Cheers.) It seemed to be the lot of poor human nature that whenever we
met for rejoicing there was always sure to be some little mournful
circumstance attending it, and we could scarcely think of the early
explorers without remembering with regret the noble leaders and brave
members of former expeditions who have now passed to their eternal rest.
There was the name of Sturt that came first in the list of our old
explorers. There was the name and the likeness of a man far more familiar
to many of them. There was Kekwick, and more recently poor McKinlay--all
gone to their last account. But still he was proud to see, and he was
sure it formed a source of gratification to that company, and especially
so to our guest, so many brave men at the table who had been companions
of those leaders and others in the early expeditions of this country.
(Cheers.) He said it with pride, that in no other Australian colony could
be seen such a group as sat at that table who had gone through the
hardships and dangers of exploration; for with one or two exceptions all
of them in the row were explorers. It was hardly possible for us to
estimate how much we had benefited by those who had opened up the country
for us. We were few in numbers and could not appreciate the work of the
explorer; but generations yet unborn would bless the names of those men
who had carried it out. (Cheers). He thought that it was doing only a
just tribute to associate the name of Mr. John Chambers with this toast,
because it might not be known to all present that Mr. Chambers, with his
late brother James and Mr. W. Finke, enabled Mr. Stuart to accomplish the
journeys that he made throughout the continent. (Cheers.) It was their
capital and his great skill, for in the face of so many explorers he was
not ashamed to say that Mr. McDouall Stuart was the greatest explorer
that ever lived. It was their capital that had enabled him to perform the
work which he had done, and for which his name would remain as a monument
for ever in the memories of South Australians. For not only were we
indebted to Stuart for the most valuable discoveries he had made, but he
thought Mr. Todd would say that his indications had proved the most
accurate. But he had also done a great thing for exploration in changing
the modus operandi. He had been one of Sturt's party that went out with
bullock-drays; but he had had genius, and had changed all that, starting
upon exploring with light parties, and