Journals of Expeditions of Discovery into Central Australia and Overland from Adelaide to King George's Sound in the Years 1840-1: Sent By the Colonists of South Australia, with the Sanction and Support of the Government: Including an Account of the Manners and Customs of the Aborigines and the State of Their Relations with Europeans — Volume 01Eyre, Edward John
History
Journals of Expeditions of Discovery into Central Australia and Overland from Adelaide to King George's Sound in the Years 1840-1: Sent By the Colonists of South Australia, with the Sanction and Support of the Government: Including an Account of the Manners and Customs of the Aborigines and the State of Their Relations with Europeans — Volume 01
Eyre, Edward John
Australia -- Discovery and exploration; Ethnology -- Australia
On the 22nd, upon going into the settlement, I found the Government
cutter WATERWITCH at anchor in the harbour, having Mr. Scott on board,
and a most abundant supply of stores and provisions, liberally sent us by
his Excellency the Governor, who had also most kindly placed the cutter
at my disposal, to accompany and co-operate with me along the coast to
the westward.
Mr. Scott had managed every thing confided to him most admirably; and I
felt very greatly indebted to him for the ready and enterprising manner
in which he had volunteered, to undertake a voyage from Port Lincoln to
Adelaide in a small open boat, and the successful manner in which he had
accomplished it. Among other commissions, I had requested him to bring me
another man to accompany the expedition in the place of the one (R.
M'Robert) who had driven the dray to Port Lincoln, and with whom I was
going to part; as also to bring for me a native, named Wylie, an
aborigine, from King George's Sound, whom I had taken with me to Adelaide
on my return in May last, but who had been too ill to accompany me at the
time the expedition started; the latter he had not been able to
accomplish, as the boy was in the country when he reached Adelaide, and
there was not time to get him down before the WATERWITCH sailed. The man,
however, he had procured, and I was glad to recognize in him an old
servant, who had been with me in several of my former expeditions, and
who was a most excellent carter and tent servant. His name was Thomas
Costelow.
Having received large packets of papers and many letters, both from
relations in England, and from many warm-hearted friends in Adelaide, I
returned with Mr. Scott and Costelow to the tent, to make immediate
preparations for our departure. The delay, occasioned by my having been
obliged to send to Adelaide for our supplies, had so greatly protracted
the period of my absence from the rest of my party, beyond what I had
anticipated, that I became most anxious to rejoin them: the summer
weather too, was rapidly approaching, and I dreaded the task of forcing a
way through the low level scrubby waste, around Streaky and Smoky Bays,
under a tropical sun.
From the despatches received, I was glad to find that the Governor and
the Colonists had approved of the step I had taken, in moving to the
westward, which was gratifying and satisfactory, notwithstanding the
disappointments I had experienced. In the course of the day, I sent in a
dray to Port Lincoln, with our heavy baggage to put on board the cutter,
with orders to Mr. Germain the master, to sail immediately for Streaky
Bay, and lose no time in communicating with the party there. Before the
cutter sailed, I purchased an excellent little boat to be sent with her
for use in our coast or inland explorations, should it be found
necessary.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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