8 The Work of the Year. 



to their depot at Cooper's Creek. The party consisted of Mr. 

 Burke, commander, Mr. G. Landells, second in command, Mr. 

 W. J, Wills, astronomer, Herman Beckler, surgeon and geolo- 

 gist, Ludwig Becker, artist and naturalist, ten men, and three 

 sepoys. They had camels, horses, waggons, and an abundant 

 outfit. At Menindie a dispute arose, and Mr. Landells left 

 the expedition with Dr. Beckler, Burke then divided the ex- 

 pedition into three parties ; and himself, Wills, and six others 

 proceeded to Cooper's Creek, leaving the rest to bring up the 

 stores to the depot. At Cooper's Creek, Burke again divided 

 his party, leaving three or four to keep charge of the depot 

 till his return, but about the time they were to wait there 

 was evidently a misunderstanding. Burke then started for 

 Eyre's Creek, 300 miles distant. From this point they pro- 

 ceeded eastward, till they struck the 140th meridian, travelling 

 then due north, till they reached 1 7° 53' S., and 139° 49' E. 

 They next pushed on to the Gulf of Carpentaria. On the 19th 

 of February last, they began to retrace their steps, and on this 

 journey Gray died, after indescribable sufferings. On the 21st 

 of April they reached Cooper's Creek, alas ! just seven hours 

 after the party in charge had quitted the depot on their way to 

 fall back on Menindie, They were now in a helpless condition, 

 and subsisted for a while on the seeds of a plant called nardoo. 

 Burke sank from exhaustion, and died ; Wills died next, and 

 King was left alone in the wilderness. He crawled in search of 

 the blacks, and found them ; and at last reached Melbourne, the 

 bearer of melancholy tidings, Five others died of scurvy and 

 want, including Dr. Beckler, who is believed to have added to 

 the misfortunes of the party by his adherence to the indefensible 

 cause of Landells. Miserably as this affair ended, such of the 

 journals as have been preserved confirm the statements of Mr. 

 Stuart, that the interior of the continent is diversified with 

 fertile tracts of vast extent, navigable rivers and lakes, and 

 rocky ranges rife with metallic treasures, 



The conquest of the earth calls forth the energies of the 

 engineer, the miner, the surveyor, and the merchant, as the 

 proper coadjutors of the astronomer, geologist, and naturalist. 

 Submarine cables have failed in so many instances that we must 

 hope for an entire remodelling of the system under which they 

 have been laid and lost hitherto. The jobbery of dishonoured 

 contracts has brought discredit on the science out of which they 

 originated ; interrupted communications by the delusion of sup- 

 posed improvements in the transmission of intelligence ; and 

 caused the hopeless consignment to the sea-bottom of thousands 

 of pounds contributed by too confiding shareholders. It may 

 be a long while yet ere the message of " peace and good-will" 



