Chapter 44

Nationality of the first finders of Australia--Knowledge of the Malays--The bamboo introduced--Traces of smallpox amongst the natives in the north-west--Tribal rites--Antipathy to pork--Evidence of admixture in origin--Influence of Asiatic civilisation partly visible--Coast appearance repelling--Want of indigenous food plants--Lack of intercourse with other nations--Little now left of unexplored country--Conclusions respecting various geological formations--Extent of continental divisions--Development of coastal towns--Inducements for population--Necessity of the first explorings--Pioneer squatters' efforts--First Australian-born explorer--Desert theory exploded--Fertile downs everywhere--Want of water apparently insurmountable--Heroism of explorers--Inexperience of the early settlers--Grazing possible--Rapid stocking of country--The barrenness of the "Great Bight"--Sturt, the PENN of Australia--Results--Mitchell's work--Baron von Mueller's researches--A salt lake--Stuart first man across the continent--Burke and Wills' heroism--Services of McKinlay and Landsborough--John Forrest's journeys--Camel expedition by Giles--The BRISBANE COURIER expedition--Further explorations--Stockdale at Cambridge Gulf--Carr-Boyd and O'Donnell open good country in Western Australia--Work done by explorers--Their characteristics--Conclusion.

By common consent the nationality of the first navigators who landed on our shores is awarded to the Spanish. Following them came the Dutch, and, finally, the French and English. And, although the record of the Spanish visit to our northern coast is but vague, the fact of their being the first to acquaint the Western nations with the undoubted existence of a far southern land is generally allowed. Amongst the people inhabiting the many islands of the Malay Archipelago and portions of the mainland of Asia, there can be little doubt that our continent was known, and intercourse of an occasional kind carried on with its natives. That no permanent settlement was ever formed, or probably attempted, we may ascribe to the unpromising nature of the soil, compared to the fertile islands left by the visitors, and the fact that the products of which they came in search were mostly found in the sea itself, the shore only being at times visited for obtaining fresh water or seeking shelter.

During these visits no inducements would be forthcoming for undertaking an excursion inland. The monotonous character of the country would not excite curiosity, and the absence of all temptation in the way of articles of barter and traffic likely to be found, would confine their investigations chiefly to the sea shore. A temporary camp for drying the sea-slugs of commerce, a refuge for their crafts when the sudden storms of the tropics broke loose, met all their requirements. It is to the Malay ancestors of the men whose proas are still to be found fishing among the outlying reefs of the north, that we must look for the first discoverers of our island continent, and failing all written record or existing monument of their doings, search amongst the natives themselves for confirmation of the fact.

The presence of the bamboo in Arnheim's Land only, and its indigenous nature, is strong evidence of its Malay origin. It is found in abundance over this large promontory, and on the banks of the different rivers and creeks. Its extensive spread and thick growth point to many centuries of introduction, and that the Australians first obtained it from their northern visitors is almost certain. In abandoned camps pieces of bamboo would be left sticking in the ground, and formed, as most of their camps are, on the sandy banks of a creek, their growth would be under favourable circumstances, and their spread down the watercourses rapid.

Amongst all the tribes whose hunting grounds are between Cape Arnheim, and Cambridge Gulf, the traces of small-pox can be seen unmistakeably on many of the old men. Some are blind, and deeply pitted, others but lightly marked. Apparently the disease has worn itself out, for only the oldest members of the tribes have suffered. None seem to have it now, nor are the marks of the disease to be seen on the middle-aged men. The ravages of this scourge must have been confined to the coast tribes, as no evidence of its having been amongst the natives of the interior is to be found. The belt of dry country separating the aborigines of the plain from those of the sea may have saved the former, as this belt is often left uncrossed for years. This disease must have been brought from the north, and the date of its introduction would probably lie many centuries back.

Many of their customs and tribal rites bear a close resemblance to some that may be found in the New Testament, and are foreign to the usual habits of the Australian blackfellow. Add to this an innate antipathy to the flesh of swine when tasted for the first time, and it seems evident that some of the laws and traditions of more civilised nations have drifted down and been partly appropriated by the Australians.

In many of the sea-coast blacks of the north, sleepy eyes and straight-cut noses are often prominent, and render some of them especially remarkable; these features giving their faces an entirely different aspect to the common blackfellow type adjoining them inland. That, in the event of the wreck of a proa on the coast, some intermixture of the races would take place, and the survivors, perhaps, pass the remainder of their lives amongst the blacks, is quite possible, seeing that to many of our countrymen it has happened.

The close acquaintanceship shown by the Malay bêche-de-mer fishers with the nooks and inlets that are so thickly strewn along the coast, west of Cape Wessell, appears to be the result of much old-world seafaring lore, handed down from father to son. Whether the Chinese ever ventured so far south as Australia cannot be affirmed with certainty. Accident may have led them to our shores, but it is scarcely probable that the love of adventure would have tempted them so far.

Taking, then, the exceptional customs common to the natives of that portion 'of Australia still visited by the Malays, and seeing that these customs would only be the outcome of some centuries of intercourse, it is reasonable to suppose that from these outposts of Asiatic civilisation came the first adventurous traders to the lone land of the south. The distinct type of the Australian, while showing in exceptional cases the signs of foreign blood, precludes the idea that the continent was peopled from the north; but, at the same time, it is evident that some rudimentary forms of a higher development drifted down in after ages from that source.

The effect that the repellant nature of the Australian coast has had upon the southern progress of semi-civilisation is remarkably distinct. Each successive wave of improvement from the Asiatic continent seems to grow weaker and weaker as it travels south, until it breaks hopelessly on Australia. Nor is it hard to find the reason. The savage, coming from islands where a rude cultivation of indigenous fruits, valuable in their nature, had induced primitive land laws, and consequently settled habitations and a defined code of laws concerning tribal rights and boundaries, found himself amongst a nomadic race, trusting to hunting and fishing solely for the means of existence. The soil, formed of the denudation of the sandstone rocks, scantily fertilised here and there by the decaying jungle, presented no field for rude agriculture, even had the dry seasons permitted; and gave forth no native fruits, save tasteless berries and half-poisonous roots. No knowledge of minerals would tempt him into the semi-scorched ranges inland; he would simply see that life after the old fashion of village existence was no longer for him, and would become a hunter and fisher like his fellows.

It would have been of inestimable benefit to the Australians, had tribes from the northern countries, only slightly higher than themselves in the scale, established a permanent footing on the mainland, and gradually worked their way throughout the land, carrying their superior knowledge with them, and having in the extended area before them a wide field for future development. Intermixing socially with the aborigines, they would have in a few generations made an indelible mark upon their mental capacity, which, after all, is only dormant; and the march of improvement once set in motion, centuries of confirmed intercourse with races of greater culture, and the consequent spread of new ideas would have peopled our continent with a different race to the improvident native of the present.

But the force of nature was against it; the new land of the south held forth no inducements even for the pirate or marauder. In the hand to mouth struggle for existence, not even a supply of food would be found in a ransacked camp; no land seen tempting settlement by its luxuriant vegetation and produce. The visitors of the straits scorned the inhospitable coast, and returned north. Only those whom ill-fate had deprived of the means of return stayed perforce, and lost their identity amongst the aborigines.

The white man, when he came, looked upon the country as he would upon an uninhabited land; the native was too far beneath him to profit by his coming, no inter-mixture of races could take place, the difference was too widely marked; and the aborigines of Australia were from the first numbered amongst the doomed tribes of the earth. An earlier introduction of the spirit of progress, however meagre in form, might have saved them. Had our northern coasts but possessed some lure for Asiatic nations, the story would have travelled and brought their overflowing population down to settle the continent long before the advent of our countrymen.

It is an accepted fact that on the continent of Australia proper there is very little unexplored territory left, and that we pretty well know what resources, in the way of land, we have still to fall back upon. This acceptance of our knowledge of the unsettled regions of our country is both right and wrong. Right, inasmuch that in a general sense, arguing from our knowledge of climatic influences in different latitudes, we can infer the particular nature of a particular district, although untrodden as yet by any one capable of giving us information. Wrong, in that the geographical formations of Australia are so persistently antagonistic that no true nor reliable deduction can always be arrived at. When I say persistently antagonistic, I mean that the two formations common to the interior, namely, sandstone and limestone, produce either a desert or a rich prairie. As a rule, in the vast interior, still unvisited and unsettled, the conditions are that the soil either grows grasses and herbs of the most nutritive character, or such as are totally unfitted to support graminivorous animal life. And these two conditions we may call antagonistic, as far as our efforts at practical settlement are concerned. When the outcrop is limestone, we may reckon on good pastoral country, and a fair water supply. When the outcrop is the pure red sandstone, we can hope for little else but the desert spinifex.

The distinction between these two formations is so strongly marked that it almost seems that a hard and fast line had, in places, been drawn between the productive and unproductive portions of Australia. That these strange and sudden alterations occur right through the continent, we have the evidence in the diaries of Giles and Forrest; and although we cannot doubt that a great portion of unexplored Australia consists of country that will never support population, we have as yet no valid reason for condemning the whole.

The continent of Australia contains, roughly speaking, three millions of square miles less about thirty-five thousand square miles. It may be summarised as follows: that New South Wales contains no unexplored country; Victoria, none; Queensland, a small portion of Cape York Peninsula; South Australia, a considerable area; and Western Australia, a very great deal. All the important explorations of late years have been in the last two mentioned colonies, for the very reason that in these colonies only the unknown exists. South Australia has at least 300,000 square miles of unexplored and partly explored country, and Western Australia can claim more than half a million of miles just touched here and there by the tracks of Eyre, Gregory, Giles, Forrest, and Warburton.

In speculating upon the future capabilities of this great expanse, we must fairly weigh the testimony of these men, and, by comparison, see what chance we have in the future of finding fresh pasture lands for the next generation. On the whole the testimony is unfavourable, but, on close inspection, there are strange coincidences in their diaries which would lead one to think that, perhaps, after all the "hopeless desert" that witnessed both their struggles and successes may yet hold secrets worth knowing and worth seeking for. In our time we have seen how the desert theory has been exploded in New South Wales--forced, as it were, outside our boundaries by the mere expansion of settlement. It is but a question of time for the mysteries of the yet unknown interior to share the same fate, and in the solution of the unknown great possibilities exist.

The development of the towns along the northern sea-board must necessarily be rapid. From the sheep-growing downs of the inland plateau, to the sugar and coffee-growing flats of the coast, the exports will be ever on the increase, and the wants of a growing people will necessitate ports in places that are now uninhabited. That the north will become one of the richest portions of our continent there is no doubt; its immense mineral wealth stands but partially revealed, while its adaptability for settlement is practically unbounded. The progress and utilisation of the waste lands of the north will be an interesting experiment to watch. Nature has, to a great extent, indicated the laws of settlement that will dominate the territory. To the capitalist she has given the rich wool-growing slopes of the inland country, where the expenditure of money is necessary, in order that the full value may be reaped from the land leased; money expended in water-storage, that repays the owner in a hundred ways. To the man of humbler means the well-watered coast districts offer facilities for small cattle stations and selections, and on the banks of some of the rivers the planter will soon be making a home, whilst for the miners are the broken ranges and gullies of the Dividing Range.

A settled Australia--that is, comparatively settled-this century may not witness, but that it will be a fact of the future, few, who have lived in the colonies during the last two decades, can doubt.

We may look forward to the crowning work of the future, when we shall no longer be altogether dependent upon the caprices of climate; nor sit idly by whilst our heritage of rainfall rushes past us into the ocean.

From the arrival of Governor Phillip with the first fleet, 1789, to the year 1813, when Wentworth, Lawson, and Blaxland succeeded in crossing the main range--the Blue Mountains--all attempts at exploration into the interior had been limited, the main range proving an impenetrable barrier. For the wants of the colony, the country up to that time found had proved sufficient. In the neighbourhood of Sydney, the Nepean, Grose, and Hawkesbury; to the north, the River Hunter; and to the south, the district known now as the Illawarra. But combined with the severe drought of 18 13, and the increase of stock, it was necessary to seek pastures new.

Their hopes of finding a navigable river flowing west into the sea were never realised, although for years it was each explorer's dream. On following a stream, they invariably found it run out into a shallow swamp, and then thought the continent possessed an inland sea or lake. Oxley pronounced this portion desert, and to them it then was; no thought could enter their minds of how after years of stocking, the entire country would change; how time and labour alone could make that vast waste profitable.

Directly the pass of the Blue Mountains had been won, and a public road made across the range, settlers with their stock steadily flowed west; the township of Bathurst sprang up, and settlement was made south towards the Shoalhaven River. The first large expedition into the interior was undertaken by Oxley, and he again comes to the conclusion that "the interior westward of a certain meridian is uninhabitable, deprived, as it is, of wood, water, and grass . . . that the interior of this vast country is a marsh, and uninhabitable." Only the edge of the interior crossed, it was early to come to this conclusion. But we must remember that the party were weary and disgusted with their want of success-the barren country, with no variety of trees, or soil; everything always the same. Eventually they reached good, well-watered country, and turning back from the Macquarie, delighted with the river, believed that the high road to the interior had been found.

This trip successful, he again left to follow the Macquarie, and although the inland sea remained undiscovered, large tracts of fertile country were opened for settlement; moreover, he had crossed the coast range to the north, and discovered that Port Macquarie (which, on following down the River Hastings, he had found and named) proved a practicable route to the interior.

About this time the pioneer squatter took share with the explorer, and settlement quickly advanced. Lawson and Scott were disappointed in their attempt to reach Oxley's discovery of Liverpool Plains; unable to penetrate the southern boundary of the plains, they discovered the Goulburn River. The year 1823 found Oxley, Cunningham, and Currie, all out in different directions; Currie to the south of Lake George, Cunningham engaged north of Bathurst, first in his capacity of botanist, and the discovery of a pass through the northern range on Liverpool Plains, which Lawson and Scott had sought in vain. He found and named the Pandora Pass, it proving practicable as a stock route.

Oxley then left Sydney in the MERMAID, to examine the inlets of Port Curtis, Moreton Bay, and Port Bowen, with a view to forming a penal settlement there. It was on this trip, while at Moreton Bay, that they rescued from the blacks the two men Pamphlet and Finnigan, who had been wrecked at Moreton Island seven months before. Oxley named the Brisbane River. This was his last work, and he died near Sydney in 1828. His career as an explorer was very successful. He had done much to aid the new colony, but was ever disappointed in his hopes of reaching the inland sea or lake, and of proving, except to his own satisfaction, whether any large rivers entered the sea between Cape Otway and Spencer's Gulf. Then Sir Thomas Brisbane thought of landing a party of prisoners near Wilson's Promontory, and by offer of a free pardon and a land grant, to find their way back to Sydney.

Mr. Hume, the first Australian-born explorer, and Mr. Hovell, took a party from Lake George, at that time the most outside station, to Western Port, and they were the first to see the Australian Alps. This trip helped to prove the hasty condemnation of Oxley's "desert" theory, and besides giving to the colony millions of acres of well-watered fertile country, and adding another large and important river--the Murray--it also held out far higher hopes for the future of the interior. During this time a settlement was formed at Moreton Bay, and subsequently removed to a better site on the Brisbane River. Cunningham, in 1827, left on a trip destined materially to effect the immediate progress of this new colony. Crossing Oxley's track, and entering the unexplored region, after naming the Gwydir and Dumaresque Rivers, he finally emerged on the Darling Downs. He was in raptures at the inexhaustible range of cattle pasture, the permanent water, and the grass and herbage generally. Then a passage across the range to Moreton Bay was found by way of Cunningham's Gap, but it was not used until the next year, when, accompanied by Mr. Frazer, colonial botanist, they proceeded by sea to Moreton Bay, and connected the settlement with the Darling Downs. How easy was the main range crossed here, and the fertile downs laid open, compared to the years of labour spent on the pass of the Blue Mountains. In the year following Cunningham made his last expedition, closing ten years of unceasing work in the cause of exploration.

Sturt followed Oxley's tracks. He exposed some of Oxley's mistakes, but only to make others as great; for the land was smitten with drought, and the rivers that Oxley had followed were now mere creeks, and in passing judgment no allowance was made for the seasons, and the country was valued according to the standard of other countries. His descriptions of the interior are wonderful pictures of the desolate, waterless, abandoned desert, "I scorched beneath a lurid sun of burning fire." His mission was to ascertain what lay beyond the shallow bed of reeds to the westward, in which Oxley lost the Macquarie; but as suddenly and as mysteriously the river ran out, and they were as completely baffled as Oxley had been. Dry on all sides, nothing was found but stony ridges or open forest, the country was monotonously level, and no sign of a river. Creek after creek they followed, only to lose it in a marsh. Suddenly they found themselves on the banks of a noble river, and from its size and saltness, Sturt conjectured he was near its confluence with an inland sea; but to be convinced in a few more days that the saltness was of local origin, fed by saline springs. This river Sturt called the Darling. The homeward march began, and the same harassing hunt for water; no break in the country, or change in the vegetation; all brown, blank, and desolate; not even inhabited by a bird-the drought had so long continued. Sturt had found the Darling, and he it was who eventually traced its course and outlet. Starting for that purpose the next year, they sailed down the Murray, proving its confluence with the Darling, and on down the united streams of the Murray and Darling with boundless flats on each side. The river widened day by day; the flight of sea-gulls, and the chopping sea caused by the wind, surely showed they were near the ocean. Still, Sturt had reached his goal--the Murray ended in a lake. They had hoped that succour would have waited them, had the ocean been reached. Now they must re-enter the Murray while the weary party had still strength to face each day's never-ending toil, and return to the camp on the Murrumbidgee. The great satisfaction of having successfully followed the course of the Murray was damped by the apparently valueless nature of the country passed through. And this trip, while adding greatly to Australian geography, gave a proof of the most patient endurance and courage--even to heroism--not excelled in the many records of bravery and dangers undergone by other explorers.

We have now looked through the reports of the country given by many men, and become familiar with their opinions of the future of the interior; they are almost unanimous in pronouncing it barren and uninhabitable. We must remember it was not their want of ability, but their inexperience of the value of the native grasses and herbs. In comparison with other countries, they appeared worthless. They did not realize that stocking would force the waters into natural channels, and that the stock would bring fresh grasses in their train, getting accustomed to and, after a while, fattening on the despised bushes and herbs. To them it was the embodiment of a desert--irreclaimable.

During the time these explorations were in progress, a settlement had been formed in Western Australia, and some attempt at exploration made, but for a few years not to any great distance. No difficulties here presented themselves to a passage through the coast range, and the country discovered seemed fitted both for pasture and agriculture.

For many years little was done in the way of fresh expeditions, until the year 1831. Major Mitchell in charge of a party traced the rivers, discovered by Oxley and Cunningham; his explorations were also surveys and the river system of the continent was partially worked out, but the hope of a river running through the interior to the north-west coast bad to be finally abandoned. His report of the country was also more favourable, and his after expeditions, merely connecting surveys, confirming and verifying previous discoveries, rather than an exploration into the unknown. His reports were glowing of the country passed through generally; from snow-topped mountains to level plains, watered with permanent streams and rivers, fitted for immediate occupation of the grazier or farmer.

