350 



. / ( :v 7 'A'. I L.I SI. 1 ILL US TRA 77:7 >. 



The Royal Society (at that time the Philosophical Institute of Victoria), in 

 November, 1857, had taken up the question of exploring- the interior of Australia, and 

 had appointed a Committee to inquire into and report upon the subject. In September, 

 iS5S, the sum of one thousand pounds was anonymously offered for the promotion of 

 this object, on condition that a further sum of two thousand pounds should be obtained 

 by subscription within a twelvemonth. This amount having been raised in the time 

 specified, the Victorian Parliament supplemented it by a vote of six thousand pounds, 

 and an expedition was organized under the leadership of Mr. Robert O'Hara Burke, 

 with G. J. Landells as second in command; W. J. Wills, surveyor and astronomer; T. 

 Beckler. medical officer and botanist ; L. Becker, artist and naturalist ; C. D. Ferguson 

 assistant and foreman, and nine associates. Twenty-five camels, twenty-three horses, with 

 forage, waggons for transport, food, stores and medicine were provided for the explorers, 

 who started from the Royal Park, Melbourne, on the 2oth of August, 1860, amidst the 

 valedictions of a vast assemblage. The instructions furnished to Burke directed him to 

 make Cooper's Creek the base of his operations to form a depot there, to explore the 

 country lying between it and the Gulf of Carpentaria, and to follow water-courses and 

 tracts yielding herbage wherever practicable. At the same time he was entrusted " with 

 the largest discretion as regards the formation of depots and his movements generally," 

 inasmuch as, when the expedition passed beyond the limits of pastoral settlement, it 



would be necessarily outside the con- 

 trol of the Committee. At Menin- 

 die, on the Darling, a resident 

 named Wright offered to show 

 Burke a well-watered track to the 

 Barcoo, and the leader, with Wills, 

 six men and some camels, started 

 on the i gth of October. It is be- 

 lieved that intelligence had reached 

 him, while he was at Menindie, of 

 Stuart's intended expedition across 

 the centre of Australia, and that he 

 (Burke) was anxious to be the first 

 to achieve the exploit. At any rate, 

 he pushed on to Torowoto, on the 

 thirtieth parallel of south latitude, 

 whence he sent hack Wright, whom 

 he had appointed third officer, to 

 bring up the rest of the expedition 

 to Cooper's Creek, which Burke 

 and Wills had reached on the nth 



of November. A depot was formed, and for six weeks Burke awaited the arrival of the 



rest of the party under Wright. Weary of the delay Burke and Wills, with two 



itants, Gray and King, one horse and six camels, set forth on Sunday, the i6th of 



December; leaving four men, six camels, and twelve horses at the depot, in charge of 



SIR HKXkV UAKKI.Y. 



