Ferdinand von Mueller

Telegram not found. The text given here is from Daily telegraph (Melbourne), 3 August 1875, p. 4; the story was subsequently reprinted in Ballarat courier, 4 August 1875, p. 2, and Brisbane courier, 13 August 1875, p. 3. The sender is identified as 'Mr Edward Schmidt, of Tambo, on the Barcoo, Queensland'; his name is corrected elsewhere in the article. The text is introduced with the following information: ‘The message is somewhat ambiguous, but it is supposed that some of the missing explorer’s instruments and writings have been found. The telegram is dated August 2, and is as follows:’.

Receipt of the telegram ‘announcing the discovery of remains which, if not those of Leichhardt, are probably those of some of his party’ was also reported in the Leader (Melbourne), 7 August 1875, in an item about Leichhardt. The same item was also published in the Northern Territory times and gazette, 16 October 1875. The item continued:

The most curious part of the affair is that these remains have been found in the south, while previous indications in the shape of marked trees, have been discovered as far north as 400 miles from the Barcoo River. It is of course possible that the party were on their return march, after having pushed as far as their resources would permit them, and if this be really the case, and there are papers found with the bleached bones of the gallant explorers, we shall presently have added an interesting chapter to Australian history.

The comments about the location of the supposed find were repeated in Daily telegraph (Melbourne), 9 August 1875, p. 4, col. a.

See also [E. Schneider] to M, 3 August 1875, and [E. Schneider] to M, 10 August 1875. The report appears to have been a hoax with the perpetrator making use of Schneider’s name.