Condition of the horses to be considered |
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| Title : | Condition of the horses to be considered |
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| Creator : | Sturt, Charles, 1795-1869 | ||
| Source : | Narrative of an expedition into Central Australia ..., volume 1, p. 404 | ||
| Place Of Creation : | London | ||
| Publisher : | T. and W. Boone | ||
| Date of creation : | 1849 | ||
| Format : | Book | ||
| Contributor : | State Library catalogue | ||
| Catalogue record | |||
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| Description : |
In considering the risks in advancing further north, Sturt assessed the condition of the expedition's horses, already suffering from lack of feed and water. They had been more than twelve months on dry grass and other innutritious plants, and their condition was poor. They managed to stumble 15 miles or so a day, and at night were picketed to prevent their wandering. Water too was scarce. If he turned back he would in all likelihood reach water, but to advance even one day, would put that water beyond the reach of the horses. Without the horses, the men had little chance of survival. Charles Sturt left Adelaide in August 1844 to explore Central Australia, and determine the continent's watershed. He also hoped to unveil the secrets of the centre, and to discover the inland sea he believed existed. He took with him a boat to sail upon it. In the end, he discovered no inland sea, only the Stony Desert and the endless sand dunes of the Simpson Desert. He did however discover and name Cooper Creek, the great but ephemeral river of central Australia. The boat was abandoned on the return journey to Adelaide. In 1847 Charles Sturt received the Patron's Medal of the Royal Geographical Society, one of the highest awards an explorer could aspire to. The citation for the medal included the words 'for the prudence with which further advance was abandoned, when it could only have risked the loss of those intrusted to his charge'. His prudence is evident in these pages as he agonises over the condition of his horses and men, weighing these against his own desire to proceed. |
| Subjects | |
| Related names : | Royal Geographical Society Sturt, Charles, 1795-1869 |
| Coverage year : | 1849 |
| Period : | 1836-1851 |
| Place : | Central Australia |
| Region : | Flinders Ranges and Far North - Outback |
| Further reading : | Sturt, Charles Narrative of an expedition into Central Australia, performed under the authority of Her Majesty's Government, during the years 1844, 5, and 6 together with a notice of the Province of South Australia in 1847 Adelaide: Libraries Board of South Australia, 1965 Langley, Michael, Sturt of the Murray: father of Australian exploration London, Hale, 1969 Beale, Edgar Sturt, the chipped idol: a study of Charles Sturt, explorer Sydney: Sydney University Press, 1979 |
| Internet links : | Australian dictionary of biography online: Sturt, Charles (1795-1869) |
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