INAUGURAL ADDRESS. 9 



I liave carefully studied the documentary evidence as to the 

 merits and demerits of both Babbage and Warburton, and have en- 

 deavored, to the best of my judgment, to form a true and unbiased 

 opinion, but I must add that it seems very probable that there was a, 

 perhaps, not altogether um-easonable prejudice against Babbage, 

 arising out of the somewhat unpractical manner in which he conducted 

 his expedition when looked at from the point of view of exploration. 

 On the other hand, Warburton, in his report written from the Eliza- 

 beth on the 17th of October, criticised Babbage in an uncalled for and 

 objectionable manner, and thus raised a prejudice against himself, (r) 



The idea of the northern extension of Lake Torrens, including 

 Babbage' s Lake Gregory, died hard, for it is evident that Stuart still 

 held it in 1859, for in the journal of his third expedition there is the 

 following passage : — " Friday, 2nd of December, Lake Torrens. Got 

 up at the first peep of day and ascended the sandhill. I fear my con- 

 jecture of last night is too true. I can see a small dark line of low 

 land all round the horizon. The line of blue water is very small. So 

 ends Lake Torrens." (s) When Stuart wrote this he was where the 

 Neale joins Lake E}Te. 



It was in the year 18-58 that I first became acquainted with that 

 part of Central Australia of which the expeditions of E}Te, Babbage, 

 Stuart, and Warburton had by degrees made known the difficulties, 

 the dangers, and finally the actual conditions of what, at that time, 

 Avas known as the " Far North " and the " North- West." 



The good season when Warburton explored the North- West country 

 and the extraordinary number of the springs which he discovered, 

 together with other permanent waters, caused him to describe it in 

 most favorable terms. Stuart also reported it as being good, well- 

 watered pastoral country. Thus public opinion became altogether 

 changed. The way into Central Australia was at length opened to 

 the pastoralists, and it was said that — far from being a desert^t was 

 of great promise for pastoral occupation. 



I well remember the deep interest which was taken in Victoria 

 in Warburton' s discoveries, and it was this which caused my first 

 acquaintance with that part of Central Australia. 



One result of this lively interest was that what would now be 

 termed a syndicate was formed in Melbourne, the object of which was 

 to acquire a tract of this " Promised Land " sufficient, as its principal 

 member explained to me, to carry 20,000 head of cattle. A small 

 party, of which I was head, was fitted out for this purpose, and started 

 (/•) Appendix, p. 37. (s) Op. cit., p. 107. 



