Melbourne, botanic Garden, 21. July. 1865.
Sir Charles,
In compliance with your Excellency's request I have the honor of submitting a succinct statement of the circumstances, under which the present movement for a renewed enquiry into Leichhardt's fate originated and of the measures hitherto adopted to carry the contemplated search into effect.
Dr Ludwig Leichhardt, a native of Prussia, set out on his third expedition in the beginning of 1848. It was his intention to connect the settlements of East Australia by a landroute with those of the South West Coast, in the manner in which he laid open a path of land communication between Moreton Bay and Port Essington. He hoped thereby to elucidate simultaneously the mainfeatures of the interior of the Australian Continent.1 He anticipated, that the accomplishment of this enormous task would occupy at least two years, since the supposed existence of a vast extent of dessert country in Central and South West Australia pointed to the probable necessity of great deviations from a direct line of march, especially as the employment of oxen along with horses and mules would render the progress of his expedition tardy and difficult in any but a comparatively fertile and well watered country. Three years elapsed without tidings of the party, except vague rumours from the native tribes of the Maranoa and the Barcoo. Anxiety for Leichhardt's safety naturally then arose; and a frontier pastoral tenant, Mr Gideon Lang, made a private attempt to follow Leichhardt's traces, while the Government of New South Wales dispatched a special search party under the leadership of Mr Hovendon Hely, (a companion of the missing explorer in his second expedition) for ascertaining Leichhardt's fate. The results of these enquiries seemed to confirm the traditions of the natives, that the lost party had been annihilated in a nightly onslaught on their bivouac at the waters of the Barcoo. Though the accounts of the destruction of the party and of the locality of the massacre were greatly at variance, and though not a single bone of any of the many large animals of the expedition were found, though no implements of the expedition were recovered, and though none of the horses oxen and mules ever returned to the eastern pastures, the generality of the people received the varied statements of the natives with more or less credence; and to this cause it must be adscribed, that the search was not resumed until the year 1858, when the renowned explorer Augustus Gregory was sent out on a new search-errand.
The result of this fresh effort to clear up the fate of the party did not remove the doubts, whether Leichhardt had fallen within the wide water-system of the Barcoo, no traces whatever of the destruction of the party being discerned, altho' the travellers were traced to a spot near the conflux of the Alice-River with the Barcoo. No further reliable tidings of Leichhardts movements were obtained beyond Lieut. Walker’s discovery of a presumed Leichhardtian camp northward of the Barcoo in 1861, a circumstance to which at the time no importance was attached, since Mr Landsborough recognized in the marked tree indicated a position identical with one attained by him prior to his Gulf-expedition. But on Mr M'Intyres arrival in Melbourne at the end of December last it became perfectly clear, that Leichhardt had gained a position on the Flinders's River in lat. 20° 10' S, and that many of his camps would be found in the unexplored country between M'Kinlay's and Landsborough's tracks. In conjunction with the honorable Dr Wilkie I made on the very day of M’Intyre's arrival in Melbourne an appeal through the press2 for a renewal of the enquiry into Leichhardt's fate, considering the account, to which for 14 years we had attached so much importance as disproved, unless we reconcile it to the very improbable assumption, that Leichhardt's party in a retrograde movement fell back (from a northern or perhaps north-western point) on Coopers Creek to regain the settlements.
In February last before an unrestrictedly invited public I submitted the meanwhile matured plans of operations for a new search,3 which received universal sanction. Accordingly a Committee of Ladies, consisting of delegates of the principle Church-sections was formed, and the administration of the enterprise entirely entrusted to their care and intelligence. With unabating zeal the Ladies Representatives, well persuaded of the righteousness of their cause, prosecuted their task, and by their pleadings the sum of about one thousand pounds Sterling has been obtained in Victoria as private contributions towards the fund; and furthermore on the Ladies suggestions Committees for collecting have been formed in Queensland, New South Wales and South Australia. Moreover the Parliament of Brisbane has promised a subsidy of one thousand pounds in aid of the search, conscious that nearly all the mainfeatures of Queensland have been revealed by the lost explorer. The Parliaments of Adelaide and of Melbourne each respectively have voted five hundred pounds towards the enterprise, while the Government at Sydney has given its assurance to double the private subscriptions to be gathered in New South Wales. Additionally the Victorian Government has generously granted for the Ladies Expedition the use of 14 dromedaries. Thus the expedition sent out by the Ladies is furnished with much better means of movement, than those over which Leichhardt had command. But also the circumstance, that extended settlements and the local occupation of coast-points has vastly diminished the distances of known places of habitation, places this expedition at an advantage over that of Leichhardt; so also the possession of superior arms. Hence no misgivings of the safety of this search party need be entertained.
It is estimated, that the total expenditure of the expedition, while maintaining the field for two years, will not exceed £3000, exclusive of the remuneration of the leader. But it is the intention of the Ladies Committee to continue collecting subscriptions as long as the search party may be actively engaged, in order that not only the successful exertions of the Ladies emissary may be commensurately rewarded, but also the means be held available for resuming the search, should even after two years or more the investigation not have led to absolute disclosures. For indeed it may require fully three years to perform the search over a line of country, which Leichhardt may have traversed in one; hence it may absorbe four, five or even six years to follow the missing traveller to the west coast, should he have fallen near the goal of his journey. Then however the lines of the Ladies Expedition will expand over much more country, than the ordinary tracks of explorers are usually able to elucidate, and a vast addition would be gained to the map of Australia and to the knowledge of the resources of this country, whether pastoral or agricultural or mineral.
