The chairman explained that Mr. Landsborough, having been out of town, had not yet arrived at the meeting but was expected shortly. In the meantime he called upon Mr. McKinlay to respond to the compliment which had just been paid to himself and his brother explorer. He also requested the meeting to excuse Mr. McKinlay from making any statement with respect to his journey as he felt bound in the first place to communicate the particulars to the Government by whom he had been sent out.
Mr. McKinlay, who was received with hearty and prolonged cheering, briefly returned thanks for the kindness which had been shown him. His journey had certainly been accomplished successfully, but it had been undertaken under very favourable circ.u.mstances and, had such not been the case, probably the result might have been very different. He felt himself compelled to refrain from stating many particulars which the public would be glad to learn, but they would no doubt be known in due course. At present he could merely express his sincere thanks for the great kindness with which he had been received that evening. (Cheers.)
Mr. Wyld, Mr. Poole, Mr. Kirby, and Mr. Davis, fellow travellers with Mr.
McKinlay, were severally introduced to the meeting by the chairman, and each received a cordial welcome which they duly acknowledged.
Mr. Landsborough, who had in the meantime arrived, then came forward to address the meeting and was greeted with cordial and enthusiastic cheering. He was much gratified, he said, at the warm reception which he had received, and little expected that his humble services would have been acknowledged in such a public way by such an a.s.semblage as he saw around him. He had been rather hurriedly called upon as he was unaware that the meeting was to be held that evening until his arrival from Geelong an hour or so ago. (Hear, hear.) "My friend and brother explorer," continued Mr. Landsborough, "has just come in from a glorious trip from South Australia, by Carpentaria and by Port Denison. I consider his mode of exploring with livestock consisting of camels, cattle, sheep, and horses, nearly the best. To make it complete he only wanted some aborigines as trackers. This I am sure he felt on one occasion when Mr.
Kirby and his sheep were lost for three days. Mr. McKinlay deserves the greatest credit for being the first to take sheep across the continent.
The camels will yet be found of the greatest value; for it is probable that other explorers will not find water at such convenient distances as we have done, and as they can go nearly three times as far as horses without water they will be of the greatest value for searching ahead for water, and when water is once found it is very easy to take the party on, as it is generally found at distances sufficiently near to be reached by a party like that which Mr. McKinlay and I had. By Burke, Walker, McKinlay, and myself six of the Carpentaria rivers have been traced.
These rivers chiefly water country of a character which, although dry, is the kind that I like best for pastoral purposes. And now that my friend McKinlay has taken sheep across the continent I hope flocks and herds will soon follow, so that the fine pastures of Carpentaria, instead of lying waste, will soon become profitable not only to Australia but to the whole world." (Applause.) In conclusion Mr. Landsborough intimated that he intended to publish the rest of the information which he had to communicate in the form of a pamphlet. On resuming his seat he was again warmly applauded.
Mr. Bourne, the only member of Mr. Landsborough"s exploration party now remaining in Melbourne, was introduced to the meeting, who likewise honoured him with a round of cheers. He acknowledged the compliment in a few pertinent remarks. He would rather, he said, perform another journey through the continent of Australia than make a speech in public, and he did not seem to be singular in that opinion. On his own behalf, and that of the rest of the party to which he was attached, he begged to return thanks, and et cetera. (Laughter and applause.)
Mr. Aspinall, M.L.A., proposed the second resolution:
That this meeting recognises the good services rendered by the Governments of South Australia and of Queensland in organising these contingent expeditions with a view to discover and a.s.sist the missing party under the lamented Burke and Wills.
It would only, he remarked, be a just compliment to the neighbouring colonies to adopt this resolution most heartily. (Hear, hear.) Whilst the meeting recognised these gallant men--Landsborough and McKinlay--men of heroism and enterprise, men who were an honour to their race and the colonies which they represented, they ought also to recognise in them a manifestation on the part of the neighbouring colonies of a hearty sympathy in a matter concerning the general welfare of Australia.
(Applause.) While doing honour to the men themselves they ought to express their gratefulness to the Governments and the people who chose them for the work which they had performed. Those Governments were willing in a moment to aid the expedition which the Government of Victoria had sent forth and, as the result proved, they had put the right men in the right place. (Applause.) The explorers however must be regarded as the representatives of the sentiment and the feeling of the colonists who had sent them forth. In sending them forth those colonies were not influenced by any ideas of the acquisition of territory; and, whatever advantages they might have gained, their primary object was to endeavour to rescue Burke and to a.s.sist the expedition of which those unfortunate explorers were the leaders. While admiring the heroism of Messrs. Landsborough and McKinlay, let them add their tribute of admiration to the colonies which had sent them forth to do the work which they were so admirably fitted to do. (Applause.)
