Victorian Government:
McCulloch Ministry to 6 May 1868.

Monday, 4 January 1864.
Meeting of the Exploration Committee, held at 4.30 pm at the Royal Society hall.
Present: Stawell (chair), Smith, Iffla, Mueller, Macadam.

Burke's Beechworth pistol given to Nash and now in New Zealand.

Related archives:
SLV MS13071, Box 2088B/1, RSV EFC and RSV EC minute book, 1858-1873. 1 bound volume, ms., 295 numbered pages.

• p. 271. Minutes of a meeting of the EC, 4 January 1864.

SLV MS13071, Box 2081/2a.

• Summary of EC minutes, 27 November 1863-26 February 1870. 7p.

Monday, 15 February 1864.
Meeting of the Exploration Committee, held at 4.30 pm at the Royal Society hall.
Present: Smith (chair), Gillbee, Iffla, Wilkie, Bleasdale.

Related archives:
SLV MS13071, Box 2088B/1, RSV EFC and RSV EC minute book, 1858-1873. 1 bound volume, ms., 295 numbered pages.

• p. 273. Minutes of a meeting of the EC, 15 February 1864.

SLV MS13071, Box 2081/2a.

• Summary of EC minutes, 27 November 1863-26 February 1870. 7p.

Saturday, 19 March 1864.
Related archive: SLV MS13071, Box 2088B/5, RSV EC outward correspondence August 1860 to July 1869.

• Letter to Chief Secretary [McCulloch] dated 19 March 1864.

Thursday, 21 April 1864.
Related archive: SLV MS13071, Box 2079/3, RSV EC miscellaneous outward correspondence, February-October 1860 and July 1861-November 1872. 126p.

• Letter dated 21 April 1864. 1p.
• Letter to McKay dated 21 April 1864. 1p

Thursday, 4 August 1864.
Meeting of the Exploration Committee, held at 4.30 pm at the Royal Society's hall.
Present: Stawell (chair), Wilkie, Watson, Mueller, Gillbee, Smith.

The 'Monument sub-committee' reported.

Related archives:
SLV MS13071, Box 2088B/1, RSV EFC and RSV EC minute book, 1858-1873. 1 bound volume, ms., 295 numbered pages.

• p. 274. Minutes of a meeting of the EC, 4 August 1864.

SLV MS13071, Box 2081/2a.

• Summary of EC minutes, 27 November 1863-26 February 1870. 7p.

Thursday, 18 August 1864.
Meeting of the Exploration Committee, held at 4.30 pm.
Present: Smith (chair), Wilkie, Mueller.

Related archives:
SLV MS13071, Box 2088B/1, RSV EFC and RSV EC minute book, 1858-1873. 1 bound volume, ms., 295 numbered pages.

• p. 277. Minutes of a meeting of the EC, 17 August 1864.

SLV MS13071, Box 2081/2a.

• Summary of EC minutes, 27 November 1863-26 February 1870. 7p.

Monday, 29 August, 1863.
Ordinary Meeting of the Royal Society of Victoria.
The President, Professor M'Coy, in the chair.

A letter from Mr W P Giles, having reference to the discovery of graves supposed by the writer to possibly contain the remains of Dr Leichhardt, Messrs. Giles and Conn, who were present, at the request of the President, gave a short account of the manner in which they had discovered the graves, their locality, appearance, construction, &c.
The thanks of the Members were given to Messrs. Giles and Conn, for the information afforded.

Wednesday, 31 August 1864.
Meeting of the Exploration Committee, held at 4.30 pm in the Royal Society's hall.
Present: Wilkie, Mueller, Watson. No quorum and the meeting adjourned.

Related archive: SLV MS13071, Box 2088B/1, RSV EFC and RSV EC minute book, 1858-1873. 1 bound volume, ms., 295 numbered pages.

• p. 278. Minutes of a meeting of the EC, 31 August 1864.

