Sketch showing route traversed by Exploration Party commanded by J.W. Lewis Esq. under authority of the Crown Lands Department, Adelaide SA. 1874-5. Adjoining Surveys, in Lat 28* 50' on the East of Lake Eyre and in Lat 28* 15' on the West. Ordered by the House of Assembly to be Lithographed, 29th June 1875 . [printed title]

LEWIS, J.W.

Published by Government Printer, Adelaide, 1875

About this Item

Adelaide, Government Printer, 1875. A large map, 690 x 550 mm, folding down to foolscap folio size. One edge very slightly chipped; one tiny marginal tear expertly repaired; a fine copy (detached from a bound volume, with the preceding one-leaf parliamentary paper retained for the time being for protection). South Australian Parliamentary Paper Number 57 of 1875 (no text accompanied this map). McLaren 12530-31-32 are confusing (confused?): the first entry refers to this item by correct Parliamentary Paper number but the title is incorrect; the third entry shows the correct title for a map accompanying the journal published the following year (as SAPP19 of 1876). Feeken, Feeken and Spate comment on the fact that, although Lewis reported his arrival at Beltana on 12 July 1875 after completing his surveys, 'Curiously, the map of his surveys was signed by Surveyor-General Goyder already on 15 July'. We have not inspected the map issued in 1876, but the present copy contains a lithographed note that may explain the apparent anomaly: 'Copied (from Plan forwarded by J.W. Lewis Esq.) in the Office of The Surveyor General by Edwin S. Berry and H.C. Talbot . June 15th 1875'. Little is known about J.W. Lewis (not to be confused with John Lewis of 'Fought and Won' fame), but he accompanied Warburton across the Great Sandy Desert in 1872-73. 'Warburton admitted that Lewis had several times saved the party from perishing on that epic journey' (Feeken). An abridged account of Lewis' Lake Eyre expedition will be found in Threadgill (along with a reduced facsimile of a later version of the map, which includes 'a detailed examination of the course of the Barcoo as far as Innamincka'). Seller Inventory # 24335

Bibliographic Details

Title: Sketch showing route traversed by ...

Publisher: Government Printer, Adelaide

Publication Date: 1875

Condition: Fine