trustworthy, contradictory,misinterpreted or misunderstood, on which it was based. The memberswho composed that court were honourable gentlemen, who investigatedpatiently, and I have no doubt conscientiously. But there were manypresent, with myself, who witnessed the examinations, and wonderedat some points of the verdict. We find the judgment most severe onthe leader who sacrificed his life, and whose mistakes would havebeen less serious and fatal had his orders been obeyed. There isalso a disposition to deal leniently with the far heavier errorsand omissions of the Exploration Committee; and an unaccountabletendency to feel sympathy for Brahe, whose evidence left itdifficult to decide whether stupidity, selfishness, or utterdisregard of truth was his leading deficiency.
It now only remains to sum up a brief retrospect of the activespirit of discovery set astir, and not likely to die away, as asequel to the great Burke and Wills Expedition, for by that name itwill continue to be known. We have already seen that the Victoriasteamer, under Commander Norman, was sent round to the Gulf ofCarpentaria to search for the missing explorers, had they reachedthat part of the coast; and to expedite and assist land parties inadvancing, southwards, to their aid. Captain Norman suffered somedelay by the unfortunate wreck of the Firefly, a trader, laden withhorses, coals, and straw; and having on board Mr. Landsborough andparty, who were to start from the Albert river, or thereabouts.This wreck occurred on the 4th September, 1861, on one of the groupof islands to the north, called Sir Charles Hardy's Islands. On the7th, they were found by Commander Norman, and through his greatpersonal exertions, ably seconded by his officers and crew, he gotthe ship off, with the greater part of the horses and coals, andnearly all the stores.
On the 1st of October, they reached the mouth of the Albert. On the14th of the same month, Landsborough started for the head of thatriver, as far as it was navigable, in the Firefly, under thecommand of Lieutenant Woods of the Victoria; and on the 17th theywere landed about twelve miles up the stream. It was past themiddle of November before Mr. Landsborough resumed his onwardcourse; and as his explorations had little to do with an endeavourto discover the tracks of the Victorian Expedition, although hegained much credit by his exertions, it is unnecessary to detailthem more minutely here. I shall merely say that he followed acourse south by east, skirting the country rather more to thewestward than the track followed by previous explorers, andeventually reached Victoria.
Mr. Walker, despatched overland from Queensland, reached the Gulfon the 7th of December, 1861; and reported that he had, on the 24thof November, found well-defined traces of three or four camels andone horse, undoubtedly belonging to the Victorian Expedition, andmaking their way down the Flinders. With his usual characteristic,he started again on the 11th of December. Mr. Walker, with hisparty, consisting chiefly of natives, did good service in hisprogress through Queensland; for when the report reached Melbourne,through Captain Norman, that he had discovered the tracks of thecamels so near the sea, it furnished satisfactory evidence of thecorrectness of my son's journals, although the fatal news of hisdeath and that of his commander had been long received. There werenot wanting ungenerous cavillers to insinuate doubts that he andBurke had been at the Gulf. This inference they sought to establishfrom an expression in one of the few of Burke's notes preserved, tothis effect: "28th March.--At the conclusion of report, it would bewell to say that we reached the sea, but we could not obtain a viewof the open ocean, although we made every effort to do so." At theextreme point they reached, about fifteen miles down the Flinders,the tide ebbed and flowed regularly, and the water was quite salt.The very simplicity of Mr. Burke's remark shows that it was made bya man not given to lying or deceit. Mr. Walker followed the returntracks for some distance, but lost them at about 20 degrees ofsouth latitude, and then struck off direct east for the Queenslanddistrict, to inquire, and get further supplies for a new start. AtRockhampton he received the fatal intelligence which had been sentround by sea from Melbourne; and also the news of the discovery ofKing by the gallant Howitt, to whom all honour is due for hislabours in the cause.
