Expedition of Mr. Assistant-Surveyor Edmund Kennedy to Ascertain the Course of the RiverVictoriaAuthor(s): Edmund KennedySource: Journal of the Royal Geographical Society of London, Vol. 19 (1849), pp. 193-199Published by: Wiley on behalf of The Royal Geographical Society (with the Institute of BritishGeographers)Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/1798094 .

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( 193 )

A P P E N D I X.

Expedition of Mr. Assictant-Surveyor Edmund Kennedy {o ascer- tain the cotbrse ?S the F?iver Vzetoricl. Communicated by the Colonial Office.

[Read Jan. 8, 1849.]

HAVING reached the lowest point of the Victoria attained by the Sur- veyor-General, I was directed " to pursue the river, and determine the course thereof as accurately as mv light equipment and consequent rapid pro,,ress miU,ht permit." Accordingly, on the 13th of August we mc)ved down the river, and at 412 miles crossed over to its proper right bank; the Victoria is there bounded on the south by a low sandstone ridge, covered with brigalow; and on the north by fine grassy plains, with here and there clumps of the silver-leaf brigalovv. At 7 miles xve passed a fine deep reach, below which the river is divided illtO three channels, and inclines more to the southward; at 13 miles we encamped upon the centre channel: the three were about half a mile apart, the southern one under the ridge being the deepest. We found water in each, but I believe it to be only permanent in the southernmost, which contains a fine reach, one mile iselonv our encamp- mellt, in latitude 24?17t 345. An intellig,ent native whom we met there uZith his family, on our return gave me the name of the river, which they call " Barcoo." I also obtaitled from him several useful words, which he seemed to take a pleasure in giving, and which I entered in my jourIlal.

Between the parallels of 24?17' and 24? 53t, the river preserves geerally a very direct course to the S.S.W., and Inaintains axl un- varie(l character, althout,h the supply of water greatly decreases below the latitude 24? 25t. It is divided into three prillcipal charlnels, and several millor watercourses, which traverse a flat country lightly tim- bered by a species of flooded box; this flat is confined on either side by low sandstone ridges, thickly covered with all acacia scrub. In latitude 24? 50t we had some difficultv in finding a sufficiency for our oxYn consurnption, but after searchiIlg the numerous channels, the deep (though dry) lagoons and lakes formed there hy the river, we at len^,th encampe(l at a small water-hole in latitude 24? 52' 55" and longitude 144? 11' 26tt.

Being aware that the principal view of tlle Government in sexlding me to trace the Victoria was the discovery of a practical route to the Gulf of Carpentaria, I then began to fear that I should be unable, with my small stock of provisions, to accomplish the two objects of my expedition. My instructions confined me to tlle river, which had now preserved, almost without deviation, a S S.W. course for nearly 100 miles; the otlly method which occurred to me, by the adFoption of which I might still hope to perform all that was desiredX was t() trace

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194 AFr. IQENNEDY S River Fictoaia Expedttion.

the river with two men as far as latitude 26?, *hich the maintenance of it3 general course would have enabled yne to clo in two days, and then to hasten back to my part-, to conduct them to the extreme northern point attaineel by the Victoria, and endeavour to prolong the direct route carried that far, frolll Sydney towards the Gulf of Car- pentaria, by Sir Thornas SIitchell.

With this intention I left the camp on the 20th of Allgust, and at ]2 miles found several channels united, formint, a fine reach, below wl ich the river takes a tllrn to the W.S.A., receivin^, tlle waters of rather a large creek from the eastward, in latitllde 25Q 3t. In latitude 25O7'? the river, havillg again inclined to the southward, impinges 1lpon the point of a lonv ranDe on its left, by the ilfluence of wllich it is ttlrned in one well-waterecl channel to the VV. and W. by N. for nearly 30 miles; in that course the reaches arfe nearly connected, varyinr in breadth from 80 to 120 yarcls; firm plains of a pure white soil extend on eitller side the rivel; they nere rather bare of pas- ture, but are evidently in some seasons lesss deficient of grass. In latitude 2509' 30", and lon,,itude about 143? 16', a consideral)le river jOillS the Victoria from the N.E., which I would submit may be named the " Thomson," in honoul of E. Deas Thomson, Esq., the Hon. t}-e Colonial Secretary. It s as on one of tlle five reaches in the westerly course of the Victoria that I passed tlle second nigl-lt; the river there measured 120 yarcls across, alld seemed to llave a great depth; tlle rocks and srnall islets which here and there occurred in its channel giving it the sensblance of a lasting antl most inlportant river: tllis unexpected change, however, botll in its appearance and course, caused me to retr1rn immediately to my camp for the purpose of conducting my party clown such a river whithersoever it should flow.

