Journals Of Two Expeditions Of Discovery In North West And Western Australia Volume 1 (Of 2), George Grey [robert munsch read aloud txt] 📗
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- Author: George Grey
Book online «Journals Of Two Expeditions Of Discovery In North West And Western Australia Volume 1 (Of 2), George Grey [robert munsch read aloud txt] 📗». Author George Grey
The Following Pages Contain The Results Of The Author's Travels And
Residence In The Western Parts Of Australia, Between The Years 1837 And
1840, During Which Period He Traversed Extensive Regions Unknown To The
European Traveller, And Probably Never Before Trodden By The Foot Of
Civilized Man.
It Is Not Alone With Gratification Of Enlightened Curiosity That The
Countries Now First Brought To Notice Are Likely To Be Objects Of
Interest. A Knowledge Of The Districts Lying Between Swan River And Shark
Bay Cannot But Be Of Importance To Future Colonists, Whilst The
Intertropical Provinces Of The North-West Coasts, Distinguished As They
Are By Important Peculiarities Both Of Character And Position, Are
Equally Calculated To Draw The Attention Of The Literary And Enterprising
Enquirer.
It Only Remains To State In A Few Words The Circumstances Under Which
This Work Is Given To The Public.
The Author Arrived In England In September, 1840, And Was Engaged In
Preparing His Notes For Publication When He Was Unexpectedly Honoured
With An Appointment Which Re-Called Him To Australia In The Month Of
December Following.
Avocations Both Of A Public And Private Nature Arising Out Of That
Appointment Prevented Him From Carrying His Work Through The Press During
The Short Period Of His Residence In This Country, And Consequently The
Final Arrangement Of The Impression And The Duties Of Typographical
Revision Devolved On Others.
Although No Pains Have Been Spared To Render These Volumes Worthy Of The
Public Eye, The Circumstances Under Which They Appear Will Naturally
Occasion Them To Be Marked By Defects Which, Doubtless, Would Not Have
Escaped The Author's Notice And Correction Had He Been Present.
It Would Be An Act Of Injustice Not To Express Here The Obligations The
Author Is Under To Mr. J.E. Gray Of The British Museum For His Valuable
Assistance In Whatever Relates To Natural History In The Body Of The
Work, As Well As For The Contributions In The Same Branch Of Science
Which Will Be Found In The Appendix; Nor Are His Thanks Less Due To Mr.
Adam White For An Interesting Paper On The Entomology Of Australia; And
To Mr. Gould, Who Has Lately Visited That Country, For His List Of The
Birds Of The Western Coast.
Volume 1 Chapter 1 (Commencement Of The Expedition Tenerife) Pg 2
General Plan And Objects.
The Expeditions Of Which The Results Are Narrated In The Following Pages
Took Their Origin From A Proposition Made To Government By Myself, In
Conjunction With Lieutenant Lushington,* In The Latter Part Of The Year
1836.
At That Time A Large Portion Of The Western Coast And Interior Of The
Great Australian Continent Had Remained Unvisited And Unknown; Whilst The
Opinions Of The Celebrated Navigators Captains Dampier And King,
Connected With Other Circumstances, Led To The Inference, Or At Least The
Hope, That A Great River, Or Water Inlet, Might Be Found To Open Out At
Some Point On Its Western Or North-Western Side; Which Had Then Been Only
Partially Surveyed From Seaward.
Design Of The Expedition.
Anxious To Solve This Interesting Geographical Problem, We Addressed A
Letter To Lord Glenelg, The Secretary Of State For The Colonies, Wherein
We Offered Our Services To Conduct An Exploration From The Swan River To
The Northward, Having Regard To The Direction Of The Coast, So As To
Intersect Any Considerable Body Of Water Connecting It With The Interior;
And, In The Event Of Such Being Discovered, To Extend Our Examination Of
It As Far As Circumstances Might Admit.
The Letter Containing This Offer Also Enumerated Several Secondary
Objects, To Which We Proposed To Direct Our Attention, And Which Were
Ultimately Comprehended In Our Instructions.
The Offer And Suggestions Were Favourably Entertained By Lord Glenelg,
And Further Communications Invited; And, The Project Having Been Favoured
By The Support Of The Royal Geographical Society, Our Services Were
Finally Accepted By The Government.
Instructions.
More Mature Consideration However Led To A Material Alteration In The
First Plan; For Whilst Our Principal Object, Namely, The Search For A
Great River Or Interior Inlet, Remained The Same, It Was Considered, For
Several Reasons, More Advisable That The Exploration Should Commence From
The Vicinity Of Prince Regent's River, On The North-West Coast, And Be
Directed Towards The Swan. I Shall Pass Over The Various Points Of Detail
Which Occupied Our Time And Attention Until The Moment Of Departure, As
They Offer No Matters Of General Interest. It Will Be Sufficient To Say
Volume 1 Chapter 1 (Footnote) Pg 3(*Footnote. Now Captain Lushington Of The 9th Foot.)
