LEICHHARDT'S EXPEDITION.

New Zealand Spectator and Cook's Strait Guardian, Volume III, Issue 222, 15 September 1847, Page 4

LEICHHARDT'S EXPEDITION.

[Extract of a letter from Dr. Leichhardt.] Russel's Station. Darling Downs. Ist August, 1847. The news of my return to the Downs will no doubt have reached you by the last steamer from Moreton Bay. I had hoped to go by her to Sydney, and that expectation, added to a very severe rheumatism in my hands, prevented my writing by her. I wrote to you last from Charley's Creek, mentioning the loss and recovery of my mules, horses, and cattle. I had despatched Mr. Hely in quest of intelligence of Sir T. Mitchells expedition, of whose return I had been informed, but by some accident of the post, neither your letters nor Sir Thomas's despatches ever reached me. Mr. Hely, Mr. Turnbull, and Brown, joined me forty miles farther on my journey, and we travelled quietly without accident down the Dawson, then running so strong as to compel us to take advantage of a large tree which had fallen across it, to convey our baggage over. At Ruined Castle Creek I left one of my horses which had become hopelessly lame. At Expedition Range, the rain set in, and the ground soon became so boggy that our mules sank to their bellies, and we made but slow progress. All the water-courses and creeks between Expedition and Christmas Ranges became flooded, and compelled us to make a long roundabout to head them. Deception Creek and Comet Creek were swollen into immense rivers, and all the surrounding country was inundated. I had feared the Mackenzie would stop us, and on our arrival at that river, after seven weeks' travelling from Dried-beef Creek, my fears were but too fully realised. There had been several cases of illness as we travelled through the scrub, but here the whole party were attacked by fever, which subsequently assumed the character of fever and ague. I suffered from it for nine days, and it left me very weak for a long while after. We had to wait for three weeks before the river was fordab'e, and after getting over the party were so exhausted by illness, we found ourselves wholly unable to proceed, and had to remain for three weeks longer to recover our strength ; no doubt the disease was very depressing, though not of that dangerous character which the party apprehended, most of whom had hitherto been unacquainted with illness of any kind. Our energy, however, was much broken, and our bodily strength entirely prostrated for the time. From the idea that change of place and slight exertion would operate beneficially on our health, I resolved to move on with the strongest of the party, and accordingly proceeded with the stock towards Peak Range, which I knew to be only sixty miles from the junction of the Comet and Mackenzie rivers. After the first stage, however, our helplessness became so apparent, that I saw the impracticability of dividing our party, and returned with my healthy black (poor Brown was quite knocked up), and brought in the remainder of the party with all our luggage, to my halting ground. Here our goats and sheep strayed away from the camp. No one was able to watch them, and we were at length compelled to leave them behind. After a rest of three days we again moved on for three days more, making about thirty miles in all, and reached the Downs of the Upper Mackenzie and Peak Range. Here the loss of the horses compelling us to stop, and as we had no more sheep, we killed the first head of cattle. I had some hope that the change of diet, from fat mutton to dried beef, might operate favourably on our health, but in this also I was disappointed, as the rain set jn as the meat was drying, and it consequently become tainted and unpalatable. After

having stopped here for nearly a fortnight, we again advanced about ten miles farther. The black whom I had sent for the cattle, mistook our track anJ passed us when he had found them, and after watching them, left them during the night to rejoin us. During the interval they strayed away. I again sent two of the party in pursuit, namely, Mr. Hely and Brown, and moved on my camp towards Peak Range. Unfornately, Brown lost his horse the first night, and they were compelled to return to us for fresh horses and provisions, without having found the cattle. Thus the cattle got a long way in advance, became dispersed in the scrub, and frightened probably by the natives, became so wild that when Mr. Hely and the blacks again approached them, they were so wild, they only succeeded in bringing back nine out of thirty-seven, after a fortnight's absence from the camp. Here we killed another bullock and dried the meat, and endeavoured by using great vigilance to retain the others. But in spite of all our efforts the wild brutes broke away every night, and in five days we lost them altogether. Mr. Hely and Brown had again started in pursuit of the others, but after an absence often days, during which they had been overtaken by sipkness, they returned unsuccessful. Nothing now was left but to go myself upon this errand, and accordingly I went with Jemmy, the black, to that part of our track which I thought they were most likely to have retreated to, and after a week's anxious search, I came upon four, which I brought back to camp, where I found all my companions ill with fever, and the mules and horses gone. I now saw the thorough helplessness of our position, that all further endeavour was vain, and that we had nothing for it but a speedy return, I cannot express to you the extreme agony of mind I endured when this distressing conviction came upon me. I immediately set about collecting the mules and horses, leaving the cattle in charge of the party. The mules had separated, which they had not done since leaving Charley's Creek. I followed six of them for ninety miles on our track towards Expedition Range, but could not overtake them, and was compelled to return to cam]) with seven others. On my arrival I found, as indeed I had anticipated, that my companions had not been able to retain the cattle, which had gone off the morning after I left. They bad, however, again secured them, and had killed one and dried the meat, which was of the greatest advantage to us. They had also recovered three horses and three mules, which thus increased our stock to ten horses and nine mules. Leaving our tea, salt, shot, and other baggage behind, we started on our road home, and after travelling thirty days without anyinterruption we reached the camp of Messrs. Blyth and Chevel, on the Condamine, on the 21st July, and on the 28th the station of Mr. H. S. Russel, on Darling Downs, v/here I propose to leave my things till a new party is organized, which I hope will be about the beginning of next May. * * * * Notwithstanding the many unforeseen hardships we endured, my party behaved extremely well. # # * * I am indeed sadly vexed by this disappointment. I find I have lost a year of my life in effecting nothing, and have been obliged to turn back from the very point at which I had proposed to strike to the westward. At the Downs I read the account of Sir T. Mitchells discoveries. I find he has crossed my track at Expedition Range, but farther to the westward than I did ; his Mudge-kye is the most distant of my Christmas Range, his Mantuan Downs are my Albinia Downs; his Nogoa is my Comet River, though I did not go so far up as to see the junction of the Salvator and the Claude ; and I am afraid that as his Belyando turns out to be the Cape, his Victoria will turn out to be the Clarke, the largest tributary of the Burdekin from the westward. I am desirous to examine the country between my track and Fitz Roy Downs, which I shall do as soon as my rheumatism will allow me, for at present I am laid up with it.