Part 2 (1/2)

”After a very laborious and harassing journey fro of five persons, under the direction of Allan Cunningha failed of finding a route to the Liverpool Plains, whilst tracing the south base of the barrier mountains (before us, north), so far as 50 th, upon prosecuting their research under this great mountain belt, north by west from this tree, to the very extensive levels connected with the above-mentioned plains, of which the southernmost of the chain is distant about 11 or 12 miles NNW from this valley, and to which a line of trees has been carefully ly atered country NNW to call forth the exertions of the industrious agriculturist and grazier, for whose benefit the present labours of the party have been extended Buried for the information of the first farmers who may venture to advance so far to the northward as this vale; of whom it is requested that this document may not be destroyed, but carried to the settle the bottle”

This o, and the explorer's directions carried out The object of the expedition being now accomplished, the party returned on the hoham reached Parramatta on the 21st of July, 1823

In the next important enterprise he is found associated with Oxley, exploring the country around Moreton Bay They surveyed the Brisbane River, pushi+ng up the stream as far as was practicable in their boat

It turned out to have but a short course, and they were disappointed in their expectation of being carried for some distance into the interior

Yet this labour had the negative value of satisfying the public that the Brisbane was not one of the great rivers of Australia The King's Botanist again found rich spoil for the Royal Gardens at Kew

During the winter ha Parramatta, he crossed the Hawkesbury and proceeded towards Wollombi, one of the tributaries of the Hunter River Still pushi+ng ahead he reached Mount Danger, then Pandora's Pass, and entered upon the Liverpool Plains These he now found to be a region of swa crossed this district as best he could, the ardent traveller pressed on through Careat distance froht soon have discovered and anticipated Captain Sturt But as the country was now beginning to dip perceptibly, being inrecent eather, he deemed prudence the better part of valour, and abandoned a hopeless enterprise He was again in his own ho travelled in all about 700which New Zealand was visited, this untiring scientist returned to the colony and offered himself for further exploration with renewed zest and zeal The ti about for a suitable leader to conduct an expedition to the distant north Cunninghaerly accepted, and a ready, the start was made on the 30th of April, 1827, with six picked men and eleven heavily-laden horsemen The route skirted the western flank of the Liverpool Plains, and by the 11th of May the party entered upon ground hitherto untrodden by civilized man A fine valley now opened to view, and was named the Stoddart, in remembrance of an old friend of the explorer's The Namoi River was next forded, and by the 25th the hilly country on the west had sunk into the plain The scene that now lay before them will be best described in the words of the leader of the expedition ”A level open interior of vast expanse, bounded on the north and north-west by a distant horizon, broke suddenly on our view At north-west, more particularly, it was evident to all of us that the country had a decided dip, and in that bearing the line of sight extended over a great extent of densely wooded or brushed land, the monotonous aspect of which was here and there relieved by a brown patch of plain; of these some were so remote as to appear a mere speck on the _ocean_ of land before us, on which the eye sought anxiously for a rising sines, but in vain; for, excepting in the initude, these vast solitudes may be fairly said to be alrounds on our right, or to the east of us, and before us, to the north, a level wooded country” These plains which ran out towards the western interior, having turned out to be drier than was expected, the line of route was now directed more to the north and north-west, with the result of discovering and crossing the Dumaresq River, within a few days The course next lay for soh a poor and inhospitable country in which the jaded horses fared badly enough By the 5th of June, this sterile belt was left behind, and now the eyes of the patient explorers rested on one of the finest regions they had ever beheld For ue north, east, and west the field of vision was filled with a panoraes Thisa principality in size, was clad with luxuriant vegetation and generally atered The na Doas subsequently bestowed on this fine country in honour of Governor Darling, and it now forms one of the most valued possessions in the colony of Queensland The average elevation of this table-land Cunningham found to be about 1,800 feet above sea-level Had this worthyhis lifetiiven hi now sufficiently realized the aiham ceased to push farther in that direction, and made eastward for the coast Here also was made an important discovery on a smaller scale in the unexpected appearance of a fertile valley, with a river of greater size than a ave the naan, in compliment to the commander of the penal settlement at Brisbane The expedition tarried for some time in this lovely vale, where both ham himself, who scarcely understood what rest uration of the country On a finepeaks, from the summit of which he obtained a cos To the south-east, at the distance of 60 or 70 , the sailor's beacon, rose in irandeur; while towards the north-east the environs of Moreton Bay were plainly visible This latter revelationDoould be froh the Main Range Hence it becah the mountains, if within the bounds of possibility An effort was accordingly , as he believed, discovered, but its complete verification had to be deferred till another opportunity The homeward journey was resumed on the 16th of June On the 30th, the Dumaresq River was crossed 50 miles above the outward bound track of the expedition In ten days e river was reached, and is noell-known under the native name Gwydir They next came upon a wooded tract, reached by a descent of 1,200 feet, a sore task for the weary horses On the 19th the party were again on the Liverpool Plains, and a few days' ht them to their welcome homes They had journeyed over 800 miles, and been absent thirteen weeks One noteworthy incident connected with the tour was the paucity of native inhabitants met with in any of the districts Only five times, from first to last, had the black-fellows put in an appearance, and even then the explorers had seen nothing but the colour of their skin