On the 25th of August weresumed ourtjollrney down that portion of the Victoria above described, and ma(le tile river mentioned from the N.E. three miles above its junction; followitlg it down we founel an ullbroken sheet of water in its channe], averaging 50 yards in b1eaclth; se forded it at the junction, and continued to move down the Victoria, keepirlg all the channels, illtO wllich it had again divide(S, on my left. At about l ulile the river t11ele turns to the S.S.X. and ,S., spreaditlg over a clepressed and barren waste, void of trees or vege- tation of any kind, its level surface being olllnT broken by sma]l doones of red sarld, resenlblin:, islands UpOII the dry bed of an inland sea, which, I am convinced, at no distant period did exist there.

On the 1st of September we encamped upon a long, though narrow, reach in the most western channel, at v}lich point a low sandstone ridge, strewed with boulders, and covere(l utith an acacia scrub, closes upon the river. This position is important, as a small supply of grass will (I think) in most seasons be found O11 the bank of the river, xvXlen not

a blade, perhaps, may be seerl witllin many miles aboxte or below; my. camp, which I marked IV was in latitude 25? 24' 22", longitude 1dI2? 51'. Beyond camp IV the ridge recedes, and the soil becomes more broken and cru1nbling; our horses struggled with difficulty over this ground to my camp, at a small ̂ ater-hole, in lat. 25? 43' 44",

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Captait Sturt's F(lrthest. 195

where I found it necessary to lighten some of their loads by having buried 400 lbs. of flour and 70 lbs. of sug,ar, still retailling a sufficielt supply to carry us to Captain Sturt's farthest, on Cooper's CreekS to the eastward (to Mrhith pOillt I X as convinced this river would lead me), and fiom thence back to the settled districts of New South WVales, which was all I collld then hope to accomplish. At about 16 miles farther, the ground becomirlg worse, so that our horses were colltinua11y falling into the fissures up to their hocks, I xvas compelled to leave 270 lbs. more of flour and sllhar at my canp of the 4th of September, in lat. 25? 51', at another small water-hole fonnd in tlle bed of a very dly and insignificarlt cl-lanllel. Here a barren salldstone range agail- impedes the river in its southerly course, and throws it of to tile ^est- ^rard, thus causing many of its cllannels to unite antl form a reach of water in lat. S?5? 54'; tl-lis, tlle losest reach vaTe attained, I did not dis- coer ulltil my return, having found a sufficietlt ,supply in a chanllel more to the westward. Ir-l lat. 25 25', and lotlg. by account 142- 23', t}le river, havitlg roun(led the pOillt of tlle ran?e whicll obstructs it, resumes its southerly course, spreadillg in countless channels over a surface bearilltr, flood-marks 6 alld 10 feet above its present level; this sast expanse is only bounded to tlle eastward by the barren range allucled to, which encling abluptly rllns palqallel sitll the river at a distallce varting from 4 to 7 Iniles. 0l1 tlle 7tll of September I en- calllped ll})OIl a small wateI-hole itl 26 0t 13 irl tlle midst of a desert not producing a lllolsel of vegetation; fret SO long as ue could find svater, trallsient as it was, I contitlued to pusll on itll thE hope of reaching sooner or later some grassy spot, wilereon by a l-lalt I lOigilt refiesh the horses; however, that hope WG1S destroyed at the close of the next (:lay, for althouC,ll I llad commencetl an early searcil for water wherl travelling to the southwarcl, Witil numerous cllanllels on eitl-ler side of n1e, I was compelled at length to encamp in lat. 26' 13' 9'', atld long. by aCColIllt 142i 20', on the bank of a deep channel, lVitllOUt

either water or foo(l for our sleazied horses. The follosin(r morning, taking one Inan alld Harry with lne, we ma(le a elose searcls down tlse

mo,st pl'QNliSilltr sratercourses an(l lagoolls, but upon ridiang clown even the cleepest of tllem? xve invaliably {ound them hreak o? illtO several

