of available pastoral land, and was inclined to regard survey work as of secondary importance.  It took several months to complete the survey work of the two lakes, and when Babbage returned to Port Augusta he found that Harris, the second in command of his depot camp, had started to return to Adelaide with many of the drays and horses.  Babbage rode one hundred and sixty miles before he overtook him at Mount Remarkable, and there learned that the South Australian Government had changed its official mind with regard to the conduct of the expedition, and had decided that it should be conducted in future with pack-horses only.

It was A.C.  Gregory’s arrival in Adelaide with pack-horses from his last expedition down the Barcoo that had led to this change of tactics.  Charles Gregory, who had accompanied his brother, was now engaged by the Government to overtake Babbage and acquaint him with their intention, but when he reached Port Augusta, Gregory took it upon himself to order the drays home, Babbage being away surveying.  Babbage overtook them and ordered them back; but pleading Government orders, they refused to return.  Babbage wrote to the authorities pointing out the unfairness of their action, and, mustering up a small party, returned to continue his work with six months’ provisions.

On this occasion, Babbage gave more time to discovery than he had done before.  He went out beyond the boundaries of his survey, and pushed on to Chambers Creek, so called by Stuart, who discovered it while Babbage was busy at Lake Gairdner.  Babbage traced Chambers Creek into Lake Eyre, and was thus the first discoverer of this lake, which he called Lake Gregory.  He found a range which he called Hermit Range, but from its crest discerned no sign of Lake Torrens, thus settling a certain limit to its extension to the north.  He made further explorations to the west of Lake Gregory, now Lake Eyre, and found some hot springs.  Meanwhile, during the time he was making these researches, the Government had, in a very high-handed manner, appointed Warburton to supersede him.  Warburton started out to find Babbage, taking Charles Gregory as his second.  Failing to find him at the Elizabeth, he followed and overtook him at the newly-discovered Lake Gregory.  Warburton made a few discoveries while seeking for Babbage, amongst them the Douglas, a creek which was afterwards of great assistance to Stuart, and the Davenport Range; and he also came upon some fair pastoral country.

Babbage’s surveys and explorations had done much to clear up the mystery and confusion that had hitherto obscured the geography of the salt lake region.  His discovery of Lake Eyre (Gregory) and of the complete isolation of Lake Torrens, reduced the component parts of that huge saline basin to some sort of method and order.  In addition to these achievements, Surveyor Parry made some further discoveries both of fresh water and available pastoral country to the eastward of the Lake.