Cunninghaed to return to old England, to end his days in the land of his birth; but, before doing so, he planned and executed another exploring excursion to Moreton Bay

His principal object was to obtain certain evidence of the existence and practicability of the pass, which he believed to have been already discovered After ood fortune to set this question at rest and point out a passage into the Darling Downs, as he had formerly done into the Liverpool Plains This pass still retains the na succinct but sufficient notice is found in the explorer's own notes:--”This pass, or door of entrance from the sea-coast to a beautiful pastoral country of undefined extent, seen froust, 1828) visited by Allan Cunninghah road being constructed through it at some future day was most fully ascertained The pass is in latitude 23 3' S, and longitude 152 26'

E, and distant 54 statute miles from Brisbane Town” Four years later he was able to carry out his purpose of returning to England; but his heart was in Australia all the while, and he becaet back to its sunny skies and bal offered the situation of Colonial Botanist he accepted the appointment, and returned to the land of so many of his labours; but his new office was not what he expected

Besides keeping the Botanic Gardens, which would, alone, have been a enial occupation, he was required to act as landscape gardener for the upper classes and take charge of one hundred convicts, forty of ere lodged in the barracks within the Gardens, and for whose good behaviour the curator was alone responsible In addition to all this drudgery he was coetables for the Govern his heart, and it can surprise no one to find hinified treat merits is tartly alluded to in the _Sydney Mail_ of the 29th January, 1838:--

”THE BOTANICAL, ALIAS THE KITCHEN GARDEN--We have had frequently to call the attention of the colonists to the fact that a kitchen garden, under the pretence of a botanic garden, is supported in Sydney at an expense of froarden without seeing soetables or fruit for Mrs This or Mrs That, the wife of soo to market and purchase their supplies as independent persons do, instead of poaching on what is really public property Seriously we do say that such an impudent job should be done aith It is, in fact, so barefaced that Mr Cunninghaer consent to rees, and accordingly he has resigned the ust”

This valuable life was now fast hastening to its close Twenty-five years of incessant labour, often perfor circumstances, broke down a constitution never particularly robust, and feeling this to be the case, Allan Cunningham retired from public view into his own hired house--but only to die At the early age of 48 years, perceiving the hand of death to be upon hined himself to the will of his Maker, and died as becomes a Christian He expired on the 27th of June, 1839 Ad the quarter of a century of Cunningham's active life, refers to his own bereave words:--”Alas, poor Allan! He was a rare specieography; devoted to his own science, botany; a warm friend, and an honest ned himself into the arms of his Saviour without a murmur”

CHAPTER VI

CAPTAIN STURT'S THREE EXPEDITIONS

The next hero that steps to the front is Charles Sturt, captain of the 39th regiment, which was stationed at Sydney in the early days of our history He stands, beyond all question, in the first rank of Australian explorers His single compeer, Sir Thomas Mitchell, was more fortunate in discovery, but it may be doubted whether he excelled Captain Sturt in real capability for this work The future historian will probably decide the rival clai a joint first in Australian exploration Naturally brave, resolute, and patient in labour, Sturt was, moreover, a man of varied culture and extensive scientific acquirements As an officer in the army he had been accustomed to coming the several exploring parties under his charge, although they were mostly drawn from the ordinary convict element at Port Jackson This influence over others may have been due to natural tact even more than to acquired habit, but in either case it proved a valuable qualification, and served hiood stead with the native population as well as with his own ht hi soes well armed and out of all proportion to the number of his own men; but his adroitness never failed to extricate hier Scarcely any of our explorers opened up so much of the interior, or so frequently cae tribes, and yet his huh his career frole individual of that unhappy race which others, with less excuse, have not scrupled to shoot down like dogs

When stooping under the weight of years, with a constitution enfeebled by heroic exertions, and so afflicted with blindness as to be unable to finish his narrative without the aid of an amanuensis, the veteran explorer devoutly thanked God that, amid all his critical encounters and hair-breadth escapes, he had been saved fro a drop of blood froines

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As early as the year 1818 the Macquarie River had been explored as far as practicable by John Oxley, the Surveyor-General This indefatigable traveller had traced its course into the far interior till it seemed lost and appeared to terroith dense reeds All his efforts to proceed further ard proved unavailing, and he turned aside to other work, being under the impression that he had seen all that was visible of the Macquarie Like some others of his time, Oxley had taken up with the idea of a mediterranean sea which was supposed to cover the interior of Australia; and such being his opinion, it was natural to fancy he had reached its ly indefinite extent into which the Macquarie poured its flood During the next ten years Cunningha Dohile Hu their way south to Port Phillip; but out west no progress was norance of the interior hung like a cloud over the settleeneral desire began to be expressed for fresh explorations in that direction The tinally disastrous, appeared to be just as favourable for such an enterprise A drought of several years' standing was then devastating the colony; but this ht ruin to the doors of soreco expedition

