e depot
before he was rejoined by his commander, or relieved from the
Darling, may be deserving of considerable censure; but we are of
opinion that a responsibility far beyond his expectations devolved
upon him; and it must be borne in mind that, with the assurance of
his leader, and his own conviction, he might each day expect to be
relieved by Mr. Wright, he still held his post for four months and
five days, and that only when pressed by the appeals of a comrade
sickening even to death, as was subsequently proved, his powers of
endurance gave way, and he retired from the position which could
alone afford succour to the weary explorers should they return by
that route. His decision was most unfortunate; but we believe he
acted from a conscientious desire to discharge his duty, and we are
confident that the painful reflection that twenty-four hours'
further perseverance, would have made him the rescuer of the
explorers, and gained for himself the praise and approbation of
all, must be of itself an agonizing thought, without the addition
of censure he might feel himself undeserving of.

It does not appear that Mr. Burke kept any regular journal, or that
he gave written instructions to his officers. Had he performed
these essential portions of the duties of a leader, many of the
calamities of the expedition might have been averted, and little or
no room would have been left for doubt in judging the conduct of
those subordinates who pleaded unsatisfactory and contradictory
verbal orders and statements.

We cannot too deeply deplore the lamentable result of an
expedition, undertaken at so great a cost to the colony; but, while
we regret the absence of a systematic plan of operations on the
part of the leader, we desire to express our admiration of his
gallantry and daring, as well as of the fidelity of his brave
coadjutor, Mr. Wills, and their more fortunate and enduring
associate, Mr. King; and we would record our feelings of deep
sympathy with the deplorable sufferings and untimely deaths of Mr.
Burke and his fallen comrades.

T.S. PRATT, CHAIRMAN,

MATTHEW HERVEY,

E.P.S. STURT,

FRANCIS MURPHY,

J.F. SULLIVAN.

THE END.

End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Successful Exploration Through the
Interior of Australia, by William John Wills

*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK SUCCESSFUL EXPLORATION ***

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