mm fff ^I'sl"^ Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2007 with funding from IVIicrosoft Corporation http://www.archive.org/details/excursonsinnewsoOObretrich EXCURSIONS IN NEW SOUTH WALES WESTERN AUSTRAI^IA, AND ' ' ' '' ' '''- VAN DIEMAN'S LAND, DURING THE YEARS 1830, 1831, 1832, AND IBSS, ^•^ BY LIEUT. BRETON, R. N. SECOND EDITION REVISED, WITH ADDITIONS. When obliged to have recourse to the superficial remarks of vulgar travellers, sailors, traders, buccaneers, and missionaries, we must often pause, and, comparing detacbed facts, endeavour to discover whattbey wanted sagacity to ohserye.— Robertson. LONDON: RICHARD BENTLEY, NEW BURLINGTON STREET. 1834. LONDON: SCHULZB AND CO., 13, POLAND STREET. PREFACE TO THE SECOND EDITION. A new Edition of this Work being required, the author has availed himself of the opportunity to correct such errata as were occasioned by his not personally inspecting the proof sheets of the First Edition. Some new facts have also been added which he thinks will increase the interest and use- fulness of his Work ; but he has not considered himself authorized to introduce all that he has subsequently heard respecting regions of which such contradictory reports have been published, as his object is to impart information collected by himself and verified by actual observation alone. London, May 1834. 948164 PREFACE TO THE FIRST EDITION. An inherent propensity to wander, and, not im- probably, some slight wish to secure a share in the golden prospects held out to all persons emigrating to the Australian Colonies, induced me, once more to encounter the perils of the deep, and to bid adieu, for a time, to those luxuries and comforts so much prized by all who love a life of tranquillity. A sojourn in the Colonies, however it may have gratified my roving propensities, and afforded much real interest and- amusement, has certainly tended to dispel some of the bright il- lusions with which the high-flown accounts of not a few writers on the subject had previously possessed my mind. It must be obvious to every impartial person, who has had an opportunity VI PREFACE, of judging from actual observation of the capabili- ties of the Colonies, that most of the works hitherto published are calculated to excite in the emigrant expectations which, unless through some singularly lucky circumstance, can never be realized: in addition to which, they certainly convey but little of that practical information so necessary to all who intend establishing them- selves in those distant regions. It is with this conviction that I have been induced to offer to the public the substance of my note-book, trusting that it will be found to convey an impartial and correct, though brief and unvarnished account, of the actual state of things in this portion of the globe, I lay no claim to the graces of authorship, nor in a work of this kind, would there have been much opportunity for displaying them ; the only object I have in view is, to convey as accu- rate an idea as possible of the nature and resources of the different settlements ; so that, in the event of the emigrant undertaking a voyage of nearly 16,000 miles, he may not find, on his arrival at his destination, that he has been misled by over- drawn accounts or actual mis- statements. This, I regret to say, has been the case with many, who, judging from what they had read^ PREFACE. Vll quitted England with the notion, that the coun- tries to which they were proceeding comprised in them all the delights of a paradise ! It is perfectly natural to believe all that is said of a country by a respectable person who has been there, especially when he has no ap- parent motive for making mis-statements ; but some travellers show a most singular aptitude to amplify as much as possible, particularly with respect to the beauties of a country ; seemingly from the supposition, that unless a book be full of high-flown language, it would not be read : others, again, owing to their not having had any opportunities of visiting other regions, can be but little qualified