New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1899-04-01
AUSTRALIA.
NATURE AND MAN AT THE ANTlPODES.


6 6%s'To''9 rp. ayi 81 ~ F. Mansfield 6 co.
IN THE AUSTRALIAN BUSH. and on the Coast nt
Observations Of Naturalist in Australia New
With cightv-siy illustrations and four maps.
octave. pp XIV 80 The Macmillan Company
THE. NATIVE TRIBES OF CENTRAL AuST pF \,
RoorI H in SI ho n 1enGf Of Mcbournc and
f J. Gillen. Special Magistrate and Sub-Pro-
hGsraa 6 ocHro pp xx s Thc Macmillan
Company.
AUSTRALIANS DEMOCRACY. BY Henry De R.
Walker octave PIP. xi. 393 London: !. Flsher
Irwin.
Whatever Australia may be az a home for the
aGriculturlst and the business man. it is para
disc for the zoologist ard the explorer. Nature
seems to have used this out-of-the-way corner
Of the earth as n scrt Of geological garden in
which to preserve specimens Of her early. tenta-
tive efforts at animal-making for the especial
benefit Of the naturalist or the explorer. too.
she has been mindful in reserving for him in the
deserts Of the centre and west place where he
can risk his life and suffer hardship to his
hearts content
Among those who have awaited themselves Of
this latter privilege Mr. Carnegie merits honor
able mention, ri least an amateur Though
ne made his weary marches through "Spnifex
and Sand mainly as a prospector his account
Of them shows that back Of the practical aim Of
finding gold lay the genuine enthusiasm Of the
explorer His book is not only interesting as a
tale Of adventure. hut. with its detailed maps. II
is crcditable record Of geographical discovery
In Western Australia the prospector has In fact
had the labors il not hitherto the honors. OF the
explorer thrust upon him The narrow paths
cut by Eyre. Giles. Forrest and others across
the deserts which sweep from the centre Of the
do hut
little impression upon the vast unknown waste
Accordingly when it was found that these
desoate regions contained gold-were perhaps
veritable FL Dorado-the prOspector Of necessity
became at the Same time an explorer. and
pushing into them from north. west and south
he has daily forced the limits of the unknown
further back into the desert. Mr.. Carnegie's
efforts in this line were carried out from the
southern gold field Of Coolgarde a base. Ar
irving there I'm 1892 shortly after the discovery
Of the field. his bad luck a miner led him to
undertake. in 1SG4-'9j extensive prospecting
Journeys through the regions to the east and
north Journeys Of which he furnishes careful
map. in the hope OF lettering his fortunes.
Later in 1861 his luck having changed. he
was enabled TO carry out iong-cherished plan
of crossing the continent from south to north
from COolgarde TO the Kimberley district This
journey both in its conception and its execu-
ton. is an exceedingly meritOriOus performance.
The paths Of previous travellers through this
region run. for the most part. east and west,
leaving wide intervening belts Of wholly unex-
plored territory The route selected by Mr..
Carnegie across these belts and nearly through
the centre Of the deserts was thus for geo
graphical purposes about the hest that could be
chosen. The journey extended northward az
far as Halls Creek, in the Kimberley district,
and thence returned. by more eastery route,
to its starting point at COolgardie. And it was
admirably carried out. With the exception Of
the accidental death Of one OF the company. IL
was accomplished without serious mishap or ex-
treme suffering. thanks. apparently. 10 Mr.. Car
negies previous training prospector. which
enabled him to appreciate all difficulties. espe-
cially those Of water supply. and to meet them
successfully. Few Of the expeditions which have
passed through that fearful wilderness have so
good a record to show AS regards geographical
results, while nothing particularly important
was discovered a large piece Of the "unex
plored" has been cut from our maps.
or the monotonous desoation Of this
sterile region. and Of the pluck and endurance
needed by the explorer. Mr.. Carnegies narrative
gives a distinct picture. When the rains fall. II
II n
time frightened by vegetation and living things
of various kinds seem suddenly to spring from
the ground and to drop from the air Thus
when our travellers set out after period OF
storms, 'the saltbrush plain which fringes the
salt lake. Lake Prnsep was looking quite
charming dotted all over with patches Of
splendid green and yellow heritage. plants like
our clover and dandeons, and thousands of
nj k and white everlasfinge The hush was
enlivened by the twittering Of small birds.
which come from nobody knows where. build
their nests. hatch out their young and disap
pear Almost every bush held nest usually
occupied by a diamond sparrow" Such scenes.
however are found mainly in the outskirts Of
the desert. and even then OF short duration.
As the traveller advances the effects Of ardty
become more and more evident until regions Of
sand-dunes reached which extend for hun
dreds Of miles in every direction Scrub, in
deed, persists, being found, according to Mr.
Carnegie, sparsely scattered even the dunes
of the Great Sandy Desert which. further east,
are described by other travellers totally de-
void Of verdure. The troublesome "spinifex"
grass with its dense masses Of needlelike
prickles-"the most accursed vegetation to walk
through. for men and camels'-keeps company
with the scrub. There even occasional cases
But as whole the country Is a desert Of the
most repulsive type--a region of parched plains,
barren, rolling hills or rock ridges lakes OF salt
mud. and interminable dunes from twenty to
one hundred feet in height, running with great
regularity east and west.
These last, which form perharb the most strik-
ing feature Of the country. Mr.. Carnegie first
met at Family Well where began "a series Of
parallel banks Of sand which extend with occa-
sional breaks from latitude 90 40 10 10 %
a distance Of nearly two hundred and nifty miles
in a straight line" From September rs TO NJ
vember Ii he says 1--WE were never out of sie..
OF a cambridge. and during that time travelled
40 miles. taking into account all deviatons
II is a vast. bowling wilderness of high
spnifex-cad ridges Of red sand. steep that