Now it may be said the difficulties were overcome of entering the interior, for it was assailed from three points; Perth on the west, Port Phillip and St. Vincent's Gulf on the south, and from the settled parts of New South Wales and Moreton Bay on the east. Henceforth the settler so promptly followed the explorer, that the country became settled and stocked almost as quickly as known, and, foot by foot, the desert driven back.

Grey and Lushington wishing to verify the existence or not of a large river supposed to empty itself into the sea, at Dampier's Archipelago, endured great hardships. They were without experience of the colonies, or of the capabilities of the country; but as far as they could judge, pronounced the country well grassed and timbered. Their second trip resulted in the discovery of the Gascoigne, but little else; no great results to compensate for their terrible suffering and privation.

Small explorations were rapidly carried on to provide for the number of stock imported and the best stock routes; and now it was time to turn north, to look for the inland sea and the chain of mountains--Australia's backbone--that was supposed to exist. E. J. Eyre's discovery of Lake Torrens turned the colonists' attention north as a practicable stock route to Western Australia. From the sterile nature of the coast of the bight, and the absence of any rivers emptying into the sea, it was useless to seek in that direction. His march round the Great Bight was a journey of terrible suffering; it certainly proved that no water flowed into the south coast, and gave us our knowledge of the barren country shut in by the impenetrable, monotonous cliff line that closed its secrets against our mariners, but it gave no knowledge of the interior. After some of his men had deserted, and the one that remained murdered, Eyre, alone, on foot, with his stubborn courage, wearied out and starving, followed the coast line for numberless miles. Any errors of judgment leading to the tragic end of his expedition must needs be overlooked in the face of the great dangers and the perseverance that carried him through.

Sturt has been called the father of Australian exploration, and may well be held as one of our greatest scientific explorers--his object always to solve the mystery of the great interior; its strange peculiarity and physical formation. He returned disappointed, baffled. But was he in reality beaten? He was exceptionally unlucky in his seasons, and the report of the land he brought back caused settlement to progress slowly; only after years, when men had grown accustomed to the terrors of the desert, and knew that experience robbed them of their effect, Sturt found, but unwittingly, the outflow of the second river system. He longed to be the first to reach the centre of Australia, and hoped that once past the southern zone of the tropics he would reach a country blessed with a heavy and constant rainfall. Always he looked back with pleasure upon his travels, and said: "My path amongst savage tribes has been a bloodless one."

Next among our explorers comes Dr. Ludwig Leichhardt, and his trip from Fort Burke, on the Darling, to the Gulf of Carpentaria, which opened up so much well-watered country and attracted universal attention; but, unlike Sturt, he had exceptional good fortune, travelling always through country easy to penetrate and well watered--not one night had the party to camp without water.

During this expedition, Sir Thomas Mitchell started with one having almost the same end in view as Dr. Leichhardt's. He did not reach the Gulf, but threw open our wonderful western prairies, and found the upper tributaries of the second great river system. This was his last expedition, and it fully confirmed his reputation. More fortunate than Sturt, he had been favoured in having plentiful and bountiful seasons of water and vegetation; but both men had done wonders in the cause of exploration. Mitchell's discovery of the Victoria, along the banks of which river he felt the high road to the north coast was found, was continued by Kennedy, who had been second in command during the first expedition of Sir Thomas Mitchell.

With a lightly equipped party Kennedy started to follow the course of the Victoria. Finally the river led them into the desert described by Sturt: "Plains gaping with fissures, grassless and waterless," and he turned back satisfied that the Victoria had not its outflow in the Gulf of Carpentaria, as hoped for by Sir Thomas Mitchell, but lost itself in Cooper's Creek. The loss of flour, through the natives, prevented Kennedy from extending his explorations towards the Gulf.

Kennedy's second trip, to examine Cape York Peninsula, ended most disastrously. Out of his party of thirteen only two men and a black boy were rescued. Through marshes and scrubs--seemingly the one monotonous entry in their journal being, "Cutting scrub all day"--they endeavoured to push their way to Port Albany, the extreme north of the Peninsula, where a ship would meet them. Saltwater creeks and marshy ground, with the ranges inhabited by hostile natives, was their prospect, while their horses were rapidly failing on the sour coast grasses. From first to last this was a most unfortunate expedition-the awful and impassable nature of the country travelled through, the hostile blacks and loss of the horses, and then, when sickness came upon the little band, it was doomed.

In the south, Baron von Mueller was busy exploring some of the unknown portion of South Australia and the Australian Alps-botanical and geographical researches combined. The heights of several of the highest mountains in Australia were fixed, and geographical positions accurately placed.

Leichhardt, encouraged by his successes, makes his final venture, but what befel his party--shall we ever know? It is so late now that we can entertain little hope of ever elucidating his fate.

In 1846, the Gregory brothers are in the west, led by A. C. Gregory, who so distinguished himself afterwards as a scientific explorer, and in 1855 he was in command of the North Australian Expedition; with him his brother and the celebrated botanist Baron Von Mueller. Captain Stokes reported the Victoria as an important stream, and the probable means of gaining access to the interior, upon which Gregory traced its course. He professed great disappointment at the reality of Captain Stokes' "Plains of Promise," compared to what he had been led to expect. The successful conclusion of this expedition, which had covered nearly five thousand miles, proves Gregory an explorer of undoubted qualifications, and it is to he regretted that so scanty a record of his travels has been published.

Lake Torrens still occupied the attention of the South Australian colonists, its probable extent and direction, and several expeditions were undertaken to solve the question. To the south-east fresh water and well grassed pastoral country, but Lake Torrens still remained as on its first discovery by Eyre--a dry bed covered with a thick incrustation of salt, and far away surrounded on all sides by barren country. Goyder found fresh water in the lake, but its unavailability was confirmed.

M'Dowall Stuart has been recognised as the man who first crossed from sea to sea, from the south to the north coast, and now on Stuart's track is built the overland telegraph line, a lasting witness of his indomitable perseverance. In his subsequent expeditions following his old tracks, he was destined to meet success, and come to the sea near the mouth of the Adelaide River. Stuart dipped his hands and feet in the sea, and his initials were cut on the largest tree they could find. This was his last trip, and he never recovered from the great suffering of his return journey.

The expedition under Burke and Wills left amid great celebration; in fact, it was a gala day in Melbourne, and their journey through the settled districts one triumphant march. Their purpose was to cross to Carpentaria. Fate seemed so propitious that one would think in irony she laughed, as she thought of their return.

They accomplished their task; they reached the Gulf; but did not know their exact position; and when they turned back it became a terrible struggle for existence. In spite of the princely outfit with which they started, short rations and great hardships was their lot, and the men tried to live like the blacks, on fish and nardoo, and an occasional crow or hawk which they shot. Wills met his death alone, while Burke and King were searching for food, and to him, suffering from such extreme exhaustion, death must have come as the "comforter." He met it as a gallant man would, without fear. From his last entries he had given up hope and waited calmly. Burke died the second day; when King looked at him in the dawning light, he saw that he was really, alone. Meantime, the rest of the party were left on Cooper's Creek, and were slowly starving to death. Parties from all sides were now being equipped to go in search of them.

M'Kinlay's trip across the continent did great service. It verified Stuart's report that the country always considered as a terrible desert was not unfit for all pastoral occupation, and, being an experienced man, his report carried conviction.

One of the search parties for Burke and Wills was under William Landsborough, having, through previous explorations, good knowledge of the country; and another, in charge of Frederick Walker, composed of native troopers. Now the eastern half of Australia was nearly all known; it had been crossed and re-crossed from south to north; still, the distinctive value of the country had yet to be learned, and the delusion that the sheeps' wool would turn to hair in the torrid north to be given up. All around the coast settlement was surely and steadily creeping, and unoccupied country going further back every day.

On the north coast, Burketown, under the care of William Landsbrough, was growing up, and in the north of Arnheim's Land, M'Kinlay was looking for a suitable site to establish a port for the South Australian Government. Somerset was formed on the mainland of Cape York Peninsula, and the formation of this led to the expedition of the Jardine brothers. The successful termination of their journey, when we look at the difficulties through which they passed, and the misfortunes they had to encounter, merits our greatest admiration; and although it did not result in the discovery of good pastoral country, still they accomplished their object.

The overland telegraph line, and the small explorations made on either side of it, led greatly to our knowledge of the interior.

John Forrest made his first important journey in 1869, but found no great results in good country to the eastward of Perth. Then a journey was made from Perth to Adelaide by way of the Great Bight--never traversed since Eyre's journey. Owing to a better equipment, he was able to give a more impartial report of the country passed through; for Eyre was struggling for life, and it was natural that nature to him would then look at her blackest.

Warburton and Giles now occupied attention, and their great hope, the country between the overland telegraph line and the western settlements.

Warburton's expedition led to the western half of the continent being condemned as a hopeless desert. He no doubt got into a strip of barren country, and being so occupied in pressing straight through, devoted no time to the examination of country on either side.

Giles was twice driven back in his attempts to reach Western Australia. Then, with an equipment of camels, made a third, and successful, attempt. No discoveries of any importance were made; the country was suffering from severe drought.

William Hann, one of the pioneer squatters of the North of Queensland, took charge of a party sent by the Queensland Government to investigate the tract of country at the base of Cape York Peninsula, both for its mineral and other resources. Naming the Palmer, and finding here prospects of gold, the further examination of the river resulted in the discovery of what turned out to be one of the richest goldfields in Queensland.

Again the Queensland Government sent out an expedition, under charge of W. 0. Hodgkinson, to determine the amount of pastoral country to the west of the Diamantina River.

Buchanan and F. Scarr next attacked the country between the overland telegraph line and the Queensland border, and in 1878, Mr Lukin, proprietor of the COURIER, in Brisbane, organised an expedition for the purpose of exploring the country in the neighbourhood of a proposed railway line, which had been inaugurated in Port Darwin, and to find the nature, value, and geographical features of the unexplored portions. Under the leadership of Ernest Favenc, the party started from Blackall. This expedition had the effect of opening up a great area of good pastoral country, nearly all of which is now stocked.

In 1883, Favenc traced the heads of the rivers running into the Gulf of Carpentaria, near the Queensland border, and in the year following, crossed from the Queensland border to the telegraph line, and across the coast range to the mouth of the Macarthur River. Soon after, the South Australian Government surveyed this river, and opened it as a port; a good road was formed from the interior to the coast, and the settlement of the country followed.

In Western Australia, Alexander Forrest led an expedition from the De Grey River to the telegraph line, which they reached after a great struggle. It was a most successful trip, and the district found contains some of the best country in Western Australia, both for pastoral and mineral purposes.

Stockdale, with a view to settlement, explored the country in the neighbourhood of Cambridge Gulf. Landing there by steamer, he began the journey, which ended in a tragedy. After a hard struggle, he reached the telegraph line.

McPhee's exploration east of Daly Waters may be said to conclude the expeditions between the Queensland border and the overland line.

To complete the exploration of Arnheim's Land, the South Australian Government fitted out an expedition under the guidance of Mr. David Lindsay, but the country passed over was not available for pastoral settlement, some of it being good sugar country. Messrs. Carr Boyd and O'Donnell, undertaking another trip from the Katherine River to Western Australia, were more fortunate in finding good country, but no geographical discovery resulted.

Thus our island continent has been opened to us by the indomitable courage and endurance of navigators and explorers. Can we look for instances of greater bravery in the exploration of any other portion of the globe? Our old navigators, with their meagre equipment, searched minutely every portion of the coast, until the termination of the survey of the BEAGLE, for the mouth of some river that would communicate with the interior, as our earlier explorers hoped to find a waterway in the wilderness through which they travelled.

The idea of the work they did, being verified as it now is, could never have been dreamt of. Think of Flinders, in the old INVESTIGATOR, as he. sailed from group to group of islands, and from point to point of reefs; when he got at last through Torres Straits, and stood down the Gulf, looking up the old land marks of the early Dutch visitors to our shores--Duyfhen Point, the Van Alphen River, GROOTE EYLANDT, and the rest--names still preserved, that bear witness to the brave old navigator who visited these shores before we did. Many an anxious day and night, doubtless, he had. Now, with steam at our command, the straits have become the safe highway of traffic to all the leading marts of the world.

It is well for us to bear in mind that, as a rule, experienced bushmen do find the best points of new country, and not the worst. The after result generally is that the discoveries of the first explorers are extended, but not improved on. Therefore, in comparing the different routes that traverse the western half of our continent, we can safely allow that each man found, and noted, the most promising features on his line of travel.

By close comparison of the work done by the men who have laid bare so many of the secrets of the interior, and by deductions to be drawn from the physical conformation and climatic peculiarities already revealed, we may, to some extent, conjecture the possibilities of the future. With every variety of climate between temperate and tropical, with enormous mineral treasures--the extent of which, even at the present time, can only be conjectured--boundless areas of virgin soils, and a coastline dotted with good harbours and navigable rivers, we have all the elements of a nation yet to take rank among the recognised powers of the world. But in the interim there is much to be done. The flat and monotonous nature of most of the continent, which is at present to a certain extent our bane, will, when the principles of water storage, and its distributation are fully understood, be of wonderful assistance. The physical formation of the interior lends itself to the creation of artificial channels, and the work of leading waterways through the great areas of unwatered country, that for months lie useless and unproductive, will be comparatively easy. We have always, or nearly always, our annual floods to depend upon, and the supply furnished by them should be amply sufficient for use. Flood water is surplus water, and its conservation should be the thing aimed at. Many a dry watercourse, that is now but a slight depression, could be utilised as a channel for conducting the flood waters to the back country. What would be impossible in an island of bold mountain ranges, becomes easy in the flats of our dry interior.

In the dry inland plains, a water supply that will relieve the frontage from overstocking during the droughty months, means the preservation of some of our most valuable indigenous fodder plants. The overcrowding of stock on the natural permanent waters during dry periods, has often been the cause of a depreciation in the natural grasses on some of our principal rivers. And whilst this has been going on, sun-cracked lagoons and lakes, surrounded by good, if dry, feed have been lying unnoticed and useless, waiting for the time to come when they would be turned to account.

Back from the main watercourses are countless natural reservoirs, that lie for years dry, and drought-smitten, save in an exceptional flood. They are never filled, and the fact of supplying them with water is practicably feasible.

In many districts of the inland slope, the rivers have sandy beds, incapable of retaining the water for more than a few months; whilst running parallel with them on either side, are chains of lagoons that often run dry through the floods not being excessive enough to overflow the banks. These lagoons are, as a rule, well calculated to hold water, and could be brought under the influence of ordinary floods, instead of being, as now, dependent upon extraordinary ones; thus atoning for the insufficient retaining power of the river bed.

The present great need of Australia is the conservation of water, and the irrigation works which have been already commenced on the banks of the Murray River, coupled with the recent discoveries of an apparently unlimited artesian supply on the and plains of Western Queensland, testify alike to the recognition of the want, and to the ease with which it may be met. One inevitable rule of settlement is that population follows water; present prospects therefore amply justify the hope that at no very distant date the one-time "central desert" of the first explorers will be the centre of attraction for the fast-growing population of the coast line; and that in the merging together of the peoples of the colonies, now separated by merely imaginary boundary lines, will be found the one great help to the fulfilment of the desire of every true Australiana Federated Australia--a grand result of the indomitable courage, heroic self-sacrifice, and dogged perseverance of the men of all nationalities, who have established a claim to the proud title of "Australian Explorer."

APPENDIX.

THE PANDORA PASS.

The following memorandum, written on parchment, was enclosed in a bottle, and buried under a marked tree in the Pandora Pass:

"MEMORANDUM.

"After a very laborious and harassing journey from Bathurst, since April last, a party, consisting of five persons, under the direction of Allan Cunningham, H.M. Botanist (making the sixth individual), having failed of finding a route to Liverpool Plains, whilst tracing the south base of the Barrier Mountains (before us north), so far as fifty miles to the eastward of this spot, at length upon prosecuting their research under this great mountain belt, in a westerly direction, reached this valley, and discovered a practicable and easy passage through a low part of the mountain belt, north by west from this tree, to the very extensive levels connected with the abovementioned plains, of which the southernmost of the chain is distant about eleven or twelve miles (by estimation), N.N.W. from this valley, and to which a line of trees has been carefully marked, thus opening an unlimited, unbounded, seemingly well-watered country, N.N.W., to call forth the exertions of the industrious agriculturist and grazier, for whose benefit the present labours of the party have been extended. This valley, which extends to the S.W. and W.S.W., has been named 'Hawkesbury Vale,' and the highest point of the range, bearing N.W. by W. from this tree, was called 'Mount Jenkinson,' the one a former title, and the other the family name of the noble earl whose present title the plains bear, and which, from the southern country, this gap affords the only passage likely to be discovered. The party in the earlier and middle stages of their expedition encountered many privations and local difficulties of travelling to, and in their return from the eastward; in spite, however, of these little evils, 'a HOPE at the bottom,' or, at this almost close of their journey, an encouragement induced them to persevere westerly a limited distance, and thus it was this passage was discovered. It has therefore been named 'Pandora's Pass.' Due east and west by compass from this tree, in a direct line (by odometrical admeasurement) were planted the fresh stones of peaches, brought from the colony in April last, with every good hope that their produce will one day or other afford some refreshment to the weary farmer, whilst on his route beyond the bourne of the desirable country north of Pandora's Pass. A like planting took place on the plains, twelve miles distance north at the last marked trees, with similar good wishes for their growth. A remarkably high mount above the pass east, being a guide to the traveller advancing south from the plains, has been named 'Direction Head.' The situation of this tree is as follows:--Latitude, observed on the 7th and 8th of June, 1832, 32 deg. 15 min. 19 sec. S; its longitude being presumed about 149 deg. 30 min. E. The party now proceed with the utmost despatch south for Bathurst.

"ALLAN CUNNINGHAM.

"June 9th, 1823.

"Buried for the information of the first farmer who may venture to advance so far to the northwards as this vale, of whom it is requested this document may not be destroyed, but carried to the settlement of Bathurst, after opening the bottle."

(See page 72.--Chapter II.)

* * * * *

DEATH OF SURVEYOR-GENERAL OXLEY.

ABSTRACT FROM THE "GOVERNMENT GAZETTE" OF MAY 27TH, 1828.

"It would be impossible for his Excellency, consistently with his feelings, to announce the decease of the late Surveyor-General without endeavouring to express the sense he entertains of Mr. Oxley's services, though he cannot do justice to them.

"From the nature of this colony, the office of Surveyor-General is amongst the most important under Government, and to perform its duties in a manner Mr. Oxley has done for a long series of years is as honourable to his zeal and abilities as it is painful for the Government to be deprived of them.

"Mr. Oxley entered the public service at an early period of his life and has filled the important situation of Surveyor-General for the last sixteen years.

"His exertions in the public service have been unwearied, as has been proved by his several expeditions to explore the interior. The public have reaped the benefit, while it is to be apprehended that the event, which they cannot fail to lament, has been accelerated by the privations and fatigue he endured during the performance of these arduous services. Mr. Oxley eminently assisted in unfolding the advantages of this highly-favoured colony from an early stage of its existence, and his name will ever be associated with the dawn of its advancement. It is always gratifying to the Government to record its approbation of the services of meritorious public officers, and in assigning to Mr. Oxley's name a distinguished place in that class to which his devotion to the interests of the colony has so justly entitled him, the Government would do honour to his memory in the same degree as it feels the loss it has sustained in his death."

