200 NORTHMOST AUSTRALIA 



his return that he had seen two trees marked L on the western 

 bank of the Flinders in about 20 S. lat. (SEE MAP R.) It 

 would be natural to suppose that the marks were Landsborough's, 

 made in 1862, but the growth of bark over the incised letters 

 appeared to be of considerably greater age than two years, and 

 besides there were no numbers, whereas it was Landsborough's 

 custom to mark his camps with consecutive numbers as well as 

 initials. On these grounds it was argued that the marked trees 

 indicated camps of Leichhardt on his last journey. Two old 

 horses picked up by Macintyre on the Dugald River (which he 

 named) about 100 miles west of the marked trees, he also supposed 

 to have been Leichhardt's. The ladies of Melbourne raised a sum 

 of money and sent Macintyre back to the locality in 1865, but no 

 further traces of Leichhardt were discovered. On this occasion, 

 Duncan Macintyre observed a tract of fine land on Julia Creek, 

 where, later, his brother, Donald, took up Dalgonally Station. (See 

 Proc. Roy. Geogr. Soc., Vol. IX, p. 303, quoting letter to the Editor 

 of the Melbourne Age of 24th December, 1864, signed by Drs. 

 Ferd. von Mueller and David Wilkie, and The Empty North, by 

 John Norman Macintyre. Sydney, Penfold, 1920.) 



It will never be known whether Leichhardt and his party were 

 killed by natives, or whether they fell before one of the other furies 

 of the waste whose dread names are Famine, Thirst, Flood and Fire. 



In the cities of the south, Leichhardt was noted for a charming 

 and ingratiating manner, and this served him in good stead while 

 he was soliciting financial aid for his schemes of exploration. He 

 desired above all things to win the honour of a British Knighthood, 

 and this ambition was probably never lost sight of when he cultivated 

 the friendship and support of influential colonists. The con- 

 spicuous success of his " Overland " expedition, and afterwards the 

 tragedy of his mysterious disappearance from the face of the earth, 

 stimulated the enthusiasm of a generous public to a high apprecia- 

 tion of the amiable and admirable qualities he had displayed. 



The success of the " Overland " expedition was due in a great 

 measure more to the luck of an exceptionally favourable season than 

 to the perfection of his plans. His other expeditions were no less 

 ill-planned, and they confronted him with obstacles which he was 

 incompetent to overcome. 



Out in the field with his men, and faced with difficulties which 

 foresight and resource on his part should have averted or minimised, 

 he would not have been recognised as the suave and tactful courtier 

 known to Sydney Society. The coarse bully lecturing his followers 

 and comparing himself to a general leading an army had forgotten 

 that he had taken advantage of the mistake of a registrar to evade 

 the military service which was the law of his own land. He was 

 callous to the sufferings of the fever-stricken members of the party, 

 who were unable to keep up with his pace. He made agreements 