Friday, 16 September 1864.
Meeting of the Exploration Committee, held at 4.30 pm at the Royal Society's hall.
Present: McCoy, Wilkie, Smith.

Related archives:
SLV MS13071, Box 2088B/1, RSV EFC and RSV EC minute book, 1858-1873. 1 bound volume, ms., 295 numbered pages.

• p. 279. Minutes of a meeting of the EC, 16 September 1864.

SLV MS13071, Box 2081/2a.

• Summary of EC minutes, 27 November 1863-26 February 1870. 7p.

Monday, 19 September, 1864.
Ordinary Meeting of the Royal Society of Victoria.
The President, Professor M'Coy, in the Chair.

The Hon D Wilkie, MLC., enquired if anything had been done in reference to Messrs Giles and Conn's discoveries of white men's graves in the interior. He thought it desirable that the matter should be referred to the Exploration Committee. Resolved - The question was referred accordingly.

Friday, 23 September 1864.
Meeting of the Exploration Committee, held at 4.30 pm at the Royal Society's hall.
Present: Stawell (chair), Wilkie, McCoy, Smith, Mueller.

Related archives:
SLV MS13071, Box 2088B/1, RSV EFC and RSV EC minute book, 1858-1873. 1 bound volume, ms., 295 numbered pages.

• p. 280. Minutes of a meeting of the EC, 23 September 1864.

SLV MS13071, Box 2081/2a.

• Summary of EC minutes, 27 November 1863-26 February 1870. 7p.

Monday, 10 October 1864.
An ordinary meeting of the Royal Society was held last night.
Professor McCoy, president of the society, occupied the chair.

A Report from the Exploration Committee on the supposed discovery by Messrs Giles and Conn, of white men's graves, near Cooper's Creek, was brought up and read by Dr. Mueller. (See Transactions and Proceedings Appendix. No. 2.)

Dr Mueller read a long and elaborate report from the Exploration Committee on the supposed discovery of white men's graves, near Cooper's Greek, which was communicated by Mr W G Conn and Mr W Giles, at a meeting of the society held on the 29 August 1864.

Messrs Conn and Giles believed it probable that the graves contained the remains of Dr Leichhardt and some of his party, and the Committee were satisfied from the detailed account which they gave, and their explicit statements, that the graves could not be identified with those of any travellers known to have perished in or near the locality indicated about 142deg 35min east longitude and 28 deg 45min south latitude. They believed, however, that the evidence that the graves really contained the relics of white men was solely based on the assertions of natives who did not themselves witness either the death or the burial. After a resume of all the tangible evidence as to Leichhardt's fate, the Committee came to the conclusion that it was exceedingly vague and inconclusive. They therefore recommended that the localities on Cooper's Creek which bore the last indisputable marks of Leichhardt's movements should again be examined, and that a party, sufficiently strong to resist any attempted attacks, should scrupulously, through reliable interpreters, interrogate the natives, to set the question finally at rest whether Leichhardt and his brave band met their death on the spot originally recorded. If the destruction of the poor explorers on that spot could be disproved, the Australian colonies ought not to rest until they learned what became of them, and erected a monument on the place where they died. The Committee urged that the duty of initiating the final step for the discovery of Leichhardt's fate naturally devolved on Victoria, as the colony which had derived great advantages from his exploration.

Friday, 4 November 1864.
Meeting of the Exploration Committee, held at 4.30 pm at the Royal Society's hall.
Present: Stawell (chair), Wilkie, Ligar, McCoy.

Related archives:
SLV MS13071, Box 2088B/5, RSV EC outward correspondence August 1860 to July 1869.

• Letter to the Chief Secretary [McCulloch] dated 4 November 1864.

SLV MS13071, Box 2088B/1, RSV EFC and RSV EC minute book, 1858-1873. 1 bound volume, ms., 295 numbered pages.

• p. 283. Minutes of a meeting of the EC, 4 November 1864.