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CHAPTER 1
Conflicting priorities: exploration, science, politics and personal ambition
Doug McCann and Bernie Joyce
The thrilling news
When the âthrilling newsâ (as it was sometimes called in the press) of the demise of Burke and Wills reached Melbourne, late in the afternoon of Saturday 2 November 1861, it caused a sensation (Bonyhady 1991, p. 179) and initiated a period of profound public grieving. The news arrived the week of the first Melbourne Cup at Flemington which was won by Archer before a subdued crowd of about 4000. The city went into mourning. How could an enterprise that began with such promise end so badly?
Expectations for success had been high when the Victorian Exploring Expedition, led by Robert OâHara Burke, left Royal Park in Melbourne on 20 August 1860. Although there were some misgivings about Burkeâs appointment, he had been a popular police superintendent at the goldfields towns of Beechworth and Castlemaine, and he had been able to secure the support of influential allies that ultimately assured his selection. He could reasonably be regarded as an officer and a gentleman, having served in the Austrian army as a first lieutenant in Prince Reussâs Seventh Hussars; he projected the persona of a bold, energetic man in the prime of his life. According to Sir Henry Barkly, Governor of Victoria from 1856 to 1863 and President of the Royal Society of Victoria from 1860 to 1863, Burkeâs main attribute was his âfirm determination to succeed in crossing the desert despite all obstaclesâ. Barkly added that âno better selection could have been madeâ (Barkly 1865, p. xxvii).
In his parting speech, Burke declared that no expedition had ever started under such favourable circumstances (Argus, 21 August 1860, p. 5). With its 26 camels, 23 horses, 19 men, six wagons, and an estimated 20 tonnes of supplies, the expedition was certainly abundantly provisioned. It was hailed as the most generously supported expedition yet to venture into the uncharted wilderness of outback Australia.
Scientific societies
The exploration expedition was organised by the Philosophical Institute of Victoria (PIV), a scientific society established in Melbourne in 1855 at the height of the gold rush. The Institute had resulted from the merger of two precursor societies, the Victorian Institute for the Advancement of Science (VIAS) founded on 15 June 1854, and the Philosophical Society of Victoria (PSV) founded on 12 August 1854. The combined entityâs compromise title was a hybrid of their names. Several years later the Philosophical Institute applied for, and in late 1859 received, royal consent to change its name to the Royal Society of Victoria.
The context and impetus to this institution-founding activity was the rapid influx of population following the discovery of gold in 1851 within months of the Colony of Victoria separating from New South Wales. Even before the gold rush there had been a fairly steady influx of population into the Port Phillip District, in particular of enterprising individuals and families in search of productive land for farming and for sheep and cattle grazing. The early squatters had quickly taken up the best runs, and there was sustained, relentless pressure to travel further afield in search of new pastures. The orderly influx of population turned into a flood following the discovery of gold, and Victoriaâs population quadrupled between 1850 and 1854. By the end of 1854 it exceeded that of New South Wales. The population expansion was âunprecedented in the annals of British coloniesâ according to statistician William Henry Archer (Cannon 1993, p. 1). By 1861, Victoria had within its borders in excess of half a million people, about half of Australiaâs entire population.
The year 1854 was an extraordinary one by any measure. The first railway was built between Melbourne city and Sandridge on Port Phillip Bay; the first telegraph line was built from the Customs House in the city to Victoriaâs first astronomical observatory at Williamstown; the new University of Melbourne was opened; a âNationalâ Museum was established (initially referred to as the Colonial Museum, or Museum of Natural History); and, as mentioned above, not one, but two, significant scientific societies were founded.
The Victorian Institute for the Advancement of Science
The Victorian Institute for the Advancement of Science (VIAS) was modelled on the popular and flourishing British Association for the Advancement of Science. Among its stated aims were âthe establishment of a means of communication between persons engaged in the pursuit of science, and of cultivating a refined taste among the people of Victoriaâ, and âan agency for the development of the resources of the colonyâ (Victorian Institute for the Advancement of Science 1854â1855, Proceedings, pp. iiiâiv). Its first members included the government botanist Ferdinand Mueller and the government geologist Alfred Selwyn.