But Mr. McKinlay, leader of the South Australian Expedition, ofwhom I have already spoken more than once, has performed the mostextraordinary exploit of all, and has traversed by far the greatestquantity of new ground, but not in the direction originallyintended by the government that sent him. Failing in finding thetraces of Burke and his expedition, McKinlay took more to the northand north-west between the 120 and 140 degrees of easternlongitude. Yet from some floodings which my son, it will beremembered, pointed out in his journal as occurring fromindications on trees, McKinlay changed his course to north and byeast until he reached the Gulf of Carpentaria, and then to southand by east, and crossed to Queensland, returning from Rockhamptonto Adelaide by water. A glance at the map will show the courses ofthese respective explorers sufficiently for general purposes. ThusQueensland, by some mysterious influences in its favour, has reapedthe whole benefit of these explorations at the least apparent cost.The land discovered by the Burke and Wills Expedition, now namedBurke's Land, has been handed over to Queensland by the HomeGovernment, up to Cape York, on the extreme north, in TorresStraits. This vast continent, west of 140 degrees, in which theSouth Australian, and West Australian governments have so muchinterest, is, with the exception of Stuart's Line, quiteunexplored.
It has been a subject of congratulation by some, that themisadventures, or more properly speaking, the gross errorsconnected with the Victorian Expedition, have led to results thatamply compensate for the loss sustained. It is truly painful tohear, and not very easy for those who are deeply interested, tobelieve this; and I think the majority of all readers will considerthat these losses might have been easily avoided.
The relatives of the sacrificed explorers have to mourn their fate,and the colony of Victoria has spent large sums of money, not forher own benefit, immediate or indirect, present or prospective.She, too, may exclaim "Sic vos non vobis." Lucky Queensland derivesthe benefit; her boundaries are extended to 140 degrees of eastlongitude. A great part of this country, formerly supposed to be ofa doubtful nature, is now known to be the finest land in theAustralias, capable of producing cereals, wines, and tropicalfruits; also a vast extent of ground fitted for the growth ofcotton. A source of unbounded wealth is thus opened to thatfortunate young colony: coals had previously been discovered there.She is also better supplied with timber and forests than the moresouthern districts. Victoria, with her capital, Melbourne, willhave to wait for the extension of railways, marking her position asthe centre of commerce, and will in time reap her well-meritedreward. Melbourne will always represent the metropolis of thevarious colonies of Australia.
South Australia, so happy in her abundant produce of corn, wine,and mineral ores of copper and iron, is a most desirable colony,but a great portion of her interior being yet unexplored, her fullcapabilities cannot at present be estimated. There is no man morelikely than John McKinlay, with his robust frame, his energy andactivity, to carry out this great object, if the opportunity issupplied to him.
The Australias altogether comprise a country capable of conferringhappiness upon countless thousands of the Saxon race. Everything isto be found, if the right people only are selected. Let themcomprise youth, vigorous health, temperate habits, perseveringindustry, and morals based on sound Christianity, and their successand advancement in life is as certain as anything can be pronouncedin this world of uncertainty.
While these pages are going through the press, the last mail fromMelbourne informs us that Mr. Howitt was expected to arrive in thatcapital towards the middle of December, 1862, with the remains ofMessrs. Burke and Wills. Arrangements are being made for a publicinterment of the most imposing character. If numbers can add to theeffect, they are not likely to be wanting. Circulars have beenofficially addressed to nearly 250 public bodies and societiesthroughout the colony, inviting the different members to join inthe ceremony. Replies have been received from by far the greaterportion, stating their willingness and desire to join in this lasttestimony of respect for the lamented explorers. The monument, forwhich 5000 pounds has been voted by Government, is to be erected inthe Reserve surrounding the Parliament House.
INSTRUCTIONS TO LEADER.
Exploration Committee, Royal Society of Victoria, Melbourne, 18thAugust, 1860.
SIR,
I am directed by the Committee to convey to you the instructionsand views which have been adopted in connection with the dutieswhich devolve upon you as Leader of the party now organized toexplore the interior of Australia.
The Committee having decided on Cooper's Creek, of Sturt's, as thebasis of your operations, request that you will proceed thither,form a depot of provisions and stores, and make arrangements forkeeping open a communication in your rear to the Darling, if inyour opinion advisable; and thence to Melbourne, so that you may beenabled to keep the Committee informed of your movements, andreceive in return the assistance in stores and advice of which youmay stand in need. Should you find that a better communication canbe made by way of the South Australian Police Station, near MountSerle, you will avail yourself of that means of writing to theCommittee.
In your route to Cooper's Creek, you will avail yourself of anyopportunity that may present itself for examining and reporting onthe character of the country east and west of the Darling.
