Melbourne bot. Garden
28/1/72
Honored Sir.
I took the liberty of sending you a telegram,1 asking, whether any interrogations could be instituted by your telegraph officers in lat about 25° S. among the natives, to ascertain, whether Leichhardt's party advanced ever so far westerly.
Mr Inspector Gilmore reached Eyre's Creek2 lately in his search for vestiges of Leichhardt, and came even for some miles into S. Australian territory, being the first, since Capt Sturt discovered Eyre's Creek in 1845, to revisit that spot, unless Leichhardt penetrated to it in 1848. The various relics found by Inspector Gilmore comprise portions of goats skin, which could only emanate from Leichhardts Expedition. These relics were found near the S. Australian boundary line. As hitherto no bones of the many oxen and horses of Leichhardts Expedition have been found, nor any marked trees about Eyre's Creek, the evidence of his having fallen in that vicinity remains very doubtful. But the natives about the telegraph line (only about 200 miles further west) ought to be able to give such traditions, as they undoubtedly of the missing party possess.
In venturing to approach you so frankly, you must excuse me in the cause of science and humanity, more particularly as it seems now very probable, that the poor traveller and his companions actually reached S. Austr territory.3
I remain Sir,
with every devotion and respect
Ferd von Mueller,
M.D., F.R.S.
The honorable the Chief Secretary of South Australia
Please cite as “FVM-72-01-28,” 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