rage, asking Mr. Burke whether he intended that I should superintend him?” To talk, touch, or mention anything about his favourites, the camels, was sure to bring on “a scene.”  “On his remarking that there was no rope here, I mentioned that we had just brought one across with us, when he wanted to know what business I had to say anything.  Altogether, he made a great fool of himself before several of the men, and a Mr. Wright, the manager of the Kinchica Station.”  These camels, under Mr. Landells’ spoiling, appear to have become the plague of the expedition.  They were to have rum—­solely, as it now appears, because Mr. Landells “knew of an officer who took two camels through a two years’ campaign in Cabul, the Punjab, and Scinde, by allowing them arrack.”  They were to carry more stores for themselves than they were worth.  They were not to make long journeys, nor to travel in bad weather, nor to be subject to any one’s direction, or opinion, or advice.  In fine, the chief difficulty of exploring Australia seemed to consist in humouring the camels.  We may imagine the feelings of a leader with such a drag as this encumbering him.  Mr. Pickwick could never have viewed with such disgust the horse which he was obliged to lead about as Mr. Burke must have regarded his camels.  When to this it is added that the leader observed various intrigues carried on, we cannot wonder that he determined to come to an open rupture before Mr. Landells and the camels had completely disorganized the expedition.  “Whereupon it came out,” writes Mr. Wills, “that Mr. Landells has been playing a fine game, trying to set us all together by the ears.  There is scarcely a man in the party whom he has not urged Mr. Burke to dismiss.”  Under such a state of things, the leader of the expedition must have been painfully aware that his party was in no fit state of organization to enter on a most perilous undertaking, and that while such continued, both he and his men were going to inevitable destruction.  If his conduct appeared to Mr. Landells restless and uncertain, we may wonder how, under the circumstances, it could be otherwise.  We find it impossible to believe that the Exploring Committee of the Royal Society could have secretly informed Mr. Landells that he held independent command, for such a thing would be a burlesque on discipline.  He claims the sole management of the camels; and perhaps the committee may have defined his duty as such.  But so also has a private soldier the sole management of his musket, but it is under the directions of his officer.  Profound as may be Mr. Landells’ knowledge of camels, it would be worse than useless unless subject to the direction of his commanding officer.

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