which he was connected; whilst the Victorian
Expedition included scientific discoveries, and the settlement of a
great geographical problem. Stuart is again out, since August,
1861, and doubts are entertained for his safety. Mr. Chambers has
died in the interim, and cannot know the result of the work he set
afloat with so much spirit. Thus it is in all ages of discovery,
that few of the early pioneers live to travel on the roads they
open with so much difficulty and endurance.

Mr. Burke and my son, impatient of Wright's delay, and seeing the
time slip by that could never return, determined to make a dash for
the Gulf while the opportunity still remained to them. I was not
aware, until after a communication with Mr. Brahe, on his first
visit to Melbourne, subsequent to his desertion of his post at the
depot, that my son had strongly advocated a direct course
northward; but Mr. Burke hesitated to adopt this, unless he could
feel confident in a supply of water; the committee having included
something in his instructions as to proceeding north-west towards
Eyre's Creek and Sturt's Furthest. In his excursions round the camp
and the district of Cooper's Creek, with the all-important question
of water in view, my son must have gone over little short of a
thousand miles. When he lost his camels he had seen smoke in the
direction of north by east, which he believed to be a native fire,
but the disaster frustrated his attempts to ascertain the fact.
Unable thoroughly to assure his leader on the point of water, the
more western course was adopted at the commencement of the journey,
for a day or two, after which they turned to the east, and scarcely
deviated throughout from the 141st degree of eastern longitude.

The party left Cooper's Creek on the morning of the 16th of
December, 1860. It consisted of Mr. Burke, Mr. Wills, King, and
Gray, (or Charley as my son calls him in his journal); one horse,
and six camels. It appears strange to me that they did not take
more horses. As they had been living on horseflesh so much they
would have increased their available food, in addition to the
facility of carrying burthens.

Mr. Brahe remained at Cooper's Creek depot with Patten, McDonough,
Dost Mahomet, an Indian, six camels, and twelve horses. He was left
in charge until the arrival of Mr. Wright or some other person duly
appointed by the committee to take command of the remainder of the
expedition at Menindie. A surveyor also was e