Melbourne Botanical Gardens, January 5th, 1862.
MY DEAR DR. WILLS,
It affords me a melancholy satisfaction that the humble tribute which I wish to pay to the memory of your lamented son, in attaching his name to the enclosed plant, elicited such kind recognition from yourself. I need not a.s.sure you that I shall continue to maintain, as I have done on all previous occasions, that only by the skilful guidance and scientific talents of your unfortunate son, the great geographic success is achieved, which he sealed with his heroic death.
We can only now deeply deplore the loss of SUCH a man, and award that honour to his memory which his great exploit for ever merits.
With the deepest sympathy for you, ever dear and respected friend,
Yours,
FERD. MUELLER.
The plant is thus registered in the Fragmenta Phytographiae Australiae:--
EREMOPHILA WILLSII:
Speciem Eremophilae Goodwinii (F. M. Report on the Plants of Babble"s Expedition, page 17) propinquam tesqua Australiae centralis ornantem, elegi ut botanicis recordarem gloriam nunquam obliviscendam intrepidi et ingeniosi sed infelicissimi Gulielmi Wills, qui primo terram Australiae continentalem a litore ad litus peragravit, sua morte praecocissima in tacito eremo triumphum aeternum agens. [Footnote: I have chosen a species of Eremophila resembling Goodwin"s, which adorns the deserts of central Australia, to record by botany the glory never to be forgotten of the intrepid and talented, but most unfortunate, William Wills, who was the first to traverse the continent of Australia from sh.o.r.e to sh.o.r.e, winning for himself, by his too early death in the silent wilderness, an eternal triumph.]
FROM DR. MUELLER.
June 6th, 1862.
DEAR DR. WILLS,
Once more I wish you a most cordial goodbye, and trust that in the circle of your family you will feel some consolation for the dreadful bereavement which has befallen you in the loss of your son. May it alleviate your affliction to some small extent, to remember that your son has gained by the sacrifice of his precious life a world-wide fame, and an appreciation which will remain un.o.bliterated throughout all ages.
With the deepest solicitude for your health and happiness, I remain, my very dear Dr. Wills,
Your attached friend,
FERD. MUELLER.
At an earlier period, the Munic.i.p.al Council of Ballaarat East paid me the compliment of the subjoined address:--
TO W. WILLS, ESQUIRE, M.D.
Council Chamber, Ballaarat East, November 7th, 1861.
SIR,
The Munic.i.p.al Council of Ballaarat East, for itself and on behalf of the native community of this district, with feelings of the deepest sorrow and commiseration, beg leave to sympathize with you in the most severe and irreparable bereavement which you are so unfortunately called upon to bear in the loss of your worthy and devoted son, Mr. William John Wills. It would however hope that all possible consolation will be yours in the knowledge of his having n.o.bly and successfully accomplished his mission, the benefits of which cannot be too highly appreciated by the whole of the inhabitants of the Australian Colonies; and which must secure to his future memory, under the unfortunate circ.u.mstances by which he was sacrificed, not only honour and fame, but the sympathy, love, and respect of his fellow-men in all parts of Her Majesty"s dominions, and in every civilized country throughout the world.
These considerations the Council trusts you will endeavour to bring to your aid in overcoming the intense grief with which you must be afflicted.
I am, sir,
In the most heartfelt sorrow,
Yours very truly,
W.B. RODIER,
TOWN CLERK.
A proclamation in a supplement to one of the Melbourne Gazettes, towards the end of November, announced that the Governor, with the advice of the Executive Council, had directed that the portions of Main-street, Ballaarat East, lying between the Yarrowee River and Princess Street, shall hereafter be designated Wills Street, in memory of the companion of Burke.
The two following letters, written by Devonians settled in Victoria, appeared in the Totnes Weekly Times:--
Batesford, Geelong, 25th November, 1861.
DEAR SIR,
I have sent you by this mail the sad history of poor Burke and Wills, which I am sure will be read with painful interest by all your fellow-townsmen. The Melbourne papers have been very severe on the Exploration Committee, and it was my intention to have sent you copies of the Argus, from 4th to 9th November, but they cannot now be procured at any price. My brother will lend you his, if you desire it.