(See page 74.--Chapter II.)

* * * * *

LIST OF THE MEN COMPRISING SIR THOMAS MITCHELL'S PARTY ON HIS EXPEDITION TO THE VICTORIA (BARCOO), 1846. * * * * *

Sir T. L. Mitchell, Kt., Surveyor-General--Chief of the Expedition. Edmund B. Kennedy, Esq., Assistant Surveyor--Second in Command. W. Stephenson, M.R.C.S.L--Surgeon and collector of objects of natural history. Peter M'Avoy, Charles Niblett, William Graham--Mounted videttes. Anthony Brown--Tent-keeper. William Baldock--In charge of the horses. John Waugh Drysdale--Store-keeeper. Allan Bond, Edward Taylor, William Bond, William Mortimer, George Allcot, John Slater, Richard Horton, Felix Maguire--Bullock-drivers. James Stephens, Job Stanley--Carpenters. Edward Wilson--Blacksmith. George Fowkes--Shoemaker. John Douglas--Barometer-carrier. Isaac Reid--Sailor and chainman. Andrew Higgs--Chainman. William Hunter, Thomas Smith--With the horses. Patrick Travers--Carter and pioneer, Douglas Arnott--Shepherd and butcher. Arthur Bristol--Sailmaker and Sailor.

Eight drays, drawn by eighty bullocks, two boats, thirteen horses, four private horses, and three light carts, comprised the means of conveyance, and the party was provided with provisions for a year; two hundred and fifty sheep (to travel with the party) constituting the chief part of the animal food. The rest consisted of gelatine, and a small quantity of pork.

(See page 105.--[Chapter IV.])

* * * * *

RICHARD CUNNINGHAM's FATE.

REPORT OF LIEUTENANT ZOUCH, OF THE MOUNTED POLICE, REGARDING THE DEATH OF RICHARD CUNNINGHAM.

"SIR, "Bathurst, December 7th, 1835.

"I have the honour to state that, in conforming with the instructions contained in the Colonial Secretary's letter of the 16th October, together with your orders, directing me to proceed to the interior for the purpose of ascertaining the fate of Mr. Cunningham, I proceeded with the party on the 24th of October for Buree, which place I left on the 29th, accompanied by Sandy (the native black mentioned in my instructions). On the 2nd of November I fortunately met with two blacks who knew the particulars of a white man having been murdered on the Bogan, also the names and persons of the perpetrators of the deed. They likewise offered to accompany the police to where the tribe to which the murderers belonged were encamped. I accordingly took them as guides, and on the evening of the 6th they informed me they could see the smoke from the fires of the Myall blacks, on the borders of a lake called Budda.

"On arriving at the banks of the lake, we found a tribe encamped consisting of upwards of forty men, women, and children, all of whom we succeeded in making prisoners, without any resistance on their part. Having questioned them as to the murder of a white man, they acknowledge to one having been killed on the Bogan by four of their tribe, three of whom they delivered up; the fourth, they stated, was absent on the Big River. On searching the bags of the tribe, we found a knife, a glove, and part of a cigar case, which the three blacks acknowledged they had taken from the white man, and which Muirhead said he was sure belonged to Mr. Cunningham.

"The three murderers, whose names are Wongadgery, Boreeboomalie, and Bureemal, stated that they and another black, about six moons ago, met a white man on the Bogan, who came up and made signs that he was hungry; that they gave him food, and that he encamped with them that night. The white man repeatedly getting up during the night excited suspicion, and they determined to destroy him the following morning, which they did by Wongadgery going unperceived behind him and striking him on the back of the head with a nulla-nulla. The other three men then rushing upon him with their weapons, speedily effected their purpose.

"I then determined to proceed to the spot where the murder was committed, which I was informed by the blacks was distant three days' journey, but, learning from them that there was a great scarcity of water, Muirhead, and one of the prisoners (Burreemal) as a guide across to the Bogan, leaving the other two prisoners in charge, under the command of Corporal Moore, to proceed to a station about thirty miles distant from Wellington, there to await my return.

"On Tuesday, the 10th, I arrived at a place called Currindine, where the black showed me some bones, which he said were those of a white man they had killed, and pointed out a small portion of a coat, and also of a Manilla hat. Being thus convinced of the truth of their statement, and also of the spot where the melancholy event had occurred, I collected all the remains I could discover, and having deposited them in the ground, raised a small mound over them, and barked some of the nearest trees, as the only means in my power of marking the spot.

"Having thus accomplished the object of my expedition, I proceeded on my return, and on rejoining the party under Corporal Moore, I learned the escape of the two prisoners, which took place on the night of the 11th November, when trooper Lard was on sentry, against whom I have forwarded a charge for neglect of duty. The fulfilment of my instructions being thus partially defeated, I considered it my duty to proceed in search of the runaways, and continued the pursuit, I regret to say, without success, until I was obliged to return, our stock of provisions being consumed. I arrived here with the party yesterday, and shall forward the prisoner, 'Bureemal,' to Sydney, together with the articles I was enabled to collect, supposed to have belonged to the late Mr. Cunningham.

"I have the honor to be, etc., "W. ZOUCH, "Lieut. Mounted Police."

"To CAPTAIN WILLIAMS, "Commandant of Mounted Police."

(See page 106.--[Chapter IV.])

* * * * *

CAVE DRAWINGS.

The singular cave paintings found by Lieutenant George Grey near the Glenelg River, in Western Australia, during the expedition of 1838.

"The cave was twenty feet deep, and at the entrance seven feet high, and about forty feet wide. As before stated, the floor gradually approached the roof in the direction of the bottom of the cavern, and its width also contracted, so that at the extremity it was not broader than the slab of rock, which formed a natural seat. The principal painting in it was the figure of a man ten feet six inches in length, clothed from the chin downwards in a red garment, which reached to the wrists and ankles; beyond this red dress the feet and hands protruded and were badly executed.

"The face and head of the figure were enveloped in a succession of circular bandages or rollers, or what appeared to be painted to represent such. These were coloured red, yellow, and white, and the eyes were the only features represented on the face. Upon the highest bandage or roller, a series of lines were painted in red, but although so regularly done as to indicate they have some meaning, it was impossible to tell whether they were intended to depict written characters, or some ornament for the head. This figure was so drawn on the roof that its feet were just in front of the natural seat, whilst its head and face looked directly down on any one who stood in the entrance of the cave, but it was totally invisible from the outside.

* * * * *

"It would be impossible to convey in words an adequate idea of this uncouth and savage figure; I shall, therefore, only give such a succint account of this and the other paintings as will serve as a sort of description. Its head was encircled by bright red rays, something like the rays which one sees proceeding from the sun, when depleted on the signboard of a public house; inside of this came a broad stripe of very brilliant red, which was coped by lines of white, but both inside and outside of this red space were narrow stripes of a still deeper red, intended probably to mark its boundaries. The face was painted vividly white and the eyes black; being, however, surrounded by red and yellow lines, the body, hands and arms were outlined in red, the body being curiously painted with red stripes and bars.

"Upon the rock which formed the left hand wall of this cave, and which partly faced you on entering, was a very singular painting, vividly coloured, representing four heads joined together. From the mild expression of the countenances, I imagined them to represent females, and they appeared to be drawn in such a manner, and in such a position, as to look up at the principal figure which I have before described; each had a very remarkable head dress coloured with a deep bright-blue, and one had a necklace on. Both of the lower figures had a sort of dress, painted with red in the same manner as that of the principal figure, and one of them had a band round her waist. Each of the four faces was marked by a totally distinct expression of countenance, and although none of them had mouths, two, I thought, were otherwise rather good looking.

"The whole painting was executed on a white ground. The next most remarkable drawing in the cave was an ellipse, three feet in length, and one foot ten inches in breadth. The outside line of this painting was of a deep-blue colour, the body of the ellipse being of a bright yellow, dotted over with red lines and spots, whilst across it ran two transverse lines of blue. The portion of the painting above described formed the ground, or main part of the picture, and upon this ground was painted a kangaroo in the act of feeding, two stone spear-heads, and two black balls. One of the spear-heads was flying to the kangaroo, and one away from it, so that the whole subject probably constituted a sort of charm, by which the luck of an enquirer in killing game could be ascertained.

"There was another rather humorous sketch, which represented a native in the act of carrying a kangaroo, the height of the man being three feet. The number of drawings in the cave could not altogether have been less than from fifty to sixty, but the majority of them consisted of men, kangaroos, etc., the figures being carelessly and badly executed, and being evidently a very different origin to those which I have first described.

"Another very striking piece of art was exhibited in the little gloomy cavities, situated at the back of the main cavern. In these instances some rock at the sides of the cavity had been selected, and the stamp of a hand and arm by some means transferred to it. This outline of the hand and arm was then painted black, and the rock about it white, so that on entering that part of the cave it appeared as if a human hand and arm were projecting through a crevice, admitting light."

(See page 118--Chapter V.)

* * * * *

SMITH, A LAD OF EIGHTEEN, FOUND DEAD, MAY 8TH, 1839.

The following is Warrup's account of the finding of Smith's body, the young volunteer of Grey's party who died. Warrup was a Western Australian native who accompanied the search party under Mr. Roe:--

"7th Day. The next day away, away, away, away, returning, on our tracks returning, on our tracks returning. At Barramba we sit down; we eat bread and meat; they eat fresh-water mussels; the natives eat not fresh-water mussels.

"Away, away, away, away; we reach the water of Djunjup; we shoot game. Away, away, away, through a forest away, through a forest away; we see no water. Through a forest away, along our tracks away. We sleep at Ka-jil-up; rain falls; the water here is good, the horses feed, well do the horses feed.

"Away, away; along our tracks away; hills ascending; then pleasantly away, away, through a forest away, through a forest away; we see a water-the water of Goonmarrup. Along the river away, along the river away, a short distance we go, then away, away, away, through a forest away.

"Then along another river away, across the river away. At Meergamuny we sleep, raising huts.

"Still we go onwards along the sea away, through the bush away, then along the sea away, along the sea away. We see three white men, three of them we see; they cry out, 'Where is water?' water we give them-brandy and water we give them. We sleep near the sea.

"Away, away we go (I, Mr. Roe, and Kinchela), along the shore away, along the shore away, along the shore away. We see a paper--the paper of Mortimer and Spofforth. I see Mr. Smith's footsteps ascending a sand-hill; onwards I go, regarding his footsteps. I see Mr. Smith dead. We commence digging the earth. Two SLEEPS had he been dead; greatly did I weep, and much I grieved. In his blanket folding him, we scraped away the earth.

"We scrape earth into the grave, we scrape the earth into the grave, a little wood we place in it. Much earth we heap upon it-much earth we throw up. No dogs can dig there, so much earth we throw up. The sun had inclined to the westward as we laid him in the ground."

(See page 121.--[Chapter V.])

* * * * *

EYRE'S LETTERS.

Adelaide, 4th January, 1844.

"Having observed that during the past year the subject of an overland journey from Moreton Bay to Port Essington has again been mooted by the Legislative Council of New South Wales, I do myself the honour of applying to you for information as to whether the Executive Government have any such expedition in contemplation during the present year.

"In the event of such being the case, I beg leave respectfully to offer my services to conduct the explorations, and should his Excellency the Governor do me the honour to confide in me so honourable and important an employment, his Excellency may confidently rely that no effort or exertions should be wanting on my part to ensure all practicable success. In a former communication on the subject, I had the honour of giving a rough estimate of the probable expense of the undertaking, if carried out in accordance to a plan of operations and a scale of party then proposed. The altered circumstances of the colonies would now probably enable an equipment to be prepared at much lower prices than were then estimated for, and I may remark that, although in my former letter to his Excellency, Sir G. Gipps, I specified, in accordance with his Excellency's request, the nature of the party I thought it advisable to have, and the general line of route I deemed most likely to be practicable, I shall be most happy to endeavour to carry out any views his Excellency may entertain upon the subject, with any party or any direction his Excellency may think desirable. The only point to which I would call the attention of his Excellency the Governor, in the event of an expedition being now in contemplation, is the great necessity there would be for the party to take the field early in the season, so as to have the whole winter before them for active operations; and, even then, I feel very doubtful whether it would be possible for a party to accomplish the whole distance to Port Essington in less than two winters, being, as I am, strongly of opinion that it will be found quite impracticable to travel in a tropical climate during the summer months.

"I have the honor to be, "Yours obediently, "E. J. EYRE."

* * * * *

"Adelaide, 23rd December, 1841.

"Sir,--Having understood from Captain Sturt that your Excellency is desirous of sending an expedition into the interior from the northeast coast towards Port Essington, I do myself the honour of addressing your Excellency upon the subject, as I feel a very great interest in the investigation of the interior of this singular continent, and shall be most ready to give my services to conduct an expedition should your Excellency decide upon fitting one out, and confide to me that responsible and honourable duty. In September last I met with a printed copy of a letter addressed by your Excellency to Lord John Russell, in which some allusion was made to your wish to send an expedition to explore the interior, and I at once wrote to the Colonial Secretary of Sydney to volunteer my services, but, from various causes, I am induced to believe that my communication must have miscarried, and I now therefore beg leave to renew that offer.

"As I am not in possession of your Excellency's views as to the nature of the expedition it might be in contemplation to send out, or the direction it might be considered desirable to take, I cannot do more at present than express my willingness to engage in the undertaking generally, and should your Excellency do me the honour of entertaining the offer I have made, I shall be most happy, when put in possession of your Excellency's wishes on the subject, to enter more fully into the necessary detail.

"Being now engaged in the public service at some distance inland, I should be most anxious to have as early notice as possible of your Excellency's reply to my proposal, so that, by giving timely notice to the colonial Government here, no obstruction of the public service might take place. It would also be necessary for me to be in Sydney as early as may be practicable to prepare the equipment of the expedition in time to take the field at the close of the summer.

"E. J. EYRE."

NOTE BY SIR GEORGE Gipps.

"Acknowledge receipt, and say I shall be happy to avail myself of the offer of Mr. Eyre's services in the proposed expedition, provided no prior claim be preferred by Captain Sturt, with whom I have had some communication on the subject. The whole expense of the expedition would be defrayed by the Government; but before I can enter into any engagement with Mr. Eyre it will be necessary that I should be furnished with some account of the equipment, etc., which would be considered necessary, in order that some estimate of the expense of the expedition may be formed.

"G. G.

"November 12."

(See page 155.--[Chapter VI.])

* * * * *

EXTRACT OF LETTER FROM MAJOR MITCHELL.

"5th September, 1845.

"In attention to your letter of yesterday, I have now the honour to submit the outlines of my plan for the exploration of the northern interior.

"I would therefore first beg leave to observe that my proposed line of route is founded on views which I have always entertained respecting the interior, but not more so than on the expediency of ascertaining the character of that portion of the colony to the northwest of the River Darling. To avoid unnecessary repetition, I shall annex a quotation here from my despatch, dated Peel's River, 29th February, 1832, in which my reasons for believing that there is a dividing range beyond the Darling, and that a great river may be looked for beyond it, are stated at length. I have had no occasion to alter my plans or views respecting the interior since that time; on the contrary, subsequent experience has rather tended to support these views. The course of the Condamine, now better known, affords now a better indication that the high ground is in the situation I supposed. And I annex also a communication from Walter Bagot respecting that portion of the country beyond the Darling which is nearly opposite to Fort Bourke, affording additional evidence of the existence of a lofty range to the north-west, and a great river beyond it. The overflowing of the 'Waramble' agreed so well with what I observed at the upper part of the Darling in 1831, and near Fort Bourke in 1836, and the situation of the range and river beyond accord so well with all that can reasonably be assumed, as to leave no doubt in my mind as to the accuracy of Mr. Bagot's statement, even where it is founded on that of the natives."

MINUTE BY SIR G. Gipps.

"Acknowledge receipt, and inform Sir Thos. Mitchell, that desiring to leave him as far as possible free to act upon his own judgment in the arduous undertaking in which he is about to embark, I do not consider it necessary to do more than communicate to him my approval of the course which he has proposed. Mr. Townsend will be authorised to accompany him, and act as his next in command, and Mr. Stephenson may, should Sir Thomas himself approve of it, be engaged at a salary of 7s. 6d. per diem from the day of his leaving Sydney; he must, however, find his own horse.

"Mr. Townsend will, during his absence, as well as Sir Thomas Mitchell himself, continue to receive his usual salary from the land fund, but every other expense will be charged against the sum voted for the purpose by the Legislative Council, which is now increased to £2,000."

(See page 156.--[Chapter VI.])

* * * * *

EXTRACT OF A LETTER OF MR. WALTER BAGOT.

"20th January, 1844.

"The country beyond the Darling for the first few miles from the river exhibits the same features as on its southern bank, the soil blackish, soft, and yielding; the trees principally myall, and a species of myall, called by the squatters rosewood, interspersed with the small and gnarled forest oak. About ten miles from the river, and nearly parallel to it, is the Waramble, a sort of swamp, boggy, and difficult to cross after wet weather, directly after which water remains in the holes along its course. From thirty to forty miles beyond this is the Nareen Creek. Here, except in very dry seasons, water stands. This I know from the Nareen blacks coming into the Barwin only at those times when they are in much danger from the Barwin blacks, who are extremely hostile to them. I cannot tell where the Nareen joins the Barwin; as far as I am acquainted with it, it is nearly parallel to it, slightly converging to the river westward. Between the Waramble and Nareen there is no perceptible rising ground; from the harder nature of the soil, the plain becoming more open, and the timber straighter and larger. I have no doubt that there is a gradual ascent. The grass is extremely luxuriant, like all the unstocked portions of rich ground in this country, the long kangaroo grass rising to the saddle skirts. The brigalow, which I have never seen in any but high ground, is here too.

"I now come to the reports of the blacks, which are: That about three days' journey of theirs (ninety miles) beyond the Barwin is a lofty range of mountains (I have beard of these mountains also from a gentleman who got a distant view of them from a plain near the Nareen); that a river, called the Culgoa, runs at the foot of these mountains, which river, from the similarity of the name, I am inclined to think, is one which empties itself into the Barwin, about one hundred miles lower down than the junction of the Castlereagh. I have remarked that the word Culgoa in the Wilem dialect signifies 'waterfall,' which adds to the likelihood of its being a mountain stream; that after crossing the mountains, which occupies one day (thirty miles), and travelling for two days (sixty miles), still north-west, they reach a large river, broader and deeper than the Barwin, the waters of which river never fail. Their name for this river I cannot now recollect. The old black, who gave the clearest account of this river, and who was the only one I have seen who admitted having been actually at this river, distinctly described its course to be different from that of the Barwin, and, perhaps, north or south-west. Might not this river be a tributary to one of the large rivers which flow into the Gulph of Carpentaria? and if so, how well adapted for a line of road traversing its valley to the Gulph? I have often wished, while residing on the Barwin, to make up a party to explore the size and course of this river, but the dangerous character of the black tribes in its direction, with the late Iong-continued drought, were enough to prevent it."

(See page 156.--[Chapter VI.])

* * * * *

THE LAST LETTER RECEIVED FROM DR. LEICHHARDT.

"M'Pherson's Station, Cogoon,

"April 3, 1848.

