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From Edwin Welch to Ferdinand von Mueller   [Sep 1881]

[The following extract from the St. George's Gazette1 has been forwarded to Baron Von Mueller by Mr Edwin Welch, surveyor of Mr Howitts' Search Party,2 who has seen Mr Skuthorpe, and is favorably impressed with his statements, which he believes are reliable.]3

1

St George, Qld; a copy of the original newspaper has not been seen.

2

That is, the search party for Burke & Wills led by A. W. Howitt in 1861.

3

M, who had been sceptical of Skuthorpe's claims in M to E. Behm, 12 April 1881, appeared more confident of his veracity in M to E. Behm, 12 October 1881, but was adamant that Skuthorpe was not the owner but only the finder of the relics. See also M to H. Parkes, 3 October 1881.

4

Letter not found. The text given here is from 'The Leichardt Relics', Herald (Melbourne), 21 September 1881, p. 2. The enclosed cutting is stated to be from the issue of the newspaper dated 10 September, and reports interviews with Skuthorpe who claimed to have possession of diaries of Leichhardt and Classen, a member of Leichhardt's party, as well as a telescope and a compass. He demanded a cash payment to release them; see J. Skuthorpe to B. O'Loghlen, 10 September 1881 (in this edition as M81-09-10).

Please cite as “FVM-81-09-00d,” 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 5 June 2025, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/vonmueller/letters/81-09-00d