SUPPOSED TRACKS OF LEICHHARDT.

Inangahua Times, Volume II, Issue II, 11 February 1881, Page 2

SUPPOSED TRACKS OF LEICHHARDT.

1 We (St. George Standard, Queens* land) have received tbe following correspondence on this subject from Mr G. M. Kirk, of Guinarber, which will no uoubl prove highly interesting, especially in connection with the spirited offer of £1,000 recently made by the Sydney Bulletin -for a satisfactory solution of Leichhardt's fate :— «• Guinarber, 13th Jannary, 1881. " To the Editor of the St. George Standard. " Sir,— Referring to the correspondence which appeared in your columns and it) those of the Town and Conntry Jonrnal some time back re the fate of Classan abd Leichhardt, I herewith enclose you two tetters received by me from Mr J. R. Skuthorpe having reference to the same subject. It is with some reloctanco I offer tliem to you for publication, us everyone has hitherto sconted the probability of such di?covery, but I certainly think the information they contain should be made public, and with this conviction I enclose the fetter without comment, save that Skuthorpe at tbe time of writing them could bare known nothing of tbe reward offered by the Sydney Balletin for the discovery of Leicbhardt's fate,— Geo. M. Eibk, " P.S.—The yellow boy or half-caste mentioned in his first letter is the one re* ferred to in tbe former correspondence. — G.M.K."

[Enclosnres.j (No. 1.) " Herbert Downs, 20th September, 1880. " To G: M. Kibk. Esq. ",.... Before I go in I intend to go and have a look at the grave of the old man, who, I am more convinced than ever, was Classan, or at least the man Hume saw. I have two niggers who both know where he is buried, and who say be was with them from when they were very small, and I should take them to be at least twenty »five years of age. They both tell the same story of him trying to reach Ktrwan and dying on the road ; also, of tbe white msn coming and staying with him for a time and then going away again to the east: This, I suppose, was Hume. They do not know if his papers were buried with him or not. I think they were, but will soon find out. The yellow boy was seen about a month ago.— Yours faithfully, J. R. Skuthobpe."

(No. 2.) "Herbert Downs, 13th December, 1880. "To G. M. Kibk, Esq. "...,. Now about tbe fate of the white man vrho I believed to be Clas» san. I am positive ho lived with the

blacks for many years, and that he die as I described Jo you, in trying to j over to tbe Herbert. He died foi miles from tbe watershed, and is burl about sixty miles from this station, a not more than twenty miles from La Amrrou, which is now as dry as a slii Do you know it Classan was tail ? T man must hare been about sft llin, a not stout. There were, according to t blacks, a good number of papers buri in a leather saddle-bag or pouch on 1 breast, but the rats have taken them I However, if there is any person w can describe Leichbardt's telescope— t is, if be bad one— l can show them grave of the white man, who I am po tive is one of the fated party, and who think was not Classan, bat the leader the party (Leichhsrdt) himself. 1 telescope is about 15in, long, and o peculiar shape. Anybody who has ci seen it would never forget the descripti of it. I hare left everything as it w and unless someone can describe son thing that is buried with him, I do think anyone bas a right to take th sway from jjgigtis** • • Yqursjai J. B. Fkutsorpe.' [The portion* omitted from publicat refer exclusively to private matters EDSt-GS.] The a bore was scarcely in type b«f we received the telegram suting I Mr Skuthorpe had recovered Lei bardt's and Cassan's journals in a g< state of preservation. 'J'hcre is amount of circumstantiality about t which sets doubt at defiance, and we s cerely hope the statement will be speed verified.

The Brisbane Courier says : —" 1 Sydney Herald receives the news of Skutliorpe's discovery of Leichbari remains with ingenuous, unsuspect confidence. It commences its com roc on this interesting speculation with th words : — ' The mystery of Leicbban fate seems to be sol Ted at last.' 1 without further corroborates, m will hesitate to accept a statement t has about it much of the improbu The discoverer's reluctance to show treasures to anyone is explained b telegram we publish this morning to effect that be is merely obeying insti tions from Sydney. It is rather amus that the Herald should consider ibis coyery ' goes to confirm tbe acco given by Hume, and to justify Mr Faur in his confidence in Hume's at mentß.' When we remember tuat on these statements was that Hume him had found Leicbhardt's diary, of wl be was robbed between here and Sydi it is a quaint conceit that the re«disco\ of it in tbe Far West should bring tain posthumous credit to Hume, may be that our doubts «s to this t are merely the result of a state of c rendered particularly wary on the I ject of Leichhardt by previous dt pointments.'