Copy 1

Narrative of an expedition into Central Australia, performed under the authority of Her Majesty's Government during the years 1844, 5, and 6. Together with a notice of the province of South Australia in 1847 / by Charles Sturt.

  • Sturt, Charles, 1795-1869.
Date:
1849
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Narrative of an expedition into Central Australia, performed under the authority of Her Majesty's Government during the years 1844, 5, and 6. Together with a notice of the province of South Australia in 1847 / by Charles Sturt. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    journey of about 42 miles. The 13th thus found us beaten back by difficulties such as were not to be overcome by human perseverance. I had returned to the creek with the intention of abiding the fall of rain, and was not without hopes that it would have gladdened us, for the sky about this time was very cloudy, and anywhere else but in the low country in which we were, rain most assuredly would have fallen. As it was, the clouds passed over us without breaking. A lunar we here obtained placed us in longitude 138° 15’ 31” E., our latitude being 25° 4’ 0” S. Computed from these data I deem I may fairly assume we were in 24° 40’ 00” S., and on the 138th meridian, when we stopped on the 8th ; being then 470 geographical miles to the north of Mount Arden, about 350 from Mount Hopeless, and rather more than midway between the first of those hills and the Gulf of Carpentaria. My readers will perhaps bear in mind, that the object of this expedition was limited “to ascertaining the existence and the cha- racter of a supposed chain of hills, or a succession of separate hills, trending down from N.E. to S.W. and forming a great natural division of the con- tinent.” I hope I do not take too much credit to myself, if 1 say that I have set that question at rest; and that, considering the nature of the country into which I penetrated, no such chain can reasonably be supposed to exist. . If, indeed, any mountains had really been in the direction specified, it appears to me that I must have discovered them, but, as far as my