I have the honour to be, sir,

Your obedient servant,

(Signed) John Macadam, M.D., Secretary.

To Mr. Wright, third in command, temporary depot, Plurarmora Creek,
Darling River, New South Wales.

. . .

Nothing can be clearer than the instructions herein conveyed; yet in the face of them, Wright made no start until the 26th of January.  His answers to the Royal Commission were full of contradictions, but to the main question of his delay he gave no answer at all.  From my own inquiries I never could make out that any one at Menindie thought him fit for the post, or undertook to recommend him.  Captain Cadell did to the committee, but with Mr. Burke, Captain Cadell was not on speaking terms.

Mr. Burke and my son proceeded onwards, accompanied by the reduced party, consisting of Brahe, King, Gray, Patten, McDonough, and Dost Mahomet, fifteen horses and sixteen camels, on the 29th of September, 1860, and reached Cooper’s Creek on the 11th of November, a distance of about 250 miles.  Here my son went out occasionally, taking a man with him, to explore the country, far and near.  His great desire was to reach Carpentaria by the shortest practicable cut, and he inclined to a direct northern course, or to the eastward of north.  The committee represented afterwards, as prominently as they could put it, that Mr. Burke was left unshackled on this point, but still suggestions were offered, which a leader naturally considers he is expected to listen to.  One of these was, that on leaving Cooper’s Creek they should proceed towards Eyre’s Creek and Sturt’s Farthest (September, 1845); for which I refer the reader to the map.  My son could not see the wisdom of this, as Sturt had declared that beyond that point he saw nothing but an impenetrable desert.  McDouall Stuart’s return to Adelaide was also reported, and that he was about to start again:  it therefore became a rival race as to who should reach the goal first.

With reference to my son’s exploration trips during the halt at Cooper’s Creek, Mr. Brahe, on his examination before the Royal Commission, gave the following particulars:—­

We travelled down the creek; our first camp on Cooper’s Creek was Camp 57; from some of the first camps Mr. Wills went out exploring the creek.

Question 148.  How long did you remain at the first camp?—­One night; at the second camp, two days; and at the third camp, two days; and from each camp Mr. Wills went down tracing the creek.

149.  And you remained two days at each camp for three camps down the creek?—­Yes.

150.  Was the third camp the final camp formed on the creek?—­No, at the 63rd camp the first depot was formed.  We remained there a fortnight.

151.  At the 63rd camp?—­Yes, that would be the fifth or sixth camp on the creek.

152.  What were you doing that fortnight?—­Mr. Wills was exploring the country to the north; Mr. Burke was out with him once; Mr. Burke was out with me first, and we could not go far enough with horses, not finding any water away from the camp.