illsitrnifieallt channels, whicEs agaill sllbe:livlded, and in a short (listance lissipated the waters, derived flom what llad ap3veared the dry bed of a

large river oll the ab.sorbing plain; returnirlg in disappointment to tlle camp? I sent llly lithtest lnan alld IIarry on other l-lorses to look into

the clxannels still llnexalnitsed. })ut tlley also l eturnecl unsuccessful. XVe ha(l seen late fires of tlie llatives at WhiCll they had passed the nillt without water, arld tracked t ilem on their )ath fi om lagoon to lagoon irl search of it; we also f UIkd that they lad eneampea on some of t}le (leepest channels in succession, qllitting each as it had hecolse drr, havint, previollsly made holes to drain of tlle last moi.stllre. :I!W1y horses were by this time literally starving, and (lll we collld give them was the rottetl straw a]d lvee(-ls which lsad coveled some cleserlejd huts of the natives. Seeing then that it N ould be the csertaill loss of manT azed conseqller)tly an unjustifiable risl; of my paltv to attempt to push farther into a country where t}le aborigines tllelllselves xvere at a loss

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19G AI1'. KENNEDY b' Rive} Victo?ia Expeditio?Z.

to find water, I felt it my imperative duty to at once abandon it. I would here beg to remark, that althou^,h unsuccessful in my attempt to follow it that far, from the appearance of the country, and long continued direction of the river's course, I tl-,illk there can exist but little doubt that the " Victoria " is identical with Cooper's CreeA of Captvin Sturf; that Creek was abandoned by its discoverer in lat 27- 56', lon,,. 142), coming from the N.E., and as the natives in fortned him " in many small channels formirlg a large one ;" the lowest camp of mine on the Victoria was in lat. 26313' 9', lon. 142 20'; the river, in several channels, trendirlg due S., and tlle lowest point of the range which bounds tleat flat coulltry to the east- nrard bearing S. 259 18.; Captaill Sturt also states that the ground near the creek uas so blisteree:l and light, that it was unfit to ride on, but that before he turned he had satisfied hilllself that there was no apparent sign of lvater to the eastward.

Having marked a tree lI8K7 we commenced our return journey along the track at 2 P.M. of the 9th of September; at 8 miles Iallowed orle of the horses to be shot, forS beillg an old invalid and unable to travel farther, he must have starxred if let alive. At 13 miles !e reache(l the water; some wllile after dark tlle following day we made ollr next camp, but it was with much difEculty that my plivate horse and two or three others were brougllt to water, one beinC almost car- ried by three men the latter part of tlle day. Upon discovering the reach, in lat. 25 o41 near the range, and finditlg a little grass in the channel about the vvater, I gave the horses two daas' rest. My camp on the reach is marked IKI; it is in lat. 25D 55t 37ti, long. by account 142' 24t; the variation of tlle compass 8' E.; water boiled at 2l4', tlle terllperature of the air being 64'. On the 14th of September we pro- ceeded on our journey, and reached the firm plains beyolsd the desert; on the 22nd, having halted a day, we again moved orl, and arrived within 5 miles of the carts; on the 7th of Octot)er, leaving my party on the S. cElannel, I rode to the spot and found thenl still- safe, al- thollgh a native had been exalnilling the ground that very morlling. Lest 11e sllollld have gone to collect others to assist him in 11is re- searches, I brought my party fors aId the same evenino, had the carts dug Ollt during the sligllt, alld at sunrise proceeded to our position of tlle 4ttx of August on the South Channel. Five natives were ot)servecl in the morning following on our track, and before the tents were pitched they drew near and ordered us away from the water; they had all their implements with them, and froln their surly and untractable manner appeared to have been lately disappointed in a rtlining specula- tion. Pursuing our course up the river, we reached tlse Sive on the 18th of October; there was but little water in the hole near tlle Brigalow Creek, atld notle to be procured but by digging at tlle junc- tion of the Wivelle. On leaving Camp 77, we found no water until we reached the fir;t pool ill the SVarrego, a distance of 40 miles, all the intervening watercourses having become dry.

Finding upon my arrival on the Warrego that we had still 756 lbs.