Nothing that has occurred here for many years has thrown such a gloom over the whole of the Australian Colonies. We are generally, perhaps, a cold, unfeeling people, but there are few whose hearts have not been touched by this sad event.
It is scarcely possible that you, accustomed as you are to the green pastures, the shady lanes, and crystal springs of dear old Devon, can realize to the full extent the sickening hardships they had to endure, or the cruel disappointment under which even they at last gave way. I cannot conceive a situation more heartrending than theirs must have been on their return to Cooper"s Creek, to find the depot abandoned. They had succeeded in accomplishing the glorious feat which so many brave men had tried in vain to accomplish; they had endured hardships which might make the stoutest heart quail; they had returned alive, but footsore, worn out and in rags, to where they might have hoped for help and succour; they were on their way to where honour and glory, well and n.o.bly earned, awaited them; and now they must lie down in the dreary wilds of an almost unknown country, and die that most horrible of all deaths, starvation, They must have felt, too, that, worse than even this death itself, the fruits of their labours would, in all probability, perish with them, their fate remain unknown, and the glorious page of the world"s history which they would have written would be buried in oblivion, and all this--ALL this because
"Some one had blundered."
It has been decided that the remains are to be brought to Melbourne and have a public funeral. Monuments are also to be erected to the memory of the brave fellows:--
"These come too late, and almost mock whom they are intended to honour."
Poor Wills! you will remember him as a boy. It has occurred to me that Totnes may wish in some way to perpetuate the memory of one who perished so young and with such honour in a n.o.ble cause. Should it be so, I have asked my brother to be there with something from me. Every good man must deeply regret his loss, and sincerely sympathize with his relatives and friends.
Your hero has pa.s.sed to no ign.o.ble grave; He died not ere a deathless fame was won; And earth must count amongst her true and brave, The brave and patient Wills, Devonia"s son.
I am, dear Sir,
Yours truly,
ROBT. WATSON.
To the Editor of the Totnes Times.
TO THE EDITOR OF THE TOTNES WEEKLY TIMES.
Melbourne, November 26, 1861.
By this mail, I have sent you the public journals of this city, containing detailed accounts of the Exploring Expedition, despatched hence on the 20th August last, to find its way to and return from the Gulf of Carpentaria. Only one of the party has succeeded in accomplishing this unparalleled undertaking, three having fallen victims to hunger and disease. R. O"Hara Burke was the leader of the Expedition, and W.J. Wills, a native of Totnes, and son of a physician from your locality, was the second in command, observer and astronomer. The Expedition had visited the Gulf, and had returned to Cooper"s Creek, where a depot had been formed, but unfortunately broken up only six hours before the return of the weary travellers. Their disappointment at finding such to be the case, you must gather from Wills"s journal, which was the best kept of the party, and is replete with information of the country through which they pa.s.sed. To Mr. Wills, senior, the loss of his favourite son is a sad blow, under such distressing circ.u.mstances; yet, amid all, young Wills was full of spirit to the last, and his final entry in his journal must have been made just six hours before he breathed his last. For him and for them, the colonists in Australia have shed tears of sorrow, and the Government have given instructions that their remains are to be brought to the city, and interred with all the pomp and solemnity befitting such an occasion. A sum of money is voted by Parliament to mark specially the event by erecting an obelisk in some conspicuous part of the city, most probably in face of one of our Parliament Houses. A number of Devonians, however, have resolved to subscribe, and with the consent of the munic.i.p.al authorities, wish to mark the event more especially in his native town; and it is thought the Plains, at Totnes, is a suitable place for the erection of such a monument. To that end, subscription lists will be opened in our princ.i.p.al towns, and by next mail I hope to report that satisfactory progress is being made. The school where he was educated (Ashburton), conducted, too, by a Totnes man, Mr. Paige, has not been forgotten; and as there are schoolfellows of Wills"s in this colony, they also intend bearing testimony to his worth by placing a tablet, with the consent of the trustees, in the Grammar School of St. Andrew"s. None more worthy exists in that ancient hall of learning.