"I Take the last opportunity of giving you an account of my progress. In eleven days we travelled from Mr. Burell's station, on the Condamine, to Mr. M'Pherson's, on the Fitzroy Downs. Though the country was occasionally very difficult, yet everything went on very well. My mules are in excellent order--my companions in excellent spirits. Three of my cattle are footsore, but I shall kill one of them to-night, to lay in our necessary stock of dried beef. The Fitzroy Downs, over which we travelled for about twenty-two miles from east to west, is indeed a splendid region, and Sir Thomas has not exaggerated their beauty in his account. The soil is pebbly and sound, richly grassed, and, to judge from the Myalls, of the most fattening quality. I came right on Mount Abundance, and passed over a gap in it with my whole train. My latitude agreed well with Mitchell's. I fear that the absence of water on Fitzroy Downs will render this fine country to a great extent unavailable. I observe the thermometer daily at 6 a.m. and 8 p.m., which are the only convenient hours. I have tried the wet thermometer, but am afraid my observations will be very deficient. I shall, however, improve on them as I proceed.

"The only serious accident that has happened was the loss of a spade, but we are fortunate enough to make it up on this station. Though the days are still very hot, the beautiful clear nights are cool, and benumb the mosquitoes, which have ceased to trouble us. Myriads of flies are the only annoyance we have.

"Seeing how much I have been favoured in my present progress, I am full of hopes that our Almighty Protector will allow me to bring my darling scheme to a successful termination.

"Your most sincere friend,

"LUDWIG LEICHHARDT."

(See page 166.--Chapter VII.)

* * * * *

THE NARDOO PLANT.

The Nardoo appears generally to be considered the seed of the lentil, or some other plant of the bean tribe, whereas it belongs to one of those cryptogamic or flowerless plants, which, like ferns and mosses, do not produce perfect seeds, but are increased by cellular bodies named spores. It belongs to the genus MARSILLEA, order MARSILLEACEAE, and that class of sexual or flowerless plants called Acrogens, which have distinguishable stems and leaves, in contra-distinction to THALLOGENS, in which stems and leaves are indistinguishable, as sea-weeds, fungi, and lichens. The part used for food is the INVOLUCEN SPORANGIUM, or spore case, with its contained spores, which is of an oval shape, flattened, and about one-eighth of an inch in its longest diameter; hard and horny in texture, requiring considerable force to crush or pound it when dry, but becoming soft and mucila ginous when exposed to moisture. The natives pound it between two stones, and make it into cakes like flour. The spores vegetate in water, and root in soil at the bottom, where the plant grows to maturity. After the water dries up, the plants die, and leave the spore cases on, in many instances quite covering the surface of the dried mud. It is then that they are gathered for food. On the return of moisture, the spore cases softened, become mucilaginous, and discharge their contents to form a fresh crop of plants. The foliage is green, and resembles clover somewhat, being composed of three fleshy leaflets on the top of a stalk a few inches in length.

(See page 2166.--[Chapter IX.])

* * * * *

THE FINDING OF JOHN KING.

The details connected with the rescue of John King, the sole survivor of the Burke and Wills Expedition, have, strangely enough, never yet found their way into print, owing to a series of minor accidents, into the particulars of which it is not necessary to enter here.

The relief party, under the leadership of Mr. A. W. Howitt, fully equipped and provisioned to follow the supposed track of the expedition to the Gulf of Carpentaria, if necessary, knew nothing up to the time of the actual finding of King of the miserable fate which had overtaken the lost explorers; nor had they the faintest reason for supposing that they were actually on the verge of the discovery which was to so completely elucidate the mystery of their disappearance.

Early in September, 1861, Howitt's party reached Cooper's Creek, accompanied by W. Brahe, a member of Burke's expedition, who had been left in charge of the depôt at Fort Wills by Burke. He had remained there a month over the time mentioned in his instructions; his men were attacked by scurvy; the blacks in the neighbourhood were getting troublesome, and his provisions getting low. He therefore planted all the stores he could spare under a tree, marked "dig," and with them an explanatory letter to his leader, in the event of the return of the absent men, and retired to the depôt at Bulloo. He then started for Melbourne to report himself, but was intercepted by Howitt and taken back to Cooper's Creek as a guide.

King was found by Mr. Edwin J. Welch, the surveyor, and second in command of Howitt's party, a gentleman who afterwards identified himself with journalism, and who has been for many years favourably known in connection with the country press as a proprietor of newspapers, both in Northern and Western Queensland and Victoria. The following interesting account of his first meeting with King is taken from Mr. Welch's diary:--

"13th September, 1861. Shortly after leaving camp this morning, Howitt and I, accompanied by Brahe, rode on down the creek, ahead of the party, to the depôt at Fort Wills, hoping against hope that we should find Brahe's plant empty and some record of the missing men. We were doomed to disappointment. After a careful examination of the spot, Brahe declared that everything was as he had left it six weeks before. The CACHÉ had not been disturbed, and nothing but a few blacks' tracks in the loose soil existed to show that any human life had broken the solitude. We, therefore, continued our way, wondering what could have become of them, and discussing with keen interest the suggestions offered by each to guide us in our future movements. . . Camped the horses and camels about 3 p.m., on the bank of a large waterhole in the creek, covered with wild-fowl and partially surrounded by a dense growth of dead mallows of great size and height.

"14th September. Proceeded slowly westward, along the north bank of the creek, carefully searching for tracks. . . . Country opening out and improving in character. Magnificent reaches of water in the creek; some of the water quite salt, other holes containing water of a milky tint, sweet and pleasant to the taste, while in others again, it was brackish, and the edges were lined with petrified boughs, leaves, and some few fish. . . . Several times during the day we noticed blacks stealthily watching our movements from a distance, and travelling through the long grass in the direction we ourselves were going. . . . In the afternoon, Howitt, who had been riding well out from the creek, returned with the news that he had struck fresh camel tracks trending northwards, apparently those of a lost camel. . . . Another comfortable camp on the creek, with plenty of feed.

"15th September (Sunday). Left camp at 8 a.m. Howitt, with one of the black boys, started to run the camel track seen yesterday. I gave Sampson (the leading man of the file) a compass bearing to follow, with instructions to keep as closely to it as the windings of the creek would permit, and rode on ahead, actuated by curiosity as to the movements of our black friends of yesterday. After travelling about three miles, my attention was attracted by a number of niggers on the opposite bank of the creek, who shouted loudly as soon as they saw me, and vigorously waved and pointed down the creek. A feeling of something about to happen excited me somewhat, but I little expected what the sequel was to be. Moving cautiously on through the undergrowth which covered the banks of the creek, the blacks kept pace with me on the opposite side, their cries increasing in volume and intensity; when suddenly rounding a bend, I was startled at seeing a large body of them gathered on a sandy neck in the bed of the creek, between two large waterholes. Immediately they saw me, they too commenced to howl, throw their arms about, and wave their weapons in the air. I at once pulled up, and considered the propriety of waiting the arrival of the party, for I felt far from satisfied with regard to their intentions. But here, for the first time, my favourite horse--a black cob, known in the camp as 'Piggy,' a Murray Downs bred stock horse, of good local repute, both for foot and temper--appeared to think that his work was cut out for him, and the time arrived in which to do it. Pawing and snorting at the noise, he suddenly slewed round, and headed down the steep bank, through the undergrowth, straight for the crowd, as he had been wont to do after many a mob of weaners on his native plains. The blacks drew hurriedly back to the top of the opposite bank, shouting and gesticulating violently, and leaving one solitary figure, apparently covered with some scarecrow rags, and part of a hat, prominently alone in the sand. Before I could pull up, I had passed it, and as I passed it tottered, threw up its hands in the attitude of prayer, and fell on the ground. The heavy sand helped me to conquer Piggy on the level, and when I turned back, the figure had partially risen. Hastily dismounting, I was soon beside it, excitedly asking, 'Who, in the name of wonder, are you?' He answered, 'I am King, sir.' For a moment I did not grasp the thought that the object of our search was attained, for King being only one of the undistinguished members of the party, his name was unfamiliar to me. 'King?' I repeated. 'Yes,' he said; 'the last man of the exploring expedition.' 'What, Burke's?' 'Yes.' 'Where is he--and Wills?' 'Dead--both dead, long ago;' and again he fell to the ground. Then I knew who stood before me. Jumping into the saddle, I rode up the bank, fired two or three revolver shots to attract the attention of the party, and, on their coming up, sent the other black boy to cut Howitt's track and bring him back to camp. We then put up a tent to shelter the rescued man, and by degrees, as he recovered from the excitement of the meeting, we got from him the, sad story of the fate of his leader. We got it at intervals only, between the long rests which his exhausted condition compelled him to take, and the main facts are, as summarised, given below:--

"'Burke, Wills, Gray, and I, left the depôt in charge of Brahe, at Fort Wills, on the 16th December, 1860, with six camels, one horse, and provisions for three months. The stock was in splendid condition, and we were in high spirits. Keeping a steady course northwards, we reached salt water and mangrove swamps on--but I can't tell you the date; you will find it in Wills' field-books. He said it was the Gulf of Carpentaria, and we were satisfied; we could not get through the mangroves, and never saw the open water, but we had accomplished the object of the expedition. One of the camels had knocked up some distance back, and we had to plant his load, so that we were afraid to stay too long, for fear of getting short of rations. We did not follow our own tracks all the way back, but hurried as much as possible to reach the depôt in time. On the way back we killed the horse and one camel for meat, and one of the camels got away from us, so that we had only two left to finish the journey. We all walked, and threw away everything except the rations, a gun, and the clothes we had on. At one of the camps we buried all Mr. Wills' instruments, but I don't remember which one it was. Gray was getting knocked up worse and worse every day, and then he got to taking more than his share of the flour and sugar when he got a chance. Mr. Burke threatened him and boxed his ears for this, and when he turned in one night, about two days before we expected to reach the depôt, he said he felt he would not live till morning, and, sure enough, he didn't. When we turned out at daylight, Gray was dead; so we stopped there that day, and scooped a hole in the sand about three feet deep with our hands, and buried him in it. The next morning we pushed on for the depôt, and when we got there, two days after, it was deserted. The fire was still alight, and the tracks of Brahe's party were all fresh. There was a tree marked 'DIG,' and when we were able to get at the plant we found Brahe's note, which said they had left that morning; but we did not mind it very much, as there was plenty to eat. Of course, we were disappointed, but Mr. Burke said we could get back by Strzelecki's Creek to Mount Hopeless, and so to Adelaide. We stopped at the depôt five days, which was a good spell for ourselves and the two camels, and we felt much better. When we were ready to start, we buried all the field-books and some letters, to let anybody who came by know where we were going, and then covered up the plant carefully, so that the blacks should not find it out. We went westerly down the creek, and saw lots of blackfellows, but Mr. Burke did not care to try and make friends with them; he said there were too many of them, and it was no good wasting time. After we got some distance down the creek, it was decided to cross and strike to the southward, but we must have picked a bad place, for one of the camels got stuck in a quicksand at the end of a waterhole, and we could not get him out, although we worked hard for nearly twenty-four hours; so, as there was nothing else left for it, we shot him, cut off as much meat as we could carry, and, after drying it, started on again; but our load was so much heavier now that we had to travel very slowly, and the other camel was beginning to knock up. After two days more, he got so weak that he couldn't get up off the ground, so we had to shoot him too, pack some more of the meat, and then go on. We got on to a branch creek, which ran in the direction we wanted to go, but after a few more miles it ran out, and lost itself in channels in an earthy plain: so we had to go back to the last water. We were all three beginning to feel bad now, so it was decided to take a good spell before making another attempt. While we were doing this the rations were getting very short, and we began to cat nardoo the same as the blacks. Sometimes the blacks would come by and give us a few fish, which we could not catch ourselves, and sometimes we managed to shoot a crow or a hawk, but we had no strength to go and look for anything. Mr. Wills, however, determined to go back to the depôt, and see if anybody had been there, and he was away some days by himself. When he came back, he told us that he had seen nobody, but that he had opened the plant in the night, to bury another letter to the committee, and carefully covered it up again. A good thing for us, it happened that the weather was very fine, although cold at night, and we felt the cold badly, having very few clothes. Then we shifted camp a little higher up the creek, where there were two or three blacks' gunyahs, and Mr. Wills got so weak that he could not move out of his at all. Mr. Burke and I were getting very weak, too, but I was not so bad as they were, and managed to collect and pound enough nardoo to keep us all from starving outright. In a few days things were so bad that Wills, who was getting worse all the time and suffering great pain, persuaded Mr. Burke and I to go up the creek, while we had strength, and look for the blacks, as our only chance of life. We didn't like the idea of separating, but it seemed to be our only chance, so we made him some nardoo bread, and left it, with a billy of water, beside him, and went away. Together, Mr. Burke and I wandered slowly up the creek, but could not see a sign of any blacks, and after we had gone fourteen or fifteen miles, Mr. Burke said he could not go any farther, and lay down under a tree. I found some nardoo close by, and had the good luck to shoot a crow. The night was very cold, and we felt it dreadfully, and before daylight Mr. Burke said he was dying, and told me not to try and bury him or cover up his body in any way, but just put his pistol in his right hand. I did this, and then he wrote something in his pocket-book, and died about two hours after sunrise. When I was able to move, I went on again, to try and find help for Wills, but the blacks had all disappeared. I found some nardoo in one of their camps, though, and with this and another crow I shot, I started back to Wills. It took me four days to get back, and when I got there I found he was dead, too. I covered up his body with boughs and sand as well as I could, and then rested for two days, and started off again to look for blacks. I don't know how many days it was before I found them, but I think a good many. At first they were very kind to me, and gave me plenty to eat; after that they tried to drive me away, but I stuck to them, and the women gave me some nardoo every day, and sometimes one of the men would give me some fish. I don't know how long I have been with them, but I think it must be about three months. I knew you were coming before I saw you, for some strange blacks came down the creek and brought the news to the others, and somehow I got to understand that they had seen some white men on horses, who I knew would look for me. I could not learn to talk to them, but I began slowly to understand what they were saying. I think I could have lived for a long time with them, for I was all the while getting a little bit stronger.'"

From the foregoing narrative it will be at once seen that the unfortunate collapse of Gray, when within only two days' journey of the depôt, was the direct cause of the death of Burke and Wills. King was a young man, of good physique, and of a nature in which the disposition to mental worry or anxiety had no part. The leaders had to endure this in addition to their physical sufferings, and the bitterness of dying within the reach of help, after having successfully accomplished the most dashing feat ever recorded in the annals of Australian exploration. They had performed their allotted task, and they perished miserably in the hour of their success.

The criticisms of Australians generally, and of bushmen in particular, were for a long time afterwards directed to the apparently unaccountable circumstance that neither Howitt, Welch, nor Brahe detected at their first visit to the depôt that the CACHÉ had been opened. King's narrative showed that it had actually been twice opened, but it must be borne in mind that on each occasion the best precautions were adopted to conceal the fact, and thereby avoid attracting the attention of the blacks. The unfortunate men, who were slowly starving to death on the banks of the creek, had left no visible sign of their visit to the spot. Brahe, who made the plant, positively asserted that it had not been interfered with, and Howitt, therefore, wisely declined to burden himself with an additional weight of stores for which he had no present use. Even had it been opened on that 13th of September, the knowledge which it would have revealed was too late to be of service, and could not have expedited the rescue of King by more than a few hours, if at all.

(See page 219.--[Chapter IX.])

* * * * *

POISON PLANTS.

The properties of the Australian plants are only imperfectly known, very few species having been chemically examined; numbers are suspected, but have not been positively proved. The poison plant that caused such havoc amongst the horses of both Jardine and Austin mostly affects the spinifex country. It is a ground plant, and liable to be cropped by a horse amongst the grass, when the animal would probably refuse to touch a bush.

Amongst the most poisonous plants known in Australia may be mentioned the "thorny apple," DATURA STRAMONIUM, and DATURA TATULA; also the EXCAECARIA AGALLOCHA, and LOLIUM TERMULENTUM.

The indigo plant, SWAINSONA GALEGIFOLIA, is a glabrous perennial, or undershrub, with erect flexuose branches, sometimes under one foot, sometimes ascending, or even climbing, to the height of several feet. The flowers are rather large, and deep-red in the original variety; pod much inflated, membranous one to two inches long, on a stipe varying from two to six lines. The species varies, with light, purplish-pink flowers, S. CORONILLAEFOLIA; and white flowers, S. ALBIFLORA. The difference in the length of the stipes of the pod does not, as had been supposed, coincide with the difference in the colour of the flower. This plant acts in a peculiar way upon sheep, driving them insane until death ensues. The sheep, however, select it as an especial tit-bit, it, apparently, possessing an irresistible fascination for them.

The "Darling pea" SWAINSONA PROCUMBENS. Glabrous; or the young shoots and foliage slightly silky; or sometimes pubescent, or hirsute, with procumbent ascending, or erect stems of one to three feet. Leaflets varying from oblong or almost linear, and one-quarter inch to half-inch long, to lanceolate, or linear-acute, and above one inch long. Flowers: large, fragrant, violet, or blue; pod sessile, above one inch long.

The "Pitchuri plant," ANTHOCERCIS HOPWOODII. A glabrous tree, or shrub. Leaves: narrow-linear, acutely acuminate, with the point often recurved, entire, rather thick, narrowed into a short petiole, two to four inches long; fruit unknown.

"Australian Tobacco," NICOTIAN SUAVEOLENS. An erect annual, or biennial, of one to two feet. Flowers: white, or greenish on side; sweet-scented, especially at night.

Amongst those that are but slightly poisonous are: TYPHONIUM BROWNII, and COLOCASIA MACRORRHIZA; the CRINUM FLACCIDUM and C. PENDUNCULATUM, both bulbous herbs; CARCUMBUM POPULIFOLIUM and C. STILLINGIAEFOLIUM, tall shrubs; DUBOISEA MYOPOROIDES and D. LEICHHARDTII, shrubs; ARISTOLOCHIA praevenos, a tall, climbing shrub; A. PUBERA, a small, prostrate, or trailing herb; CHAMAE FISTULA LAEVIGATA and C. SOPHERA, erect, glabrous shrubs.

The "Nightshade," SOLANUM NIGRUM. An erect annual, or biennial, with very spreading branches, one to nearly two feet high. Leaves: petiolate, ovate, with coarse, irregular, angular teeth, or nearly entire, one to two inches long. Flowers; small and white, in little cymes, usually contracted into umbels on a common peduncle, from very short, to nearly one inch long. Berry: small, globular, usually nearly black, but sometimes green-yellow, or dingy-red.

The "Bean tree," CASTANOSPERMUM AUSTRALE. A tall, glabrous tree; pods eight or nine inches long, about two inches broad; the valves hard and thick, the spongy substance inside dividing it into three to five cells each, containing a large, chestnut-like seed.

(See page 241.--[Chapter XI.])

INDEX OF NAMES, DATES, AND INCIDENTS

"Adventure" (The)-- Under Captain Tobias Furneaux, in search of the South Continent, touched on the coast of Tasmania. 1772.

Alouarn, M. de St.-- Anchored near Cape Leeuwin, but no record of his visit has been preserved. 1777.

Alt, Matthew B-- With the ships HORMUZEER and CHESTERFIELD, through Torres Straits. 1793.