You will make arrangements for carrying the stores to a pointopposite Mount McPherson, which seems to the Committee to be thebest point of departure from this river for Cooper's Creek; andwhile the main body of the party is proceeding to that point youmay have further opportunities of examining the country on eitherside of your route.
In your further progress from Mount McPherson towards Cooper'sCreek, the Committee also desires that you should make furtherdetours to the right and left with the same object.
The object of the Committee in directing you to Cooper's Creek, is,that you should explore the country intervening between it andLeichhardt's track, south of the Gulf of Carpentaria, avoiding, asfar as practicable, Sturt's route on the west, and Gregory's, downthe Victoria, on the east.
To this object the Committee wishes you to devote your energies inthe first instance; but should you determine the impracticabilityof this route you are desired to turn westward into the countryrecently discovered by Stuart, and connect his farthest pointnorthward with Gregory's farthest Southern Exploration in 1856(Mount Wilson).
In proceeding from Cooper's Creek to Stuart's Country, you may findthe Salt Marshes an obstacle to the progress of the camels; if so,it is supposed you will be able to avoid these marshes by turningto the northward as far as Eyre's Creek, where there is permanentwater, and going then westward to Stuart's Farthest.
Should you, however, fail in connecting the two points of Stuart'sand Gregory's Farthest, or should you ascertain that this space hasbeen already traversed, you are requested if possible to connectyour explorations with those of the younger Gregory, in thevicinity of Mount Gould, and thence you might proceed to Sharks'Bay, or down the River Murchison, to the settlements in WesternAustralia.
This country would afford the means of recruiting the strength ofyour party, and you might, after a delay of five or six months, beenabled, with the knowledge of the country you shall havepreviously acquired, to return by a more direct route through SouthAustralia to Melbourne.
If you should, however, have been successful in connecting Stuart'swith Gregory's farthest point in 1856 (Mount Wilson), and yourparty should be equal to the task, you would probably find itpossible from thence to reach the country discovered by the youngerGregory.
The Committee is fully aware of the difficulty of the country youare called on to traverse; and in giving you these instructions hasplaced these routes before you more as an indication of what it hasbeen deemed desirable to have accomplished than as indicating anyexact course for you to pursue.
The Committee considers you will find a better and a safer guide inthe natural features of the country through which you will have topass. For all useful and practical purposes it will be better foryou and the object of future settlement that you should follow thewatercourses and the country yielding herbage, than pursue anyroute which the Committee might be able to sketch out from animperfect map of Australia.
The Committee intrusts you with the largest discretion as regardsthe forming of depots, and your movements generally, but requestthat you will mark your routes as permanently as possible, byleaving records, sowing seeds, building cairns, and marking treesat as many points as possible, consistently with your various otherduties.
With reference to financial subjects, you will be furnished with aletter of authority to give orders on the Treasurer for the paymentof any stores or their transport, cattle, sheep, or horses you mayrequire; and you will not fail to furnish the Treasurer from timeto time with detailed accounts of the articles for which you havegiven such orders in payment.
Each person of the party will be allowed to give authority for halfof his salary being paid into any bank, or to any person he mayappoint to receive the same; provided a certificate is forwardedfrom you to the effect that he has efficiently discharged his duty.
The Committee requests that you will make arrangements for an exactaccount being taken of the stores and their expenditure by theperson you place in charge of them.
The Committee also requests that you would address all yourcommunications on subjects connected with the exploration to theHonorary Secretary; and that all persons acting with you shouldforward their communications on the same subject through you.
You will cause full reports to be furnished by your officers on anysubject of interest, and forward them to Melbourne as often as maybe practicable without retarding the progress of the expedition.
The Committee has caused the inclosed set of instructions to bedrawn up, having relation to each department of science; and youare requested to hand each of the gentlemen a copy of the part moreparticularly relating to his department.
I have the honour to be, Sir,
Your most obedient servant,
(Signed) JOHN MACADAM, M.D.,
Honorary Secretary, E.C., R.S.V.
Robert O'Hara Burke, Esquire.
Leader, Victorian Exploring Expedition.
VICTORIA: By the Grace of God, of the United Kingdom ofGreat Britain and Ireland Queen, Defender of the Faith.