to take a fair and correct view of the relative advantages and disadvan- tages of a country. I believe no persons have written on the Colonies who have not been in some way con- nected, it may be said identified, with one or other of them ; and it cannot, therefore, excite surprise if they say all they can in favour of that particular colony in which they have esta- blished themselves. I mean not to accuse them of wilful misrepresentation ; but they certainly appear, in too many instances, to have been influenced by that amor patricB, that devotion to their adopted country, which, lending to every VIU PREFACE. thing an enchantment it possesses not for the casual and indifferent observer, but ill qualifies them for giving a faithful and unbiassed account of it. Having, during my wanderings, visited, and, I trust, not quite unprofitably, many parts of the globe, I may perhaps be allowed to hope, in giving a concise description of regions so little known in England, that I shall be enabled to impart useful information to those who pro- pose to emigrate, and also to prove the truth of the observations made by Pliny the elder, *'That no book is so bad as not to afford something valuable.'* London, Octobku 1833. CONTENTS. CHAPTER I. Page OBSERVATIONS ON THE VOYAGE FROM ENGLAND — MODE OF PRESERVING PLANTS AND SEEDS ST. JAGO— DESCRIP- TION OF PORTO PRAYA— APPEARANCE OP THE COUNTRY DROUGHT — ARRIVAL AT SWAN RIVER GAGE's ROADS r— COCKBURN SOUND FREEMANTLK — PERTH — ANECDOTE OF THE DOCTOR OF THE L— — OPINIONS RESPECTING THE SOIL — EXCURSION UP THE SWAN, AND CANNING DARLING RANGE OF MOUNTANS ABORIGINES THEIR AD- DICTION TO MIMICRY — GARDEN ISLAND — CLIMATE CON- FLICTING STATEMENTS CONCERNING THE COLONY AP- PRENTICES RECENT ACCOUNTS OP THE PROGRESS OF THE — SETTLEMENT i CHAPTER IL ARRIVAL AT SYDNEY— MODE OF TRAVELLING IN THE " BUSH" WHERE UNLOCATED LAND IS TO BE FOUND — ROUTES IN THE VARIOUS SETTLEMENTS — LIVERPOOL — CAMPBELL CONTENTS. Page TOWN COW PASTURES BONG-BONG GOULBOURN PLAINS WOLLONDILLI LAKE GEORGE LAKE BATHURST SHOAL HAVEN GULLIES — PERSONS LOST IN THE WILDS OP NEW HOLLAND — CAVES NEAR THE GULLIES DESCENT INTO ILLAWARRA WALLOGONG — GREAT SIZE OF THE FISH IN THE SHOAL HAVEN AND OTHER STREAMS COAST SOUTH OP ILLAWARRA — ROUTE OF BATHURST PARAMATTA BLUE MOUNTAINS TOWNSHIP OF BATHURST ASPECT OP THE PLAINS, OR DOWNS ROUTE TO THE HUNTER HAWKESBURY — SCENERY IN THE BLUE MOUN- TAINS FALL IN WITH A PARTY OF NATIVES WOLLOMBI MERTON GAMMON PLAINS SINGULAR APPEARANCE OF THE LAND — MOUNT BOOROOAN — CORBORN COMLEROY— REMARKABLE SPRING — BASALTIC COLUMNS — PURSUIT OF THE EMU LIVERPOOL MOUNTAINS INVERMEEN ST. HILIER's — MAITLAND COUNTRY ON THE HUNTER ENOR- MOUS TREE NEWCASTLE PORT STEPHENS-— PORT MAC- QUARRIE — MORETON BAY RIVER NEPEAN COUNTRY ON THE HAWKESBURY 38 CHAPTER III. GENERAL OBSERVATIONS ON NEW HOLLAND — COASTS CORAL BANKS— ACCOUNT OP THEM BY FLINDERS MEL- VILLE ISLAND BATHURST ISLAND WEATHER ON THE COASTS PREVAILING ASPECT OF THE COUNTRY EXTENT OF THE COLONY RIVERS — CONSIDERABLE SEA SAID TO HAVE BEEN FOUND IN THE INTERIOR — NORFOLK ISLAND — NEW ZEALAND— ISLANDS 121 CONTENTS. XI CHAPTER IV. Page ABORIGINES OF AUSTRALIA OBSERVATION ON THEM BY DAMPIER EXTRAORDINARY INSTANCES OF DELUSION CRUEL TREATMENT OP A SHEPHERD BY A TRIBE UNFEEL- ING CONDUCT OF THE WHITES CUSTOMS OF THE WOL- LOMBI NATIVES SUPERSTITIOUS IMPRESSIONS — WARS NATIVES AT MORETON BAY COWARRWEL BLACKS — THE KABARRAH WEAPONS DIFFICULTY OP RECLAIMING THE NATIVES — SAID TO BE CANNIBALS THEIR LANGUAGE- — ANIMALS OP NEW HOLLAND WONDERFUL TENACITY OF LIFE DISPLAYED BY THE NATIVE DOG — VARIOUS KINDS OP THE KANGAROO REPTILES, BIRDS, INSECTS, VEGETA- TION RAPIDITY OP THE GROWTH OP TREES CLIMATE HOT WINDS DESTRUCTIVE FIRES DROUGHT 164 CHAPTER V. SKETCH OF SYDNEY ENVIRONS — SOIL PRICES OF PROVI- SIONS — PUBLIC HOUSES POPULATION SOCIETY CON- VICTS RATIONS ALLOWED THEM — EXTRACT PROM A LETTER WRITTEN BY ONE — BUSH RANGERS REPORT CON- CERNING A COLONY OF RUNAWAYS EXPORTS — IMPORTS REVENUE — SALARIES OF PERSONS HOLDING SITUATIONS UNDER GOVERNMENT HORSES UNCOMMON