Part 50 (2/2)

Leader of the Auxiliary Party, 3 months : 75/0/0

4 Stockinal Stockman, 3 months : 10/0/0

TOTAL SALARIES : 1117/0/0

RECAPITULATION

EQUIPMENT : 2521/7/8

CONTINGENT EXPENSES : 520/0/0

SALARIES : 1117/0/0

TOTAL : 4158/7/8

AC GREGORY

Sydney, 16th September, 1857

1858 LEGISLATIVE assEMBLY, NEW SOUTH WALES

EXPEDITION IN SEARCH OF DR LEICHHARDT

REPORT OF PROCEEDINGS

ORDERED BY THE LEGISLATIVE assEMBLY TO BE PRINTED, 1 SEPTEMBER, 1858

REPORT OF THE PROCEEDINGS OF THE EXPEDITION IN SEARCH OF DR LEICHHARDT AND PARTY

8TH DECEMBER, 1857, TO 11TH JANUARY, 1858

Having received instructions from the Honourable the Secretary for Lands and Public Works to organise an expedition for the purpose of searching for traces of Dr Leichhardt and party, who left New South Wales in 1848 with the intention of proceeding overland to Western Australia, I proceeded to Moreton Bay with such portions of the equip Ipswich forty horses were purchased, and having despatched the stores to Mr Royd's station, on the Dawson River, by drays, the party were collected at that place; but, owing to unforeseen delays in the transport of the stores, the equipanisation of the expedition was not co list of the party, horses, stores, etc, will show the principal arrangements

The party consisted of nine persons, naory; assistant, S Burgoyne; overseer, G

Phibbs; stockmen, etc, R Bowman, W Selby, T Dunn, W von Wedel, and D Worrell The stock consisted of horses alone, co thirty-one pack and nine saddle horses, completely equipped Provisions cohing, as butcher's ht; but when dried and the bones removed, reduced to 300 pounds In addition to this 500 pounds bacon, 1600 pounds flour, 100 pounds rice, 350 pounds sugar, 60 pounds tea, 40 pounds tobacco, and some minor articles The aruns, nine revolver pistols, 25 pounds gunpowder, 150 pounds shot and balls, percussion caps, etc For the conveyance of water two leather water-bags were provided, each holding five gallons, besides which each of the party was furnished with a water-bag of India-rubber holding three pints The tents were made of calico, each suited for the accommodation of two persons, and the several articles of cahtest construction consistent with the service required

The instruht-inch sextant, box-sextant, prismatic compasses, pocket compasses, double axis compass, aneroid baro forty sets of horse-shoes, farrier's and carpenter's tools, together with sundry ht of the equipment was about 4,600 pounds, exclusive of the saddles and harness, which gave an average load of 150 pounds as the net load carried by each pack-horse

THE PARTY START FROM JUANDA STATION

24th March to 27th March

These arrange complete, the expedition left Juanda, and proceeded by the road to Mr Cardew's station at Euroouidance of Mr Bolton--whose local knowledge was of h the dense scrubs and broken country to the west for about thirty miles, to the head of Scott's Creek, a small tributary of the Dawson River

29th March

The general course was noest-north-west through a country with rich grassy valleys and dense scrubs of brigalow acacia on the higher ground

Green grass was abundant at this tiht few of the waterholes are permanent; the timber consists of ironbark, box, and a few other species of eucalyptus--the brigalow acacia attaining the height of thirty feet; soft brown sandstones of the coalhills with table su to the dense scrubs, we crossed the basaltic ridge which divides the eastern waters flowing to the Dawson River fro to the west into the basin of the Maranoa River, a tributary of which--probably the Merivale River--was folloard

The country became more sandy, timbered with ironbark, cypress, etc The whole was, however, well grassed, and suited for grazing, if not too heavily stocked

5th April

Reaching the Maranoa River in about latitude 25 degrees 45 minutes, water was scarcely procurable in the sandy bed, and we had to dig wells to obtain a supply

7th April to 12th April

Warned by the fact that Messrs H Gregory and Haly had been unable to penetrate the country to the west from scarcity of water, even three months earlier in the season, we followed up the Maranoa to Mount Owen, and having found a sufficient supply of water and grass for a few days'