APPENDIX. 



AUSTRALIAN EXPLORATION. 



A Public Meeting was held yesterday evening, at the Mechanics' Institute, 

 for the purpose of taking into consideration a series of resolutions to he sub- 

 mitted by several members of the Philosophical Institute of Victoria, with a 

 view of securing the co-operation of the public in carrying out the design of 

 the Institute, to fit out a Victorian Expedition for the exploration of the 

 interior. 



Over the platform, at the upper end of the room, was a map of the 

 whole Australian continent, executed on calico, and occupying some 150 

 superficial feet. By this means the different routes for exploring parties 

 were readily illustrated. The number of persons present was very great, 

 but that it was not even greater, was most probably due to the excessive 

 heat, and violent dust-storm which prevailed about 7 o'clock, and prevented 

 many from venturing out. 



The chair was taken by Captain Clarke, who read the notice convening 

 the meeting. The Chairman said that the immediate object of this meeiing 

 was, to consider the propriety of supporting a proposition recently made by 

 Dr. W'lkie to the Philosophical Institute, viz., to make an exploration of 

 a portion of the interior by a preliminary party, and endeavor 

 also to trace the fate of the unfortunate but gallant Leich- 

 hardt. Besides these reasons were others, which rendered the exploration 

 of Central Australia very important. It was true it could bring to this 

 colony but little territorial increase, but the further they got away Vrom the 

 Murray to the interior, the more valuable their land became. The Philoso- 

 phical Institute, as au organised body devoting itself to questions of this 

 kind, was the most fitted to bring it before the public. It was true that 

 one of the resolutions involved an expenditure of public money, but this 

 expense would be for the good of the country generally, and therefore they 

 felt justified in urging on the public to press upon the Government the 

 need of acting in this matter. When they obtained this object, and the 

 question was taken up by the public, they had achieved all in their power. 



Dr. Wilkie moved the first resolution — 



" That this meeting expresses its conviction of the great importance of 

 exploring the interior of Australia, and deems it most desirable that an 

 attempt should be made, at as early a period as practicable, to penetrate 

 through Central Australia, from east to west, for the purpose of connectino- 

 the previous discoveries of Mitchell, Kennedy, Sturt, Gregory, and Grey." 

 He was pleased to see so large a meeting, considering the nature of the 

 weather. He felt that he had no need to urge upon them the claims 

 their chairman, Captain Clarke, had on their attention, from the able 

 manner in which he had always furthered the cause of exploration in the 

 interior. He had, when Surveyor- General, actually projected the very line of 

 exploration now proposed. (Hear.) In order to carry out their scheme, 

 they could only impress its value on the public by such means as they were 

 then adopting. The expedition now sent out by the Government of New 

 South Wales, to explore the country and search for the remains of Leich- 

 hardt, had its origin at a meeting held in Sydney, in September last. That 

 exploration of the interior had occupied, to a great extent, the attention of 