INSTINCT SHOWN BY THEM CATTLE CURIOUS DOCILITY OF A BUL- LOCK PRICE OF CATTLE — SHEEP— UNACCOUNTABLE CIR- CUMSTANCE RESPECTING A FLOCK 264 Xll CONTENTS. CHAPTER VI. Page ABRIVAL AT HOBART TOWN — EXCURSIONS INTO THE INTE- RIOR LAUNCESTON STORM BAY SKETCH OF THE CAPI- TAL — POPULATION SOCIETY CONVICTS — ANECDOTES OP THEM EXPORTS — HORSES — CATTLE SHEEP PRICES OF PROVISIONS — GENERAL OBSERVATIONS ON VAN DIEMAN's LAND RIVERS ABORIGINES EXPEDITION AGAINST THEM ANIMALS FISH WHALES VEGETATION— CLIMATE MEDICAL TOPOGRAPHY 300 CHAPTER VII. GENERAL OBSERVATIONS ON THE COLONIES — PUBLIC WORKS SCHOOLS LAND REGULATIONS VARIOUS MODES OF CLEARING LAND EXPENSE OF DITTO SQUATTERS CA- PITAL REQUIRED DESCRIPTION OF PERSONS LIKELY TO SUCCEED IN THE COLONIES DIFFICULTY OF PROCURING STEADY SERVANTS WAGES OF MECHANICS — DISTRESS OP THE SETTLERS, HOW CAUSED COMPARATIVE ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES OF THE COLONIES OBJECTIONS TO SETTLING THERE INDUCEMENTS — CONCLUSION. . . .371 DIRECTIONS TO THE BINDER. Regent Villa Frontispiece. Native Arms To face pag-e 206. TOUR IN AUSTRALIA. CHAPTER I. OBSERVATIONS ON THE VOYAGE FROM ENGLAND — MODE OF PRE- SERVING PLANTS AND SEEDS ST. JAGO DESCRIPTION OP PORTO PRAYA — APPEARANCE OF THE COUNTRY DROUGHT ARRIVAL AT SWAN RIVER — GAGe's ROADS — COCKBURN SOUND FREEMANTLE — PERTH — ANECDOTE pP THE DOCTOR OF THE L OPINIONS RESPECTING THE SOIL — EXCURSION UP THE SWAN, AND CANNING DARLING RANGE OF MOUNTANS ABO- RIGINES THEIR ADDICTION TO MIMICRY GARDEN ISLAND- CLIMATE CONFLICTING STATEMENTS CONCERNING THE COLONY APPRENTICES RECENT ACCOUNTS OF THE PROGRESS OP THE SETTLEMENT. Ships bound to the Australian colonies sail at all times of the year ; but it is by no means an easy matter to ascertain the precise period fixed for their departure ; for such is the anxiety of the agents to secure passengers, that they will not hesitate to state a positive time, although well aware that the vessel may not sail for many weeks afterwards. 2 NECESSARY PRECAUTIONS. J f ^ ' 'it-iV/tJierefore advisable to withhold the passage • ^' • :,mciieY unlil.the vessel is in a state of forwardness for sea,' wtich can only be ascertained by a person going himself on board, and finding out what por- tion of the cargo is shipped : if he cannot do so per- sonally, he should employ a friend to act for him. Without taking this precaution, the emigrant may be detained in London, at very great expense, and during a considerable time : indeed I know of one instance in which a family were induced, through the misrepresentations of an agent, to go from Aberdeen to London, where, after having made their arrangements and paid their passage-money, they were detained three months. The amount of the passage-money varies greatly, but the following may be taken as the average : Cabin, from 80Z, to 90Z. Stern Cabin 40/. to 601. extra. Steerage 201. to 30Z. The freight for baggage, &c. taken in the hold, is from 21. I5s. to 31. per ton. The average passage to Sydney and Hobart Town is about four months, and to Swan River about three weeks less. Previous to securing his passage, the emigrant will do well to ascertain that the ship is commanded by a person of known credit and responsibility ; he will thus be secure against those disputes respect- RECREATIONS ON BOARD. 3 ing fare, etc. etc., which add so much to the ine- vitably numerous inconveniences of such a long voyage. Some persons consider the passage-money to be extravagant, but they do not reflect that the style of living will most probably be greatly superior to that to which they have been accustomed on shore ; many also imagine, that on board ship, the time must of necessity pass very heavily, which is alto- gether a mistake ; for it is really inconceivable with what rapidity weeks, nay months, seem to disap- pear during a voyage, especially if a person be mo- derately partial to literary pursuits. The very re- gularity, or, as it is termed, monotony, of the Hfe one leads, tends to make the days appear short ; and when it is considered how many sources of re- creation