March 14, 1859.] EXPLORATIONS IN SOUTH AUSTRALIA. 155 



most adventurous traveller Eyre, in proving that all this zone is more or less 

 saline. This salt country has been crossed by that remarkable man, Mac- 

 dougall Stuart, who beyond it explored a vast fertile and well-watered region, 

 with a great many watercourses descending from a chain of hills, to which the 

 Governor of the colony has very properly assigned the name of the " Stuart 

 Range." This new geographical discovery is indeed one which we might 

 have expected from the former observations of that most distinguished explorer 

 of Australia who now sits on my left hand, Captain Sturt. This gentleman, 

 let me remind you, was truly the discoverer of South Australia. It was he 

 who, advancing from the north-east, discovered the course and embouchure of 

 the Murray Kiver, and who indicated what South Australia was likely to 

 become. Kevisiting that tract at a later period, and after a colony had 

 been established there under the government of Sir George Grey, Captain 

 Sturt went boldly northward into the interior — much farther than any traveller 

 who preceded him or has followed him — his progress being arrested by 

 that great saline desert. Now Mr. Macdougall Stuart was one of Sturt' s 

 men, and learned from him that, whilst all was saline to the north, yet that 

 probably towards the north-west there would be found a fertile country — a con- 

 clusion partly based on the flight of birds from that quarter. 



Captain Sturt has come this day from Cheltenham to attend our meeting, 

 and I rejoice to welcome him ; whilst I am peculiarly gratified to see amongst 

 us the Bishop of Perth in Western Australia, who has just arrived from that 

 colony, and who previously to his becoming a dignitary of the Church 

 was for some years at the head of an educational establishment in Western 

 Australia. 



Captain Sturt, f.r.g.s. — You may suppose that I have read with very 

 great interest the different accoimts which have been recently sent home with 

 regard to the discoveries in South Australia, more particularly that which 

 refers to my old follower Macdougall Stuart, of whose courage and perseve- 

 rance I was well assured. He attended me on my second attempt to cross the 

 stony desert ; and it was on that occasion that he and his companion expressed 

 their readiness to follow me wherever I should lead them, when (after having 

 been two days and a half without water, our farther advance into the desert 

 would almost inevitably have cost us our lives) I left it to them to decide 

 whether to push on or not — " Sir," said Stuart to me, " we will do as you 

 please ; we will go on or turn back as you may direct us," thus showing their 

 devotion to the service on which they were employed. I turned back, how- 

 ever, and in doing so gave up every hope of further success. I may state that 

 in retreating we lost three horses, and that on arriving at the little water- 

 hole we had last quitted (on which I had calculated for relief), we found it 

 had dried up ! 



The effect of such a discovery may be imagined, where life or death hung 

 on our procuring water. We had not at that time seen a living animal of, 

 any kind in those fearful solitudes for days, but suddenly a pigeon passed us, 

 and pitched for a moment only on the stony plain beyond us. Knowing from 

 his flight that he was going to water, we went to the spot, and there found a 

 supply of it that lasted us for two days, and which we should never have dis- 

 covered but for the timely appearance of this bird. This was one of the many 

 instances we had on that journey of the goodness of Providence, which can 

 only be appreciated by those who have been placed in similar circumstances. 

 So unexpected a deliverance melted my companions into tears. The kind of 

 country which Stuart has discovered in his recent journey, and which he 

 describes, is similar to some portions of that which I passed over myself, 

 particularly near Cooper Creek, where there are slightly elevated ironstone 

 ranges, with a certain portion of good land on each side of the creek which 



