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Moreton Bay, 6 November 1830.
Sir - it is with feelings of unfeigned sorrow that the duty devolves upon me of reporting to you, for the information of His Excellency the Governor, the melancholy death of Captain Logan, late Commandant of this settlement.
The particulars relative to this unfortunate event are nearly as follows:
On the 9th ultimo Captain Logan, accompanied by his servant and five prisoners, proceeded from Brisbane Town to the neighbourhood of Mount Irwin and the Brisbane Mountain, with a view of completing his chart of this part of the colony. It appears that when near the Pine Range the party were attacked by a large assemblage of natives, who, however, on a shot being fired, ceased to annoy them. The party then proceeded on their journey, and Captain Logan, after traversing part of the country, was on his return home, on the 17th ultimo; when not far from the foot of Mount Irwin he left the party, desiring them to proceed to a place he pointed out, and where he said he would join them in the evening. From some unfortunate misunderstanding, however, he was unable to do so, and on the 18th, the party believing he would proceed immediately to the Limestone station, took their departure, also to that place, where they arrived the following evening. [148]
Finding that Captain Logan was not there, as they expected, and having seen many natives on the day previous, their fears were naturally excited, and three of them immediately returned to the place where Captain Logan had left them, while the others came here to announce the distressing intelligence.
As we naturally concluded he had fallen into the hands of the natives, and hoped he might be a prisoner and alive, parties were sent out in every direction to endeavour to meet them: while, in the meantime, his servant and party found his saddle, with the stirrups cut off as if by a native's hatchet, about ten miles from the place where Captain Logan had left them, in the direction of the Limestone station. Near to this place, also, were the marks of his horse having been tied to a tree; of his having himself slept upon some grass in a bark hut, and having apparently been roasting chestnuts, when he had made some rapid strides towards his horse, as if surprised by the natives. No further traces, however, could be discovered, and though the anxiety of his family and friends were most distressing, hopes were still entertained of his being alive till the 28th ultimo, when Mr Cowper, whose exertions on this occasion were very great, and for which I feel much indebted, discovered the dead horse sticking in a creek, and not far from it, at the top of the bank, the body of Captain Logan buried about a foot under ground. Near this also were found papers torn in pieces, his boots, and a part of his waistcoat, stained with blood.
From all these circumstances it appears probable that while at the place, where he had stopped for the night, Captain Logan was suddenly surprised by the natives; that he mounted his horse without saddle or bridle, and, being unable to manage him, the horse, pursued by the natives, got into the creek, where Captain Logan, endeavouring to extricate him, was overtaken and murdered.
Mrs Logan having a decided objection to the remains being interred here, has requested they may be forwarded to Sydney by the Isabella, while she and her family proceed by the Governor Phillip and, it being the opinion of both the medical officers here that, in tier delicate state of health, proceeding without a medical attendant would be attended with much danger, I have been induced to sanction Assistant-Surgeon Murray accompanying Mrs Logan, as in the present healthy state of the settlement the services of one medical officer can be dispensed with for a short time.
I have, etc,
J.O. CLUNIE,
Captain, 17th Regiment.
The Honourable the Colonial Secretary.
Sydney.
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