268 NORTHMOST AUSTRALIA 



1 3 3' E.) and a party of four (the two Gregorys, Mueller and 

 Dean) continued the journey. A river, which was named the 

 STURT, was followed to the SW. to 20 16' 22", where it entered 

 a dry salt lake (6th March). The party then made for the (second) 

 DEP6T CAMP, which was reached on 2%tb March. The party there, 

 in charge of Baines, had been " somewhat annoyed " by frequent 

 attempts on the party by the NATIVES to burn them out. The 

 principal DEPOT CAMP near Steep Head was reached on 6th May. 

 Elsey was in charge, Wilson having gone down the river to where 

 the " Tom Tough " was still undergoing repairs. One member 

 of the crew had died. All was quiet at the depot. The natives 

 had been respectful to the full party, but isolated units or small 

 parties had at different times been threatened. 



The journey on which Gregory crossed and recrossed the 

 southern base of the Cape York Peninsula STARTED FROM THE 

 DEPOT CAMP on 2ist June, 1856, and the party comprised, besides 

 the leader, H. C. Gregory, Elsey, Mueller, Bowman, Dean and 

 Melville. They had thirty-four horses and five months' provisions. 

 The general course followed was E. by N. as far as Leichhardt's ROPER 

 RIVER (14 50' 56" S. lat. ; approx. E. long. 133 40'), and thence 

 south-eastward, parallel to the Limmen Bight Bentinck Islands 

 shore of the Gulf of Carpentaria to the meridian of 138 E., which 

 three years later was to become the dividing line between Queens- 

 land and the Northern Territory. 1 



In running down what was named ELSEY CREEK, a tributary 

 of the Roper, the remains of a hut were noted. This was taken 

 to be one of Leichhardt's camps on his last journey. On I9th 

 July NATIVES were detected in the act of breaking into the camp 

 and had to be scared away by a charge of shot. Two horses died 

 from poison on the 2ist. 



On \th August, Gregory identified Leichhardt's MCARTHUR 

 RIVER, although he must have been still considerably south of 

 Leichhardt's course of 1845. 



On iyth August, the expedition struck the waters of the 

 NICHOLSON RIVER, which were followed for more than a week to 

 the east. On the 2ist the 13 8th meridian was passed and the 

 future territory of Queensland was entered. (SEE MAP N.) On 

 $oth August, the river was found to bend from east to north and 

 it was left behind, the party continuing to follow an easterly 

 course, and after crossing a large tributary, now known as the 

 GREGORY RIVER, camped for the night on the left bank of the 

 BARKLY ' RIVER. 



The Queensland portion of the Nicholson River was surveyed 

 by Twisden Bedford in 1882. Run-surveys made in 1889 by 



1 This meridian line was run in 1885-6 by the South Australian Surveyors Messrs. 

 Poeppel and Carruthers. 



a Gregory spells the name " Barclay," but it was given in honour of Sir Henry Barkly, 

 Governor of Victoria. 



