SUPPOSED FURTHER TRACES OP LEICHHARDT. 409 



never use them. The locality where these white men were 

 reported to have been seen, is only some two hundred and fifty 

 miles distant from the hut found on the Elsey, and is near to 

 where Gregory found evidences of iron tools and huts constructed 

 of branches. I therefoi-e concluded that these men might be 

 some of poor Leichhardt's party ; and at a meeting of our Geogra- 

 phical Society, I urged the advisability of at once sending out a 

 search party to rescue the survivors ; but I regret to say, that 

 upon discussion, it was not thought advisable to do so ; our worthy 

 President, Baron von Mueller being of opinion that the rumour 

 had probably originated through some man in the employment of 

 the Overland Telegraph Company having gone oil' to live with the 

 natives, and that, as Mr. Lindsay was then supposed to be engaged 

 in a zig-zag exploration of thatj^ortion of the Northern Territory, 

 would be likely to hear something of this white man, should he be 

 with the natives. Unfortunately, as I now learn, from a perusal 

 of Mr. Lindsay's manuscript of that trip, he never extended his 

 exploration to that locality, but from letters I have received from 

 him recently, he appears to be upon the eve of obtaining still 

 further infoi-mation of a portion of Leichhardt's party, which I 

 shall refer to further on. My theory was that Leichhardt from 

 his last camp on the Barcoo, keeping on his course due west, would 

 have passed through easy travelling country until he encountered 

 the arid sand ridges explored by Winnecke to the west of Mulli- 

 gan River, that finding that tract of country impenetrable with 

 his equipment, he had fallen back on the Mulligan and followed 

 the watercourses up north until he came to the Pitcherry Creek 

 system, which would encourage him to continue on his former 

 west course ; that having reached as near the head waters of that 

 creek as he could do with safety, he had halted and sent on a small 

 reconnoitering party of horsemen to examine the country ahead, 

 that this pai'ty had not succeeded, and that Leichhardt had then 

 found it necessary to work up further north so as to avail himself 

 of the inland waters from tlie coast ranges within the tropics. In 

 this way he would reach Buchanan's Creek, follow it up, to be 

 baulked again in making westward, would push still further north, 

 reaching Creswell Creek with the same result, and then being driven 

 further north and north west, he would for the first time meet 

 with powerful savage tribes, and would probably encounter a 

 check ending in disaster. That finding his calculations upset as 

 to reaching the west coast witljin the time he expected, and having 

 sustained loss in horses and live stock, he had despatched a small 

 party for Port Essington in hopes of a chance vessel calling, or of 

 leaving a cache with nn account of the Expedition and his future 

 plans. That this party had for its own safety and easy travelling 

 kept to the open country, and passing the head of the Strang- 

 ways River had come upon the Elsey when in high flood, and 

 that they then had built the hut found by Gregory, to shelter 



