Mr J. Ross's Explorations, 1874

ROSS, John

Published by W.C. Cox, Government Printer], [Adelaide, 1874

About this Item

[Adelaide, W.C. Cox, Government Printer], 1874. Foolscap folio, 5 pages plus a folding map (356 × 503 mm). Recent cloth with lettering on the front cover; a fine copy. South Australian Parliamentary Paper Number 67 of 1875; the subtitle is 'Memo. - This Journal and the Plan accompanying it, was placed at the disposal of the Government by the Hon. Thos. Elder MLC, at whose expense the exploration was made'. The 'Australian Dictionary of Biography' gives details of Ross' interesting life: born in 1817, he joined Charles Bonney in the first cattle drive from the Goulburn River to Adelaide; after numerous adventures, he was appointed leader of the advance exploration party for the overland telegraph line, becoming in the process only the second to complete the crossing of the continent through the centre. 'At 57 Ross was engaged by Elder to lead an expedition to explore west of the Peake and to go on to Perth. Struggling against sandhills and mulga scrub he reached the South Australian border but barren country and brackish water forced him back'. His last words in this published account are: 'One drink, or rain to give the horses one drink, would have saved the expedition'. Ross died in poverty in Adelaide in 1903. McLaren 7953 and 14715 (not noting the dimensions of the map).

Seller Inventory # 64356

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Mr J. Ross's Explorations, 1874
• Publisher: W.C. Cox, Government Printer], [Adelaide
• Publication Date: 1874
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition: First Edition.
• Condition: Fine
• Seller catalogs:
  • Exploration
  • Australia
  • South Australia