Part 17

May it please your Excellency, it affords me much grateful satisfaction to receive this watch, which the Royal Geographical Society of London has been pleased to present to me in recognition of my services during the late Victorian Exploring Expedition, and particularly to the lamented Mr. Burke in his last moments. In these particulars, your Excellency, I consider that I simply did my duty--a duty that I would perform over again if I were similarly placed. (Applause.) Still it is a source of grateful satisfaction to me to know that our achievement has been properly appreciated by the British Government and the great scientific bodies, and also that my humble services have been appreciated by the Royal Geographical Society, and by His Grace the Duke of Newcastle. I beg, through your Excellency, most respectfully to thank His Grace and the Royal Geographical Society for their recognition of my services. Such recognition will always convince me that no man under this or any government will do his duty without meeting his reward. (Great applause.)

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His Excellency then introduced Mr. Landsborough to the meeting, and intimated that that gentleman would give a narrative of his expedition. His Excellency also introduced two aboriginals who had accompanied Mr. Landsborough from Carpentaria.

Mr. Landsborough said he had much pleasure in meeting the Royal Society and he was much gratified with the reception that had been accorded him. His expedition had been the second to cross the continent of Australia from Carpentaria, and he had been fortunate in finding a good road. Through the liberality of the Royal Society he had a first rate outfit at Brisbane. Unfortunately the transport Firefly, which conveyed himself and party from Brisbane, was wrecked on Hardy's Island. However, a few days afterwards, they were relieved by Captain Norman of the Victoria. Through the exertions of Captain Norman, his officers, and crew the Firefly was towed off the reef and the horses were reshipped and taken on to Carpentaria. It had been supposed hitherto that the Albert River was not a good place for landing horses; but the Firefly, a vessel of 200 tons, went twenty miles up that river and the horses were landed without difficulty, in fact they walked ashore. He was delighted to find so fine a country. He had had twenty years experience of Australia, and he had never seen better country for stock than he found on the shores of the Gulf of Carpentaria. His mission was to search for Burke and his companions, but he could not shut his eyes to the fact that there was a fine country before them, and that country lying idle--a country, which through the exertions of Burke and his companions, had been opened to the world. (Hear.) The pastoral interest was a great interest still in Australia; and he held it to be a great pity that the stock of the country should be boiled down for tallow when Australia is the finest country in the world for growing wool. He hoped that the discoveries made through the instrumentality of the Royal Society would tend to prevent this. He would now point out the route which he took in search of Burke and his party. In his first expedition he proceeded in the direction of Central Mount Stuart, with the view of trying to discover whether Burke had gone on Stuart's route; he succeeded in travelling about 210 miles, the first 100 of which he followed up a running stream, but after leaving its source he lost much time from the scarcity of water; for this reason, and the precious loss of time caused by the wreck of the Firefly, he deemed it prudent to return to the depot; this course was adopted with much regret, as the wet season had commenced, a continuance of which for two or three weeks would probably have enabled him to have pursued the route originally intended in search of the traces of Burke. His first impression regarding the stream referred to was that it was created by rain, but as it was evident that no rain had fallen for months he concluded that this idea was incorrect. He afterwards discovered that it owed its source to springs of a kind which he had never before met with, the stream from which, near its source in the valley of the Gregory River, was sufficiently powerful to turn a large mill wheel. On his route back to the depot he found that this stream, at a point distant from Carpentaria about 80 miles, divided into two branches, one of which flowed into the Nicholson River, and the other into the Albert. As an evidence of the superior quality of the country through which he passed on his expedition to the south-west he might mention that the horses travelled as well as if they had been stable fed. He had travelled in Queensland and New South Wales and had never found horses stand work as well as those horses did at Carpentaria. On returning to the depot he and his party rested for three weeks and again started to find the tracks of Burke and his companions. They had heard that tracks had been seen by Mr. Walker on the Flinders River, they tried to follow Walker's tracks to the Flinders, but although he had preceded them only by about two months, his tracks could not be followed, owing to the rain which had fallen. They proceeded to the Flinders, but they could find no traces of Burke. They followed up the river for about 280 miles through a magnificent country. When they reached this point they left the Flinders, and in less than twenty miles further got to the watershed of the Thomson, one of the main heads of the Cooper River. When they had proceeded about 100 miles down the valley of the Thomson they found a tree which had been marked by a companion of Landsborough's in a former expedition several years before, which he was glad to be able to show, as a proof of his knowledge of the country, to the members of his party who knew nothing of him till about a week or ten days before he started on the expedition. Having followed down the valley of the Thomson, through fine country, from the tree referred to to a point within 270 miles of Burke's depot at Cooper's River; they were most desirous to have gone to that place but their supplies were very limited, and the blacks had repeatedly told them through Jemmy, one of the party, who understood their language, that they had not seen any exploring parties with camels. They therefore deemed it the better plan to strike across, about 50 miles, to the Barcoo, the main head of the Cooper River. This they accordingly did, and then proceeded to the Warrego, which they followed down till they struck the Darling. On reaching settled country they were very sorry to hear of the melancholy fate of Burke, Wills, and Gray. They were hospitably received by the settlers, but the season was dry and their horses fared much worse in the settled districts than in crossing from the Gulf of Carpentaria to the Darling. In conclusion Mr. Landsborough expressed his acknowledgments for the warm reception which had been accorded to him and his willingness to answer any questions that might be put to him.

