Ferdinand von Mueller

Letter not found. The text given here is from 'Leichardt (sic) Search Expedition. Death of Mr M’Intyre', Argus, 24 July 1866, p. 6 (B66.07.02).

See J. Sharkey to M, 11 June 1866.

The Ladies' Leichhardt Search Committee met on 25 July 1866. Two letters from the second-in-command of the search expedition, William Sloman, to the Secretary of the Committee were read, reporting the death of Duncan McIntyre and the subsequent arrangements that had been made regarding the expedition. A letter written by McIntyre shortly before his death to his uncle, Donald Campbell, was also read, as follows:

Gregory River, 2nd May, 1866.

Dear Sir,—

I wrote you about five weeks ago from the Gilliott River [Gilliat River, in the channel country south-west of the town of Julia Creek, Qld], sending a lot of accounts and other papers connected with the expedition. The dromedaries, horses, and men needed rest for a few weeks. I got another man, named M'Leod, and two of the black boys Donald (M'Intyre) brought over with the cattle, and seven horses. On the 2nd April I started in search of further traces of Leichhardt, and also to call at the port to get some more rations. Nothing of any consequence happened during the first week. We passed over splendid country all the way until we entered the watershed of the Leichhardt River. The country then became rough and stony. It took us nearly a week going straight west before we got to the main branch, which we crossed, and kept west for one day more. The country then was all but impassable. Our horses not being shod could not stand it; so we had to turn eastward again to the main channel of the Leichhardt, which we followed down in three days, when we reached the settled districts, Kennedy and M'Donald being the farthest out on the Leichhardt. We still kept the river until we passed the next station, forty miles lower down. We then left it and struck out N.W. and in about 50 miles arrived at T. G. M'Donald's [misreading of J. G. M'Donald's?] station, on the Gregory. Here we were informed of the unhealthiness of the climate, a man having died a few days before our arrival. His grave was quite close to the bit of a shed they called a hut. There being only two on the station the survivor was unable to carry his unfortunate companion to any distance. We kept on down the river, and in due time arrived at what is called the township or port. The population was about sixty, forty-five or fifty being bad with the fever; in fact people were sick everywhere. I could not count ten able to do anything in the shape of work. I camped at a lagoon about a mile from the town (Burke Town), thinking that I was away from all the sickness. There were two tents near us. Next morning one of the men in the tents was dead, and on going up to the township to get the stores away, I was told two men had died that morning. I got my stores and started up here, sixteen miles higher up. While putting them into order for packing on the horses one of the black boys got the fever, and this morning M'Leod has got it. The black boy I think will get over it, but M'Leod thinks it is all over with him. I am all ready, only waiting for the men to get well. I hope in a few days they will get better. It does not last long; in a week one is either in his grave or well again. Before I came here there were about eighty in town, sixty-six of which were bad with the fever. I am told that twenty-five is all that has died in the town, and they are making coffins for two men who are past recovery. I hope I will get away all right; people are leaving by sea and land as fast as they can. There are two stores; flour, tea, and sugar in abundance, but of very bad quality. The flour we can hardly eat, as it is quite sour; and two public-houses. The present site of the town is on a plain, only a few feet above the level of the sea. Perhaps there is something unusual in the atmosphere this season, but all the natives of the country appear to be all right. We have met with no positive traces of Leichhardt yet, but we have ascertained beyond a doubt that whites men are now or have been among the blacks within the last ten years. There is a boy and a girl from ten to twelve years of age, almost white, with light blue eyes and red hair, in another tribe a girl about fifteen years of age, and in another a full grown woman perhaps eighteen years of age; and there is a rumour of a white man being within a day's ride of this, among a strong tribe of about 200; they are very fierce; none of the settlers have come to any terms with them as yet. They will come out on the open plain and fight to the last sometimes. I have been after this supposed white man already. I was accompanied by the officer in charge of the native police here. He had two troopers with him. I had also a black boy. We saw between thirty and forty blacks, but there was no sight of white men among them. We had to make prisoners of them all before they could allow us to see them properly. In order to have an interpreter we took a young fellow with us to the police-camp. He is now quite at home. In three or four months he will be able to speak a little English, when, if not before, we will learn all about how the half-caste came among the blacks. The blacks are now all collected near the sea-coast, between the Albert and Leichhardt Rivers, with the white man or half-caste among them. They are said to be well armed, and give chase to all the whites that approach them. This, of course, I do not believe. I know they are very bold and stout able fellows mostly. One of them nearly took the carbine from the officer when we were out the other day. They have no fear whatever of firearms. As soon as I ever can get away, to-morrow or next day perhaps, I intend going to where the blacks are and camp somewhere there until I find out all about who the white man is, or whether he is only a half-caste. But I am almost sure there is something in it. However, I will know about it in a few days. I think the officer and native police will go with me, as there is only myself and one black boy able to do anything, and two is not enough to surround 100 or more blacks and disarm them, whereas five or six can do so without shooting any. We were camped for nearly two months among 600 blacks at Cooper's Creek. They were at times very troublesome, but we never had to shoot any, although they richly deserved it sometimes. We saw no blacks until we reached the tropics; we had no trouble with them. On this expedition we saw a good many, and traces of large tribes every day, especially at the head of the Leichhardt. We could get no information from any we saw, and had great trouble in getting near them, but once up to them, they always considered themselves prisoners, I suppose from some custom among them. They are cannibals here, and all the way into the east coast. I have seen no positive proof of their eating one another, but they have the same habits as those that are further eastward. I have had no time to examine many camps yet. Any that I have searched contained nothing but what all wild blacks have; no sign of iron or of any metal in any shape. The head of the Leichhardt and the western branches of the Flinders river also are great harbours for the blacks. They contain so many mountain passes that a few natives could defend them against a regiment of soldiers; mountains perpendicular for 600 ft. and 800 ft., in some places narrower above than below the mountain passes. Except in the beds of the water-courses, the country is quite impassable for anything, but a man without boots and shoes on might, like a blackfellow, get up one ravine and down another.

It takes one to be very cautious in travelling through a country of this description, to avoid to be surprised by natives at having his retreat cut off; one great advantage, however, exists in the abundance of permanent water everywhere, but feed is often scarce. Since leaving the depot camp, at the Gilliot, we have explored about 300 miles of new country, mostly along the northern face of the coast mountains we passed over, what I have no doubt will be a rich goldfield ere long. We did not find any gold, but from the character of the country I have not the least doubt of its existence. Should the search in this neighbourhood be unsuccessful, we will cross the coast range immediately, and continue the search on the southern or inland waters, about S.W. towards Swan River.

(Signed) Duncan M'Intyre.

McIntyre's letter was published the next day in both the Herald (Melbourne), 26 July 1866, p. 3 (from which the text given here has been taken) and the Age (Melbourne), 26 July 1866, p. 6, and subsequently in many other papers throughout the Australian colonies. M sent a copy of the letter to August Petermann, who published a German translation in Petermann (1866).

M’s letter (with in some cases slight variations in wording) and Sharkey’s despatch were republished in several other papers; see entries under B66.07.02. The text of the version of the letter published in the Age (Melbourne) (B66.07.06) was copied in an unknown hand and sent to the Colonial Office in London with despatch 35, G. Carey to E. Cardwell, 27 July 1866. From there, the copy was sent to the Royal Geographical Society, London; it is now located in the Society's archives, Journal MSS, 1867, Mueller, F.