the weary space of two whole years. (Laughter.) If such were the case, what was the debt which the country owed to those great national benefactors, the explorers.  Their discoveries had opened the eyes of the people of Australia to the fact that God had given them a most wealthy inheritance, which might be compared to the whole world in miniature.  It had the best of every clime under the sun, and the gifts of nature were scattered with great profusion.  As to the precious metals it might turn out that what had been found was only an earnest of what was to follow; but there could be no doubt that Australia was to be the woolgrower of the whole world, and that it would grow cotton to feed all the mills of England.  Dr. Cairns concluded by moving the following resolution: 

That this meeting begs, in the most cordial manner, to welcome the explorers, Messrs. Landsborough and McKinlay, on their safe return, and to express admiration of the many excellent qualities displayed by them in the prosecution of their arduous enterprise, and considers that it is a duty to acknowledge the hand of Divine Providence in preserving them in the midst of danger.

...

Mr. King, who was received with great acclamation, said it afforded him much pleasure to be present on that occasion and join with so many of his fellow-colonists in congratulating Mr. Landsborough and Mr. McKinlay on their safe arrival in Melbourne. (Applause.) He was the more glad to offer his congratulations because he knew the arduous nature of the journey which Messrs. Landsborough and McKinlay had accomplished.  He was little accustomed to appear or to speak in public, but he should have been sorry to miss this opportunity of expressing his thanks to Mr. Landsborough and Mr. McKinlay for the manner in which they had endeavoured to come to the relief of the party of which Burke and Wills were at the head.  However successful they might have been in that expedition they could have been of very little service to Burke and Wills, for it would have been impossible to reach them in time to save their lives.  He had much pleasure in seconding the resolution and in congratulating Messrs. Landsborough and McKinlay upon their safe arrival in Victoria. (Cheers.)

The resolution was put and unanimously adopted amidst cheers, as were also the resolutions subsequently proposed.

The chairman explained that Mr. Landsborough, having been out of town, had not yet arrived at the meeting but was expected shortly.  In the meantime he called upon Mr. McKinlay to respond to the compliment which had just been paid to himself and his brother explorer.  He also requested the meeting to excuse Mr. McKinlay from making any statement with respect to his journey as he felt bound in the first place to communicate the particulars to the Government by whom he had been sent out.