In reply to questions:

Mr. Landsborough said he thought the Flinders River was about 500 miles long. The most elevated land on the Flinders appeared to be about 1000 to 1500 feet high. The climate of Carpentaria he believed to be very dry excepting in the months of January, February, March and April. The bed of the Flinders when he left it was 120 yards wide, with a shallow stream flowing along its surface. His party came through the country at a very favourable season of the year. Thunderstorms and rainy weather might be expected until the end of April, and sometimes as late as May. On the heads of the Gregory River the country was of a basaltic character; and on the Flinders there was abundance of quartz and ironbark country. He saw about 50 miles of the latter description of country and believed from his previous knowledge that it extended to the coast. The range dividing the Flinders from the Cooper River country he estimated to be from 1000 to 1500 feet high, while that which he crossed on his expedition to the south-west, though about the same height, was of quite a different character, being composed of a basalt different from any he had seen before. The slopes of the tableland were grassed with spinifex, which is almost worthless. All basaltic country he had seen previously in other parts of Australia was exceedingly well grassed.

He had no doubt that the rivers on the north side of Barkly's Tableland were supplied by springs. Barkly's Tableland divides the northern from the southern waters. He crossed it on his first expedition. He had never been to the west of the Thomson. Immediately after leaving the watershed of the Flinders he got onto that of the Thomson. On returning to the Albert from his expedition to the south-west he came to a river which he named O'Shanassy, which has long and deep reaches of water. In the waterholes on the southern side of Barkly's Tableland, which he followed down for seventy miles, he found plenty of fish, and his impression was that these fish came up from rivers farther to the south-west. It was the dry season when he was there, but he could see traces of water where it had spread for several miles across the country in the wet season. He had no doubt that, if he had been able to go farther down, he should have got to a large river.

Dr. Mueller observed that this seemed to augur well for any expeditions that might be undertaken from the south of the Gulf of Carpentaria to the south-west. He begged to ask whether, in following down the tributaries of the Thomson, Mr. Landsborough met with any traces of Dr. Leichhardt? It would appear from the information supplied by Mr. Walker that Leichhardt took the tributaries of the Thomson in order to be able to skirt the desert of Captain Sturt. Mr. Landsborough said he went from near Port Denison to the heads of the Thomson River some years ago, and the probability was, he thought, that Mr. Walker saw his tracks or those of Cornish and Buchanan, who had also gone from Rockhampton to the heads of the Thomson. The party of Mr. Peter McDonald (a Victorian) also went from Rockhampton to the southern side of the range several years ago. In his (Mr. Landsborough's) first expedition he endeavoured to find Leichhardt's tracks on the heads of the Thomson, but unsuccessfully.

Dr. Iffla asked whether Mr. Landsborough in the course of his brilliant journey across the country met with many bodies of natives, and whether they evinced a friendly or hostile disposition.