It had been Oxley'san exceptionally wet season, and it was conjectured that floods had laid under water the low-lying country on the further reaches of the Macquarie, and thus interposed a temporary obstruction to the ard advance of exploration But now, after a drought of long standing, it was hoped that the swamps, if not dried up, would at least be so much reduced as to render the much-desired object , accordingly, deter out another expedition In the all-iularly fortunate in selecting Captain Sturt The latter took as his associates Mr Haained his own laurels in exploration, Staff-Surgeon M'Leod, two soldiers, and eight convicts The instructions received froenerally, to follow up the discoveries of Oxley, to endeavour to ascertain the ”fate” of the Macquarie, and to put forth the utmost effort to penetrate ard to the furthest possible limit

All the material requisites for the expedition were forwarded to Wellington Valley, which at that time was the outpost of civilization toward the west, and Sturt was instructed to form his depot at Mount Harris, which had been Oxley's most advanced enca made, the party left Sydney on the 10th of September, 1828, under the command of Captain Sturt, who only a week previously had followed the rerave After a few days of uneventful travelling through the settled territory, Wellington Valley was reached, and, by the 10th of December, the explorers were encamped at Mount Harris, the _ne plus ultra_ of their predecessors, and near the supposed terh ten years had passed away, traces of the old caood prospect towards the interior was obtained, and a tolerably favourable impression left on the minds of Sturt and Huether, and in others very much contracted, and, as the bed of the river continued to be well defined, there did not appear to bethe limit of discovery considerably beyond the line at which it had stood for ten years past

Following the course of the Macquarie for some miles ard, it was found to enter a swaish current was the only clue to lead theuous tract of land and water, it was deemed indispensable to keep to the channel at all hazards as it h the ood-sized boat which had, with a wise foresight, been provided aress by water proved to be less expeditious than it had been on the land, for the channel wriggled like a snake, and the navigation was provokingly hindered by snags Gradually the course of the river becaain in a labyrinth of creeks and ress in the boat, Sturt and Huht and left, each taking his own complement of followers Many hardshi+ps had to be endured froht, while the results were not very considerable Sturt rode over 200 ued The principal discoveries made about this time were Oxley's Table-land and New Year's Creek, mistaken by the explorers for a branch of the Macquarie, but which was in reality the Bogan River Eventually both sections of the expedition reunited and bravely struck out for the interior, giving defiance to thirst and fatigue, and devoutly wishi+ng for soo till this desire was realized At aof it, the foreress stopped on the bank of one of the principal rivers in Australia Its ahty yards in breadth, and its boso Al with thirst, bothbank, and in adown the water of the welcome stream Never did travellers et,” says Sturt, ”the cry of amazement or the look of terror hich they cried out to inform me that the river was so salt as to be unfit to drink” The cup of relief was dashed froloomy reflections on the future supply of this element They conjectured, not unnaturally, that this saline quality must be derived from near contact with the sea, and anxiously watched for the slightest indications of a rising or a falling tide, but to no purpose The cause was afterwards traced to briny springs in the river's banks, which must have been a temporary occurrence, for the same inconvenience is not met with now

The discovery in all other respects was clearly perceived to be of the utmost value, and went far to annihilate the pet theory of an inland sea, which thus kept receding further and further from human ken It was already evident that this noble river e of the western slope of the es, andthat it forms the backbone of the river systehway of intercolonial co no rand discovery and calling it the Darling River

The expedition now followed the lead of the River Darling for about sixty-six miles As the country continued to be inhospitable, the blacks troublesome, and the supply of water precarious, it was resolved to proceed no further in that direction A return was accordingly made to the depot at Mount Harris, which was reached partly by way of New Year's Creek, or the Bogan River, without any seriousthe secondary instructions given to the expedition was a direction to push northwards, if baffled and driven back from the western interior They had not failed in that quarter by any ood supply of provisions left, it was thought advisable to atteh, which was siain successful

Having travelled by way of Morriset's Ponds, a sufficient supply of water was obtained to help theh, where, of course, it was expected to be abundant, seeing that Oxley had been able to cross it after some delay and with much difficulty But this anticipation was doomed to disappointment The bed of the river was found to be as dry as dust The explorers, after a long search, hit upon only one small pool in the sand which yielded but a teh was now traced towards its supposed junction with the Darling for the distance of 100 miles, 45 of which were destitute of water But their perseverance was rewarded with a second view of the Darling, which was struck about 90 inal discovery had been made The stream here swar crossed over to the further side, a dash was made by a short excursion into the interior, which proved, like the other side, to be a parched wilderness The state of the country as observed throughout this journey is thus suht continued that the vegetable kingdoetation had alrown and withered and grown again, and young saplings were now rising in their beds nourished by the est forest trees were drooping, andfor breath, searched the channels of the river for water in vain; and the native dog, so thin that it could hardly walk, seemed to implore some friendly hand to despatch it How the natives subsisted it was difficult to say, but there was no doubt of the scarcity of food ast them” Surely this was no place to loiter in after the as fairly acco themselves with the substantial discoveries already made, the explorers resolved to return to the haunts of civilization They soon found theton Valley, from which the expedition had been absent four h the settled districts, each of the weary wanderers reached his ho this long and hazardous enterprise

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