The topic of exploration arose at the first ordinary meeting on 26 September 1854 when a paper was presented by Melbourne-based explorer Frederick Sinnett on âA few observations on the country near Lake Torrensâ. In the ensuing discussion Ferdinand Mueller, who had also previously explored the arid region towards Lake Torrens and in the Flinders Ranges, promised to âlay before the Institute his notes on the flora of the districtâ (Victorian Institute for the Advancement of Science 1854â1855, Proceedings, p. xi). A discussion on the merits of using camels for outback exploration also took place at this meeting. Sinnett suggested that âCamels might, with advantage, be employed in desert country where the ground was soft, but they could not be employed in stony countryâ.
At this meeting a question was asked by a Mr Lloyd on âthe prevailing causes of the failure of these exploring expeditionsâ. Mueller replied that it was usually due to the lack of water âexperienced shortly after passing the mountain rangeâ. He emphasised that âconveyances broke down, and people sickened and died; but all these misfortunes were traceable to a want of waterâ. Clearly there was a real awareness of the possible hazards of outback expeditions by the early members of the Institute, especially by persons such as Sinnett and Mueller already experienced in exploration. The calamity of the loss of Ludwig Leichhardtâs entire party of seven men in 1848, and the death of Edmund Kennedy along with nine of his thirteen companions, also in 1848, would have given pause for thought.
The Philosophical Society
The Philosophical Society of Victoria (PSV) was formally inaugurated on 12 August 1854 after a series of preliminary meetings. It was initially founded in opposition to the Victorian Institute, the organisers wishing to take as their model the more prestigious Royal Society of London rather than the British Association for the Advancement of Science. From its beginning the Philosophical Society was keen to seek royal assent to become a colonial Royal Society in its own right. Several citizens became members of both societies â Mueller and Selwyn for example. Mueller, with characteristic impartiality, contributed substantial papers to both societies (Figure 1.1).
Figure 1.1: Ferdinand Mueller c. 1861. photograph. Courtesy of the Archives, Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne.
Mueller was appointed Victorian Government Botanist in 1853 and director of the Melbourne Botanic Garden in 1857. He was an accomplished explorer and botanical collector in his own right, and was a major force behind the organisation of the scientific component (mainly botanical science) of many exploring expeditions in the nineteenth century, including the Victorian Exploring Expedition.
Like the Victorian Institute, the Philosophical Society declared a primary interest in exploration. The topic had already been discussed at the societyâs inaugural meeting in August and was again raised at its first monthly meeting on 10 September 1854. The honorary secretary Sigismund Wekey proposed âa project for the organisation of exploring expeditions for the purpose of âprospectingâ in different parts of the Colony, with a view to the development of its various resources, such as auriferous fields, coal, and minerals generally, and vegetable productionsâ (Philosophical Society of Victoria 1854â1855, Proceedings, p. i). A subcommittee was set up consisting of members Sigismund Wekey, Ferdinand Mueller, Dr Solomon Iffla and Robert Brough Smyth, with the task of preparing a detailed policy statement on exploration.
The subcommitteeâs report was unanimously adopted at a special general meeting on 18 September 1854. As stated by Pescott (1961, p. 7), the resolutions formulated âformed the basis for the organisation of later exploration parties, including the ill-fated Burke and Wills expeditionâ. The report and resolutions were as reproduced below:
Your committee, appointed to consider the organisation of Exploring Expeditions, begs to propose that the following resolutions be adopted to that effect:â
1. That the Society shall organise exploring expeditions, which shall be despatched from time to time, for the purpose of discovering new auriferous fields, coal, etc., and to collect additional information respecting the various mineral and vegetable resources of Victoria.
2. That each exploring party shall be furnished with special instructions from the Society.
3. That the reports of such expeditions shall form part of the Transactions of the Society, and be published for general information.
