om rivers farther to the south-west. It was the
dry season when he was there, but he could see traces of water where it
had spread for several miles across the country in the wet season. He had
no doubt that, if he had been able to go farther down, he should have got
to a large river.

Dr. Mueller observed that this seemed to augur well for any expeditions
that might be undertaken from the south of the Gulf of Carpentaria to the
south-west. He begged to ask whether, in following down the tributaries
of the Thomson, Mr. Landsborough met with any traces of Dr. Leichhardt?
It would appear from the information supplied by Mr. Walker that
Leichhardt took the tributaries of the Thomson in order to be able to
skirt the desert of Captain Sturt. Mr. Landsborough said he went from
near Port Denison to the heads of the Thomson River some years ago, and
the probability was, he thought, that Mr. Walker saw his tracks or those
of Cornish and Buchanan, who had also gone from Rockhampton to the heads
of the Thomson. The party of Mr. Peter McDonald (a Victorian) also went
from Rockhampton to the southern side of the range several years ago. In
his (Mr. Landsborough's) first expedition he endeavoured to find
Leichhardt's tracks on the heads of the Thomson, but unsuccessfully.

Dr. Iffla asked whether Mr. Landsborough in the course of his brilliant
journey across the country met with many bodies of natives, and whether
they evinced a friendly or hostile disposition.

Mr. Landsborough did not admit that it was a brilliant journey.
(Laughter.) He saw very few blacks. The largest number he saw at a time
was about thirty. He saw no tracks of blacks and he could not imagine
that they were numerous. He always avoided having much intercourse with
the blacks. He seldom had any trouble with them until this expedition. On
the Barcoo River a number of blacks who had previously appeared most
friendly approached the camp in the middle of the night and, but for the
watchfulness of Jemmy, might have knocked them on the head. They were
driven away, but the next morning they appeared disposed to attack the
party. Under those circumstances he was obliged to fire upon them. One
volley and a few shots however were sufficient to get rid of them. He
came upon the Flinders above the navigable point. The range which he
crossed to the south-west of Carpentaria was a tableland, that between
the Flinders and the Thomson consisted of a series of hills and mountains