"Amsterdam," (The) "Klyn," and "Wezel"-- From Banda. commanded by Gerrit Tomaz Poole; revisited Arnheim's Land. Captain Poole was killed on the New Guinea coast. 1636.

"Arnheim" (The) and "Pera"-- On the coast of New Guinea. Captain Jan Carstens, with eight of his crew murdered; but the vessels proceeded to, and touched on the north coast of New Holland, west of the Gulf of Carpentaria, still known as "Arnheim's Land." 1623.

"Assistant" (The) and "Providence"-- Under command of Captains Bligh and Portlock, through Torres Straits. 1792.

"Astrolabe" (The) and "Boussole"-- French discovery ships, under La Perouse. Anchored in Botany Bay. 1778.

"Atrevide" (The) and "Descobierte"-- Spanish Discovery ships, under command of Don Alexandra Malaspina, at Sydney. 1793.

"Astrolabe" (The)-- Under command of Captain Dumont D'Urville, touched at Bass's Strait. 1826.

Austin, Robert-- Assistant Surveyor-General, Western Australia; in search of pastoral country, and to examine the interior for auriferous deposits. Their horses got on a patch of poison plant, and, in consequence, nearly the whole of them were laid up, unfit for work; some escaped, but the greater number died. On the return of the party to Shark's Bay, where a vessel awaited them, they found a cave in the face of a cliff, in which were drawings, similar to those reported by Grey near the Prince Regent's River. One of the party (Charles Farmer) accidentally shot himself, and died of lockjaw; he was buried at the cave spring. The exploration led to no profitable result. 1854.

Babbage, Surveyor-- Conducted a party to explore the country between Lake Torrens and Lake Gairdner. 1856.

Bampton, William-- With Matthew B. Alt, in the ships HORMUZEER and CHESTERFIELD, through Torres Straits. 1793.

Banks, Joseph (afterwards Sir)-- Accompanied Captain James Cook on his voyage of discovery to Australia, as botanist. 1770.

Bannister, Major-- Crosses from Perth to King George's Sound. 1831.

Barker, Captain-- Murdered at Lake Alexandrina, the mouth of the Murray. 1832.

Barker, Dr.-- Albert Brodribb and Edward Hobson were the first to walk from Melbourne to Gippsland. The present road follows their tracks. 1841.

Barrailher, Ensign-- Attempted exploration of the Blue Mountains. 1802.

Bass, Dr. George-- With Matthew Flinders, in the TOM THUMB, along the coast. 1795. And again to Port Hacking. 1796.

Attempted exploration of the Blue Mountains. 1796-97.

In a whale-boat, with a crew of eight, round Wilson's Promontory, and explore Western Port. Examined six hundred miles of coastline. 1797.

Bass, Dr. George, and Matthew Flinders-- In the NORFOLK; discover Bass's Straits. 1798.

"Batavia" (The)-- Commanded by Francis Pelsart, and wrecked on Houtman's Abrolhos. 1629.

Batman, John-- Founded Port Phillip. 1836.

"Bathurst" (The)-- In which Captain King completed his fourth and last voyage round the Australian coast. 1820.

Baudin, Captain Nicholas-- In command of the French ships GÉOGRAPHE and NATURALISTE. 1801-2.

Beresford, W., and J. W. Lewis-- Sent by the South Australian Government to survey the country about Lake Eyre. 1875.

Blackwood, Captain-- In the FLY, continued the survey of Captains Wickham and Stokes. Made a minute examination of the Great Barrier Reef. 1842-45.

Blaxland, Gregory-- With Lieutenant William Lawson and William Charles Wentworth; succeed in their attempt to cross the Blue Mountains. 1813.

Bligh, Captain William-- Passed Cape York, on his way to Coepang, in the BOUNTY'S launch. (Afterwards Governor of New South Wales.) 1791.

Bligh, Captain William, and Captain Nathan Portlook-- In the ships PROVIDENCE and ASSISTANT. Explore Torres Straits. 1792.

Bougainville, De-- Discovered the Louisade Archipelago. 1768.

"Boussole" (The) and "Astrolabe"-- French discovery ships; La Perouse in command; at Botany Bay. 1778.

Bowen, Lieutenant-- Visited Jervis Bay. 1796.

Bremer, Sir Gordon-- In the TAMAR to Port Essington. 1824.

Re-settles Port Essington. 1838.

Briggs, S. G.-- Second in command, and surveyor of Queenslander Trans-Continental Expedition; leader, Ernest Favenc, from Blackall to Powell's Creek, overland telegraph line. 1878-79.

Buchanan, N.-- Made an excursion from the overland line to the Queensland border; crossed the Ranken, so called after one of the pioneers of that district, J. C. L. Ranken. Buchanan's Creek was a most important discovery of this trip, affording a highway and stock route to the great pastoral district lying between the Queensland border and the overland telegraph line. 1878.

Burke, Robert O'Hara (Leader), and William John Wills (Surveyor and Astronomer)-- Left Melbourne on August 20th, 1860, accompanied by Charles Gray and John King, etc.; successfully cross the continent, reaching the Gulf of Carpentaria, and then return towards the depôt formed by others of the party on Cooper's Creek. Gray died; Burke, Wills, and King stop to bury him by scraping a hole in the sand, and reached the depôt only to find that Brahe and the other three men had left that morning. Stopping to bury Gray cost Burke and his companions their lives. They could scarcely walk, and their camels were in the same state. Gray died of exhaustion and fatigue. Wills, who was so weak, was left lying under some boughs, with a supply of water and nardoo, to meet his death alone. Two days after, Burke gave in, and King found himself alone. The remains of the explorers were eventually disinterred, and brought to Melbourne, where they were given a public funeral. 1860-61.

Campbell, Murdock-- West of Lake Torrens. 1857. And again with party west of Lake Eyre, looking for pastoral country. 1857.

Carpenter, Captain Pieter-- Discovered the Gulf of Carpentaria. 1628.

Carr-Boyd, W. J. H.-- With O'Donnell, from the Katherine Station, overland telegraph line, to Western Australia. Found good country, but no new geographical discovery. 1882.

Carstens, Captain Jan-- With the yachts PERA and ARNHEIM, landed on the coast of New Guinea, and was murdered with eight of his crew. The vessels proceeded on their voyage, and touched on the north coast of New Holland, still known as Arnheim's Land. 1623.

Cayley, George-- A botanist, sent out by Sir Joseph Banks, from Kew Gardens; attempted exploration over the Blue Mountains. 1803.

"Champion" (The)-- Schooner, examined the west coast for any rivers with navigable entrances, in view of settlement. Captain Stokes, of the BEAGLE, gave so unfavourable a report of that part of the coast that its immediate settlement was postponed. 1839.

"Chatham" (The) and "Discovery"-- Vessels under command of Captain George Vancouver when he explored the south-west coast and discovered King George's Sound. 1791.

"Chesterfield" (The) and "Hormuzeer"-- Under command of Matthew B. Alt and William Bampton, through Torres Straits. 1793.

Clarkson, B.-- With Messrs. Dempster and Harper, make a trial to the eastward. 1861.

Collins, Lieutenant-Governor Daniel-- From England with H.M.S. CALCUTTA and OCEAN to form a penal settlement at Port Phillip. Deciding that the place was unfit for settlement they proceeded to Tasmania, where all were killed at Hobart Town. 1803-4.

Colonists-- Landed at the De Grey River, and settled on country found by F. Gregory. 1863.

Cook, Captain James-- In the ENDEAVOUR, landed at Botany Bay; carefully surveyed the east coast to Cape York, naming nearly all the principal capes and bays. At Possession Island he formally took possession of the continent, in the name of King George the Third, under the name of New South Wales. 1770.

Cox-- Completed road over Blue Mountains to Bathurst. 1815.

Crozet, Captain-- With Captain Marion du Fresne, in the ships MASCARIN and CASTRES to Tasmania, the first visitors after Tasman. Thence to New Zealand, where they were murdered by the Maories. 1772.

Curry, Captain-- With Major Ovens, to Lake George; discovered Monaroo Plains and the Morumbidgee. 1823.

Cunningham, Allan-- Found "Pandora's Pass"--a practical stock route to Liverpool Plains. 1823.

Journeying by way of Pandora's Pass, which he had before discovered, examined the tableland to the north of Bathurst. 1825.

To Darling Downs--one of his most, eventful trips. Discovers the Darling Downs, the Dumaresque, Gwydir, and Condamine Rivers, &c. 1827.

Accompanied by Charles Fraser, proceeded by sea to Moreton Bay, and connected the settlement with the Darling Downs by way of Cunningham's Gap. 1828.

His last expedition. Explores the source of the Brisbane River. 1829.

Died in Sydney. 1839. [See Appendix.]

Cunningham, E.-- And Messrs. Somer, Stenhouse, Allingharn and Miles explore the Upper Burdekin, and discover good pastoral country on the many tributaries of that river. 1860.

Cunningham, Richard-- Botanist (brother to Allan Cunningham), accompanied Sir Thomas Mitchell's second expedition. While still on the outskirts of settlement, leaving the party on some scientific quest, he lost his way, and was never again seen. A long search was made for him, and eventually his fate was ascertained from the blacks. [See Appendix.] 1833.

"Cygnet" (The)-- With Dampier and crew of buccaneers, visited the northwest coast of New Holland. 1688.

Dale-- From the Upper Swan River, Western Australia. Followed up the Avon. 1830.

Dalrymple, G. E.-- Penetrated the coast country north of Rockhampton, and discovered the main tributaries of the Lower Burdekin, the Bowen, and Bogie Rivers. 1859.

Ascending the coast range, reached the upper waters of the Burdekin, and discovered the Valley of Lagoons, west of Rockingham Bay. 1862.

Daly-- A convict afterwards hanged for burglary; instigated the first gold prospecting party in Australia. Having broken up a pair of brass buckles, he mixed the fragments with sand and stones, and presented it as specimens of ore he had found. 1789.

Dampier, Captain William-- The first Englishman to land in New Holland. He visited the north-west coast in the CYGNET, with a crew of buccaneers. 1688.

In charge of the ROEBUCK, sent by the English Government to explore the northwest coast; visited the archipelago that now bears his name. 1699.

Dawes, Lieutenant-- With Tench and Morgan explore south and west of Rose Hill. 1790.

Crossed the Nepean. 1789.

"De Brak," "Zeemeuw," and "Limmen"-- Commanded by Abel Janz Tasman, surveyed a great portion of the north and north-west coasts of New Holland. 1644.

De Lissa and Hardwicke-- Explore from Fowler's Bay to the edge of the Great Victorian Desert. 1862.

Delft, Martin Van-- With the ships VOSSENBACH, WAYER, and NOVA HOLLANDIA, to investigate the west coast. This was the last voyage of exploration undertaken by the Dutch, and closes the early discovery of New Holland. 1705.

D'Entrecasteaux, Admiral Bruni-- With the ships RECHERCHÉ and L'ESPERANCE, left Brest to seek La Perouse, anchored on the south coast of Australia. 1792.

"Descobierta" (The), and "Etrevida"-- Spanish discovery ships, under Don Alexander Malaspina, at Sydney. 1793.

Dillon, Captain-- In the RESEARCH, on the south coast. 1826.

Dirk Hartog, Captain-- In command of the ship ENDRACHT, from Amsterdam, discovered the west coast of New Holland. He left a tin plate, with an inscription, on an island in Dirk Hartog's Roads, which was afterwards found by Vlaming, in 1697, who added another inscription. In 1801, the boatswain of the NATURALISTE found the plate, and Captain Hamelin had it replaced on another post; but in 18ig AI. L. de Freycinet, while on his voyage round the world, took it home with him, and placed it in the Museum of the Institute, Paris. 1616.

"Discovery" (The) and "Chatham"-- Under Captain George Vancouver, on the south-west coast and King George's Sound. 1791.

Dixon, Christopher-- In the ship ELLEGOOD, visited King George's Sound, leaving on a sheet of copper the name of his vessel and date of visit, which was found in 1801 by Flinders. 1800.

Dixon, Surveyor-- On the Bogan. 1833.

"Duke and Duchess" (The)-- Under Captain John Hayes, visited Tasmania, and renamed the discoveries of D'Entrecasteaux. 1794.

Duperry, Captain-- In LA COQUILLE, voyaged amongst the Line Islands. 1822-24.

D'Urville, Captain Dumont-- With the ASTROLABE, from Toulon, touched at Bass's Straits. 1826.

Dutton, C. W.-- With Miller; explored country back of Fowler's Bay 1857.

"Duyfhen" (The)-- Yacht from Bantam. Her commander (name unknown) unwittingly crossed tile entrance of Torres Straits, sailed across the Gulf of Carpentaria, and turned back from Cape Keer-Weer (Turn Again), being in want of provisions. 1606.

Eredia, Manoel Godinho-- A Spaniard, claims an early discovery of New Holland, but it is doubtful. 1601.

Edels, John Van-- On the west coast. 1619.

Edwards, Captain Edward-- In search of the mutineers of the BOUNTY. Lost on the reefs, and reached Timor in boats. 1791.

"Ellegood" (The) Commanded by Christopher Dixon, visited King George's Sound. 1800.

"Endeavour" (The)-- Captain Cook's vessel when on his voyage of discovery to Australia. 1770.

Evans, Deputy-Surveyor-- Discovered the first Australian inland river. 1815.

Eyre, E. J.-- Port Phillip to Adelaide; discovered Lake Hindmarsh. 1838.

Left Port Lincoln on the western shore of Spencer's Gulf, to examine the country to the westward. Discovered Streaky Bay and Lake Torrens. 1839.

March round the Great Bight. 1840-41.

Favenc, Ernest-- In charge of the QUEENSLANDER Transcontinental Expedition, organised to discover the nature and value of the country in the neighbourhood of a then proposed line to Port Darwin, and the geographical features of the unknown portion. Leaving Blackall, the then most western settlement in Queensland, the party made Powell's Creek on the Overland Telegraph Line. Discovering the Corella Lagoon, Cresswell Creek, Sylvester, and De Burgh Creeks, etc. This expedition had the effect of opening up a great area of good pastoral country which is now stocked. 1878-1879.

Traced the heads of the rivers running into the Gulf of Carpentaria near the Queensland border, and in the following year took a more lengthened expedition across the coast range to the mouth of the Macarthur River. A large extent of valuable country was found in the basin drained by this river, and a fine permanent spring discovered. Followed this river down to salt water, then returned by another route to Daly Waters Telegraph Station. 1882-83.

Finnis, Colonel-- Formed settlement at Escape Cliffs. 1864.

Fitzgerald, Governor-- Western Australia. Accompanied by A. C. Gregory and party, proceeded to Champion Bay by sea, and thence inland to examine the new mineral discovery. On their return they had an affray with the natives, the Governor being speared in the leg. 1848.

Fitzroy, Captain R.-- In the BEAGLE, visited King George's Sound. 1829.

Flinders, Matthew-- With Bass in the TOM THUMB traced the coast from Sydney in 1795. And the following year in the same boat reached Port Hacking. 1796.

With Bass in the NORFOLK, discovered Bass's Straits. 1799.

In the NORFOLK, dispatched by Governor Hunter to explore the coast to the northward; reached Hervey Bay. 1799.

In command of the INVESTIGATOR and LADY NELSON, left England to examine the coasts of TERRA A USTRALIS. First sighted Australia at Cape Leeuwin. Examined the south and east coasts of Australia, and explored the Gulf of Carpentaria and the coast of Arnheim's Land. The INVESTIGATOR being then found unseaworthy, he returned to Port Jackson, after a visit to, Timor. For the purpose of procuring another vessel to continue the survey, he took passage for England with his officers and crew in the PORPOISE. Seven days after leaving Sydney, the vessel was wrecked on the Barrier Reef, and Flinders in an open boat made his way back to Sydney, a distance of seven hundred miles. Governor King gave him the CUMBERLAND, in which vessel he proceeded homeward, and on putting in to the Mauritius, he was there made prisoner by General de Caen, the French Governor, and detained in the Isle of France nearly seven years. Flinders' journal of his discoveries was published the day after his death. It was Flinders who suggested the name of Australia. 1801-1803.

"Fly" (The)-- Under command of Captain Blackwood, made a minute survey of the Great Barrier, and continued the survey of Captains Wickharn and Stokes. 1842-45.

Forrest, Alexander-- Took charge of a private expedition, in search of new pastoral country. 1871.

Led an expedition from De Grey River to the telegraph line, striking Daly Waters. A most successful trip; finding some of the most valuable country in the northern part of Western Australia; which has since been stocked with both cattle and sheep, and large mineral wealth has been developed. 1879.

Forrest, John-- First expedition, Lake Barlee. Not Successful in finding good available country, but obtained a reliable survey of a great deal of country hitherto unknown. 1869.

Accompanied by his brother, made a journey from Perth to Adelaide by way of the Great Bight, not traversed since Eyre's celebrated march; and was able to give a more impartial verdict of the country, travelling, as he did, with larger facilities. His report showed that the fringe of gloomy thicket was only confined to the coast. Beyond, he found fine pastoral country. 1870.

With his brother, Alexander Forrest, started from the furthest outside station on the Murchison, and made a successful trip to Peak Station, on the overland telegraph line. With nothing but pack-horses, crossed the middle of the continent, where the very heart of the terrible desert is supposed to exist, taking his men, and most of his horses, in safety; concluding one of the most valuable journeys on record. 1874.

Fort Wellington-- At Raffles Bay. Founded 1826; abandoned 1829.

Frazer, Charles-- The botanist who accompanied Captain Stirling in H.M.S. Success during survey of coast from King George's Sound to the Swan River. 1828.

Freeling, Colonel-- Surveyor-General of South Australia. Sent to verify Goyder's reports on Blanche Water and Lake Torrens, and found that the principal features of Goyder's reports were the results of mirage. 1857.

Fremantle, Captain-- Hoisted the British Flag at Fremantle. 1829.

Fresne, Captain Marion du-- With Captain Crozet in the MASCARIN and CASTRES, from Nance to Tasmania--the first visitors after Tasman. Thence to New Zealand, where they were murdered by the Maories. 1772.

Freycinet, L. de-- In L'URANIE, saw Edels' Land, Shark's Bay, and landed at Sydney. 1817.

Frome, Captain-- Surveyor-General of South Australia. Made some explorations in the neighbourhood of Lake Torrens. 1843.

Furneaux, Captain Tobias-- With the ADVENTURE, accompanied Cook on his second voyage in search of the Southern Continent. Separated from Cook, and afterwards, when they met, gave his opinion that Tasmania and New South Wales were joined with a deep bay intervening. This opinion Cook thought sufficient to prevent a further examination by himself being necessary. 1772.

Gawler, Colonel-- Governor of South Australia. Made an excursion to the Murray. He was accompanied by Captain Sturt (Surveyor-General), Miss Gawler, and Mrs. Sturt, but it is to be presumed Miss Gawler and Mrs, Sturt accompanied the party but a short distance. 1839.

"Geelvink" (The)-- (See Vlaming.)

Gibson-- Died when out with Ernest Giles' second expedition. Scene of his death named "Gibson's Desert." 1873.

Gilbert-- The naturalist accompanying Leichhardt's first expedition. Killed by the blacks at the head of the Gulf of Carpentaria. 1845.

Giles, Ernest-- Starting from Chamber's Pillar, South Australia, made a journey to the westward, but was stopped by a large dry salt lake. He named it Lake Amadens. He returned, having traversed a great deal of country before unknown. 1872.

