Ixx President's Address 



Australia. So rapid has been the occupation of this hitherto 

 unknown country, that on the east coast alone the sheep- 

 stations now taken up and stocked extend from the settled 

 districts in an unbroken line to within one hundred miles of 

 the Gulf of Carpentaria. 



The heroic success and melancholy death of Burke and 

 Wills are known in every civilized part of the earth, but, 

 from ignorance or forge tfnlness of facts, the blame has been 

 thrown on the Committee of such neglect or mismanage- 

 ment as it was supposed had led to the death of those two 

 lamented men. Although a member of the Exploration 

 Committee myself, I think the feeling of indignation which 

 prevented the Committee as a body from defending itself 

 against those animadversions, is perhaps unfair to the public, 

 which is never wilfully unjust or ungenerous, and I take 

 this occasion to clear the Koyal Society of blame by a 

 simple statement of facts, the more willingly as they are 

 not distinctly set forth in the published reports. 



It was said the Committee established no depot with 

 stores at Cooper's Creek, and hence the misfortune. 



The fact is, the Expedition started with ample stores and 

 instructions (both of which can be seen in the formal reports 

 published), which were sufficient to insure- success. The leader, 

 however, divided his party and stores, taking on with him to 

 Cooper's Creek only the smaller portion, and leaving the larger 

 party to follow under the leadership of abushnian, Mr. Wright, 

 appointed and instructed not by the Committee, but by Mr. 

 Burke himself in the field, when the Expedition was prac- 

 tically beyond the control of the Society. This person failed 

 to carry out the instructions .of Mr. Burke for the immediate 

 advance of the reserve party and stores to Cooper's Creek. Mr. 

 Brahe' remained at his post with his little party and the stores 

 first brought up, at the depot at Cooper's Creek, until long 

 after the date at which Burke on parting with him left him 