are supplied by reading, chess, etc., it is but seldom that any one, save the mere idler, will find the day too long. If there should be any per- son, who, instead of employing his time rationally, thinks of nothing but eating and drinking, no un- common circumstance, he may expect to feel enough of the tcedium vitce to make him wish him- self on shore again. Not a few are alarmed at the supposed dangers of the voyage : it might possibly instil some degree of courage into the most timid, if they would but take into consideration the small size and badly B 2 4 SAFETY OF THE VOYAGE. found condition of the vessels in which the early- navigators encountered the storms of which they speak^. I have been twice to New Holland (and a friend of mine four times) without having experienced aught resembling a gale of wind ! Even off Cape Horn, when returning to England, at the com- mencement of the winter, the weather was truly delightfulf. Previous to our reaching the Cape the weather had been thick and gloomy, so that for thirteen days we never saw the moon, and very little of the sun ; but old ocean, during that period, was so un- commonly smooth, that we were almost led to be- lieve ourselves close under the lee of the land, in- stead of being at some distance from it, with some- times a fresh breeze blowing right on shore. We * When Diaz discovered the Cape of Good Hope, he had only two vessels, 50 tons each; this was in 1446 ! Those of De Ga- ma, who discovered India, were 120, 100, and 90 tons. In Drake's voyage round the world, he had with him one vessel of 100, one of 80, one of 50, one of 30, and a pinnace of 15 tons!! Candish or Cavendish, in his voyage round the world, had three vessels of the respective burdens of 140, 60, and 40 tons ! Co- lumbus* fleet consisted of three carracks, each of 100 tons, and sundry vessels of much smaller size. t It is not to be inferred from this that we had not, during the voyage an occasional strong breeze, but then it was commonly fa- vourable : at all events we were not prevented from making some progress. TIME OF SAILING. 5 were quite unable to account for this ; there was just such a ripple as is frequently observed on the surface of a lake, but not the slightest perceptible swell. This was fortunate, as we sailed nearly five hundred miles amongst ice islands, the first of which was seen in latitude 55** 13' south, longitude 115° 45' west. They were mostly at a distance of several miles from each other, with small broken fragments between them : the greatest number seen at one time exceeded twenty, and the most consi- derable may have been half a mile in length, and two hundred feet, or upwards, in height. The principal danger, when amongst ice. arises from the small pieces, which, during a dense fog, are not perceived until the vessel is nearly upon them : the larger masses or islands, may generally be distin- guished by the " blink.'' Those who wish to touch at Rio Janeiro, on their way to the Colonies, will do well to sail early in April : but if they prefer the Cape of Good Hope, about the middle or end of August, as there will then be a greater probability of their making a good passage ; besides which, they will arrive at the Cape in the fine season, a point of great consequence in such a boisterous region. Ships appear, however, to touch more commonly at the Cape Verd Islands : on my first voyage, we passed a couple of days at the Island of Mayo, and 6 PRESERVATION OF SEEDS. on my second we put into Porto Praya; at the former we procured nothing but water and salt, and at the latter various fruits, and some poultry. If the emigrant has any articles of value at all liable to become damaged, they should be in cases lined with tin ; and in order to keep his trunks, etc. free from damp, he had better place them on stands, so as to raise them a few inches from the deck ; they can afterwards be secured in the usual manner. Seeds are put up in several ways ; some persons enclose them in cannisters, or boxes of coarse su- gar ; others in tin soldered up. From experience, 