To our trusty and well-beloved The Honourable SIR THOMAS SIMSONPRATT, K.C.B., The Honourable SIR FRANCIS MURPHY, Speaker of ourLegislative Assembly, The Honourable MATTHEW HERVEY, M.P., TheHonourable JAMES FORESTER SULLIVAN, M.P., and EVELYN PITFIELDSHIRLEY STURT, Esquire, all of Melbourne, in the Colony ofVictoria, GREETING.
WHEREAS the Governor of our Colony of Victoria, with the advice ofthe Executive Council thereof, has deemed it expedient that aCommission should forthwith issue for the purpose of inquiring intoall the circumstances connected with the sufferings and death ofROBERT O'HARA BURKE and WILLIAM JOHN WILLS, the VictorianExplorers: and WHEREAS it is desirable to ascertain the true causesof this lamentable result of the Expedition to the said ROBERTO'HARA BURKE and his companions; and especially to investigate thecircumstances under which the depot at Cooper's Creek was abandonedby WILLIAM BRAHE and his party on the twenty-first day of Aprillast; and to determine upon whom rests the grave responsibility ofthere not having been a sufficient supply of provisions andclothing secured for the recruiting of the Explorers on theirreturn, and for their support until they could reach thesettlements; and generally to inquire into the organization andconduct of the Expedition: also, with regard to the claims upon theColony of the surviving members thereof, and of the relatives (ifany) of the deceased members: NOW KNOW YE that we, reposing greattrust and confidence in your integrity, knowledge, and ability,have authorized and appointed, and by these presents do authorizeand appoint you, SIR THOMAS SIMSON PRATT, SIR FRANCIS MURPHY,MATTHEW HERVEY, JAMES FORESTER SULLIVAN, and EVELYN PITFIELDSHIRLEY STURT, to be Commissioners for the purpose aforesaid: andfor the better effecting the purpose of this Commission, we do giveand grant you power and authority to call before you such personsas you shall judge likely to afford you any information upon thesubject of this Commission: and to inquire of and concerning thepremises by all other lawful means and ways whatsoever: and thisCommission shall continue in full force and virtue; and you thesaid Commissioners may, from time to time, and at every place orplaces, proceed in the execution thereof, and of every matter orthing therein contained, although the inquiry be not regularlycontinued from time to time by adjournment: and lastly, that you doreport, as occasion may require, for the information of ourGovernor of our said Colony, under your hands and seals, allmatters and things elicited by you during the inquiry under thisCommission.
SEAL OF THE COLONY OF VICTORIA.
WITNESS our trusty and well-beloved SIR HENRY BARKLY, KnightCommander of the Most Noble Order of the Bath, Captain-General, andGovernor-in-Chief of our Colony of Victoria, and Vice-Admiral ofthe same, at Melbourne, this twelfth day of November, One thousandeight hundred and sixty-one, and in the twenty-fifth year of ourReign.
HENRY BARKLY.
By His Excellency's command,
(Signed) R. HEALES.
TO HIS EXCELLENCY SIR HENRY BARKLY, KNIGHT COMMANDER OF THE MOSTHONOURABLE ORDER OF THE BATH, CAPTAIN-GENERAL AND GOVERNOR-IN-CHIEFOF THE COLONY OF VICTORIA, AND VICE-ADMIRAL OF THE SAME, ETC., ETC.
MAY IT PLEASE YOUR EXCELLENCY:--
In conformity with the terms of Her Majesty's commission, wehave made inquiry into the circumstances connected with thesufferings and death of Robert O'Hara Burke and William John Wills,the Victorian explorers.
We have endeavoured to ascertain the true causes of this lamentableresult of the expedition, and have investigated the circumstancesunder which the depot at Cooper's Creek was abandoned by Mr.William Brahe. We have sought to determine upon whom rests thegrave responsibility of there not having been a sufficient supplyof provisions and clothing secured for the recruiting of theexplorers on their return, and for their support until they couldreach the settlements; and we have generally inquired into theorganization and conduct of the expedition.
Our investigations have been confined to the above matters, theGovernment having already taken into consideration the claims onthe colony of the surviving members of the expedition, etc.
We have examined all persons willing to give evidence whoprofessed, or whom we supposed to possess, knowledge upon thevarious subjects of our inquiries: and we now, after matureconsideration, submit to your Excellency the following Report:--
The expedition, having been provided and equipped in the mostample and liberal manner, and having reached Menindie, on theDarling, without experiencing any difficulties, was mostinjudiciously divided at that point by Mr. Burke.
