Newcastle.
...
His Excellency (addressing John King) spoke as follows:
I feel, Mr. King, that it would be almost superfluous on my part to add
much to the encomiums passed upon you by such high authorities; and to
one so modest, as I know you are, I dare say it would be even painful if
I were to enter at any length upon a recital of the claims which I
consider you possess upon the gratitude and admiration of your fellow
colonists. (Hear, hear.) Gratifying as it must be to you--after the
liberal honours and rewards which the legislature and people of Victoria
have bestowed upon you--to receive this crowning mark of recognition of
your services from your fellow countrymen at home, I can quite conceive
that it would be more congenial to your own feelings if I had delivered
it to you in my own private room. Still I felt it to be a matter of duty,
on an occasion of this kind, to make the ceremony as public as possible,
not only in justice to yourself but for the sake of the example which
your conduct has afforded to all who may be placed in similarly trying
circumstances. I feel sure that, even if you entertained any idea of
surviving, nothing was further from your thoughts than any considerations
of glory or honour when you knelt by the side of the dying Burke to
receive his latest injunctions, or when you turned back to perform the
last sad offices for your departed comrade, Wills. You did your duty, I
am sure, simply because you felt it was your duty. A Christian, you knew
it was a privilege to minister to suffering humanity; a soldier, you
never dreamt of swerving from the unalterable fidelity which you knew you
owed your leader. (Applause.) In such a trying position as that in which
you were placed, with the bands of discipline relaxed, the instincts of
self-preservation have often led men to act selfishly. Others in your
position might have thought that, being stronger than the rest of the
party--able perhaps to pursue game, catch fish, or to pound nardoo--it
would have been consistent with duty to escape to the nearest settlement,
perhaps with the vague idea of sending back assistance to your comrades.
I feel satisfied that any thought of deserting never crossed your
mind--that you abandoned all desire to serve yourself alone, and that
they were determined to share the fate of your companions. The result has
proved that you acted rightly and properly. Your example may serve to
teach us that the path of duty, generally, under Providence, is the path
of safety. And what is about to take place tonight will also teach us
another lesson:
That duty never did yet want its meed.
...
(Applause.) I may just refer to the fortunate circumstance that our
meeting should be graced by the presence of a gentleman who, partly from
motives of humanity, and partly with a view to share in the glory of the
enterprise, volunteered to lead one of the subsidiary expeditions sent in
search of the missing expedition of which you formed a member. Those
subsidiary expeditions, it is well known, have led to a great increase of
our geographical knowledge of the interior of the continent; and I
believe, among the most brilliant exploits which grace the history of
Australian exploration, there is not one more brilliant to be found than
the passage made by the party under our friend Mr. Landsborough from the
shores of the Gulf of Carpentaria to the Darling River. (Applause.) I
hope Mr. Landsborough will be kind enough tonight to give us some
information as to his route on the occasion. We all know, without waiting
for that explanation, that his journey has conferred a most substantial
benefit on all these colonies. It has, there can be no doubt, very much
accelerated the formation of a great settlement in North Australia, which
may be expected to become, some day, a separate and independent colony.
In fact it has formed a fitting addition to the noble efforts which have
been made by this colony in the cause of Australian exploration. Those
efforts, as we all know, are now about to terminate. Instructions have
been despatched to Mr. Howitt to return as speedily as possible; and when
he brings back the remains of the lamented explorers, Burke and Wills, we
shall approach the closing scene of the great drama--or tragedy, as I
believe I may call it. I trust on that occasion the public funeral
promised to those brave men will be carried out with the enthusiasm which
was manifested a year ago, and that active exertions will be used by all
concerned to raise an appropriate monument to their memory. (Hear, hear.)
I have now great pleasure in handing to King, on the part of the Royal
Geographical Society of London, this watch, which bears within, as he
will find, an inscription setting forth that it was "Presented by the
President and Council of the Royal Geographical Society of London to John
King, for his meritorious conduct in the expedition under the lamented
Burke and Wills." (Great applause.)
John King, who seemed overpowered with emotion, replied in the following
terms:
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.)
...
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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