1 consider it a good plan to pack them in brown paper, and then to suspend them in the cabin. I had heard that it was necessary to exclude the air entirely, and therefore tried the experiment ; yet most of the seeds failed. Cuttings can be carried in boxes in the following manner : first put in a layer of mould, then one of cuttings, and so on alternately, until the box is filled ; nail it down tight, and keep it from wet. Bulbous roots may be hung up in paper bags ; and all the care that they require, is to be occasion- ally cleared of any insects that may be on them. Plants are often packed in moss, as cuttings are in mould ; and I have seen them brought out in this manner, and succeed perfectly well. But the TREES AND PLANTS. 7 more usual mode is to have boxes fitted on purpose, in which case the glass should be protected by a wire grating. In spite, however, of all the trouble that may have been expended upon the plants, many of them will perish before the expiration of the voyage ; but many will also reach their des- tination in excellent condition. They frequently die in consequence of the box not being closed in stormy weather, so that the plants are destroyed by the spray. They must not be watered too often. There is not a tree or plant that will grow in Eu- rope that will not also thrive well in one or other of the three colonies ; and such, likewise, is the case with a great number of exotics. The emigrant ought certainly to take out both cuttings and seeds of every description. In a country like New Hol- land, every deciduous tree, in particular, is valuable. He will perhaps say he has already enough to at- tend to, without hampering himself with so many packages ; but he may rest assured, that the trouble and expense are so trifling, as not to be worth mentioning. He will most probably, on his arrival, have no place in which to put his plants, etc., in this case, he can give them to the botanical garden, and the superintendent will at any time supply him with those he may require when on his location. I have several times, to my no small astonish- 8 CARGO OF BIRDS. ment, met with persons who were going to Aus- tralasia professedly with the view of becoming settlers, and who, nevertheless, had not supplied themselves with a plant or seed of any kind. This must have been through idleness or carelessness, neither of which is very creditable. I tried to in- troduce the goldfinch and sky lark ; and Dr. F., who, in each of his voyages has exerted himself greatly to introduce both birds and plants, took on board, when he last went out, two dozen lin- nets, and three dozen goldfinches ; he landed three of the latter, and I saved two larks, but both males. Here we both committed a mistake, in having too many birds in one cage ; for I had four- teen goldfinches in the same cage, and the Doctor thirty-six. In flying about they destroyed each other, and they also fought most desperately. The proper, and in fact the only way, is to have a large wicker cage divided into compartments, and to keep two birds, male and female, in each, but with one general slide, so as to avoid the necessity of cleaning each cage or compartment separately. Singing birds, provided they are not of the kind which destroy grain or young fruit, (and even if they did, the loss would be trifling) would be a great acquisition to the Colonies, as they would tend to break, during a portion of the year, the horrid silence which so often reigns in the PORTO PRAYA. y vast forests of New Holland and Van Dieman's Land. Our voyage to St. Jago, one of the Cape Verd Islands, was tolerably rapid, and we found there two ships which had sailed from England ten days before us, and yet had only arrived one day sooner. We anchored at Porto Praya, the principal town of the island, and a party of us immediately went on shore. The landing is always indifferent, fre- quently very bad, and even dangerous. On my former visit to this place in a frigate, one of our boats was upset, and some of the crew were nearly drowned. On landing we had to walk along a sandy