The party has been organized in the course of last month, and Mr Duncan M'Intyre, the discoverer of the new traces of Leichhardt, has been appointed to its command. It consists of eight members, all well accustomed to bush work. Dr Murray, an officer of Howitt's party, accompanies the expedition as Surgeon and Assistant Astronomer. At least two aborigines will be employed constantly to facilitate interrogation with the native tribes.
The actual search will commence about the localities, where Leichhardt's remotest camps and the two abandoned or stray horses were discovered, and will be carried on under the discriminate guidance of such information as the natives may afford, or in the absense of such in a western or south western direction according to the features of the country. And as Leichhardt would endeavour to advance through a country of fertility, these fertile tracts are likely to be rediscovered during the search.
An absolute certainty exists, that the fate of the forlorn party may be ascertained, if patient perseverance is displayed. Whether Leichhardt and his companions fell under the hands of the natives, or were prostrated by famine, or — what is most probable — perished from want of water, the hatchets and other utensils, invaluable as they are to the savages, will be in their possession for the next twenty years and more, and vestiges of the use of iron-implements will be found visible in all directions at and near the spot of Leichhardt's death. The discovery of bones of the many large animals must also afford clues in the enquiry. More cheering is our persuasion, that though the improbability of Leichhardt or any member of his party being still alive in a distant position similar to that of a sailor cast on an uninhabited strand, may be great indeed, that yet a remote possibility exists of he or some one of his brave little band counting among the living. This view is entertained by all those, whose opinion carries most weight with it, by M'Kinlay, Landsborough, Howitt, Gideon Lang, also by the two leading associates of Leichhardt during his first glorious expedition, Calvert and Roper.
The project carried on under the Ladies surveillance can therefore not be regarded as chimerous or visionary. There was an excuse of discontinuing the search till the end of last year, but with M'Intyres discoveries that excuse has vanished. As a compatriot of the great explorer, as a naturalist, and above all as a traveller, who has traversed Australia in a wider extent than any other unless Dr Leichhardt, I felt forcibly the duty incumbent on me to watch his interest and to exert myself on his behalf. The persuasion of this duty towards him I entertained for many a year, and I lost no opportunity to evince it. As early as 1851 I pointed in a correspondence with the late Sir Thomas Mitchell4 (published at the time in South Australian Journals5) to the very country, in which M’Intyre recently noticed the Leichhardtian trees and the isolated horses, as the terrain, in which the search ought to be instituted. In stepping again before the public, strengthened by the evidence of Leichhardts temporary presense on the Flinder's' River, I was incited additionally by the consciousness, that6 independent of our fulfilling the dictates of gratitude and humanity, incalculable advantages for colonisation, industry and commerce would accrue from a further exploration of this great and solely British continent, over which unhindered by the native population the stream of settlement may spread. I see that the thousands perishing annually by cold and famine in overpopulated spots of the mother country if brought to the unoccupied and everywhere salubrious Australian territory of the British Crown might live in health and prosperity. I maintain, that it has become a point of honor to the million and a half of civilised inhabitants occupying as yet but little beyond the coast-tracts of Australia to throw open by exploration and by scientific research for occupation, for industry, for settled homes the whole interior of this continent. I perceive, that we cannot fix even the lines of the telegraph, which most advantageously are to unite us with the northern hemisphere and indeed with the world, until we have withdrawn, as Leichhardt intended, the veil from the still so extensively unknown interior. I cannot but contemplate, that of the real richdom of Australia in treasures of copper and gold we cannot form even an approximate estimate, until in many paths the space from coasts to coasts shall have been traversed.
Were I allowed to indulge in sentiments beyond the bare realities, which present themselves on this occasion, I would point to the deep meaning, which this movement of the Ladies undisputably possesses beyond its philanthropic tendency. This movement will prove for the first time in the worlds history, that Ladies may well step out of the circle which hitherto has ennarrowed their sphere of action in administrative functions for charity, that the exercise of their benignity need not be limited to the touching local displays, which we have so long everywhere witnessed. But we are taught, that great cosmopolitan enterprises of humanity may gloriously be realized under the care and unrestricted supervision of the Ladies, and we may anticipate, that many a grand object of philanthropy hitherto left dormant and undone will probably be accomplished by the fair of other countries, incited by an example of which Victoria may well be proud, an example destined to shed light on one of the most tragical phases we have witnessed on the eventful stage of exploration in her Majestys territory, an example calculated widely to enlarge the dominions of the Queen.
In conclusion I beg to express to your Excellency the sentiments of high appreciation for the enlightened sympathy, which from its very commencement you were pleased to evince to this movement, a sympathy which I trust will be acknowledged by the Ladies Emissary in a monument, such as can no longer be raised when this generation will have passed away, a monument, which will not be perishable like any of marble or bronze.
I have the honor to remain your Excellency’s deeply obedient
Ferd. Mueller.
His Excellency
Sir Charl. Darling, K.C.B.
&c &c &c.7
Please cite as “FVM-65-07-21,” in Correspondence of Ferdinand von Mueller, edited by R.W. Home, Thomas A. Darragh, A.M. Lucas, Sara Maroske, D.M. Sinkora†, J.H. Voigt† and Monika Wells accessed on 23 April 2024, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/vonmueller/letters/65-07-21