Your obedient servant,
(Signed) W.H. NORMAN, Commander.
Lieutenant C.C. Gascoyne.
...
H.M.C.S. Victoria, off Albert River, 9th February 1862.
Sir,
In accordance with your instructions of 7th February 1862 I proceeded up
the Albert River with Mr. Landsborough and have the honour to forward the
following report of my proceedings, namely:
I left the ship 7th February at 1.10 p.m., the cutter and whale-boat
being placed in my charge to assist in crossing the horses and stores
belonging to the Exploring Expedition, and bring down to the ship our
party from the Albert River depot.
We had a north-easterly breeze on leaving the ship which carried us up as
far as the saltwater arm, arriving there at 6.10 p.m., when the boats'
crews went to supper; left there at 7 p.m., perfectly calm; arrived at
the Firefly at 1.10 a.m.
Saturday 8th February.
At 5 a.m. (the weather looking very threatening) Mr. Landsborough sent
out for the horses, which were brought in at 7.30 a.m.; it was then
raining heavily, attended by thunder and lightning. At 8 o'clock I
started with two of the black boys to drive the horses to the place for
crossing, having sent the two boats round with lines as guess warps for
hauling the boats to and fro. We succeeded in getting all of them,
twenty-one in number, on the eastern shore by about 10 a.m., after which
we got the stores across and pitched Mr. Landsborough's tents for him to
keep them dry, as it had to all appearances set in for a wet day. I then
got the provisions and stores (20 pounds biscuits, 250 pounds flour, nine
half-pound canisters F.G. powder, two boxes percussion caps) placed in
one of the tanks. I then had the tops of the tanks secured and covered
with pitch and afterwards earth. Buried a bottle containing directions
relative to the foregoing, close to a tree which I had marked thus: DIG 2
feet north, which tree being on the verge of a waterhole, close to the
camp, must attract attention. At 8.45 p.m. we all left the Firefly. I put
Mr. Landsborough and his party, consisting of Mr. F. Bourne, William
Leeson (groom) and three black boys, onto the opposite shore, bringing
Mr. H.N. Campbell and a black boy down to the ship, arriving on board at
1.15 p.m. on the 9th February.