Left on his second trip, starting from the Alberga, that flows into Lake Eyre, travelling north-west. Made many determined attempts to cross the spinifex desert, but returned unsuccessful. One of the party, Gibson, died, and several horses. The scene of Gibson's death is now marked as Gibson's Desert. 1873.

With an equipment of camels, made his third and successful attempt to reach Western Australia, but, from want of water, no knowledge of the country was obtained beyond their immediate track. Giles then retraced his steps to the overland line, following a track to the north of Forrests route, by way of the Murchison, and crossed over to the Ashburton. Then striking south of east he came to his former track of 1873, at the Alfred and Marie Range--the range he had so vainly tried to reach when the man Gibson met his death. Finally arrived at Peak Station. 1875-76.

Gonneville, Paulmier De-- Visited the south seas, and is claimed by the French to have landed on New Holland. 1503.

Gosse, W. C.-- In charge of the Central and Western Exploring Expedition. Left Alice Springs, on the overland telegraph line, with the intention of reaching Perth, having a mixed equipment of camels and horses. After many attempts to penetrate westward, Gosse was obliged to return, the heat of the weather and the dryness of the country rendering it useless to think of risking his party with any hope of success. 1873.

Gould, Captain-- On the south coast, near Port Lincoln, 1827-28.

Goyder, G. W.-- Deputy Surveyor-General of South Australia. Gave a most glowing account of Blanche Water, and the country around Lake Torrens. Subsequently Colonel Freeling discovered that Goyder had been misled by a mirage. 1857.

In the Great Bight, to the north of Fowler's Bay. Found nothing but mallee scrub and spinifex. 1862.

Selected Port Darwin as a suitable site for a township, and removed to that place the settlement from Escape Cliffs. 1865.

Grant, James-- In LADY NELSON, the first vessel to pass through Bass's Straits, and verified Bass's examination. 1801.

Gray, Charles-- One of the members of Burke and Wills' expedition. (See Burke.) 1860-61.

Gregory, Frank-- Reached the long-sought Gascoyne, and followed it to Shark's Bay. Followed the Murchison down to the Geraldine mine, finding good pastoral country, and well watered. This was a much needed encouragement to the colony. 1858.

In charge of party, left Perth in the DOLPHIN for Nickol Bay, on the north-west coast, to land their horses and commence the trip. Discover the Fortescue, the Hammersley Range, and the Ashburton, which was traced upwards through a large extent of good pastoral country. Named the De Grey and Oakover rivers. The stigma of desolation was now partially removed by the discoveries of this expedition. 1861.

Gregory, A. C.-- Accompanied by his two brothers. Their first expedition in Western Australia; travelled through a large extent of salt swampy country, entering the salt lake region, until they reached a range of granite hills forming the watershed of the coast streams. After several disappointments, turned to the westward to examine rivers discovered by Grey. On the head of one of these (the Arrowsmith) they found a seam of coal; and returned to Bolgart Springs. 1846.

With party to explore the Gascoyne. Found a galena lode on the Murchison. 1848.

With Baron Von Mueller, the celebrated botanist, and his brother, H. C. Gregory. North Australian expedition in search of Leichhardt. Proceed north to follow the Victoria. Reached the head of that stream, and discovered Sturt's Creek and the Elsey. Crossing the head waters of the Limmen Bight River, skirted the Gulf for some distance south of Leichhardt's track, crossing the rivers that he did, only higher up on their courses. Greatly disappointed with the Plains of Promise--so named by Captain Stokes. 1855.

Barcoo expedition to trace the course of Leichhardt's party. Confirmation of the supposed identity of the Barcoo and Cooper's Creek. No fresh discoveries were made, but the second great inland river system was evolved. 1858.

Grey, Lieutenant-- Explorations on the west coast. 1837.

Grey, Lieutenant, and Lushington (Second in Command)-- Expedition to verify the existence or not of the large river supposed to find its way into the sea at Dampier's Archipelago. This expedition originated in England. Found the Glenelg, and discovered cave drawings. 1838.

(Afterwards Governor of South Australia), Started on his second expedition from the west coast. Encountering great troubles Grey had to push on to Perth and send back a relief party. A party under Lieutenant Roe, after some trouble in tracking the erratic wanderings of the unfortunates, came upon them hopelessly gazing at a point of rocks that stopped their march along the beach, too weak to climb it. They had been three days without fresh water, and Smith, a lad of eighteen, was dead. [See Appendix.] Grey claims the discovery of the Gascoyne, Murchison, Hutt, Bower, Buller, Chapman, Greenough, Irwin, Arrowsmith, and Smith Rivers. 1839.

Grimes, Surveyor-General-- Accompanied Lieutenant Murray when Port Phillip was discovered, and surveyed it. 1802.

"Gulde Zeepard"-- Under command of Captain Pieter Nuyts, touched on the south coast. 1627.

Hack, Stephen-- With Miller examined Gawler Range, and sighted Lake Gairdner. 1857.

Hacking, Quarter-master-- Attempted to cross the Blue Mountains. Reached the foot of the range. 1794 and 1798.

Hamelin, Captain-- With commander Baudin, in the French ships NATURALISTE and GÉOGRAPHE, exploring the coasts of Australia. 1801-2.

Hann, William-- A pioneer squatter of Queensland, led an expedition, equipped by the Queensland Government, to make an examination as 'far north as the fourteenth parallel, with a special view to its mineral and other resources. Naming the Walsh, the party crossed the upper part of the Mitchell River, and thence to the river they named the Palmer. Here Warner, the surveyor, found prospects of gold, which resulted in the discovery of one of the richest goldfields in Australia. 1872.

Harper-- With Messrs. Dempster and Clarkson in Western Australia, explored from the settled districts as far as Mount Kennedy. 1861.

Hartog, Captain Dirk-- In the ENDRACHT, from Amsterdam. Discovered the west coast of New Holland. (See Dirk Hartog, 1616.)

Harvey and Ross-- Explorations around Charlotte Waters, South Australia. 1877.

Hawkesbury River-- Discovered. 1789.

Hawson, Captain-- In company with some other gentlemen, made a short excursion from Port Lincoln, finding good, well-grassed country, and an abundance of water. They named Rossitur Vale and the Mississippi. 1840.

Hay-- Discovered the Denmark River, and explored the country back of Parry's Inlet. 1829.

Hayes, Captain John-- With the DUKE AND DUCHESS, visited Tasmania, renaming the discoveries of D'Entrecasteaux. 1794.

Hedley, G.-- Accompanied the QUEENSLANDER Transcontinental Expedition, led by Ernest Favenc, from Blackall to Powell's Creek, overland telegraph line. 1878-79.

"Heemskirk" (The)-- Under command of Abel Janz Tasman, when he discovered Van Dieman's Land, and took possession of New Holland. 1642.

Hely, Hovenden-- In charge of search party for Leichhardt. 1852.

Henty, Brothers-- Formed settlement in Portland Bay. 1835.

Hergott-- One of M'Dowall Stuart's second expedition. Discovered Hergott Springs, 1859.

Hesse and Gellibrand-- Murdered by the natives while exploring the Cape Otway country. 1837.

Hindmarsh, Captain Sir John-- In H.M.S. BUFFALO founded Adelaide. 1836.

Hobson, Captain-- (Afterwards the first Governor of New Zealand.) In H.M.S. RATTLESNAKE; surveyed and named Hobson's Bay. 1836.

Hodgkinson, W. O.-- Commanded expedition sent by the Queensland Government to decide the amount of pastoral country existing to the Westward of the Diamantina River. Mr. Hodgkinson had been one of M'Kinlay's party when that explorer traversed the continent. This was the last exploring expedition sent out by the South Australian Government, 1876.

"Hormuzeer" and "Chesterfield"-- Under command Matthew B. Alt; through Torres Straits. 1793.

Horrocks, J. A.-- Died, soon after start of his expedition, at head of Spencer's Gulf. 1843.

Hovell, W. H.-- With H. Hume, across to Port Phillip; made the first successful trip from the eastern to the southern coast. The first white men to see the Australian Alps. 1824.

Howitt, A. W.-- In charge of relief party for Burke and Wills. King, the only survivor, found. Howitt was eventually sent back to disinter the remains of the explorers, and bring them to Melbourne, where they received a public funeral, and a statue was erected to their memory. 1861.

Hulkes and Oakden-- West side of Lake Torrens. 1851.

Hume, Hamilton-- And his brother, John Kennedy Hume, explored the country round Berrima. The first Australian born explorer. 1814.

With Meehan, surveyor. Discovered Lake George, Lake Bathurst, and Goulburn Plains. 1817.

With Messrs. Oxley and Meehan to Jarvis Bay. 1819.

With Hovell, across to Port Phillip. 1824.

Accompanied Charles Sturt on his first expedition to trace the source of the Macquarie. 1828-9.

Hunt, C. C.-- With Mr. Ridley to the De Grey River. 1863.

Jansen, Gerrit-- In command of the ZEEHAAN, and Abel Janz Tasman in the HEEMSKIRK, discovered Van Dieman's Land. Afterwards took possession of New Holland. 1642.

Jardine, A.-- Police Magistrate at Rockhampton; took command of the settlement at Cape York, Somerset. 1863.

Jardine, Frank, and Alexander Jardine-- Overland with cattle from Carpentaria Downs Stationthen the farthest occupied country to the north-west--to Somerset. Cross the head of the Batavia River, probably the first white men on it since the old Dutch visits. 1864-65.

Johnson, Lieutenant, R.N.-- In the cutter SNAPPER, sent in search of Captain Stewart Discovered the Clyde River. 1820.

Kayzer, E. A.-- Second in charge, also surveyor and mineralogist, of the North-West Expedition, led by W.O. Hodgkinson. 1876.

Kennedy, E. B.-- Led an expedition to decide final course of Mitchell's, Barcoo (Victoria). Instead of finding on the Victoria a highway to the Gulf, they lost it in marshes. Follow the Warrego through fine grazing country. Named the Thompson. 1847.

Fatal venture up Cape York Peninsula. 1848.

Kindur, The-- A mysterious river in the unknown interior, supposed to run north-west. A runaway convict, named Clarke, brought up the story first. He said he had heard of it from the natives, so determined to make his escape and follow it, to see if it would lead him to another country. He started on his adventurous trip and said he followed the river to the sea. When at the mouth of the river he ascended a hill, and seaward saw an island inhabited, the natives told him, by copper-coloured men, who came in their canoes to the mainland for scented wood. He introduced various details of large plains which he had crossed, and a large burning mountain, but as he saw no prospect of getting away from Australia, he returned. Surveyor Mitchell took charge of an expedition to investigate the truth of his story. 1831.

King, Captain Phillip P.-- (Son of Governor King) In the MERMAID; sailed from Sydney accompanied by Mr. Allan Cunningham, botanist. His mission was to explore those portions of the coast left unvisited by previous navigators. Sailing by Cape Leeuwin, King examined the west and north-west coast, sailing from the north coast to Timor to refit. 1818. In 1819 he surveyed the lately-discovered Port Macquarie and visited Van Dieman's Land. Leaving Port Jackson, Captain King returned to the scene of his labours by way of the east coast, crossed the Gulf of Carpentaria and discovered Cambridge Gulf. In 1820 he left Port Jackson for his third voyage to the north coast; examined minutely the north-west coast. The MERMAID having sprung a leak, for the safety of the crew, Captain King had to return to Sydney. A brig was purchased, and rechristened the BATHURST. After surveying the north-west and west coast--and 'naming Dampier's Archipelago, Cygnet Bay, and Roebuck Bay, after Dampier and his vessels--he sailed to the Mauritius to refit. Returning to New Holland, he continued the survey of King George's Sound and the west coast. This concluded Captain King's fourth and last voyage round the Australian coast. 1817-20.

King, John-- The only survivor of Burke and Wills' party. Rescued by Edwin J. Welch, second in command of A. W. Howitt's relief party. 1861.

La Place, Captain-- From Toulon, visited Hobart Town and New Zealand. 1829.

Landor and Lefroy-- In Western Australia. 1843.

Landsborough, William-- Leader of the Queensland search party for Burke and Wills. journey by sea to the mouth of the Albert River, in the Gulf of Carpentaria. After exploring the country to the south, and discovering some rivers and many tributary creeks, Landsborough returned to the depôt on the Albert and heard tidings of Walker's relief party. He determined then to return overland instead of by sea. Making for the Flinders, by way of the Leichhardt, was rewarded, on following up the river, by being the discoverer of the beautiful downs country through which it runs. From thence to Bowen Downs, discovered by himself and Buchanan two years previously. The party finally proceeded to Melbourne. 1861-62.

Takes charge of the new township of Burketown, in the Gulf of Carpentaria. 1863.

Lawson, Lieutenant William-- With Wentworth and Blaxland, succeeded in crossing the Blue Mountains. 1813.

Lawson, Lieutenant William, and Scott-- Attempted to reach Liverpool Plains. Discovered the Goulburn River. 1822.

"Leeuwin" (The) (Lioness). Commander unknown-- Visited the west coast and named the Houtman Abrolhos reef after a Dutch navigator of distinction. 1622.

Lefroy (and Party)-- Eastward of York, Western Australia; finding valuable pastoral and agricultural land. 1863.

Leichhardt, Ludwig-- Left Jimbour Station, on the Darling Downs, in charge of an expedition to Port Essington, in the Gulf of Carpentaria. Gilbert, the naturalist accompanying the party, killed by the blacks. 1844-45.

Last expedition, with the intention of crossing the continent, from Mitchell's Victoria (Barcoo) River to Perth. 1848.

Leslie, Patrick-- Considered the father of settlement on the Darling Downs. Settled on the Condamine, 1840.

"L'Esperance" (The) and "Recherche"-- With Admiral Bruni D'Entrecasteaux, to seek La Perouse. Anchored on the south coast. 1792

Lewis, J.W.-- Took charge of an expedition, sent by the Governor of South Australia, to determine the channels, directions and size of the many rivers that flowed from Queensland through South Australia into Lake Eyre. 1875.

Light, Colonel-- Surveyed the shores of St. Vincent's Gulf and site of the present town of Adelaide. 1836.

"Limmen" (The) "Zeemeuw," and "De Brak"-- Under command of Abel Janz Tasman. 1644.

Lindsay, David-- Sent by the South Australian Government to complete the exploration of Arnheim's Land. On the whole the country passed over was favourable for settlement some of it being first class sugar country. 1883.

Lockyer, Major-- Made a boat excursion up the Brisbane River. 1825.

Founded King George's Sound, which was abandoned in 1830 in favour of the Swan River colony. 1826

Macdonald, J. G.-- With a small party, visited the Plains of Promise. Discovered a more practicable route for cattle and sheep to the magnificent western pastoral lands on the Flinders. 1865.

Macfarlane, Thomas-- Attempted to get inland north of the Bight, but was forced to turn back after suffering great hardship. He found fairly-grassed country, but waterless. 1863.

Magalhaens-- A Portuguese navigator in the service of the Emperor of Spain, claims having touched on the Great South Landthese claims are based on the authority of an ancient map. 1520.

Malaspina, Don Alexandro-- In the DESCOBIERTA and ATREVIDA, Spanish discovery ships, arrived at Sydney; was imprisoned on his return to Calais. 1793.

"Mauritius" (The)-- Commanded by Captain Zeachern, touched on the west coast; discovered and named the Wilhelm's River, near the North-West Cape, probably the present Ashburton. 1818.

Meehan, Surveyor-- With Hume, discovers Lake George, Lake Bathurst, and Goulburn Plains. 1817.

With Messrs. Oxley and Hume to Jarvis Bay. 1819.

Melville Island-- Settled, 1824. Abandoned, 1829.

Miller-- With C. W. Dutton, explored the country back of Fowler's Bay. 1857.

Mitchell, Major (Sir Thomas)-- Took charge of an expedition to trace the supposed Kindur. Discovered the Drummond Range, and worked out the courses of the rivers discovered by Oxley and Cunningham. 1831-2.

Accompanied by Richard Cunningham (brother to Allan Cunningham), started with his second expedition. This was more of a connecting survey than exploring the unknown. 1833.

Explores Australia Felix. 1836.

Barcoo Expedition. This was the last expedition of the Surveyor-General, and fully confirmed his reputation. 1845-46.

Died near Sydney. 1855.

Moreton Bay-- Penal settlement. 1824.

Morgan-- With Messrs. Tench and Dawes, explored south and west of Rose Hill. Discovered the Nepean River. 1790.

Mueller, Baron Von-- Engaged in exploring some of the still unknown portions of the south for botanical and geographical researches combined. 1847.

With A. C. Gregory's North Australian expedition. Discovery of Sturt's Creek. 1855-56.

Murray, Lieutenant John-- Succeeded James Grant in the LADY NELSON, discovered Port Phillip, and made a further exploration of Bass's Straits. 1802.

M'Cluer, John-- Sailed along Arnheim's Land to Cape Van Dieman. 1791.

M'Donnell, Sir Richard Graves-- Governor of South Australia; made explorations to the Strangways and Loddon Springs, and up the Murray River to Mount Murchison. 1858.

M'Kinlay, J.-- On the Alligator, searching for suitable site for township. His last expedition. 1864.

M'Kinlay, John-- Started from Adelaide with a relief party in search of Burke and Wills. His trip across the continent did much to dispel the stigma that rested upon the tract known as desert, and unfit for pastoral occupation. 1861.

Died at Gawler, in South Australia. 1874.

M'Intyre, Duncan-- From Paroo to the Gulf of Carpentaria. Found and buried the bodies of two unfortunate pioneers, Messrs. Curlewis and M'Culloch. They had been murdered in their sleep by the natives. 1864.

Took command of a search expedition for Leichhardt, organised by the ladies of Victoria, but when in the Gulf of Carpentaria died of malarial fever. 1865.

M'Millan, Angus-- Finds his way through the Snowy Mountains on the search for country. Discovers a river running through fine grazing plains and forest. This territory was called Gipps Land. The rivers discovered by him were afterwards re-named by Count Strzelecki, and retained, whilst those given by the real discoverer were forgotten. 1840.

M'Minn, Gilbert, and A. W. Sergison-- Equipped by the South Australian Government, to ascertain the course of the Katherine. 1876.

M'Phee-- Explorations east of Daly Waters. May be said to have concluded the list of expeditions between the overland telegraph line and the Queensland border. 1883.

Neilson, J. and Brothers-- From Mount Ranken, on the Darling, to Cooper's Creek, in search of pastoral country. 1861.

Nares, Sir George Strong-- Commander of H.M.S. SALAMANDER, surveyed the east and north-eastern part of Australia and Torres Straits. 1866-7.

Nuyts, Captain Pieter-- In the GULDE ZEEPARD. Accidentally touched on the south coast. Followed it for about seven or eight hundred miles, and gave to it the name of Pieter Nuyts' Land, 1627.

Oakden and Hulkes-- To the west of Lake Torrens. 1851.