Mr. Landsborough did not admit that it was a brilliant journey. (Laughter.) He saw very few blacks. The largest number he saw at a time was about thirty. He saw no tracks of blacks and he could not imagine that they were numerous. He always avoided having much intercourse with the blacks. He seldom had any trouble with them until this expedition. On the Barcoo River a number of blacks who had previously appeared most friendly approached the camp in the middle of the night and, but for the watchfulness of Jemmy, might have knocked them on the head. They were driven away, but the next morning they appeared disposed to attack the party. Under those circumstances he was obliged to fire upon them. One volley and a few shots however were sufficient to get rid of them. He came upon the Flinders above the navigable point. The range which he crossed to the south-west of Carpentaria was a tableland, that between the Flinders and the Thomson consisted of a series of hills and mountains with passes between them, as Mr. Walker had described in his journal.

His Excellency inquired what were Mr. Landsborough's impressions and ideas of the shores of the Gulf of Carpentaria with reference to the settlement there of Europeans at any future time?

Mr. Landsborough replied that, although living in the open air and not having the best of food, the country agreed admirably with him. While his party and the crew of the Victoria were at Carpentaria there was very little sickness among them, nor was there fever and ague. The shores were very level. There was nothing that could be called a hill for 60 or 100 miles. Although a very dry country, there was rain for about three months in the year, and there were in some seasons large floods. He did not reach the Flinders River until two or three months after Walker's party, and he could not then find Burke's tracks. He considered he could not be expected to find them, since Mr. Walker, a gentleman whose great perseverance and bush experience were well-known, who was then two months before with a larger party than his and twice the equipment, could not follow them up. He could not even find Walker's tracks. He believed it was impossible for Burke and Wills to have gone within sight of the sea, because saltwater creeks spread all over the country for ten miles from the sea. This was his opinion from what he saw at the mouth of the Albert, and he had no doubt that the mouth of the Flinders was of the same character.

His Excellency said he was sure that they all felt very much obliged to Mr. Landsborough for the cheerful alacrity with which he had replied to all questions, and the amount of information about his journey which he had laid before the meeting. The remaining business on the paper would be postponed. He was afraid that a great many of those present were attracted to the meeting rather by the exploration information than the scientific papers announced to be brought forward. However this might be he would call upon them to give three hearty cheers for Mr. King and Mr. Landsborough.

The Society then adjourned.

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JOURNAL: LANDSBOROUGH'S EXPEDITION FROM CARPENTARIA TO VICTORIA.

In laying before our readers the whole of Mr. Landsborough's journal, descriptive of the country he passed over in crossing the continent, some explanatory notes respecting the vegetation, etc., may be found acceptable and they are therefore given at the end. We are indebted to Dr. Mueller for some of them.

The party consisted of:

Mr. W. Landsborough, leader. Mr. Bourne, second in command. Gleeson. Aboriginals: Jemmy, Fisherman, Jackey.

The party left Carpentaria on the 8th of February and arrived at Messrs. Williams' station on the Warrego River on the 21st of May--inclusive of both dates, 103 days. The total weight of provisions with which the party started was 1,279 pounds.

CONTINUATION OF THE JOURNAL OF W. LANDSBOROUGH, COMMANDER OF THE PARTY ORGANISED AT BRISBANE, TO SEARCH FROM THE ALBERT RIVER, GULF OF CARPENTARIA, FOR BURKE'S PARTY.

February 4 1862.

Since the 19th ultimo, the date of my arrival at the depot from the expedition to the south-west, I have been in constant expectation of a boat from H.M.C.S. Victoria. Late this evening I was glad to welcome the arrival of Lieutenant Gascoyne. The news he gave us of the death of Mr. Frost (who he told us had died by the accidental discharge of a gun) occasioned great regret.

February 5.

Having received an invitation from Lieutenant Gascoyne to accompany him to the Victoria I availed myself of it, and had a pleasant sail down the river and a short distance out to sea to where the vessel was stationed. We arrived late in the evening and had the pleasure of meeting Captain Norman and the officers.

February 6.

Today I had the good fortune to get Lieutenant Woods to assist me with my work. He made a beautiful tracing from the sketch I had made to show my route to the south-west. The sketch was made solely by dead reckoning. I wanted to take notes from Mr. Walker's journal and chart of his route from Rockhampton, but as he had told Captain Norman that no one was to be allowed to do so, I was not permitted to make them. Having agreed with Captain Norman to return to the depot tomorrow I was, having letters to write and preparations to make for the next expedition, in a continual bustle.

February 7.