is
progress was stopped, when he had reached longitude 129 degrees 40
minutes, by a large salt lake, the limits of which could not be
ascertained. In the following year Mr. Gosse, at the head of a party
equipped by the South Australian Government, started from nearly the same
point of the telegraph line, and at the same period as the Warburton
expedition, but was compelled to return after eight months' absence,
having reached longitude 126 degrees 59 minutes. Gosse found the country
generally poor and destitute of water. He was perhaps unfortunate in
experiencing an unusually dry season; but his deliberate conclusion was,
"I do not think a practicable route will ever be found between the lower
part of Western Australia and the telegraph line."

VARIOUS EXPEDITIONS.

At the instance of Baron Von Mueller, and assisted by a small
subscription from the South Australian Government, Mr. Giles made a
second attempt to penetrate westward. He reached the 125th degree of east
longitude, and discovered and traversed four distinct mountain ranges, on
one of which Mr. Gosse shortly afterwards found his tracks. One of his
companions, Mr. Gibson, lost his way and perished in the desert, and
therefore Mr. Giles turned his face eastwards, and, after an absence of
twelve months, reached Adelaide. He encountered many perils, having been
nine times attacked by the natives, probably in the attempt to obtain
water; and on one occasion was severely wounded and nearly captured.

On the 20th March, 1874, Mr. Ross, with his son and another European,
three Arabs, fourteen horses, and sixteen camels, started from the
telegraph line, near the Peake station in South Australia. He was
compelled to return through want of water, although, soon after starting,
he had greatly reduced the number of his party by sending back three of
his companions, two of the horses, and twelve of the camels.

Such, in brief, have been the results of the efforts made to cross
Australia between the telegraph line and the west coast, and ascertain
the probability of establishing a practicable route. I have referred to
them to show how persistent has been the desire to achieve the exploit,
and how little daunted by repeated failures have been Australian
explorers. I now propose to relate my own experiences--the results of
three journeys of exploration, conducted by myself. The first was
undertaken in the hope of discovering some traces of Leichardt; the
second nearly ret