The correspondence of Ferdinand von Mueller: ¶ Giles reached 125° long. E. of Greenwich at two points, 100 English miles distant from each other, in the latitude of Shark Bay. ¶ WA. ¶ ¶ As, however, his poor companion, Gibson, perished by losi...

Document information

Physical location:

Sammlung Perthes Archiv,SPA ARCHPGM328,Forschungsbibliothek Gotha der Universität Erfurt. 74.07.00

Preferred Citation:

Ferdinand von Mueller to August Petermann, 1874-07. R.W. Home, Thomas A. Darragh, A.M. Lucas, Sara Maroske, D.M. Sinkora, J.H. Voigt and Monika Wells (eds), Correspondence of Ferdinand von Mueller, <https://vmcp.rbg.vic.gov.au/id/74-07-00>, accessed September 11, 2025

MS is an undated fragment, filed in the Archives after M to A. Petermann, 10 August 1874 but clearly not part of that MS. Petermann inserted this fragment in the middle of his publication in part of the August letter (see B74.10.09). Voigt (1996), p. 123, followed Petermann's placement of the fragment. M to A. Petermann, 10 August 1874, refers to having sent 'preliminary news with the last mail' and it is assumed that this item is what he was referring to; no other item dated July 1874 has been found. In support of our assumption, Petermann's introduction to B74.10.09 mentions telegrams from Ernest Giles to M that included news of Gibson's death. Giles arrived at the Charlotte Waters telegraph station at about noon on 13 July 1874 (see E. Giles (1889), vol. 2, p. 68) and telegraphed M that day; see E. Giles to M, 13 July 1874 (in this edition as 74-07-13a).

Giles an zwei Punkten, 100 engl Meilen von einander entfernt und in der Breite der Shark-Bay, erreichte den 125° Meridian östlich von Greenwich. Da aber sein armer Gefährte Gibson unterlag, indem er sich verirrte u inzwischen die Pferde verdursteten, so konnte er das in weiter westlicher Ferne liegende Gebirge nicht erreichen, was ihn sicher zu den Gewässern und der Hochebene gebracht hätte, aus der die Flüsse Murchison, Gascoyne, Hammersmith, De Grey &c entspringen, — da von da östliche wenn auch wohl nur dürftige Gewässer erreichbar wären.

Er entrann nur mit genauer Noth dem Tode, indem er über hundert Meilen zu Fuss nach dem Sterben der Pferde die mit der stechenden Triodia dicht besetzte Wüste zurück durchschritt (zu Fuss) ein Fässchen Wasser mit sich tragend. Sein heroischer u meisterhafter Zug erinnert mich an Eyre's Hinziehen längs der "Great Bight".

In kühler Jahreszeit und nach den zur Zeit eingesetzten Regen wird es Mr Forrest schon leichter sein vom Murchison Flusse zu dem von Giles gesehenen Gebirgsland zu kommen, u von da die ihm vorher bekannt gewordenen Wasserstellen vom Macdonnell Range u den Mount Olga zu erreichen. Nachdem mehr u mehr Wasserplätze gefunden werden, u Ansiedlungen in den Oasen entstehen, wird die Occupation des Innern mit sicheren Überlands-Routen für Heerden möglich werden.

Giles reached 125° long. E. of Greenwich at two points, 100 English miles distant from each other, in the latitude of Shark Bay.

WA.

As, however, his poor companion, Gibson, perished by losing his way,

Alfred Gibson, a member of Giles's expedition, lost his way in the desert and died. Giles later named the Gibson Desert in his honour.

and meanwhile the horses had died of thirst, he was unable to reach the far distant mountain range to the west, which would surely have brought him to the waterways and high plains where the Murchison, Gascoyne, Hammersmith, and De Grey Rivers &c. have their source,

All rivers that flow westwards to the coast of WA.

while from there to the east water would be accessible, even though probably only sparingly.

He only barely escaped death as, following the death of the horses, he walked back over a hundred miles on foot through the desert, densely overgrown with the sharp, pricking Triodia (on foot), carrying a small barrel of water. His heroic and masterful trek reminds me of Eyre's expedition along the Great Australian Bight.

Edward J. Eyre’s expedition in 1841 following the coast westwards around the Great Australian Bight from SA to WA.

During the cool season and after the presently commenced rains it will certainly be easier for Mr Forrest

John Forrest.

to get from the Murchison River to the mountainous area seen by Giles, and from there to reach the places with water already known to him at the MacDonnell Ranges and Mount Olga.

NT. ‘Mount Olga’ is now known as Kata Tjuta.

As more and more places with water are found, settlements will spring up in the oases, and the occupation of the interior will become possible with safe overland routes for herds.

Triodia