THE LEICHHARDT MYSTERY.

Kumara Times, Issue 1105, 15 April 1880, Page 4

THE LEICHHARDT MYSTERY.

The Sydney Telegraph says For thirty-two years the fate of Leichhardt, the explorer, has been a mystery. Is it to remain so for ever? Some time since Andrew Hume told a strange tale of a white man living with the blacks in Northern Queensland. He had seen children and spoke with them in a tongue that Hume did not understand. From the a»e of the children it is evident that the man had associated with the blacks for many years, and he circumstance that the language be spoke was not understood by Hume induces the belief that it was German, and that the stranger was no other than the unfortunate Leichhardt. Hume’s story was not generally credited, though a search party, was organised and sent out. The efforts of that party, however, only resulted in failure, and here matters would have ended but for a singular and unexpacted confirmation of Hume’s story. A Mr bkuthorpe, the owner of a station in the far north, fell in with the identical tribe referred to by dame. There were the children, the blazed tree, the evidences of iron hatches having been used many S?T«Wl re, j* a 2 d J e ! erythin « to indic ate that Leichhardt had been with the blacks, but he was not there then. The assumption is, that after seeing Hume he endeavored to reach the settlement, and that he perished on his way. The object or the meeting convened by Mr Du Faur, and held at the Academy of Art recently, was to raise funds for the purpose of fitting out an expedion to bring in the half-caste children, and ascertain what they know of their father. They May have a whole history to relate when the difficulties of translation have been overcome. If they are the children, of Leichhardt, the fate of the explorer will be known j if they are not some other wystery will be cleared up, Mr Skutborpe is willing to lead a search party, and the costs, is is estimated, will not exceed L2OO. lhat the money will be subscribed there can be no doubt; but such a work should s°: ~b e . J eft . private patriotism. Leichhart has a claim upon the country SSi 1 ! 0 ? 11^ 0411 discharge, and the least that the Government can do is to use every effort to trace out the melanonoiiy end of our earliest explorers.

The good people of Nelson Jseem to value the services of the pastor of one of their churches very cheaply, as the other Sunday the only contribution to the offertory was “a bone sixpence;”