Overlanders-- "The first overlanders with stock from Sydney side to Port Phillip were Messrs. Ebden (afterwards treasurer), Joe Hawdon, Gardener (of Gardener's Creek), and Captain Hepburn. This was in 1837, one year before Mr. Mackinnon arrived in the colonies. In 1838 Captain Hepburn made a second overland trip, starting from Braidwood, New South Wales, with sheep purchased from Captain Coghill of that place, and in January same year (1838), Mr. Gardener started on second trip with 460 head of cattle purchased from my father, the late Dr. Reid. of Inverary Park, in Argyle; delivery of same made by myself at Yass end of January month. This trip with Mr. Gardener so far imbued me with the love for adventure that I followed with stock the June following, and formed stations on the Ovens River, near where the town of Wangaratta now stands. The first overlanders with stock to Adelaide were Joe Hawdon and Eyre, the latter afterwards celebrated as an explorer. Well can I remember the excitement caused by the then so-called race, who should be first to Adelaide, Hawdon or Eyre, but Hawdon was too good a bushman for Eyre and had more experience, and was a better judge of the season (it was a dry one). Hawdon wisely followed the course of the Murray right to Lake Alexandrina, and consequently had food and water in abundance. Eyre crossed from Goulburn to go over the Wimmera Plains--no doubt a shorter way had the season been propitious, but as it turned out dry he had to retrace his steps, and follow the track of friend Hawdon. Hawdon by this time had a long start, and arrived in Adelaide two weeks before Eyre, and had his stock disposed of. I may remark very few of us overlanders are now left, but should this meet the eye of any such of 1837 and 1838, I make no doubt they will remember the facts above stated."--Extract from "Answers to Correspondents," from Mr. David Reid, Moorwatha, Victoria, in the AUSTRALASIAN, May 4th, 1888.

Orr, John (and party)-- Expedition through Gippsland. Confirmed the previous glowing reports. 1841.

Ovens, Major-- With Captain Curry, started on an exploring trip south of Lake George. Discovered Morumbidgee River and Monaroo Plains. 1823.

Oxley, John-- With Lieutenant Charles Robbins, in the cutter INTEGRITY, examined Western Port, with a view to settlement; opinion unfavourable. 1804-5.

Surveyor-General of New South Wales. Second in command, Mr. Evans. Accompanied by Mr. Allan Cunningham, King's botanist, and Charles Fraser, Colonial botanist, William Parr, mineralogist, eight men, and two boats, for the purpose of tracing the Lachlan and Macquarie. Return in 1817. The following year again started, discovering the Castlereagh River, Liverpool Plains, Apsley River, and the Goulburn Valley. Following down the River Hastings, they discovered and named Port Macquarie. 1817-18.

Accompanied by Messrs. Meehan and Hume, made a short excursion to Jarvis Bay. Oxley returned by sea his companions overland. 1819.

In the MERMAID with Messrs. Uniacke and Lieutenant Stirling, left Port Jackson to investigate the coast north of Sydney, with the view of forming a penal settlement. They examine Port Curtis, Port Bowen, and Moreton Bay. Discovered the Boyne and Brisbane Rivers. 1823.

Died near Sydney, 1828. He had been a successful explorer, although in no case attaining the objects aimed at, had always brought his men through in safety, and had opened up vast tracts of country. [See Appendix.]

O'Donnell and Carr Boyd-- From the overland telegraph line to Western Australia, finding good country, but no new geographical discovery. 1883.

O'Donnell (and party)-- From the Katherine Telegraph Station, overland telegraph line to Western Australia. 1884-5.

Parry, S.-- Government Surveyor, examined the country round Lake Torrens. 1858.

Paterson, Colonel-- Intending if possible to cross the Blue Mountains, rowed up the Hawkesbury, and named the highest point reached "The Grose." 1793.

Pelsart, Francis-- In the BATAVIA. Wrecked on Houtman's Abrolhos. 1629.

"Pera" (The) and "Arnheim"-- Yachts commanded by Captain Jan Carstens, touched on the north coast. Pera Head in the Gulf of Carpentaria a memorial of this visit. 1623.

Perouse, Jean Francois Galup de La-- At Botany Bay with the ASTROLABE and BOUSSOLE. 1778.

Phillip, Governor-- Arrived at Botany Bay with the first fleet. 1788.

Pool, Captain Gerrit Tomaz-- In the KLYN, AMSTERDAM, and WEZEL, from Banda, was murdered on the New Guinea coast--the same spot where Captain Carstens met his death. The supercargo continued the voyage, re-visiting Arnheim's Land. 1636.

Poole-- Second in command in Sturt's Great Central Desert expedition died of scurvy; and was buried at Depôt Glen. 1845.

Port Essington-- Founded by Sir Gordon Bremer, 1824, and re-settled, 1838.

Portlock, Captain, Nathan, and Captain Bligh-- In the PROVIDENCE AND ASSISTANT. Through Torres Straits. 1792.

Portuguese-- The claim to the discovery of New Holland in 1540 is doubtful.

Prout Bros.-- With one man started out from South Australia looking for country across the Queensland border. They never returned. Some months afterwards some of their horses and the bones of one of the brothers were discovered by Mr. W. J. H. Carr Boyd. It was evident, from the fragments of a diary found, that they had met their death by thirst on their homeward way. 1878.

Quiros, Pedro Fernandez de-- Being second in command to Luis Vaez de Torres sailed from Callao with two wellarmed vessels and a corvette. After minor discoveries came to a land supposed by Quiros to be the continent they were in search of, and named it Australia del Espiritu Santo. 1606.

Ranken, John C. L.-- One of the Queensland pioneers. Following closely after the explorers he formed a station upon the Isaacs, and afterwards took up Afton Downs, on the Flinders. He then with a party struck north-west, and crossed the unmarked boundary of South Australia, and finally formed stations on the head of the Herbert River. 1857-70.

Receveur, Father le-- Died at Botany Bay while with La Perouse in the ASTROLABE. Feb. 17th, 1778.

"Recherche" (The) and "L'Esperance"-- Under command of Admiral Bruni D'Entrecasteaux, in search of the fate of La Perouse, anchored on the south coast of Australia, 1792.

"Research" (The)-- Under command Captain Dillon; on the south coast 1826.

Ridley and 0. C. Hunt-- To the De Grey River. 1863.

Robbins, Lieutenant Charles, and John Oxley-- In the cutter INTEGRITY, examined Western Port, with a view to settlement. Opinion unfavourable. 1804-5.

"Roebuck" (The)-- Under William Dampier, sent out by the English Government, visited the west coast of New Holland. 1688.

Roe, Surveyor-General-- Started from York; reached the Pallinup, the last stream crossed by Eyre before reaching Albany on his Great Bight expedition. After suffering great hardships, arrived at Russell Range, from there returning to Perth. 1848-49.

Roggentier, Commodore-- Started for New Holland. Discovered the Thousand Islands. 1721.

Ross and Son-- With an equipment of camels and horses, started from the neighbourhood of Peake Station, on the overland telegraph line, to endeavour to cross the desert, but were obliged to return; a second effort being alike unsuccessful. 1874.

Ross and Harvey-- Explorations around Charlotte Waters, South Australia. 1877.

Russell, Stuart and Sydenham-- Followed the Condamine for a hundred miles from below Jimbour, the northernmost station on a Darling Downs Creek; an extensive tract of rich grazing country found; since known by the name then bestowed on it--Cecil Plains. 1841.

Russell, Stuart-- Journeyed from Moreton Bay to Wide Bay in a boat, and made an examination of some of the streams there emptying into the sea. During the same year Stuart Russell explored the country from Wide Bay to the Boyne (not Oxley's Boyne) and opened up much available pastoral country. 1842.

Saunders, Philip, and Adam, John-- Accompanied by a third man, successfully crossed from Roeburne, in Western Australia, to the overland telegraph line. 1876.

Scarr, Frank (Surveyor)-- Attempted to cross the line to the south of N. Buchanan's track, but was prevented by the waterless strip of country existing there. Finally made north, arriving at Tennant's Creek Station, and, owing to the dry season, did not extend his researches further. 1878.

Scott and Lieutenant Lawson-- Attempted to reach the Liverpool Plains. Discovered the Goulburn River. 1822.

Sergison, A. W., and Gilbert M'Minn-- Sent by the South Australian Government to ascertain the course of the Katherine River. 1876.

Sergison, A. W., and R. Travers-- Explored the country about the Daly and Fitzmaurice Rivers. 1877.

Shortland, Lieutenant-- With three ships, from Sydney to England, passed through Bougainville's Strait, north-west coast. 1788.

Discovered Hunter River. 1797.

Solander, Dr.-- Swedish botanist. Accompanied Captain Cook in the ENDEAVOUR. 1770.

Somerset-- Settlement at Cape York. Mr. Jardine, Police Magistrate at Rockhampton, took command, and a detachment of marines was stationed there. 1863.

Stewart, Captain-- Sent by Governor Macquarie to search for a passage supposed to exist between Lake Bathurst and the sea. He lost his boat in Twofold Bay, and on endeavouring to reach Sydney overland, was cut off by the natives. 1820.

Stirling, Captain-- Accompanied by Charles Frazer, in H.M.S. SUCCESS, surveyed coast from King George's Sound to the Swan River. 1828.

Stock, Edwin (and party)-- West of Lake Eyre. 1857.

Stockdale, Harry-- Started on an expedition from Cambridge Gulf to explore the country in the neighbourhood with a view to settlement. Landed by steamer in Cambridge Gulf, and probably the first landing that had taken place since Captain Stokes. After a hard struggle, reached the telegraph line with one man; sending back relief to the others. 1884.

Stokes, Captain John Lort-- Took command of the BEAGLE on retirement of Captain T. C. Wickham, and continued the survey, which completed our geographical knowledge of the Australian coast. The survey continued from 1837 to 1845.

Strzelecki, Count-- Followed on M'Millan's tracks when he discovered Gipps Land, and has often been erroneously considered the discoverer. The object of this trip was to gather material for his now well-known book, "The Physical Description of New South Wales, Victoria, and Van Dieman's Land." He mounted the Alps, and named one of the highest peaks Kosciusko, from its fancied resemblance to the patriot's tomb at Cracow. 1840.

Stuart, J. M'Dowall-- First expedition west of Lake Torrens. 1858.

Made another start, discovering Hergott Springs and the Neale. His horses' shoes having given out he returned, remembering the misery he suffered on his first expedition from the want of them. 1859.

Left on his third expedition, in the vicinity of Lake Eyre, reached the centre of Australia and named a tolerable high mount Central Mount Stuart. Christened the Murchison Range and Tennant's Creek, but failed to reach the head waters of the Victoria owing to a dry strip of country. 1861.

Last expedition. Crossed the continent from shore to shore, from the south coast to the north. His health never recovered the hardships endured on this journey. 1861-62.

Died in England. 1869.

Sturt, Captain Charles (39th Regiment)-- First expedition, accompanied by H. Hume, to find the course of the Macquarie, that had baffled Oxley. Discovered the Darling, New Year's Creek (Bogan). 1828-29.

Started on his Murrumbidgee expedition. Sailed down the Murray. Found its confluence with the Darling, and followed the united streams to the lake that terminated the Murray. 1829-30.

Great Central Desert expedition, Poole second in command, M'Dowall Stuart as draftsman. 1844-45. His last expedition.

Sutherland, Captain-- On a sealing voyage, visited Port Lincoln. 181 g.

Swinden, Charles-- With others looking for pastoral country west of Lake Eyre. 1857.

Tasman, Abel Janz-- In command of the HEEMSKIRK, and Gerrit Jansen, with the NEEHAAN, discovered Van Dieman's Land. Afterwards took possession of New Holland. 1642.

With the LIMMEN, ZEEMEUW, and DE BRAK. After his discovery of Van Dieman's Land undertook this second expedition to determine, if possible, whether Nova Guinea and New Holland were one continent; also, if Tasmania joined one or the other. His journal has never been found, but an outline copy of his chart was inlaid in the floor of the Groote Zaal in the Stadhuys in Amsterdam. Many of the names still retained in the Gulf of Carpentaria are memorials of his visit. 1644.

Tench, Captain-- Crossed the Nepean. 1789.

With Dawes and Morgan explored south-west of Rose Hill. 1790.

Testu, Guillaume Le-- Claims to early discovery of Australia, based upon a map now in the Depôt de la Guerre, at Paris, bearing his name and the date. 1542.

Thompson D. (and party)-- West of Lake Eyre searching for pastoral country. 1857.

Torres, Luis Vaez de-- With Pedro Fernandez de Quiros, sailed round Cape York and discovered Torres Straits. 1606.

Travers, R-- With A. W. Sergison, explored the country about the Daly and Fitzmaurice Rivers. 1877.

Vancouver, Captain George-- In the DISCOVERY and CHATHAM, explored the south-west coast, and discovered and named King George's Sound. 1791.

"Vergulde Draeck" (The)-- From Batavia. Lost on Houtman's Abrolhos. 1656.

Vlaming, William de-- Came to the South Land in search of the RIDDERSCHAP, a vessel supposed to have been wrecked on the coast of New Holland. He found and named the Swan River. At Dirk Hartog's Roads he found the plate left by Hartog, and added to it another inscription. After careful examination of the coast as far as North-West Cape, left for Batavia with his ships the GEELVINK, NYPTANGH, and WEZELTJE. 1695.

"Vossenbach" "Wayer", and "Nova Hollandia"-- Under command of Martin Von Delft. Sent to investigate the north coast. The last voyage of discovery by the Dutch. 1705.

Walker, Frederick-- The leader of the Rockhampton search party for and Wills. Pushed through from the Barcoo to the depôt found on the Gilbert. Fresh provisioned, they returned and reached the Lower Burdekin well nigh horseless, and quite starving. 1861-62.

Examining the country at the back of Rockingham Bay, and marking a telegraph line from there to the mouth of the Norman River, in the Gulf of Carpentaria. 1864.

Warburton, Major-- Investigated the country west of Lake Torrens. 1857.

Superseded Babbage. This trip established the definite size and shape of Lake Torrens, so long the terror of the north, preventing advancement. 1858.

Led an expedition to cross from the overland telegraph line to Perth. The expedition was fitted out with camels, but owing to their constant delays provisions fell short and sickness came. Warburton determined to push through the desert country he had got into, and travelled chiefly at night. Being too much occupied in pressing through, had no time to look at the country on either side. Thus it was all pronounced desert, and of seventeen camels only two survived, the starving party being obliged to slaughter some for food. 1873.

Welch, Edwin J.-- Surveyor and second in command of A. W. Howitt's relief party for Burke and Wills. Found King, the only survivor of Burke and Wills' expedition. Since the death of his companion, King had been existing for nearly three months with the blacks. 1861. [See Appendix.]

Wentworth, Charles-- With Messrs. Lawson and Blaxland, succeeded in crossing the Blue Mountains. 1813.

Wickham, Captain John Clements-- Commander of the BEAGLE. Retired through ill-health. 1841. Succeeded by Captain J. L. Stokes. Left England 1837 to continue the survey of the coasts of Australia, and so minutely examined the shores that the outline of the continent was perfectly complete. The survey continued from 1837 to 1841.

Wills, William John-- Surveyor and astronomer on Burke and Wills' expedition (See Burke.) 1860-61.

Winnecke and Barclay-- Two surveyors dispatched by the South Australian Government in 1878 to reach the Queensland border from the overland telegraph line, it being a matter of moment to settle the position of the border line between the two colonies. Another attempt in 1880 proved successful. 1878-80.

Witt, Willem de-- In the VIANEN, sighted the north-west coast and reported (see De Witt) it "a foul and barren shore, green fields, and very wild, barbarous inhabitants." 1628.

Zeachern, Captain-- In the MAURITIUS, claims to have discovered Arnheim's Land. 1618.

"Zeehaan" (The)-- Under command of Captain Gerrit Jansen, accompanied by Abel Janz Tasman in the HEEMSKIRK. Discovered Van Dieman's Land, and took possession of New Holland. 1642.

"Zeemeuw," "Limmen," and "De Brak"-- Under Abel Janz Tasman. 1644.

"Zeewyck" (The)-- Lost on Houtman's Abrolhos. In 1839 Captain Stokes found a gun and other relics of this vessel on one of the islands. 1727.

Zouch, Lieutenant (N.S.W. Mounted Police)-- Sent in command of party to arrest the natives who murdered Richard Cunningham, the botanist to Sir Thomas Mitchell's expedition. 1835. [See Appendix.]

CHRONOLOGICAL SUMMARY.

1503--De Gonneville visited the South Seas, and is claimed by the French to have touched on Australia.

1520--Magalhaens, the first circumnavigator, claims to have discovered Australia. (Doubtful.)

1540--The Portuguese claims to early discovery of Australia are doubtful.

1542--Guillaume le Testu. Claims based on a map now in the Depôt de la Guerre, at Paris, indicating Australia.

1601--Manoel Godinho de Eredia, a Spaniard. (Claim doubtful.)

1606--The DUYFHEN entered the Gulf of Carpentaria as far as Cape Keer-Weer (Turn Again).

1606--Luis Vaez de Torres, with Pedro Fernandez de Quiros, discovered Torres Straits.

1616--Dirk Hartog, in the ENDRACHT, visited the west coast.

1618--Zeachern, in the MAURITIUS, discovered Arnheim's Land.

1619--John Van Edels on the west coast.

1622--The Landt van de Leeuwin, south-west cape of Australia, named after the ship LEEUWIN.

1623--Jan Carstens, with the yachts PERA and ARNHEIM; on the south-west coast.

1627--Pieter Nuyts, in the GULDE ZEEPARD; western and southern coasts.

1628--Willem de Witt, the VIANEN; north-west coast named after him.

1628--Pieter Carpenter discovered the Gulf of Carpentaria.

1629--Francis Pelsart, in the BATAVIA; lost on Houtman's Albrolhos.

1636--Gerrit Tomaz Pool, with the KLYN, AMSTERDAM, and WEZEL; coast of Arnheim's Land.

1642--Abel Janz Tasman and Gerrit Jansen, with the HEEMSKIRK and ZEEHAAN; discovered Van Dieman's Land, and took possession of New Holland.

1644--Abel Janz Tasman, with the LIMMEN, ZEEMEUW, and DE BRAK west coasts of Carpentaria.

1656--The VERGULDE DRAECK lost on Houtman's Albrohos.

1688--William Dampier, in the BACHELOR'S DELIGHT and CYGNET, with crews of buccaneers.

1695--William de Vlaming, with the GEELVINK, NYPTANGH, and WEZELTJE, named the Swan River.

1699--William Dampier, in the ROEBUCK; north-west coast of New Holland.

1705--Martin Van Delft, with the VOSSENBACH, WAYER, and NOVA HOLLANDIA; on the west coast. This was the last voyage of discovery by the Dutch.

1721--Commodore Roggewein started for New Holland; discovered the "Thousand Islands."

1727--The ZEEWYCK lost off Houtman's Abrolhos. In 1839, Captain Stokes found a gun and other relics of this visit on an island.

1768--De Bougainville discovered the Louisade Archipelago.

1770--Captain James Cook, in the ENDEAVOUR; landed at Botany Bay; explored the east coast, and took possession under the name of New South Wales.

1772--Captain Marion du Fresne and Captain Crozet, from Nance, in the MASCARIN and CASTRES to Tasmania. The first visitors after Tasman. From thence they sailed to New Zealand, where they were murdered by the Maories.

