Part 14 (1/2)
The total cost of the expedition would be about 600 pounds, of which sum I hope to be able to raise, by subscriptions, about 200 pounds
The horses will be furnished by the settlers, raphical results of such an expedition would necessarily be very great; it would be the finishi+ng stroke of Australian discovery; would be sure to open new pastoral country; and, if we are to place any weight in the opinions of geographers (a whom I may e river running inland from the watershed of the Murchison is nearly certain
Referring to the map of Australia you will observe that the proposed route is a very gigantic, hazardous, and long one; but, after careful consideration, I have every confidence that, should I be allowed to undertake it, there are reasonable hopes ofable to succeed
Minor details are purposely omitted; but, should his Excellency favourably entertain this proposition, I will be too glad, as far as I aive further infor you will be able to concur in the foregoing suggestions
I have, etc,
JOHN FORREST
To this letter the Governor appended the following memorandum:--
Mr J Forrest, in a most public spirited ers of which, though not by any es which ht accrue to this colony, and which would certainly result in a great extension of our geographical knowledge Should he succeed in this journey, his nao down to posterity as that of theproblem in the Australian continent; and, whatever may come after him, he will have been the last (and certainly, when theare considered, by no reat Australian explorers
The honour to be gained by hies, will ultimately fall to this colony, which is his birth-place; and for n should be carried out during my term of office I wish that the means of the colony were sufficient to warrant the Govern to defray the entire cost of the expedition, and I think it would be a disgrace to the colony if it did not at least afford some aid froislature, and the Governislature concur
FRED A WELD
July 20th, 1872
This hly sy to undertake the expedition The proposition, supported by official approval, was acceded to by the Legislative Council, which voted the 400 pounds stated to be required in addition to the 200 pounds which I hoped to be able to raise by subscription
Just at this tireat efforts to solve the proble reat feat of crossing the continent from south to north had been followed by other successful efforts in the sa a line of telegraph froht therefore be considered the eastern boundary of the unknown districts, and moreover was the point of departure for the South Australian expeditions in a westerly direction It was also the li it, I should achieve the object I had so much at heart Of the South Australian expeditions, only one was successful in getting to the western colony, and that one, led by Colonel Warburton, involvedand was comparatively barren of practical results Besides, as we afterwards knew, the route selected by him was so far to the north as not to interfere withletter to me expresses the official estimate of the result of Colonel Warburton's expedition:--
Surveyor-General's Office, Perth,
March 27th, 1874
The gist of the information I have from Colonel Warburton es in South Australia to the head of the Oakoon River (about 150between the parallels of 20 and 22 degrees south latitude, he traversed a sterile country, in which he states horses could not possibly exist--they would starve, as they could not live on the stunted scrub and herbage which the caeneral character of the country seen was that of a high, waterless, slightly undulating, sandy table-land, with in so to traverse There was nothing visible in the way of water courses in which water could be retained; but they were successful in finding, at long distances, sufficient to maintain themselves and their camels as they fled, as it were for their lives, ard over the Sahara, which appears to be in a great part a desolate wilderness, devoid of life, or of anything life sustaining Though this is a grim picture put before you, yet I would not have you daunted Your task is a different one, and one which all the colony is looking forward to see successfully coned) MALCOLM FRASER, Surveyor-General
Governor Weld, however, decided that it ht be better to postpone my expedition, as it would not be advisable to appear to enter into coht be of considerable advantage to wait and avail ourselves of the results of any discoveries that ht be made by the South Australian explorers Another reason for delay was that I was required to conduct a survey of considerable importance, which it was desirable should be co the new expedition
It may assist my readers to understand the references in the latter part of my Journal if I state that in April, 1873, Mr Gosse, one of the South Australian explorers, quitted the telegraph line about forty miles south of Mount Stuart; that the farthest point in a westerly direction reached by hirees 59 minutes East; and that Mr Giles, a Victorian explorer, had reached longitude 125 degrees, but had been unable to penetrate farther
Some records of these expeditions, and a copy of the chart th, in March, 1874, I set to work on the preli Perth I received fro outline of instructions for uidance:--
OFFICIAL INSTRUCTIONS