4. That in addition to the individual exertions of the members, the whole proceeds of the first Transactions of the Society shall be appropriated to this purpose, and the half of each subsequent publication.
5. That any further funds which may be required to carry out this object shall be raised by public subscription.
6. That the President be requested to communicate with His Excellency the Lieutenant-Governor, as patron of the Society, requesting him to give his assent to the enterprise (Philosophical Society of Victoria 1854â1855, Proceedings, pp. iiiâiv).
In keeping with the fifth resolution, a public appeal for funds was promptly launched with an advertisement in the Melbourne newspapers. The wording was crafted at a special meeting held on 26 September 1854 at the Museum of Natural History. This advertisement read, in part, as follows:
At a Special General Meeting of the Philosophical Society of Victoria ⌠it was resolved that the Society should organise exploring expeditions, for the purpose of developing the mineral resources of this country. âProspectingâ parties, under the control of competent persons, will be despatched to such districts as may seem to the Society to offer the most reasonable prospects of mineral wealth.
At present much obscurity rests on various localities represented to be auriferous, regarding which it will be the object of the Society to gather authentic information; and in such a form as to be available to all classes. While actively pursuing this most necessary research, they will also institute an examination of the coal-fields, of which at present, but little or nothing is known âŚ
Though the present prosperity of the Colony is due almost solely to its staple production â gold â , we cannot question that similar industry to that which in other countries, has advanced their interests by various trains of development, will confer the like benefits wherever such industry is exerted. The gradual unfolding of those treasures that are now concealed in the botanical field, and in our mineral world, will not only afford wide scope for domestic enterprise and labours, but will materially elevate our national position âŚ
The funds at present at the disposal of the Society being insufficient for the successful working of this undertaking, it will be necessary to open a subscription list; and applications have been made to His Excellency the Lieutenant-Governor, who has signified his approval of the measure.
Contributions will be received at the banks, and by the Secretary of the Mechanicsâ Institute, and acknowledged through the medium of the press. A balance sheet will be published every half year.
Communications to be addressed to the Honorary Secretaries, Museum of Natural History; or to the offices of the Victorian Vineyard and Fruit Garden Company.
S. Wekey, R. Brough Smyth,
Honorary Secretaries,
Museum of Natural History,
September 28th 1854
(Argus, 29 September 1854, p. 8)
The connection with Victorian Vineyard and Fruit Garden Company remains obscure, but the sentiments expressed in the above advertisement are unambiguous. The Society was promoting the idea of exploring and prospecting within Victoriaâs borders and laying the foundations for future economic prosperity by finding new fields of gold and coal and other mineral resources â and at the same time carrying out practical, utilitarian science. It was exploration and science oriented towards a definite end, to bolster âdomestic enterpriseâ and also to âelevate our national positionâ.
The public response to these worthy and noble goals was poor. The colony had been in the middle of a gold rush boom, and because of it, there was a sharp economic downturn in 1854 as part of a classic boom and bust cycle. The immense wealth produced resulted in an economic bubble and in an oversupply of imports of materials. The overstocked merchants panicked and were forced to sell at rock-bottom prices. Land prices, which previously had risen rapidly, also stalled, and many investors lost their money. Fortunately for the community as a whole the economic recovery was relatively rapid, but the timing of the Philosophical Societyâs public appeal for funds for exploration could hardly have been worse.
Not to be deterred, the members of the Philosophical Society next decided to approach Lieutenant Governor Sir Charles Hotham directly. At the Council Meeting of the Society held on 6 December 1854, a petition was drawn up informing Hotham that they had brought the matter of exploration âbefore the inhabitants of Victoria, and have sought to induce their co-operation, but under the prevailing commercial depression without such support as might have been otherwise expectedâ (Philosophical Society of Victoria 1854â1855, Proceedings, p. iv). Given the lack of a public response but the âincalculable benefitsâ that would surely derive from exploration, the âmemorialistsâ wondered âif it should appear of similar importance to Your Excellency, your Memorialists would earnestly pray for such support as your Excellency may deem advisable to extendâ. A similar petition was sent to the Legislative Council.
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