Australia

From Menindie on the Darling to Torowoto. Mr. Burke's Despatch, and Mr. Wills's Report from Torowoto. Mr. Wright's unaccountable delay at Menindie. The Expedition proceeds onwards to Cooper's Creek. Exploring Trips in that Neighbourhood. Loss of Three Camels. Mr. Wills's Letter to his Sister, December 6th and 15th. Incorrectness of McDonough's Statements.

Mr. Wills's Survey of the line of Country pursued by the Expedition, from Torowoto Swamp to Cooper's Creek.

THE following reports, which were duly forwarded and published, contain interesting particulars of the country traversed, and the observations made between Torowoto and Cooper's Creek. They were accompanied by a tracing, which is shown on the map.

Camp 65, Depot, Cooper's Creek, December 15th, 1860.

SIR,

Departure from Cooper's Creek for the Gulf of Carpentaria. Arrangements for the Continuance of the Depot at Cooper's Creek. Mr. Brahe left in Charge. Determination of Route. Progress and Incidents. Mr. Wills's Field Books, from the 16th of December, 1860, to the 30th of January, 1861, 1 to 9. Shores of Carpentaria.

Return from Carpentaria to Cooper's Creek. Mr. Wills's Journals from February 19th to April 21st, 1861. Illness and Death of Gray. The Survivors arrive at Cooper's Creek Depot and find it deserted. A Small Stock of Provisions left. Conduct of Brahe. Report of the Royal Commission.

The subject of this book died one hundred years ago. Within his forty years of life, he discovered a very large area of what is now an important region of the earth; he participated in stirring events which are memorable in modern history; he applied a vigorous and original mind to the advancement of knowledge, with useful results; and he was the victim of circumstances which, however stated, were peculiarly unfortunate, and must evoke the sympathy of everyone who takes the trouble to understand them.

Flinders' actual discovery work on the south coast was completed when he met Baudin in Encounter Bay; for the whole coast line to the east had been found a short while before he appeared upon it, though he was not aware of this fact when completing his voyage. For about a hundred and fifty miles, from the mouth of the Murray eastward to Cape Banks, the credit of discovery properly belongs to Baudin, and Flinders duly marked his name upon the chart.

[The following is a fairly literal translation of Peron's report on Port Jackson, furnished to General Decaen at Ile-de-France.]

Port N.-O., 20th Frimaire, Year 12.* (* Note 16: i.e., Port North-West (Port Louis), December 11, 1802.)

Citizen Captain-General,

Matthew Flinders was the third of the triad of great English sailors by whom the principal part of Australia was revealed. A poet of our own time, in a line of singular felicity, has described it as the "last sea-thing dredged by sailor Time from Space; "* (* Bernard O'Dowd, Dawnward, 1903.) and the piecemeal, partly mysterious, largely accidental dragging from the depths of the unknown of a land so immense and bountiful makes a romantic chapter in geographical history. All the great seafaring peoples contributed something towards the result.

The condition of Le Geographe when she made her appearance outside Port Jackson, on June 20th, 1802, was in striking and instructive contrast with that of the Investigator on her entry forty-two days before. Flinders had not a sick man on board. His crew finished the voyage a company of bronzed, jolly, hearty sailors, fit for any service. Baudin, on the contrary, had not a single man on board who was free from disease.

Among the Flinders Papers is a list of names given by Flinders to points on the Australian coast, with his reasons for doing so. The list is incomplete, but has served as the basis of the following catalogue, for help in the enlargement of which I am greatly indebted to Mr. Walter Jeffery: -