1772--Captain Tobias Furneaux, with the ADVENTURE; accompanied Captain Cook on his second voyage in search of Australia. Separated from the ENDEAVOUR, and afterwards, when he met Cook, gave as his opinion that Tasmania and New South Wales were joined, with a deep bay intervening. This opinion Cook thought sufficient to prevent the necessity of a further examination by himself.

1777--De St. Alouarn anchored near Cape Leeuwin.

1788--Father le Receveur, naturalist; died at Botany Bay, while with La Perouse in the ASTROLABE.

1788--Lieutenant Shortland, with three ships from Sydney to England passed through Bougainville's Strait, north-west coast.

1788--Governor Phillip arrived in Botany Bay with the first fleet.

1788--Jean Francois Galup de la Perouse at Botany Bay.

1789--Hawkesbury discovered.

1789--Tench discovered the Nepean.

1790--Messrs. Tench, Dawes, and Morgan explore south and west of Rose Hill.

1791--Captain George Vancouver, in the DISCOVERY and CHATHAM, explored the south-west coast, and discovered King George's Sound.

1791--Captain William Bligh passed Cape York in the BOUNTY'S launch.

1791--Captain Edward Edwards, in search of the mutineers of the BOUNTY, wrecked on a reef.

1791--Captain John M'Cluer sailed along Arnheim's Land to Cape Van Dieman.

1792--Admiral Bruni D'Entrecasteaux in the RECHERCHE and L'ESPERANCE; to seek La Perouse.

1792--Captains William Bligh and Portlock, in the PROVIDENCE and ASSISTANT; examined Torres Straits.

1793--Matthew B. Alt and William Bampton, in the ships HORMUZEER and CHESTERFIELD; through Torres Straits.

1793--Colonel Paterson rowed up the Hawkesbury, and named the Grose.

1793--Don Alexandro Malaspina, with the DESCOBIERTA and ATREVIDA, Spanish discovery ships, arrived at Sydney. Was imprisoned on his return to Calais.

1794--John Hayes, with the DUKE and DUCHESS; visited Tasmania re-named the discoveries of D'Entrecasteaux.

1794--Quarter-master Hacking attempted to cross the Blue Mountains.

1795-96--Dr. George Bass and Matthew Flinders in the TOM THUMB.

1796--Lieutenant Bowen visited Jarvis Bay.

1796-97--Dr. George Bass; on the Blue Mountains.

1797-Dr.--George Bass's whaleboat survey of the coast to the southward.

1797--Lieutenant Shortland discovered the Hunter River.

1798--Dr. George Bass and Matthew Flinders, in the NORFOLK; discovered Bass's Straits.

1798--Quarter-master Hacking revisits the Blue Mountains.

1799--Matthew Flinders, in the NORFOLK; to Glass-House and Hervey Bays.

1800--Christopher Dixon, in the ship ELLEGOOD; visited King George's Sound.

1801--James Grant, in the LADY NELSON; examined Bass's Straits and verified Bass's discovery.

1801--Ensign Barraillier; attempted exploration of the Blue Mountains.

1801-2--Matthew Flinders, in the INVESTIGATOR; prosecuted his survey of the coasts of Australia.

1801-2--Captains Baudin and Hamelin, with the French ships NATURALISTE and GÉOGRAPHE; on the Australian coasts.

1802--Lieut. John Murray and Surveyor Grimes, in the LADY NELSON discovered and surveyed Port Phillip.

1803--George Cayley, botanist; attempt to discover pass over the Blue Mountains.

1803--Lieutenant-Governor Daniel Collins, from England, in H.M.S. CALCUTTA, to form a penal settlement at Port Phillip, accompanied by the transport OCEAN. Landed the settlement at "The Sisters," and finally decided that Port Phillip was unfit to meet the requirements of settlement. They proceeded to Tasmania, where they were all murdered at Hobart Town.

1804-5--Lieutenant Charles Robbins and John Oxley, in the cutter INTEGRITY; examined Western Port with a view to settlement; opinion unfavourable.

1813--Messrs. Wentworth, Lawson, and Blaxland succeeded in crossing the Blue Mountains.

1814--Hamilton Hume, with his brother; explored the country round Berrima. His first trip.

1815--Deputy-Surveyor Evans discovered the first Australian inland river, the Macquarie.

1815--Cox finished a road over the Blue Mountains

1817--L. de Freycinet, in L'URANIE, touched at Sydney and Shark's Bay.

1817-20--Captain Phillip P. King, with Allan Cunningham, botanist, in the cutter MERMAID; survey of the Australian coasts.

1817--Messrs. Meehan and Hume; discovered Lake George, Lake Bathurst, and Goulburn Plains.

1817-19--John Oxley, Surveyor-General of New South Wales; Lachlan and Macquarie expeditions.

1819--Surveyor-General Oxley, accompanied by Messrs. Meehan and Hume to Jarvis Bay.

1819--Captain Sutherland, on a sailing voyage, visited Port Lincoln.

1820--Captain Stewart sent by Governor Macquarie with a small party in a boat to search for a passage supposed to exist between Lake Bathurst and the sea. He lost his boat in Twofold Bay, and on endeavouring to reach Sydney overland was cut off by the natives.

1821-22--Captain Phillip P. King, in the BATHURST; continues the survey.

1822--Messrs. Lawson and Scott attempted to reach Liverpool Plains; discover the Goulburn River.

1822-24--Captain Duperry in LA COQUILLE; voyage amongst the Line Islands

1823--Captain Currie and Major Ovens on the Murrumbidgee

1823--Allan Cunningham found Pandora's Pass; a good stock route to the Liverpool Plains.

1823--Surveyor-General Oxley investigated Port Curtis, Port Bowen and Moreton Bay. Discovered the Brisbane River.

1824--Sir Gordon Bremer, in the TAMAR; to Port Essington.

1824--Melville Island settled

1824--Hamilton Hume and W. H. Hovell journey overland to Port Phillip.

1824--Penal settlement at Moreton Bay.

1825--Allan Cunningham north of Bathurst.

1825--Major Lockyer made a boat excursion up the Brisbane River.

1826--Captain Dillon, in the RESEARCH, on the west coast,

1826--Major Lockyer, founded King George's Sound settlement.

1826--Captain Dumont D'Urville, in the ASTROLABE, from touched at Bass's Strait.

1826--Fort Wellington and Raffles Bay founded.

1827-28--Captain Gould on the south coast, near Port Lincoln.

1827--Allan Cunningham discovers the Darling Downs, the Dumaresque, Gwydir and Condamine Rivers, etc.

1828--Allan Cunningham, accompanied by Charles Frazer, botanist connected the Moreton Bay settlement, with the Darling Downs by way of Cunningham's Gap.

1828--Captain James Stirling, accompanied by Charles Frazer, in H.M.S. SUCCESS; surveyed the coast of King George's Sound to the Swan River.

1828--Surveyor-General Oxley died near Sydney.

1828-29--Captain Charles Sturt's first expedition; discovered New Year's Creek (now the Bogan) and the Darling.

1829--Hay explored the country back of Parry's Inlet and discovered the Denmark River.

1829--Captain Fremantle hoisted the British flag at Fremantle.

1829--Captain la Place, from Toulon; visited Hobart Town and New Zealand.

1829--Captain R. Fitzroy, in the BEAGLE; visited King George's Sound.

1829--Fort Wellington and north coast settlement abandoned.

1829--Allan Cunningham explored the source of the Brisbane River his last expedition.

1839-30--Captain Charles Sturt's Murrumbidgee expedition; sailed down the Murray.

1830--Dale from the upper Swan River followed up the Avon.

1831--Major Bannister crossed from Perth to King George's Sound.

1831-32--Sir Thomas Mitchell; Kindur expedition.

1832--Captain C. Barker murdered at Lake Alexandrina by the blacks.

1833--Surveyor Dixon on the Bogan.

1833--Sir Thomas Mitchell on the Namoi.

1833--Richard Cunningham, botanist, brother to Allan Cunningham, murdered by the blacks while with Sir Thomas Mitchell's expedition.

1835--E. Henty and brother formed a settlement in Portland Bay.

1836--John Batman landed at Port Phillip, and became a permanent settler there.

1836--Captain Sir John Hindmarsh founded Adelaide; first Governor of South Australia.

1836--Colonel Light surveyed the shores of St. Vincent's Gulf, and selected site of present city of Adelaide.

1836--Captain Hobson (afterwards Governor of New Zealand), in H.M.S RATTLESNAKE; surveyed and named Hobson's Bay.

1836--Sir Thomas Mitchell's expedition through Australia Felix.

1837--Captain George Grey (afterwards Governor of South Australia), with Lieutenant Lushington; explorations on north-west coast.

1837-Messrs. Hesse and Gellibrand, while exploring Cape Otway country, were murdered by the blacks.

1837-45--Captains Wickham and Stokes, in the BEAGLE, surveyed the coasts of Australia, completing the geographical knowledge of the shores of the continent.

1838--E. J. Eyre; Port Phillip to Adelaide; discovered Like Hindmarsh.

1838--Sir Gordon Bremer re-settled Port Essington.

1839--Captain George Grey; second expedition; Western Australia.

1839--Schooner CHAMPION examined the west coast for navigable rivers.

1839--George Hamilton and party overland from Sydney to Melbourne. (See Overlanders, page 454 [in Index of Names])

1839--Governor Gawler, South Australia; made an excursion to the Murray.

1839--E. J. Eyre to the head of Spencer's Gulf and Lake Torrens, Port Lincoln, and Streaky Bay.

1839--Allan Cunningham died in Sydney.

1840--Angus M'Millan discovered Gippsland.

1840--Patrick Leslie, called the father of Darling Downs settlement; settled on the Condamine.

1840-41--E. J. Eyre travelled the Great Bight to King George's Sound.

1841--John Orr and party explored Gippsland.

1841--Stuart and Sydenham Russell form Cecil Plains Station.

1841--Dr. Edward Barker, Edward Hobson, and Albert Brodribb were the first to walk from Melbourne to Gippsland. The present road follows their track.

1842--Stuart Russell discovered Boyne River; journeyed from Moreton to Wide Bay in a boat.

1842-45--Captain Blackwood, in the FLY; continued the surveys of Captains Wickham and Stokes; and made a minute examination of the Great Barrier Reef.

1843--Count Paul von Strzelecki followed M'Millan's tracks when he discovered Gippsland.

1843--Captain Frome, Surveyor-General of South Australia; explorations in the neighbourhood of Lake Torrens.

1843--Messrs. Landor and Lefroy; exploration in Western Australia.

1843--J. A. Horracks was killed by the explosion of his gun at the head of Spencer's Gulf soon after the start of his expedition.

1844--45-Captain Charles Sturt; Great Central Desert expedition.

1844-45--Dr. Ludwig Leichhardt; first expedition, from Jimbour Station, Darling Downs, to Port Essington; Gilbert, the naturalist, killed by natives.

1845-46--Sir Thomas Mitchell; Barcoo expedition.

1846--Dr. Ludwig Leichhardt's second expedition.

1846--A. C. Gregory and brothers; first expedition in Western Australia.

1847--E. Kennedy; to decide the final course of the Victoria, named the Thompson.

1847--Baron Von Mueller; expeditions, for botanical and geographical researches combined, in South Australia and the Australian Alps.

1848--Dr. Ludwig Leichhardt's last expedition.

1848--E. Kennedy's fatal venture up Cape York Peninsula.

1848--A. C. Gregory, with party, explore the Gascoyne.

1848--Governor Fitzgerald, of Western Australia; examined the new mineral discovery, accompanied by A. C. Gregory, and named the Geraldine Aline.

1848-49--J. S. Roe, Surveyor-General of Western Australia; from York to Esperance Bay.

1851--Messrs. Oakden and Hulkes; on west side of Lake Torrens.

1852--Hovenden Hely, in charge of search party for Leichhardt; from Darling Downs.

1854--R. Austin, Assistant Surveyor-General of Western Australia; in search of pastoral country, and to examine the interior for auriferous deposits.

1855--Sir Thomas Mitchell died near Sydney.

1855-56--A. C. Gregory and Baron von Mueller North Australian expedition, in search of Leichhardt; discover Sturt's Creek and the Elsey.

1855--B. H. Babbage; to examine country north and east of Adelaide for gold. In a second expedition the same year discovered Blanche Water.

1857--Campbell and party; west of Lake Torrens; and again, with party, looking for pastoral country west of Lake Eyre.

1857--G. W. Goyder, Deputy Surveyor-General of South Australia, to examine and survey the country about Blanche Water.

1857--Colonel Freeling, Surveyor-General of South Australia, sent to verify Goyder's report; decided that Goyder had been misled by a mirage.

1857--Stephen Hack, with Mr. Miller; examined Gawler Range and sighted Lake Gairdner.

1857--Major Warburton crossed Stephen Hack's track.

1857--Messrs. Miller and Dutton explored country back of Fowler's Bay.

1858--Sir Richard G. M'Donnel; exploration to Strangways and Loddon Springs; also up the River Murray to Mount Murchison.

1858--B. H. Babbage; third expedition from Adelaide; superseded by Major Warburton.

1858--Major Warburton, continued the expedition started by B. 11. Babbage. This trip established the definite size and shape of Lake Torrens.

1858--S. Parry, Government Surveyor, South Australia; an expedition round Lake Torrens, Lake Gregory, and Blanche Water.

1858--Frank Gregory reached the Gascoyne; discovered Mount Augustus and Mount Gould.

1858--A. C. Gregory; Barcoo expedition to search for trace of the course of Leichhardt's party. Confirmation of the supposed identity of the Barcoo and Cooper's Creek.

1858--J. M'Dowall Stuart; first expedition.

1859--J. M'Dowall Stuart; second expedition; one of his party, Hergott, discovered and named Hergott Springs.

1859--George E. Dalrymple, discovered main tributaries of the Lower Burdekin, Bowen, and Bogie Rivers.

1860--Edward Cunningham and party explored the Upper Burdekin.

1861--J. Neilson and brothers; in search of pastoral country; from Mount Ranken on the Darling to Cooper's Creek.

1860-61--Burke and Wills' expedition; death of Burke, Wills, and Gray.

1861--J. M'Dowall Stuart's third expedition; he crossed the continent after two attempts.

1861--Frank Gregory discovered the Hammersley Range, Fortescue, Ashburton, De Grey, and Oakover Rivers.

1861--Messrs. Dempster and Clarkson; Western Australia; explorations to the eastward.

1861-62--William Landsborough, in search of Burke and Wills.

1861-62--Frederick Walker, leader of the Rockhampton expedition in search of Burke and Wills.

1861--Alfred Howitt, in charge of Victorian search party for Burke and Wills.

1861--Edwin J. Welch, second in command of Howitt's search party, found King, only survivor of the Burke and Wills expedition.

1861-622.--John M'Kinlay with a relief party for Burke and Wills, from Adelaide.

1862--G. W. Goyder; explorations in the Great Bight.

1862--George E. Dalrymple on the waters of the Upper Burdekin.

1862--Messrs, Delisser and Hardwicke explore from Fowler's Bay to the edge of the Victorian Desert.

1863--Thomas Macfarlane attempted to push inland north of the Great Bight.

1863--Messrs. H. M. Lefroy and party; eastward of York, Western Australia.

1863--C. C. Hunt and Ridley to the De Grey River.

1863--Colonists landed at the De Grey River, and settled on country discovered by Frank Gregory.

1863--Jardine, sen., formed the settlement of Somerset, Cape York.

1863--William Landsborough; in charge of the new township, Burketown, Gulf of Carpentaria.

1864-65--Jardine Brothers; overland to Somerset, on the west coast of Cape York.

1864--Colonel Finnis formed a settlement at Escape Cliffs.

1864--J. M'Kinlay on the Alligator River; searching for suitable site for a township; his last expedition.

1864--Duncan M'Intyre; from Paroo to the Gulf of Carpentaria; died there.

1864--C. C. Hunt; exploration east of York, Western Australia.

1865--G. W. Goyder; removed settlement of Escape Cliffs to Port Darwin.

1865--J. G. Macdonald; visited the Plains of Promise.

1864--Frederick Walker; marking a telegraph line from the back of Rockingham Bay to the Norman River, Gulf of Carpentaria.

1866-7--Sir George Strong Nares, in command of H.M.S. SALAMANDER; surveyed the eastern and north-eastern coasts of Australia and Torres Straits.

1869--John Forrest; first expedition to Lake Barlee.

1869--J. M'Dowall Stuart; died in England.

1870--John Forrest; travelled the Great Bight, from Perth to Adelaide.

1871--A. Forrest; took charge of a private expedition in search of new pastoral country.

1872--J. W. Lewis; round Lake Eyre to the Queensland border.

1872--Ernest Giles; first expedition; discovered Lake Amadeus--a large, dry, salt lake.

1872--William Hann; explorations to Charlotte Bay.

1873--Ernest Giles; second trip; death of Gibson; Gibson's Desert named.

1873--Major Warburton; crossed from Alice Springs, overland telegraph line, to the Oakover River, Western Australia.

1873--W. C. Gosse; in charge of Central and Western Exploration expedition from Alice Springs.

1874--Ross and son started from Peake Station, but failed in their endeavours to bridge the desert.

1874--John Forrest; from the Murchison to the overland telegraph line.

1874--John M'Kinlay; died at Gawler, South Australia.

1875--J. W. Lewis, formerly one of Warburton's party, and W. Beresford, were sent by the South Australian Government to survey the country about Lake Eyre.

1875-76--Ernest Giles; third and successful effort to reach Western Australia; returned to Peake Station.

1876--Gilbert M'Minn, and A. W. Sergison; to ascertain the course of the Katherine River.

1877--A. W. Sergison and R. Travers explored the country round the Daly and Fitzmaurice Rivers.

1877--Ross and Harvey; explorations in South Australia.

1876--W. 0. Hodgkinson; north-west expedition to the Diamantina and Mulligan.

1876--Phillip Saunders and Adam Johns; from Roeburn, Western Australia, to the overland telegraph line.

1878--Prout Brothers; looking for country across the Queensland border; never returned.

1878--N. Buchanan; excursion to the overland telegraph line, from Queensland border. Discovered Buchanan's Creek.

1878--Frank Scarr, surveyor, attempted to cross the line south of Buchanan's track; prevented by waterless belt of country; made north to Tennant's Creek Station.

1878-79--Ernest Favenc; in charge of the QUEENSLANDER Transcontinental Expedition, from Blackall to Powell's Creek Station, overland telegraph line.

1879--Alexander Forrest led an expedition from the De Grey River, Western Australia, to the overland telegraph line; discovered the Ord and Margaret Rivers.

1878-80--Winnecke and Barclay, surveyors; to determine the border lines of Queensland and South Australia.

1882-83--Ernest Favenc; coast rivers of the Gulf, particularly the Macarthur; then crossed to the overland telegraph line.

1883--O'Donnel and Carr Boyd; from the overland telegraph line to Kimberley District, Western Australia.

1883--M'Phee; east of Daly Waters.

1883--David Lindsay; explored Arnheim's Land.

1884-85--Harry Stockdale; from Cambridge Gulf to the Katherine Telegraph Station, overland telegraph line.

1884-5--Messrs. O'Donnel and party; from the Katherine Telegraph Station to the Kimberley District.

1888--Ernest Favenc; to examine the country on the Gascoyne and Murchison, starting from Geraldton, Western Australia.

The End