300 NORTHMOST AUSTRALIA 



passed a number of NATIVES, who seemed indifferent to his presence, 

 but 2 miles further on he met seven more and a spear flew past, 

 within six inches of his face. He shot one of his assailants. Shortly 

 afterwards, he crossed to the other side of the river and met the 

 other members of the party, who had also been attacked by the 

 natives in force. They had killed or wounded several of their 

 assailants. The distance travelled down the river (westward) was 

 estimated by Richardson at 8 miles. CAMP 29 (infall of Emu 

 Creek from the south). 



CAMP 30 (2$th November) was 9 miles further down the river. 

 The poverty of the country travelled and its obvious liability to 

 be inundated gave rise to much misgiving, as the wet season was now 

 drawing nigh. 



On 2yth and $otb November, CAMPS 31 AND 32 marked stages 

 of 9 and II miles respectively down the river. 1 Camp 32 was 

 within a quarter of a mile of the left bank of MARAMIE CREEK, 

 near its junction with the STATEN RIVER (dejactd). 



CAMP 33, 10 miles down the river, was made on ist December. 

 This day two parties of BLACKS were seen FISHING in the river with 

 four-pronged spears and also lines and hooks, the latter made of 

 wood barbed with bone. 



On 2nd and yd December, the expedition moved on to CAMPS 

 34 AND 35, over stages of 10 and 6 miles respectively. At the 

 last-named camp, the river had become a SALT-WATER ESTUARY, 

 and the hope that it would turn to the north and lead them in 

 the desired direction was finally abandoned by the Brothers. 

 On the \ih, the camp was moved 2 miles WNW. to good 

 feed close to the mangroves. CAMP 36 (LEICHHARDT'S CAMP of 

 5th July, 1845). 



The long-drawn dispute between the Brothers Jardine and 

 Richardson over the identification of the river which they had 

 followed to the west since Cockburn Creek fell into it, was now 

 brought to an end. It was admitted by Richardson that its course 

 lay altogether west of the Lynd and that Leichhardt's Mitchell 

 River was still to the north. It was, in fact, a new and distinct river. 

 The Brothers proposed to name it the " Ferguson " after Sir George 

 Ferguson Bowen, first Governor of Queensland (there was already 

 a "Bowen" river), although they erroneously believed it to be 

 identical with the Staten River of the Dutch navigators. For 

 the last mistake the Jardines were not responsible, as the Admiralty 

 charts of their day placed the Staten where the mouth of the 

 " Ferguson " really is, as do the charts still in use. The name 

 " Ferguson " never was adopted, and officially in the maps of the 

 Lands Department, the river is still known as the Staaten. It falls 

 into the Gulf where the NASSAU REVIER was placed by the Dutch 



1 Distances uniformly over-estimated, as proved by comparison with the total 

 distance between the mouths of Cockburn and Maramie Creeks. 



