414 Zoological Society. 



editors for the judicious emendations of and additions to the text. 

 It affords no little gratification to the lovers of progress to see such 

 works, prepared under careful superintendence, issued at a price 

 within the reach of those who have hitherto had to content them- 

 selves with the second-hand compilations of the earlier " cheap lite- 

 rature." 



PROCEEDINGS OF LEARNED SOCIETIES. 



ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 



Sept. 22, 1846.— William Yarrell, Esq., Vice-President, in the Chair. 



John Gould, Esq., laid before the meeting the following letter, 

 detailing the circumstances of the death of Mr. John Gilbert, who 

 formerly had been many years in the employment of the Society. 

 He fell in the service of zoological science during an expedition into 

 the interior of Australia. 



" Sydney, May 12, 1846. 



" Dear Sir, — As I was one of the party that journeyed from Syd- 

 ney to Port Essington, and not knowing whether you had been made 

 acquainted with the full particulars of poor Gilbert's death by Dr. 

 Leichhardt, or any other of the party, thinking the details of his 

 melancholy fate would be read with interest, I shall offer no apology 

 for addressing this to you. 



" As Mr. Gilbert's log, which has been sent home to you, fully 

 narrates all particulars up to the eventful 28th of June, I shall offer 

 no remarks of my own. At the most northerly point we reached on 

 the east side of the Gulf of Carpentaria, in lat. 15° 57', and about 

 fifty miles from the coast, we encamped for the night at a small shal- 

 low lagoon surrounded by low tea-trees, the country around beauti- 

 fully open. Having partaken of our usual meal of dried meat about 

 3 p.m., Gilbert, taking his gun, sallied forth in search of something 

 new — he procured a Climacteris and a Finch, which he skinned before 

 dinner; our scanty meal was soon despatched; poor Gilbert was 

 busily employed plaiting the cabbage-tree, intending to make a new 

 hat, which, alas ! he never lived to finish. The shades of evening 

 closed around, and after chatting for a short time we retired to our 

 separate tents — Gilbert and Murphy to theirs, Mr. Calvert and my- 

 self to ours, and Phillips to his ; the Doctor and our two black fel- 

 lows slept round the fire, entirely unconscious of the evil designs of 

 the natives ; having always found those we had passed so friendly 

 and well-disposed, we felt in as great security as you do in the midst 

 of London, lying on our blankets, conversing on different topics. 

 Not one, I think, could have closed his eyelids, when I was sur- 

 prised by a noise, as if some persons were throwing sticks at our 

 tent ; thinking it must be some trick played on us by our compa- 

 nions, I sat up to look out ; another volley of spears was thrown ; a 

 terrific yell, that will ring in my ears for ever, was raised, and pierced 

 with spears, which I found it impossible to extricate, I sunk helpless 

 on the ground ; the whole body rushed upon us with their waddies, 



