Burke and Wills Report – a monthly update on the progress of the Victorian Exploring Expedition 150 years ago
April 1862
The Exploration Committee defends itself against criticism
The Exploration Committee, in its Annual Report presented to the Royal Society on 10 April 1862, responded vigorously to the criticism made by the Commission of Inquiry that it had:
“…in overlooking the importance of the contents of Mr Burke’s dispatch from Torowotto, and in not urging Mr Wright’s departure from the Darling, committed errors of a serious nature.”
The Exploration Committee Annual Report, which had been delayed until the Commission had completed its Inquiry and published its report, outlines the tragic sequence of events that transpired on the expedition since it left Menindee on 19 October 1860 through to the eventual demise of Burke and Wills at Coopers Creek in June 1861, and the efforts of the Exploration Committee to mount relief expeditions headed by Howitt, Walker and Landsborough at about the same time to locate them. It also records the rescue of King by Howitt’s party, and Howitt’s subsequent return to Coopers Creek to maintain a depot to support the other relief parties in the field and to return with the remains of Burke and Wills.
The Exploration Committee report acknowledges the criticism of its actions, but says that it is ill informed:
“Having thus submitted a short narrative of the leading events of the past year, your Committee do not wish to conceal from themselves that their conduct in connexion with the disasters which befell the Expedition, has been censured both by the public and the Royal Commission which was appointed to inquire into the cause of these misfortunes.
The Victorian Expedition, though crowned with success as regards the extent and value of the country explored, having proved disastrous to human life, your Committee were fully prepared for that condemnation by the unreflecting public which invariably awaits the originators of enterprises similarly unfortunate. Anxious for the fullest investigation, your Committee hailed with satisfaction the appointment of the Royal Commission, and while they freely admit that that Body conducted its investigations with ability and impartiality, they confess thy were scarcely prepared for the very grave censure which is conveyed in its report.
While, therefore, your Committee believe that they are in a position fully to justify their own conduct, they feel that they are precluded from reviewing the report of the commission, constituted as it was, and they would prefer silently to submit to unmerited obloquy, rather than reflect on the memory of the lamented Leader.”
But having just said that it had decided not to blame Burke to defend itself from the criticisms of the Royal Commission for the tragedy, the Exploration Committee Annual Report then immediately uses over 1,000 words to do exactly that by:
- defending itself over its inaction in confirming Wright’s appointment earlier (by stating it was clear that Burke had already appointed him and it did not need any confirmation from the Exploration Committee),
- reinforcing that Burke had not followed their instructions to form a depot at Coopers Creek and then establish communication to the settled districts (but instead chose to push on directly to the Gulf and leave the Depot Party under Brahe at Coopers Creek), and
- noting that while Wright’s failure to reach Coopers Creek from Koorliatto were in part due to his lack of any surveying equipment and expertise (they do not attribute any blame to Wright for this), it was also because Wright could not follow Burke’s tracks across the stony Grey Range because Burke had failed to follow the Committees instructions that:
‘that the route should be marked as permanently as possible by leaving records, sowing seeds, building cairns and marking trees at as many points as possible, consistently with the various other duties’ .
So much for deciding not to “reflect on the memory of the lamented Leader”
The Committee also contend (probably quite rightly) that had Wright been successful in reaching Coopers Creek (albeit with a party weakened by illness to Stone, Purcell and Becker), Brahe would probably have decided to stay a bit longer and therefore avoid the tragic event of leaving on the very morning of the return of Burke Wills and King from the Gulf. We will never know.
Interestingly, there is no reference in the Annual Report to the loss of Gray, Becker, Stone Purcell and Patton during the conduct of the expedition.
The Annual Report concluded quite defensively that the Committee:
“cannot admit that the disasters of the Expedition are to be traced to any oversight on their part.”
The report is in stark contrast to the closing remarks of the previous report from the Exploration Committee prepared at the end of 1860 after the expedition had departed Menindee. In it, the Exploration Committee had glossed over the impact of the resignation of the Second in Command Landells and the Medical Officer Beckler with the following comments:
Your Committee has only further to state that notwithstanding some changes in the party, satisfactory progress has been made, and the latest intelligence confirms the opinion that the efficiency of the Expedition has been improved by the alterations and reductions that have been effected.
Your Committee refrains from making any comments on the secession of some officers, and other events of minor importance which have been placed before the public from time to time ; and in closing this report, earnestly commends the interests of the Expedition and the fair fame of the gallant leader, with all his devoted officers and brave companions, to the proverbial candour of all honorable men, and the warm sympathy of the Royal Society.
Isn’t it interesting how these events were instrumental in determining the fate of the expedition, but I suppose that we are looking with the benefit of hindsight.
The Annual Report also caused some consternation when it was presented to the Royal Society, with most of the discussion on whether to remove the word “perhaps” from the sentence that :
“Great allowances have been made for Mr Brahé leaving the Depôt at Cooper’s Creek, ‘because a responsibility far beyond his expectations devolved upon him.’ Your Committee are of opinion that similar allowances, though perhaps in a lesser degree, might have been extended to Mr Wright”
In the end, the Royal Society decided that it was a report from the Exploration Committee and the Royal Society did not have the power to amend it, and so ”perhaps” remained. Much ado about nothing! Perhaps they could have focussed their thoughts on learning where they had gone wrong a bit more?
Howitt
Upon his return from Blanchewater in South Australia on his first successful trip from Coopers Creek, Howitt found a vegetable garden that he had asked to be established was already flourishing with pumpkins, melons and radishes. The local aboriginals told Howitt of a great flood due to come down the Cooper. In response, on the 5 April, Howitt sent Weston Phillips upstream as far as the Fishpond to ascertain the nature of the flood, and on10 April, Howitt sent Williams and O’Donnell up to Fort Wills to retrieve the two camel trunks that had been left there.
Howitt became concerned about retrieving Wills’ remains before any floodwaters covered them and on 12 April he headed north on an exploration trip to the edge of the Stony Desert with 5 others. He also took Dr Murray and Weston Phillips with him as far as Wills’ grave and they returned to Howitt’s base camp with the remains after disinterring them on 13 April 1862.
The Relief Expeditions
Walker
Walker reached Strathalbyn station on the Burdekin on 5 April 1862 after struggling with lack of food and with his horses in ill health for the last two months on his return trip from the Gulf. It was here that he received the news of the sad fate of Burke and Wills. He resupplied the party, sent two members forward with despatches and sent some members back to collect some horses they had abandoned. And so his journey to find Burke and Wills was over.
Afterwards, Walker was engaged by the Queensland Government to mark out a course for a telegraph line between Rockingham Bay and the mouth of the Norman River in Carpentaria. This work he carried out successfully; but when at the Gulf, he was attacked by the prevalent malarial fever, and died there in November 1866 and is buried on Floraville Station on the Leichhardt River. His grave was rediscovered by Walter Camp of Floraville Station in 1979.
In 1999, the Queensland Police Commissioner apologised to indigenous Queenslanders for the actions of the Native Police Force that Walker had led prior to his engagement to search for Burke and Wills.
Landsborough
Landsborough continued his journey south from the Gulf through western Queensland without finding any trace of Burke and Wills.
McKinlay
McKinlay and the South Australian Burke Relief Expedition continued to head north towards the Gulf from the Cooper Creek region following Burke and Wills tracks
Next Month: A coroner’s finding 150 years on
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