the purpose of following up the tracks they have found of Mr. Burke to wherever they may be led by them, I deem it my duty to inform you that for the relief of Mr. Burke I consider it is not necessary you should return by the overland route, as Mr. Walker's party will, no doubt, do all that is possible, and not give up the following of the missing party by their tracks to wherever they may lead to.

And notwithstanding my sanction to the contrary I deem it my duty to inform you that for the relief of the missing explorers it is not necessary for you return overland with your party, and that you ought to return by the Victoria to Queensland in accordance with the instructions of the Royal Society.

But as much will depend on the time you return here, and condition of your horses and party for immediate service, to overtake and render assistance in pursuing the tracks found, I must leave it to your own decision to determine whether you do so or abandon your horses and return by water.

As all the stores are at the depot that can be spared from the Victoria (ammunition included) and I have left instruction for their being packed in 50-pound packages ready for immediate use, should you arrive here in time to overtake Mr. Walker your party might render some service towards the main object of the expedition by joining in the following up of the tracks found.

I have the honour to be, etc.,

(Signed) W.H. NORMAN,

Commander, and Commander-in-Chief of Northern Expedition Parties.

W. Landsborough, Esquire,

Leader of Brisbane Party for relief of Burke, etc.

(COPY.)

H.M.C.S. Victoria, off the Albert River, February 7 1862.

Sir,

I do myself the honour to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of 22nd ultimo reporting your return, and containing an outline of your proceedings, and the nature of the country you passed through going towards and returning from the direction of Central Mount Stuart; also a tracing of your route for the Royal Society of Victoria.

In reply to your requisition in the same for a further supply of stores for use on going on the south-east route, I regret to inform you that, from not having them, I shall be unable to supply you with tea, sugar, and rum; but such other articles as we have and can spare you will be furnished with; but should you consider it will in any way endanger your party going overland without the stores you have asked for, or from the smallness of the number for which you can carry stores, or for protection, I do not consider that it is imperative you should do so, having every reason to believe that Mr. Walker's party will do everything that is possible and necessary to continue following up of Mr. Burke's tracks, and you can all return by Victoria; but, as you have stated, there is a possibility of Walker losing the tracks, and you will have the same chance of finding and following them up as he will by going on the south-eastern route, you have my sanction to proceed if you consider you can with safety do so, taking with you as many of your party and whom you think proper, and the remainder will be taken round by this vessel.

I have the honour to be, Sir,

Your obedient servant,

(Signed) W.H. NORMAN,

Commander, and Commander-in-Chief of Northern Exploring Expedition to Gulf of Carpentaria.

W. Landsborough Esquire, Leader of Brisbane party, etc.

(COPY.)

H.M.C.S. Victoria, off Albert River, Gulf of Carpentaria, February 6 1862.

Sir,

In reply to your letter of the 20th December 1861, in which you tell me you do not deem it necessary for me to go on the second expedition I proposed, namely, to the south-east, as Mr. Walker will no doubt do all that is possible and not give up following the missing party, I beg to disagree with you. I think, now that the tracks have been found, that it is an additional reason for my going on the expedition, and that I will have a much better chance of being successful in the main object of the expedition than I had on my last one.

Mr. Walker will not be able probably to follow the tracks of Mr. Burke and his companions, as too long a time has elapsed since these tracks were made.

In conclusion I thank you for the sanction you have given me to proceed on this expedition, especially as I never would have had anything to do with it had I imagined that I would have been checked in going the way I now propose; for all along I thought it would be the way where Burke's tracks were most likely to be found, and more particularly after I learned from Messrs. Cornish and Buchanan that they had seen what they believed to be the tracks of Burke's party, about 200 miles to the westward of Mount Narien.

I have the honour to be, Sir,

Your obedient servant,

(Signed) W. LANDSBOROUGH,

Commander of the Victorian and Queensland Land Expedition.

Captain Norman, H.M.C.S. Victoria, Commander-in-Chief of Northern Expedition Parties.

(COPY.)

(NUMBER 5.)

Depot, Albert River, January 22.

Sir,

I have the honour to inform you that our party arrived here all safe and in good health on the morning of the 19th instant, when we were informed of the successful overland journey, through, in a great measure, an unknown country, of Walker's party, and of the glorious news of their having found the tracks at the Flinders River of Burke's party returning from the Gulf of Carpentaria; and also of your having found tracks lower down the river, which were probably older than those found by Mr. Walker's party, as the latter were the return tracks.

Mr. Walker's party, as you observe in your letter of the 20th ultimo, will no doubt do all that is possible and not give up (if he can follow the tracks) following the missing party, in whatever direction they may go. This however they will find difficult and tedious, if not altogether impossible.

I have brought back all the horses with the exception of two that were drowned. I shall therefore, as I have your sanction, so soon as I have recruited the horses and rested till there is a probability of my party being able to travel, which we cannot do at present, as the country is, I think, too boggy, start again, with a better hope of success in the main object of the expedition than I had on my last journey, when, in accordance with my instructions, I went as far as the dry state of the country and my time would admit in the direction of Central Mount Stuart.

For our next expedition we have, as you are aware, no tea nor sugar. When you are leaving, I am sure, if you can spare us any of these necessary articles, you will do so; also some lime-juice, rum, quinine, caster oil, and laudanum, which are so useful for the prevention or cure of diseases to which we will be liable during or after wet weather.

I have the honour to be, Sir,

Your obedient servant,

W. LANDSBOROUGH,

Commander of Victorian and Queensland Land Expedition.

Captain Norman, of H.M.C.S. Victoria,

Commander-in-Chief of the Northern Expedition Parties.

COPY OF JOURNAL.

W. LANDSBOROUGH, ESQUIRE, LEADER OF BRISBANE PARTY.

Albert River, November 18 1861.

Camp Number 2. Situated near the junction of Beames Brook.

Monday November 18.

From the Post-office Lagoon we went one and a half miles west, thence over fine downs, chiefly wooded with acacia, two and a half miles south-west, and reached a pond on the left bank of Beames Brook, near which we had a dinner of young wood from a cabbage-palm-tree which Fisherman felled near the steep bank of the running stream, at which place we marked a tree (broad arrow before L) and likewise marked in the same way a more conspicuous tree which stands a little further out from the brook; thence eight miles south-west, over fine rich plains with a good variety of grass upon them, and a few plants of saline herbs. It was then time to encamp, as we had been travelling for five hours; we