6 TiNAUGURAL ADDRESS. 



possible, to connect the information to be derived from a survey of 

 the northern shores of Lake Torrens with the knowledge of its north- 

 eastern shores as derived from Captain Sturt's explorations. Lake 

 Torrens, as it was then supposed to be, included also Lake Eyre, Lake 

 Gregory, Lake Blanche, Lake Frome, and other lesser intermediary 

 lakes. He examined the country between Lake Torrens and Lake 

 Gairdner, making surveys and carrying out the letter of his instruc- 

 tions, receiving a letter from the Commissioner of Crown Lands, 

 dated the 30th of July, in which there was the following passage : — 

 " Don't let it annoy you if you hear remarks have been made about 

 the slowness of your progress. We fully appreciate your labors and 

 the difficulties you have to contend with." 



At this time, however, there seems to have been much dissatisfac- 

 tion that Babbage had not discovered country suitable for pastoral 

 occupation, not only by the public, to which the press had given voice, 

 but also in Parliament. 



Six weeks after that letter, when the Commissioner could not 

 have been in possession of any further information as to Babbage's 

 movements, he wrote to Babbage, strongly censuring him for not carry- 

 ing out the instructions in the sense in which they were intended, (k) 



After carefully reading the correspondence printed in the Par- 

 liamentary Papers of South Australia and the minutes of the Select 

 Committee (l) my opinion is that the strong feeling of dissatisfaction 

 outside, the attacks made upon him by the press, and the adverse 

 feeling in Parliament caused the Government to make a scapegoat 

 of Babbage. 



The Government decided to supersede Babbage, and appointed 

 Major Warburton, the then Commissioner of Police, who had done 

 some exploring work, to carry out their intentions. 



Babbage, on receiving the letter censuring him, left his camp at 

 the Elizabeth, and proceeded to Stua-t's Creek, having received the 

 necessary information from John McDouall Stuart himself, (m) From 

 this point he traced down Stuart's Creek to a large lake, which he 

 named Lake Gregory — now known as the Southern Lake Eyre — still 

 thinking that he was on the western side of the great horseshoe, and 

 it was there that Warburton met and superseded him in the command 

 of his party. 



(k) Pari. Pa., S.A., 1858, No. 25, p. 5, also Select Committee Evidence, 877 ; Pari. 



Pa., S.A., 1859, No. 21, p. 38. 



(OParl. Pa., S.A., 1859, No. 21, Replies 66-68-72-73. 



(m) " Journals of John McDouall Stuart," p. 3, June 13th, 1858, footnote. 