Volume 1 Chapter 1 (Commencement Of The Expedition Tenerife) Pg 4That Everything Suggested As Likely To Be Conducive To The Success And
Utility Of The Expedition Was Most Liberally Granted And Supplied; And,
When All Was Prepared, A Letter Of Instructions Dated The 16th June 1837
Was Addressed By Lord Glenelg To Myself And Lieutenant Lushington
Conjointly; Which Embraced The Following Points:
1. We Were To Embark In H.M. Sloop Of War The Beagle, Then Fitting Out
For A Survey Of The Coasts And Seas Of Australia, Under The Command Of
Captain Wickham, R.N.; And To Proceed In That Vessel Either To The Cape
Of Good Hope Or To Swan River, As Might Ultimately Appear Best Suited To
Forward The Objects Of The Expedition.
2. On Our Arrival At Either Of The Foregoing Places, We Were Directed To
Procure A Small Vessel To Convey The Party And Stores To The Most
Convenient Point In The Vicinity Of Prince Regent's River.
3. After Due Examination Of The Country About Prince Regent's River We
Were Instructed To Take Such A Course As Would Lead Us In The Direction
Of The Great Opening Behind Dampier's Land. From The Moment Of Our
Arrival At This Point Our Subsequent Proceedings Were Left More
Discretionary; But The Instructions Continued: "You Will Use The Utmost
Exertions To Penetrate From Thence To The Swan River; As, By Adopting
This Course, You Will Proceed In A Direction Parallel To The Unknown
Coast, And Must Necessarily Cross Every Large River That Flows From The
Interior Towards That Side Of The Continent."
4. That We Might Have An Opportunity, In The Event Of Any Unforeseen
Difficulties Occurring, Of Falling Back Upon The Vessel Conveying The
Party, She Was Not To Quit The Place Where She Might Have Been Left By It
Until Such A Time Had Elapsed, From The Departure Of The Expedition For
The Interior, As Should Be Agreed Upon; And, To Ensure The Observance Of
This Condition, We Were Instructed To Act By The Advice Of The Local
Authorities Of The Colony Where She Might Be Engaged In Drawing Up The
Agreement, As Well As In Procuring Guarantees For Its Fulfilment.
5. The Main Objects Of The Expedition Were Then Specified To Be: To Gain
Information As To The Real State Of North-Western Australia, Its
Resources, And The Course And Direction Of Its Rivers And Mountain
Ranges; To Familiarize The Natives With The British Name And Character;
To Search For And Record All Information Regarding The Natural
Productions Of The Country, And All Details That Might Bear Upon Its
Capabilities For Colonization Or The Reverse; And To Collect Specimens Of
Its Natural History.
6. It Was Directed That Strict Discipline Should Be Observed, And The
Regulations By Which Our Intercourse With The Natives Was To Be Governed
Were Laid Down; After Which The Instructions Concluded With The Following
Paragraphs:
No Further Detail Has Been Given You In These Instructions, For, As You
Have Been Made Aware Of The Motives Which Have Induced His Majesty's
Government To Send Out The Expedition, It Is Supposed Each Individual
Volume 1 Chapter 1 (Commencement Of The Expedition Tenerife) Pg 5Will Do His Utmost In His Situation To Carry These Objects Out, Either By
Obtaining All Possible Information Or By Such Other Means As May Be In
His Power.
Although The Instructions Regarding The Expedition Are Addressed To You
Conjointly As Conductors Of It, It Is Necessary That The Principal
Authority And Direction Should Be Vested In One Individual, On Whom The
Chief Responsibility Would Rest.
It Is To Be Understood That Lieutenant Grey, The Senior Military Officer,
Is Considered As Commanding The Party And The Person By Whose Orders And
Instructions All Individuals Composing The Party Will Be Guided And
Conform.
...
1837.
All Our Preparations Being Completed, There Embarked In The Beagle,
Besides Myself And Mr. Lushington, Mr. Walker, A Surgeon And Naturalist,
And Corporals Coles And Auger, Royal Sappers And Miners, Who Had
Volunteered Their Services; And We Sailed From Plymouth On The 5th July
1837.
Tenerife. Aqueduct At Santa Cruz.
The Usual Incidents Of A Sea Voyage Brought Us To Santa Cruz In Tenerife,
Where I Landed On Wednesday 19th July 1837, About 2 O'clock In The
Afternoon. There Was A Sort Of Table D'hote At 3 O'clock At An Hotel Kept
By An Englishman, At Which I Dined, And Was Fortunate In So Doing As I
Met There A German And Several English Merchants Who Were Principally
Engaged In The Trade Of The Country. There Was Also A Gentleman Who Had
Been From His Earliest Years In The African Trade For Gums, Etc.; And He
Gave Me Many Interesting Particulars Of The Wild Life The Individuals So
Occupied Are Compelled To Lead. In The Afternoon I Made A Set Of Magnetic
Observations And Then Walked Out To See The Aqueduct; Which At About
Three-Quarters Of A Mile To The North-East Of The Town Approaches It By A
Passage Cut Through A Mountain. The Execution Of This Work Must Have Been
Attended With Immense Labour, For, Although The Design Is Grand And
Noble, The Actual Plan Upon Which It
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