Explorations in Australia: 1.-Explorations in search of Dr. Leichardt and party. 2.-From Perth to Adelaide, around the great Australian bight. 3.-From Champion Bay, across the desert to the telegraph and to Adelaide. With an appendix on the condition of Western Australia.Forrest, John Forrest, Baron
History
Explorations in Australia: 1.-Explorations in search of Dr. Leichardt and party. 2.-From Perth to Adelaide, around the great Australian bight. 3.-From Champion Bay, across the desert to the telegraph and to Adelaide. With an appendix on the condition of Western Australia.
Forrest, John Forrest, Baron
Australia -- Description and travel; Australia -- Discovery and exploration
Mr. John Forrest, who was received with loud cheers, said he thanked them
very heartily for the enthusiastic way in which they had drunk his
health, and for the very handsome address they had presented to him. He
felt altogether unable to respond in the way he could wish to the many
remarks that had been made by their worthy chairman. If he could only
make himself believe that he was worthy of being placed in the rank of
the men whom he had mentioned, he certainly would feel very proud indeed.
It had always given him the greatest pleasure to read the accounts of the
travels of these great men. He remembered being closely connected with
Captain Flinders's researches upon the south coast of Australia, and,
after his journey from Perth to Eucla, Mr. Eyre, the late Governor of
Jamaica, wrote to him that he risked his life upon the accuracy of
Captain Flinders's observations, and in no case had he the least cause to
regret it. Exploration in other parts of the world, as in Africa, was
carried on in a very different style to the exploration in Australia.
Even in the early times, exploration here was carried on in a very
different way to what it was at the present time. Large equipages, many
waggons, and that sort of thing were used in the time of Captain Sturt
and other early explorers, until Mr. Eyre took a light equipment, with
very few horses and very few men. Since then the work had had to be done
with very light turn-outs. In Western Australia a good deal of
exploration was done before his time, and expeditions had been very
common. They generally cost very little indeed. The horses were generally
given by the settlers, the Government contributed a few hundred pounds,
and young settlers volunteered for the service. The cost was sometimes
400 or 500 pounds; and upon his expedition, up to the time they left the
settled districts of Western Australia, they had only spent about 330
pounds. He did not know that he could say anything more. He had spoken
several times on his journey down, and it seemed to him that he had said
the same thing over and over again. His forte was not in public speaking,
but he hoped they would take the will for the deed. They never could
forget the very kind and hearty reception they had received in every
place they had visited in South Australia. (Cheers.)
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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