It was an error of judgment on the part of Mr. Burke to appoint Mr.Wright to an important command in the expedition, without aprevious personal knowledge of him; although, doubtless, a pressingurgency had arisen for the appointment, from the suddenresignations of Mr. Landells and Dr. Beckler.
Mr. Burke evinced a far greater amount of zeal than prudence infinally departing from Cooper's Creek before the depot party hadarrived from Menindie, and without having secured communicationwith the settled districts as he had been instructed to do; and, inundertaking so extended a journey with an insufficient supply ofprovisions, Mr. Burke was forced into the necessity of over-taxingthe powers of his party, whose continuous and unremitting exertionsresulted in the destruction of his animals, and the prostration ofhimself and his companions from fatigue and severe privation.
The conduct of Mr. Wright appears to have been reprehensible in thehighest degree. It is clear that Mr. Burke, on parting with him atTorowoto, relied on receiving his immediate and zealous support;and it seems extremely improbable that Mr. Wright could havemisconstrued the intentions of his leader so far, as to supposethat he ever calculated for a moment on his remaining for anylength of time on the Darling. Mr. Wright has failed to give anysatisfactory explanation of the causes of his delay; and to thatdelay are mainly attributable the whole of the disasters of theexpedition, with the exception of the death of Gray. The graveresponsibility of not having left a larger supply of provisions,together with some clothing, in the cache, at Cooper's Creek, restswith Mr. Wright. Even had he been unable to convey stores toCooper's Creek, he might have left them elsewhere, leaving noticeat the depot of his having done so.
The Exploration Committee, in overlooking the importance of thecontents of Mr. Burke's despatch from Torowoto, and in not urgingMr. Wright's departure from the Darling, committed errors of aserious nature. A means of knowledge of the delay of the party atMenindie was in the possession of the Committee, not indeed bydirect communication to that effect, but through the receipt ofletters from Drs. Becker and Beckler at various dates up to the endof November,--without, however, awakening the Committee to a senseof the vital importance of Mr. Burke's request in that despatchthat he should "be soon followed up,"--or to a consideration of thedisastrous consequences which would be likely to result, and didunfortunately result, from the fatal inactivity and idling of Mr.Wright and his party on the Darling.
The conduct of Mr. Brahe in retiring from his position at the depotbefore he was rejoined by his commander, or relieved from theDarling, may be deserving of considerable censure; but we are ofopinion that a responsibility far beyond his expectations devolvedupon him; and it must be borne in mind that, with the assurance ofhis leader, and his own conviction, he might each day expect to berelieved by Mr. Wright, he still held his post for four months andfive days, and that only when pressed by the appeals of a comradesickening even to death, as was subsequently proved, his powers ofendurance gave way, and he retired from the position which couldalone afford succour to the weary explorers should they return bythat route. His decision was most unfortunate; but we believe heacted from a conscientious desire to discharge his duty, and we areconfident that the painful reflection that twenty-four hours'further perseverance, would have made him the rescuer of theexplorers, and gained for himself the praise and approbation ofall, must be of itself an agonizing thought, without the additionof censure he might feel himself undeserving of.
It does not appear that Mr. Burke kept any regular journal, or thathe gave written instructions to his officers. Had he performedthese essential portions of the duties of a leader, many of thecalamities of the expedition might have been averted, and little orno room would have been left for doubt in judging the conduct ofthose subordinates who pleaded unsatisfactory and contradictoryverbal orders and statements.
We cannot too deeply deplore the lamentable result of anexpedition, undertaken at so great a cost to the colony; but, whilewe regret the absence of a systematic plan of operations on thepart of the leader, we desire to express our admiration of hisgallantry and daring, as well as of the fidelity of his bravecoadjutor, Mr. Wills, and their more fortunate and enduringassociate, Mr. King; and we would record our feelings of deepsympathy with the deplorable sufferings and untimely deaths of Mr.Burke and his fallen comrades.
T.S. PRATT, CHAIRMAN,
MATTHEW HERVEY,
E.P.S. STURT,
FRANCIS MURPHY,
J.F. SULLIVAN.
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