unt Murchison than at
Menindie, I remained there for instructions from you.

As I had come to the conclusion that, as Mr. Howitt was in South
Australia, it would be unnecessary for me to take any steps to inform him
of my return from the Gulf of Carpentaria in accordance with the
instructions I received from you, we are here on our way to Melbourne.
Having lost some of our horses we have been delayed here for a few days,
and may be delayed longer as the camel is away. The camel I should have
mentioned earlier we brought with us from Bunnawanah.

This has been a bad season for coming down the river, so much so that one
of the oldest settlers says he never saw the grass so scarce as it now
is. We have however, I hope, got over the worst part of the river as the
country is getting green from the rain that has fallen recently.

On our way to Euston I hope to dispose of the horses and material of the
expedition. From Euston I intend sending Gleeson and a man I have hired
with the camel to Melbourne. To pay their expenses I will advance Gleeson
a sufficient sum. To Gleeson's assistant I have promised the usual wages
from the date of our arrival at Euston. To drive the camel I will
probably give them two riding-horses and a packhorse. With them I will
send an Expedition horse and the foal that was dropped near the Gulf of
Carpentaria, which I dare say the Royal Society will sell me to take to
Queensland as a relic of my expedition. I hope you will excuse my
engaging an assistant for Gleeson, as Mr. Bourne and the three
aborigines, who have been a long time engaged in this expedition, are
anxious to get to Melbourne to return to Queensland. When we reach Euston
we intend taking the coach.

From the paper I learn there is an impression abroad that I did not come
by a likely route for finding Burke's party, and that it appeared by my
letter that I had been commissioned to open up a route for stock to the
Gulf.

With regard to the latter I received the command of my party from the
Colonial Secretary of Queensland, and he certainly gave me no
instructions respecting the route I was to take, but for which he
referred me to your instructions. In these it was contemplated that I
should return by sea. Had it been contemplated that I was to have come
back overland my instructions would have been, I dare say, to have come
back by Mount Stuart. From having travelled in the end of last year about
halfway to Mount Stuart from the Alber