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Sturt's letter to Morphett
Title : Sturt's letter to Morphett Sturt's letter to Morphett
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Creator : Eyre, Edward John, 1815-1901
Source : Journals of expeditions of discovery into Central Australia, and overland from Adelaide to King George's Sound, in the years 1840-1 ..., vol. 2, p. 130
Place Of Creation : London
Publisher : T. and W. Boone
Date of creation : 1845
Additional Creator : Sturt, Charles, 1795-1869
Format : Book
Catalogue record
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Description :

Edward Eyre published Charles Sturt's letter to John Morphett, dated 14th October, 1844 in his concluding remarks to his own expeditions. In this letter Sturt described the course of his expedition to date, including the accident to Robert Flood. Flood had been rounding up some stray bullocks, when his carbine exploded, blowing off three of his fingers. Sturt remained at this camp for several days to give Flood a chance to recover, and then they continued on their way. He also told Morphett that the River Darling had flooded while he was there and he hoped this luck would continue further into the expedition.

Charles Sturt had left Adelaide 10 August 1844, leading an expedition into central Australia; he was to examine the range of hills to the west of the River Darling, and to examine the country to the north west. He travelled via the Rivers Murray and Darling, as far as possible, before crossing to the west and the ranges. Sturt hoped by travelling this way he would skirt around the barrier of Edward Eyre's great horseshoe shaped Lake Torrens which barred northern progress.
Robert Flood was engaged by Sturt as a stockman for the expedition to assist with the management of the horses, bullocks and the 200 sheep which travelled with them, as meat on the hoof. His injury was tended by John Browne, the expedition's doctor.
Subjects
Related names :

Sturt, Charles, 1795-1869

Flood, Robert

Coverage year : 1844
Place : Darling River (N.S.W.)
Further reading :
Sturt, Charles, Journal of the central Australian expedition, 1844-5 edited with an introduction and notes by Jill Waterhouse London; Dover, N.H., USA: Caliban Books, 1984
The central Australian expedition, 1844-1846: the journals of Charles Sturt edited by Richard C. Davis London: Hakluyt Society, 2002
Brock, Daniel George, To the desert with Sturt: a diary of the 1844 expedition edited with a preface and introduction by Kenneth Peake-Jones Adelaide: Royal Geographical Society of Australasia, South Australian Branch, 1975
Internet links :
Exhibitions and events :

State Library of South Australia: Mortlock Wing. Taking it to the edge August 2004-


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