CARRON'S PARTY AT THE PASCOE RIVER 251 



go), I consider the Captain deserves considerable credit for his action throughout 

 in exerting himself to rescue the survivors." 



The " Ariel " accordingly LEFT WEYMOUTH BAY on the follow- 

 ing daLy 9 $ist December, 1848, and reached SYDNEY on $th March, 1849. 

 The tidings of the disastrous conclusion of Kennedy's expedition 

 having reached Sydney, the brig " Freak" as already stated, was 

 chartered by the Government of New South Wales to make a 

 FURTHER SEARCH for Kennedy's papers and for traces of the parties 

 left at Kennedy's so-called " Pudding-Pan Hill " and the Pascoe. 

 An account of the discovery of a few of KENNEDY'S PAPERS between 

 the Escape River, where he died, and Cape YORK, and of the un- 

 successful attempt to reach the scene of the DEATH OF THE THREE 

 MEN AT " PUDDING-PAN HILL " has already been given. 



The "Freak's" whaleboat, on yd May, 1849, landed in 

 WEYMOUTH BAY a party which included CAPTAIN SIMPSON of the 

 " Freak^ CAPTAIN SAMPSON of the " Harbinger " (who volunteered), 

 JACKEY-JACKEY and two of his aboriginal comrades. The landing 

 and the overhaul of CARRON'S CAMP were made under very 

 difficult circumstances owing to torrential rain and the threatening 

 aspect of the natives. At the landing-place were found part of a 

 BLANKET, part of a TARPAULIN, a piece of CANVAS and a small TIN 

 DISH. Three outrigger CANOES were also met with and in these 

 some pieces of IRON were observed. These articles, Captain 

 Simpson concluded, came from the PILLAGE of Carron's last camp. 

 A tree was found with the carved letters " K. LXXX." This, 

 Jackey-Jackey said, was the camp of the nth November, 1848 (the 

 last but one). This would indicate that it was KENNEDY'S SOTH 

 CAMP. 



Of the LAST CAMP, to which CARRON'S PARTY removed on the 

 1 3th November, the day on which Kennedy left for Cape York, 

 Captain Simpson writes : 



" This spot was strewed with portions of BOOKS, all of a religious or scientific 

 character. Found NO MANUSCRIPTS. Parts of harness, leather belts, pieces of cedar 

 boxes in leather covers, were also found ; one or two tins for carrying water, a camp 

 stool and part of a table, and piece of a tent-pole ; the bones, skull, and part of the 

 feathers of birds, etc. ; SPECIMENS of natural history, all DESTROYED. I observed the 

 bones of a HORSE and the skull of a DOG. A piece of torn calico with a portion of a 

 CHART adhering to it was picked up ; I thought I could make out the words " River 

 Mitchell " on it. I found, among the pieces of books, a portion of Leichhardt's 

 Journey Overland. 



" It was some time before I could find the remains of WALL AND NIBLET, who 

 were the last men that died, and had not been buried, the survivors being too weak. 

 I placed myself at the camp and looked about for the likeliest place to which a corpse 

 would be taken under the circumstances. I went down into a small gully, about 

 sixty yards from the camp. Under some small bushes, in about two feet of water, 

 I found THEIR BONES, two skulls and some of the larger bones, the smaller ones having 

 most probably been washed away by the flood. The bones were carefully collected 

 and taken on board. From the position in which these bones were found, agreeing 