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The Warreyo River. 197

of flour remaining and feeling anxious to make some diseovery, whieh might, at least irl a small degree, palliate the bad tidings of which I was the bearern I determined upon following that river down, with the view not only of finding an available country, but also of adding to what little is known of the range whieh divides the waters of the Darling from those of the interior. The " Nive" being the only watereourse of any importanee between the Vietoria and the Warrego, I eoneeived, that should tlle latter river be found to fall to the west- ward, or be joined by the " Nive ' in an easterly eourse, in either ease the form and position of that range would, to a eertain extent, be established. With these views, I aeeortlint,ly left the pond on the Warrego, in lat. 259 16 10B', on the 25th of October, and continued to travel down that river until the 18th of November, with the followint, results:-

So far as my camp, marked 5 in lat. 2SD 55t 57" and long. 146' 44' 7tt, the Warrego maintains its deep sandy besl, averaginb 40 feet in breadth; it intereeets an open forest eountry with good pasture, the forest being generally eomposed of several varieties of Euealyptin sueh as the iron-bark, box, &e., the aeaeia, and pine; the trees on the immediate bank of the river are ehiefly the floodecl gum and oak, whieh wear a healthy appearanee and attain a growth very remarkable on the banks of a ehannel in whieh water ean never lodge. The riner i8

joined in lat. 25' 35' by the ereek before mentioned as being the next to tIle eastward; its ehannel is broad and sandy near the junetion, and eontains small but permanent water-holes; the eountry bordering it resenlbling in every respeet that on the Warrego. In lat. 259 51' 22tt another ereel; enters the Warrego from the eastward, at the junetion of whieh water nsay at all times be found; the river again reeeives the waters of a ereek whieh I ealled the " Yo-Yo " Creek, in lat. 25D 55t 57t'; this ereek has its souree in the range of which l\Iount Boyd is a fixed point, and eontained an abundanee of water in its ehain of holes: of the Warrego thus far, I may in a lrord say, that its grassy banks and elear forest land render it available for either sheep or horse stoek, but it is unfit for eattle from there bein^, no surfaee water; we obtained a supply otl travelling down the river, either from wells sunk 2 or 3 feet by ourselvesS or eaused by tIle uprooting of a large tree on a level with its bed. Water ean be proeured in almost any part of its whole eourse, by elearing away the sand to the depth of from 1 to 5 feet, more especially at t}le junction of a creek, however small.

From eamp XV to lat. 28' 15' 44" and long. 1459 28' 52", the river eontairls civep reaehes of water oeeurring at short distances, and inereasingin proximity as we advaneed; this inexhaustible supply of water is bounded by open forest for the first 40 miles, and from thenee by extensive plains thiekly eovered with the most luxuriant pasture, and broken here and there by elumps of " aeaeia pendula." I have never seen in the eolony any eountry whieh surpasses it, and but very little to equal it, either as being adapted for the depasturing of eattle or any kin of stoek. In lat. 28' 3', we eneamped UpOll a reaeh, but found the

VOL. X1X. P

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198 M. KENNEDY s Rzeer Fictorza Expedition.

country mucll fallen off in appearance; between that camp and XEII in lat. 28' 15' 44tt, the river rapidly dimini3hed by throwing offwater- courses to the eastxYard, atld it was only after a long search that we found a spot at which we could procure a supply of water by digging. At 13 miles heyond, or in about latitude 289 25', the river, now much re- duced, splits into two equal parts, the one running directly to the east- ward, the other in the opposite direction to the westward; the easter channel, however, after a circuitous turn, rejoins that to the westward, without improving, what the river had here become, the insignificant dry bed of a watercourse: the coulltry on either side, being flat and subject to inundation, was of a poor crumbling soil, void of grass and thickly wooded by a species of small stunted box and acacia.

I was then in lat. about 28' 26' and long. 145' 28', having ventured again that far to the westward with the hope of carrying the fine country we had lately traversed the whole way to the Barwan.

