THE AUTHOR'S EXPLORATIONS 471 



ing pages, it may be explained that it was due to the prostration 

 following on a spear wound. 



It was only on my return to headquarters at Townsville after 

 a month's sick leave that I was able to write my full report on the 

 first and second expeditions. This report, under the title of 

 " Report on Explorations in Cape York Peninsula, 1879-80," was 

 " Presented to Both Houses " on I4th September, 1881. 



The report was accompanied by a map on which I had spent 

 infinite pains in filling up what had been blanks in all previous 

 maps, with new rivers, mountains and ranges, to which I had given 

 names. The report was published without the map. I resigned 

 From the Government service in 1899. At my request, in 1910, 

 liligent search for the missing map was made in the archives of 

 :he Mines, Lands, Works and Education Departments, under 

 Drders from their present heads, but without success. There is 

 evidence that the map was handled by all of these Departments, and 

 is a matter of fact my topography and names were adopted at once 

 ind appeared in Government maps issued between the receipt of 

 :he report and its official publication. I am not aware that any 

 juestion of " revindication of priority " has ever arisen, but if it 

 lad my topography and nomenclature would hold good. 



In what I am compelled to call these slipshod old days, scientific 

 eports of all kinds were " laid upon the table " at the convenience 

 >r caprice of the Minister controlling the Department concerned, 

 >r they might even be pigeon-holed for years till they were " called 

 or " at the instance of some impatient Member of Parliament, 

 .n my own case, reports and maps were published in Brisbane after 

 ong delays while I was in the field and generally abroad on some 

 lew exploration, and I never had a chance of revising a proof or of 

 :nowing when or in what form the reports and maps were to be 

 ssued. The reports, as might have been expected, were full of 

 mazing misprints, since, no matter how long they might have 

 >een out of my hands, they had always to be set up by the com- 

 >ositors of the Government Printing Office in the rush of a parlia- 

 aentary session and with no other revision than that of a " reader " 

 o was probably suffering from the after-effects of insomnia. 



After a few years of such experiences, I entered a vigorous pro- 

 est, pointing out that if my services were worth paying for, my 

 eports were worth printing promptly and printing correctly, and 



: not . An improvement followed this protest, and in 



ourse of time, my headquarters having been removed to Brisbane, 

 secured the right to revise proofs of my own work. 



It was obvious to me from the first that my reports on Cape 

 r ork peninsula had lost the greater part of their value from the 

 mission of the explanatory map. The reports themselves have now 

 :>r some years been out of print, and I had the idea of proposing 



the Queensland Government that they should be reprinted, 



