Then we heard that the South Australian Government had despatched Mr.Gosse, and that the Honourable Thomas Elder--whom I have the pleasure of meeting to-day--had despatched Colonel Warburton (cheers)--to explore towards the same direction--as we judged from the despatches and newspapers--that I intended to start from.

I belong to the Survey Department of West Australia, and was requested by the Commissioner of Crown Lands and Surveyor-General, the Honourable Malcolm Fraser, to superintend some surveys he specially wished undertaken that season.

I had an interview with the Governor, and he said very wisely he did not wish to order me in any way; that it was no use running a race with South Australia, and that as they were first in the field, although we were the first to suggest the exploration, we should wait till the next year, when, if the South Australian explorers were fortunate enough to reach this colony, we should have no necessity to send an expedition, and that if they did not, we should certainly profit by their experience.
I, being engaged in another service in which I took great interest, was willing to wait for another year; and if, as Mr.Weld said, the South Australians did not succeed, I would undertake it the next year, and benefit by their experience.

As it turned out, the expedition undertaken by the Government, commanded by Mr.Gosse, did not succeed in reaching the colony of Western Australia, and the expedition undertaken by Colonel Warburton, under the auspices of my recent friend, the Honourable Thomas Elder, reached our colony, but so far north that it did not add to the knowledge of the route we had laid out for ourselves.

He came out between the 20th and 22nd degrees of latitude, whereas we started from the 26th, and did not intend to go more north than that.