Mr Giles left Mount Eba about the middle of August, with camels and rations. He expected to be back in about eight or nine weeks. He has not since been heard of, but on inquiry at Mr Clement Sabine's1 office yesterday I learned that there was no special cause for anxiety. I will, however, see Mr Sabine myself, and make further inquiries.
Clement Sabine (1833-1903), manager of pastoral properties owned by Price Maurice (1818-1894), including Mt Eba, SA. A telegram from Port Augusta was published in 'Provincial telegrams', Evening Journal (Adelaide), 25 November 1880, p. 2: ' I am informed that Ernest Giles's party, sent out by Mr. Price Maurice to report upon a large tract of country in the North-West District, are quite safe, and returned to Mount Eba last week'.
Todd telegraphed M with this news; see Age (Melbourne), 26 November 1880, p. 2, col. g.
There are 75 specimens collected by Giles dated 1880, some near Port Augusta but the majority with the locality as 'Mt Eba' or 'toward Mt. Eba' (AVH, accessed 13 August 2026). 'Mt Eba' may refer to the whole property, that then had an area of over 13,800 km2 ('Price Maurice' (ADB, accessed 13 August 2026)), rather than the hill of that name.
Letter not found. The text given here is from Herald (Melbourne), 24 November 1880, p. 2, col. c. It is introduced by 'Baron Von Mueller having some fears as to the safety of Mr Ernest Giles, the explorer who has been out on an expedition for six weeks longer than he anticipated he would be, telegraphed to Mr Todd, C.M.G. the superintendent of South Australian telegraphs, for information and yesterday received the following reply : —'.
Please cite as “FVM-80-11-23,” 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