Exploration of Northern Frontier Ends

It was from Streaky Bay that John McDouall Stuart wrote to James Sinclair at Port Lincoln as follows : —

Streaky Bay, 1st September, 1858.
My Dear Sinclair, I have just arrived from a long exploring excursion into the interior, which has occupied me for the last three months. In that time I have travelled upward of 1,500 miles. I went north on the western side of Lake Torrens, then north-west to near the west boundary of this colony, then down towards Fowler's Bay, and along the coast to this place. I had a very severe journey of it from want of sufficient provisions not intending to be out more than six weeks at the farthest. I only took four weeks' provisions. I was obliged to leave a valuable mare behind me about 70 miles to the north-west of Hack's west run.

I have been very much surprised that you never answered any of my letters that I wrote to you from Adelaide. I had given up all thought of hearing anything of you again, but have seen Darling who is here shearing and he informs me that you never received any of my letters. I hope you will answer this one and keep up a correspondence. Address me care of William Finke, Oratunga Mine, Far North. I intend to start tomorrow morning across the country by the Gawler Range to Mount Arden. My best and kindest regards to Mrs. Sinclair and all the family and all enquiring friends and believe me to be
My Dear Sinclair.
In haste, yours truly, John McDouall Stuart.
To James Sinclair, Esq., Green Patch, Port Lincoln.

The Royal Geographical Society S.A. Branch in publishing the letter , added the following note: — " The original of this letter was very generously presented to this society by Mr. James Sinclair J.P. of Green Patch. Port Lincoln (grandson of the recipient) through Mr. C. R. Doudy LL.B Port Lincoln, who kindly acquired it and sent it on. The accompanying map (of course in the Royal Geographical Society proceedings, but not reproduced in 'The Port Lincoln Times '— J.D.S.) is reproduced from the Journal of the Royal Geographical Society, 1861, and shows the completion of the 1858 trip — Streaky Bay to Mount Arden — referred to in the letter. There are maps which show this journey as ending in the vicinity of Streaky Bay and these documents will remove any doubt which may exist. Ed.

The letter explains itself, and has been reproduced from the proceedings of the Royal Geographical Society of Australia, S.A. branch, for the year 1929-30, at the suggestion and by the kind permission of the president of the society (Mr. F. L. Parker). From the letter it is evident that Stuart was particularly friendly with Mr. Sinclair, and knew the Peninsula well, as is evident from his comparison of the scrub north of Denial Bay with that of Franklin Harbor. Further, on his subsequent south-to-north overland trip, he quotes that some of the natives used words resembling those in use at Port Lincoln; he saw an island in Lake Eyre "very much resembling Boston Island (Port Lincoln) in shape."

Very much further north he named a creek "Lawson Creek, after Dr. Lawson, J.P., Port Lincoln," "Tennant Creek after John Tennant, Esq., of Port Lincoln," and near there "Mount Sinclair, after James Sinclair, of Port Lincoln." Stuart named a creek "Bishop Creek," whether after John Bishop of Port Lincoln or Bishop Short be does not say. In the neighborhood he named some ranges "Short Range." On the return journey he named "Anderson Creek " after James Anderson, of Port Lincoln.

ORIGINAL PLAN.

The original map of Stuart's trip is lodged in the strong room, House of Assembly, and by the courtesy of the Clerk of the House , I had the pleasure of inspecting it. It seems remarkable, that, though that plan, as well as the plan in the Parliamentary paper, shows Stuarts track across the northern boundary of the Peninsula, very few plans subsequently show it. The original plan shows Stuart's route from Oratunga to the southern end of Lake Torrens, as well as from Mount Arden to Oratunga ; which information was not shown on the Parliamentary plan.

On September 1, a move was made for an outstation of Mr. Gibson's, where September 2 was spent. It was raining in the morning, and I think in addition, Stuart was too ill to travel. On the 3rd a successful and final attempt was made to resume the journey. Para was passed about midday, and camp was formed 10 miles beyond.

