liv 



Lady Franklin made their celebrated 

 journey to Macquarie Harbour, and 

 it is remarkable that there is no 

 account of it in any of the papers of the 

 Royal Society, but a full report in six con- 

 secutive papers is to be found in the 

 United Service Journal for 1843, written by 

 Mr. Burn, one of the party. The expedition 

 consisted of the Governor and Lady 

 Franklin, Mr. Calder, Dr. Milligan, Lieut. 

 Bagot, Corporals O'Boyle and Stewart, 

 Mr. Burn, and a party of servants. They 

 should have started in January, but were 

 delayed on account of the suspension of 

 the Colonial Secretary, and the actual 

 journey did not commence from the Ouse 

 till March 29, 1842. It was, of course, very 

 late, and when they reached Arrow- 

 smith the weather broke, with the result 

 that in place of a week, they were 

 22 day.^ on the way. Lady Franklin was at 

 fii'st carried in a kind of palanquin by two 

 men, two others relieving them from time 

 to time. But of course long ere the end of 

 the journey it was quite impossible to use 

 such a conveyance, and Lady Franklin 

 walked. Then food, too, was of the 

 coarsest. At one time upon the Franklin 

 they were reduced to 3oz. of salt pork 

 apiece ; all through they seem to have had 

 nothing but salt pork, damper, and tea. 

 It is unnecessary to dwell upon the first 

 part of the journey, which was over the 

 usual route, from the Ouse through the 

 Marlborough Plains, crossing the Nive 

 near the confluence of the Nivelle, 

 then the Clarence, and finally the 

 Derwent, about a mile below Lake St. 

 Claii% and then along the north face of 

 King William, which mountain they 

 ascended, and left on it an inscription on 

 a eum tree. Thence down the western 

 side, the view being described by them as 

 being the finest in Tasmania, overlooking 

 the western ranges. They now turned 

 south-west in order, under Mr. Calder's 

 guidance, to escape what they considered 

 to be the King River, but which we know 

 to be the Franklin. In so turning down 

 tlie left bank of this stream they suddenly 

 came to another, to Mr. Calder's great 

 surprise, since he had never met with it 

 before. It has in consequence been called 

 the Surprise River. In due time they 

 came to Painter's Plains, where Mr. Burn 

 saw the two drawings spoken of above on 

 the native huts. This was eight yeai's after 

 Macquarie Harbour had ceased to be a 

 convict station. Passing on they crossed 

 the Loddon into Loddon Plains, experienc- 

 ing dreadful weather. After they left 

 Arrowsmith, having camped, we suppose, 

 somewhere near the present Iron Store, it 

 seemed to have rained more or less inces- 

 santly for 18 days, until they reached the 

 Gordon. Here on the edge of the Loddon 

 Plains they had to wait for some days 

 on account of the weather, with little 



shelter. A creek was wlthm five yards 

 of their camp, and only 3ft. below them. 

 They called the spot Detention Corner, 

 being just N.E. of the Frenchman's 

 Cap. Provisions were running sliort. 

 Eleven rivers, swollen into floods, includ- 

 ing one to be crossed four times, were 

 behind them. The Franklin, the biggest 

 of all, was not only behind them, but 

 before them also, as was the Acheron. 

 Calder went back to Lake St. Clair from 

 here, and returned in 54 hours, having 

 walked 48 miles with swags of 801b. with 

 his party, but seven of them stopped on 

 the Loddon worn out. As the Breeze, on 

 the Gordon, would sail away by 

 orders on April 18, it was deter- 

 mined on April 7 that Calder and 

 Burn and two men should go forward 

 and try to reach the ship and bring 

 assistance from that end. They passed 

 south-east of the Cap, making for Calder's 

 Pass, and camped under Christmas Rock, 

 a spot vvheie Oalder had spent Christmas 

 Day in 1840. Pressing on, they crossed the 

 Acherons by a natural arch of stone (does 

 it exist still, I wonder ?) and reached 

 White Hid Plains, due south of the Decep- 

 tion Range, traversed the Black Forest, 

 and stood beside the Franklin, now grown 

 into a mighty stream, which was draining 

 the southern slopes of the Eldon Range, 

 both sides of the Frenchman's Cap, and 

 eastward till it received the waters 

 from Arrowsmith, Mount Gell, and 

 Hugell, and even Lake Dixon to all 

 appearance. The valley they were now 

 in was full of Huon pine, and, indeed, the 

 party were full of praise of the West Coast 

 foliage, which began quite suddenly as 

 soon as they had descended Arrowsmith, 

 coming westward from that point into 

 forests of brighter colour and richer 

 growth. It was impossible to cross the 

 Franklin in roaring flood and without a 

 boat ; nor was it weather in which to 

 visit a river eight miles south of 

 where they camped, which they named 

 the Jane, after the lady who so bravely 

 accompanied them. On April 15 the 

 Governor and his party arrived on the 

 Franklin. We suppose they all walked, 

 and, indeed. Lady Franklin had given up 

 her palanquin to Stewart in the Loddon 

 Plains, the man having been taken ill. 

 Hei'e, in the midst of rain, and unable to 

 move backwards or forwards, the party 

 spent the Governor's birthday, April 16 (a 

 Saturday), when, in addition to 3oz. of salt 

 pork, the party each had a piece of cake. 

 It was at least appropriate that His Excel- 

 lency should have one birthday beside the 

 Franklin River. They were kept here for 

 eight days, although two men crossed the 

 Franklin and brought succour from the 

 Breeze, the men covering SOmiles in Shours. 

 Meanwhile Calder had done splendidly. He 

 again returned to Lake St. Clair, fording all 



