e of the members started for the landing-place on the Victoria,
which they reached on the 9th of May. After all arrangements and
preparations had been completed, Gregory, with most of the party, started
on the return journey overland to Moreton Bay. The Tom Tough, now caulked
and repaired, was to make her way to the Albert River in the Gulf of
Carpentaria, where they would again probably meet.

Traversing the tributaries of the Victoria on his homeward way, Gregory
met with no remarkable incident until his arrival on the Elsey, a
tributary of the Roper River, which he named after the surgeon of the
expedition. It was here that he came upon the last authentic trace of
Leichhardt. He describes his discovery as follows:--

"There was also the remains of a hut and the ashes of a large fire,
indicating that there had been a party camped there for several weeks;
several trees from six to eight inches in diameter had been cut down with
iron axes in fair condition, and the hut built by cutting notches in
standing trees and resting a large pole therein for a ridge; this hut had
been burnt apparently by the subsequent bush fires, and only some pieces
of the thickest timber remained unconsumed. Search was made for marked
trees, but none found, nor were there any fragments of leather, iron, or
other equipment of an exploring party, or of any bones of animals other
than those common to Australia. Had an exploring party been destroyed
here, there would most likely have been some indications, and it may
therefore be inferred that the party proceeded on its journey. It could
not have been a camp of Leichhardt's in 1845, as it is 100 miles south of
his route to Port Essington; and it was only six or seven years old,
judging by the growth of the trees; having subsequently seen some of
Leichhardt's camps on the Burdekin, Mackenzie and Barcoo Rivers, a great
similarity was observed in regard to the manner of building the hut and
its relative position with regard to the fire and water supply, and the
position in regard to the great features of the country was exactly where
a party going westward would first receive a check from the waterless
tableland between the Roper and Victoria Rivers, and would probably camp
and reconnoitre ahead before attempting to cross to the north-west
coast."

From the Roper the party travelled around the shore of the Gulf, keeping
rather more inland than Leichhardt had done. On reaching the Albert they
found t