On September 4 he was on the lookout for Hack's granite range, but could not find it ; however, he came to a rock water and camped. Sunday, September 5, brought no respite ; the journey had to be continued. He was making for Freeling Range, and came to a rock water, south of Mount Sturt, with plenty of grass. It seems to me that Stuart must have had a wrong conception if the location of Freeling Range, for he set a course of 84 deg. and 60 deg., and seeing a high hill east-north-east thought he was making for the range. Six miles to the south there was a table-topped hill, which he did not visit, for he had seen some horse tracks going in that direction.

On September 7 he said he reached and ascended the south-west hill of Freel ing Range, with Mount Sturt bearing 266 deg. September 8 and 9 found the party forging eastward on the lookout for Separation camp, but they could not find it ; "it is wrongly placed on the map," he wrote. His description of the country for the 8th was "mallee scrub with patches of scrub, salt bush and a little grass." On the 10th he reached Cooroona and camped 10 miles beyond it, and on Saturday, September 11, he arrived at Mr. Thompson's station at Mount Arden.

SHORT OF PROVISIONS

Under date September 15, from Mount Arden, Stuart wrote to Capt. Freeling, giving fixings of his position at various places en his route and ended his letter by stating, " I started on the 10th June from Mount Eyre, my party consisted of one man and a black fellow. I had five horses, one of which I was obliged to leave behind in the desert. I took with me only one month's provisions not expecting to be out more than six weeks, but have now been three months and four days."

To that leffer he appended a P.S. "Since writing the annexed I have had a call from Mr. Babbage and have given him a copy of my route showing the permanent waters, etc. I would have sent you a copy but I am so weak and exhausted that I am unable to do anything."

It will be noticed that Stuart now says he started out with five horses (which is the number mentioned in the Parliamentary paper) whereas Hardman in publishing Stuart's journal said he started from Oratunga with six. When the party arrived at Mr. Louden's station it was recorded that there were "difficulties about the horses.'' Probably when Barker dropped out he took a horse with him, and on Forster joining up did not bring one, or again that Forster brought to the party one less than Barker took away.

Stuart finished his journal at Mount Arden, but he afterwards returned to Oratunga, his starting point. This is shown in the original plan, but not on the lithographed plan attached to Parliamentary paper 119 or 1858, containing a reprint of the report.

On completion of the excursion the Government was so gratified with the work accomplished that they "presented him with a large grant of land in the district which he had explored," of course, as usual, certain conditions were attached to the offer of the gift. Mr. Stuart expressed his thanks to Mr. William Finke for the advice and I assistance on this his first trip.

CONDITION OF COUNTRY

In ending this series of articles in explorations of the northern frontier, which to all intents and purposes completes the exploration of the Peninsula, I cannot do better than give a literal and rather lengthy quotation from Mr. Frederick Sinnett, in a book on South Australia published for distribution at the International Exhibition of 1862 : —

"For many years, the prevailing idea was that all the country lying north from Spencer's Gulf was barren and worthless. This idea was fostered by the account given by the intrepid explorer Mr. Eyre, who in the early days of the colony made a memorable journey first to the north and then along the coast westward to King George's Sound. For energy, and courage and perseverance. Mr. Eyre has perhaps never been excelled by any Australian explorer, but he had an unfortunate habit of keeping too close to the sea coast — an unfortunate knack of getting into the worst country to be found in the neighbourhood — and a somewhat liberal fancy for condemning all the country for an indefinite distance inland as sterile and useless. "

"Some of the finer northern runs in South Australia occupy ground which on Mr. Eyre's map, is, with a bold sweep of the pen and the imagination, declared to be utterly barren. The country inland from the Great Australian Bight has long laboured under similar condemnation by the same severe judge ; but the gradual settlement of portions of the coast, and the explorations of Mr. Stuart and others, now justify the belief that Mr. Eyre was here, as in the north, much too indiscriminative in his censure. Of course, I only hazard an individual opinion in saying, that probably before many years, a large part of the country recently discovered by Mr. Stuart will be occupied ; and that it will be found to be connected at least by belts of available country to within a very short distance of the head of the Bight."

This forecast became a matter of fact, as shown by the return of pastoral leases published in 1866.

[The next series of articles written by Mr. Somerville, which will begin next week, will deal with the tragedies of 1848 and 1849. These articles — the result of much research — will dispel many erroneous impressions with re-gard to those events.]