SUPPOSED FURTHER TRACES OF LEICHHARDT. 407 



Saturday, September 1. 



The Vice-President, Mr. G S. Griffiths, F.R.G.S., F.G.S., of 



Melbourne, in the Chair. 



The following papers were read : — 



1.— SOME SUPPOSED FURTHER TRACES 

 OF LEICHHARDT. 



By James Panton. 



The fate of Leichhardt still remains a mystery, and although in 

 this paper I will endeavour to show you that there is reason to 

 believe a few further links of evidence have recently been obtained, 

 I fear that there is little probability at this remote period of ever 

 unravelling the whole truth of the disaster which must have 

 befallen his band of explorers. 



Some years ago, on reading Gregory's description of the remains 

 of a camp and burnt hut discovered by him on the Elsey Creek, 

 on his overland exploration from the Victoria River to the 

 Eastern Colonies in 1856, I was impressed with these unaccount- 

 able traces of Europeans at a spot so far remote from any tracks 

 of known explorers, and nearly four hundred miles from the sea- 

 board. 



He says, in his Journal under date 13th July : — ^" Several trees 

 cut with iron axes were noticed near the camp. There was also 

 the remains of a hut and the ashes of a large tire, indicating that 

 there had been a party encamped there for several weeks. Several 

 trees from six to eight inches in diameter had been cut down with 

 iron axes in fair condition, and the hut built by cutting notches 

 in standing trees, and resting a large pole therein for a ridge ; 

 this hut had been burnt apparently by the subsequent bush fires, 

 and also some pieces of the thickest timber remained unconsumed. 

 Search was made for marked trees, but none were found nor where 

 there any fragments of iron, leather, or other material of the 

 equipment of an exploring party, or of any bones of animals otlier 

 than those common to Australia. Had an exploring party been 

 destroyed here, there would mo.st likely have been some indications; 

 and it may therefore he inferred that the party had proceeded on 

 its journey. It could not have been a camp of Leichliardt in 

 1845, as it is one hundred miles south-west of his route to Port 

 Essington, and it was only six or seven years old, judging by the 