Being now unable to procure water in either thannel of the river, even by sinking wells, once more disgusted and disappointed, as all travellers will ever be who put their trust in the interior rivers of New Holland, I decided upon leaving it and moaring towards the Culgoa, for, although 80 miles distant, it was the nearest w-ater to the position I was then in; accordingly, on the evening of the 18th of November, I left the Warrego, steering S. 373 E., and at 8 A.M. of the next day we encamped on a watercourse from the N.E., containing shallow holes ;of water; on the 20th I followed the watercourse for abotlt 3 miles, uhen finding it reduced and turning sharp to the eastward, I resumed my course for the Culgoa, which river I reached with the horses on the morning of tlle 22nd; but in travelling that distance the ground and weather proved so very unfavourable, that I lost three of my hest draught horses before I co:uld accomplish it, which loss led to the death of three others in bringing the carts to the river. This loss wa.s the first of any kind we had sustained on the ,journey, with the exception of the horse left on the desert. At about 30 miles from the Cultoa we had to traverse hills of bare red sand partially covered by spine-fir and a low kind of brush, which, being on fire in every direction, was kept raging within a few yards of us by the hottest wind I have experieneed this season; the thermometer in the shade was that day 1109.

It was the 15th of December before my carts were brought up and the horses sufficiently reeovered to continue our journey, and on the 16th we left my first camp on the Culgoa, in lat. 29' 29' 41", long. 146' 36' 52", moving by short stages down the river. In lat. 29' 35' the Birie, another outlet of the Balonne, joins the river from the east- ward; in lat. 29' 50', having crossed the river, I struck of for the Barwan, which we reached in 6 miles, our position being 40 miles above Fort Bourke and 9 below Mr. Lawson's station; proceeding up the river br supplies, I returned to my first camp on the Barwan, marked XxK II and on the 27th of December crossed over to the Bogan, following that river up to Mr. Andrew Ker's station, at which we arrived last evenirlg.

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- S

Mr.KENN'EDY'SDeat^. 199

With respect to the aborigines, I beg to state we have been gene- rally on the most friendly terms, making them presents aIld establish- ing a kind feeling, which I trust may be beneficially felt by those of our countrymen who may follow me into that portion of New Holland. On two or three occasions only we had to exercise what I believe to have been unparalleled forbearance, to avoid collision with them, but finally succeeded. The Victoria language is spoken on the Warrego with only a slight difference in tlle pronunciation, on the shallow watercourse (70 miles from the Culgoa, and 95 from the Barwan) we met a tribe who spoke a diffierent language, but understood that of the Victoria, the natives of the Barwan and Bogan appear to know nothing of the in- terior language. In conclusion, it is nzy pleasing duty to make a few l)rief observa- tions on the remarkably good conduct of every member cortlposinffl my party, of whom collectively I need only state, that they have un- dergone the hardships and privations experienced on this journey toiling frequently on foot through the desert (upon a ration of 75 lbs. of flour equally divided among nine men) with a constant and ready

obedience, and without a murmur.

* Extract of a letter addressed to Earl Grey, by Governor Sir Charles Fitzroy lated Sydney, 25th April, 1849:- " My Lord,-It beGotnes my painful duty to report to your Lordship the melancholy fate of the expedition wnich was despatched in the early part of last year for the fur- ther exploring of the northern portion of this colony, from Rockingham Bay to Cape York. The party, comprising e]even Europeans anKl an aboriginal native, was intrusted to the direction of Mr. Assistant-Surveyor E. B. C. Kennedy, who h-ad oll former occasions marlifested peculiar fitness for such a duty, an(l whose noble conduct throughout thi3 expedition amply justified the confidence reposed ils him. Of the thirteen persons formiTlg the party, but three have returrlecl. The fate of three is still uncertain, an(l the gallant lea(ler himself was speared to death by the natives when on the very eve of accomplishing the principal objnect of his nXiSBion, " I have arranged with the master of the brig ' Freak,' now on her way to Port Essington and China, to land a number of his crew, firstly at Melbourne Bay, and then at Escape River, in order that, 1lnder the guidance of the native ' Jackey Jackey,> who, mrith two other aborigines, has beerl sent for the purpose, they may en(3eavour to ascertain the fate of the unfortunate men left at the former place, antl, if possible recover Mr. Kennedy's jourllals,a which were on his death secrete(l by ' Jackey Jackey.' Shotlld this latter effort prove successful, the calsse of geographical sciellce will, in

some measure at least, reap the advatltage of Mr. Kennedy's labours; and even should it fail, still much valuable information may be anticipated from a detailed account of the expe(lition (now in course of preparation) by one of the survivors, Mr. Carron, who was attached to the party in the capacity of botanist."-ED.

^ Irlformation of the recovery of these Journals has since beetl received at the Colonial Office.-ED.

p 'S

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