There were
not wanting ungenerous cavillers to insinuate doubts that he and
Burke had been at the Gulf. This inference they sought to establish
from an expression in one of the few of Burke's notes preserved, to
this effect: "28th March.--At the conclusion of report, it would be
well to say that we reached the sea, but we could not obtain a view
of the open ocean, although we made every effort to do so." At the
extreme point they reached, about fifteen miles down the Flinders,
the tide ebbed and flowed regularly, and the water was quite salt.
The very simplicity of Mr. Burke's remark shows that it was made by
a man not given to lying or deceit. Mr. Walker followed the return
tracks for some distance, but lost them at about 20 degrees of
south latitude, and then struck off direct east for the Queensland
district, to inquire, and get further supplies for a new start. At
Rockhampton he received the fatal intelligence which had been sent
round by sea from Melbourne; and also the news of the discovery of
King by the gallant Howitt, to whom all honour is due for his
labours in the cause.
But Mr. McKinlay, leader of the South Australian Expedition, of
whom I have already spoken more than once, has performed the most
extraordinary exploit of all, and has traversed by far the greatest
quantity of new ground, but not in the direction originally
intended by the government that sent him.
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