Mr. Gillbee heartily seconded the resolution, a.s.sured that in so doing he was but expressing the sentiments of everyone present. (Applause.)
The resolution was carried unanimously.
Dr. Macadam, M.L.A., proposed the third resolution which was to this effect:
That this meeting is persuaded that it is inc.u.mbent on the various Australian Governments to mark in some appropriate manner their sense of the great merits of the leaders of the contingent exploration parties, and of the important results which must flow from their discoveries; and that a copy of this resolution be forwarded for the consideration of the respective Governments.
Some difference of opinion, he said, had been manifested in reference to the manner in which the exertions of the respective explorers should be recognised. He himself had only had one opinion upon the subject, namely, that they should be recognised through the Legislatures of the respective colonies to which the explorers belonged. Although he and, he believed, the committee with which he was connected had been blamed for not sympathising materially with the subscription being raised for Mr.
Landsborough, he had already personally explained to Mr. Landsborough his own views. It was held as a general principle that when a national good was conducted it was ent.i.tled to a national reward. (Hear, hear.) He trusted that this would remove any impression which might exist as to there being any opposition on his part, or on the part of the Exploration Committee, to the subscription which was being raised for Mr.
Landsborough; but, as he had already stated to Mr. Landsborough and Mr.
McKinlay, they believed that the legislatures of the different colonies should recognise that which he thought was a greater benefit than that for which any amount of money could be spent under any other vote of the Legislature. (Applause.) He had to make one word of personal explanation in reference to the meeting. He had been somewhat blamed in The Argus of that day for having initiated, with his friend Dr. Cairns, a meeting of that kind. The chairman of the meeting was also the chairman of the meeting at which it was resolved to present a testimonial to Mr.
Landsborough; and he was aware that this meeting originated in a spontaneous suggestion made on Friday by Dr. Cairns, who thought that, while it might be convenient to the Exploration Committee to meet in an afternoon, it would be a great pleasure to the community at large to hold an evening meeting at which, instead of merely having the opportunity of recognising the explorers by their portraits in the Sat.u.r.day prints, they might meet them face to face, and speak to them. (Applause.) Influenced by this suggestion he (Dr. Macadam) set about to make arrangements for this meeting, and he was sorry to say that he met with considerable opposition; but he had always found that whenever a man threw himself upon the public sympathy he was never mistaken. (Hear, hear.) If the Exploration Committee had not called the meeting they would have been blamed, and he was quite prepared to see that they would receive a great amount of opposition from certain quarters. Without further remark upon this subject he would leave the correction of the error, if error he had committed ("No, no.") to a gentleman who was present at the Landsborough testimonial meeting, and who wrote the paragraph in The Argus alluded to--he would leave it to a gentleman who took a deep interest in his prospects, and who had the highest admiration of his ability; and he would refer the meeting to the Yeoman of Sat.u.r.day for a full, deliberative, and calm consideration of the whole matter. He regretted the absence of the Governor from the meeting, but he would explain the reason. His Excellency instructed him to say that he had exceedingly regretted to perceive by the newspapers that that day had been fixed for the grand reception, and stated that his absence was caused by a prior engagement. Mr. McKinlay had received permission to decline an invitation which he had received from the Governor that night in order that he might be present at the meeting. The fact of the invitation however showed the appreciation in which McKinlay was held by the Governor. (Applause.) In moving the resolution he had simply to state that he trusted the Governments of the respective colonies would reciprocate in an adequate manner the services which had been rendered by the explorers; he thought the grat.i.tude of the Governments of the respective colonies should also be shown by their doing more to encourage immigration than that hitherto done. Some two years and a half ago the task of exploring the continent was commenced in Victoria and, whatever might be said derogatory to the management of the exploration, the work had been accomplished, the continent was now marked out, and it only required private enterprise to establish communication between every part of it. (Applause.)
Captain Norman, being loudly called for by the meeting, made a few remarks indicating the cordial unanimity in which he and Mr. Landsborough had cooperated together, and mentioned that Monday was the anniversary of their safe arrival at Carpentaria after the wreck of the Firefly in Torres Strait.
Mr. Ramsay, M.L.A., in seconding the resolution, expressed his full concurrence with the opinion it contained; and stated that he would do his best in his place in Parliament to support any motion for carrying it into practical effect. (Applause.)
The resolution was put and carried.
On the motion of Dr. Wilkie, seconded by Captain Matthews, a vote of thanks was given to the chairman.
The chairman, in acknowledging the compliment, gave an emphatic contradiction to an opinion which, he said, he understood had been expressed in some quarters, that Landsborough and McKinlay had had tracks to guide them in their exploration journeys.
The proceedings then terminated, the meeting, in response to Dr. Macadam, giving three hearty cheers for the explorers.