beach, and across a valley which extends to the port, and contains a few wretched looking trees ; then ascending a steep acclivity by a bad road cut out of the rock, we found ourselves in the town. It consists of a large square, one rather wide street, and a few lateral streets of a miserable appearance, and stands upon a bold rocky projec- tion, elevated considerably above the sea, with a valley on each side, and bare hills and barren valleys behind. From it, with the exception of the above mentioned trees on the one side, and a few acres of garden ground and thick wood in the valley on the other, the eye looks over a region as bare and desolate as can possibly be imagined ; in short, no spot I ever saw can, in apparent 10 A FERTILE RAVINE. sterility be compared to it. Most of the inhabi- tants are blacks. From the town we walked a mile and a half to inspect some springs, and found there a good garden belonging to one of the merchants, and also a copious supply of excellent water, which flowed from beneath a rock. It is from hence that the government propose laying down pipes, in order to supply the shipping, and also the town, so as not to be under the necessity of depending, as is the case at present, on a well, inconve- niently situated in a valley three quarters of a mile from the beach. Quitting the springs, we continued our walk, over loose lava without a blade of grass, and scarcely a plant of any kind, to a ravine called Trinidad. Here, however, the vegetation was truly luxu- riant, and fruit of various kinds, particularly oranges, lemons, grapes, bananas, and cocoa-nuts, together with sugar canes, coffee, etc., were ex- tremely abundant. We saw also the tree com- monly called, in Western Africa, the monkey- fruit, the adansonia of botanists ; one which we measured was forty-two feet in girth. The ravine, for it can hardly be termed a val- ley, is really a beautiful spot ; but it will bear no comparison with another called St. Domingo, CATTLE AND BIRDS. 11 some miles beyond it, which I visited at a for- mer period. The last is nine miles from the town ; and on our way to it we passed occasionally the bed of a mountain stream, but found not one drop of water. The ravine is rendered highly romantic and interesting, as it is of some extent, and enclosed by lofty rocks of a bold and pictu- resque appearance ; the effect of which (together with the cultivation) is greatly heightened by the contrast with the gloomy and unpromising aspect of the country around. St. Jago is ten miles long and five wide. From July, 1830, to the time of my visit — that is to say, twenty-two months — not more than half an inch of rain had fallen in St. Jago ; and this had also been the case in some of the other islands of this group. The consequences have been highly disastrous, and many of the inhabi- tants have perished through want. During our little excursion, we remarked several large herds of cattle, and numerous goats, but were unable to discover upon what they subsisted ; of course their owners must supply them with food and water at night, though as these are scarce articles, it is not improbable that great numbers of the unfortunate animals perish. Guinea fowl and quail abound in every part of the island, and afford good shooting ; if a per- 12 ISLAND OF MAYO. son wishes to procure the former, he must set off at dayUght. There are also hawks, king-fishers, and one or two other birds : of animals, I met with a few monkies, but doubt much if any person who had once seen one of these singular creatures asleep, would wantonly kill them ; and certainly a semi-cannibal alone would eat of one. The island is, at particular seasons, extremely unhealthy, and, taking into consideration the badness of the landing, the great fatigue expe- rienced in Avalking even a few miles in a place so hot, and so entirely destitute of shade, and also how little there is to compensate any person for the trouble, it is scarcely worth the while of any one, save the sportsman, to go on shore : at all events, I would advise no female to land un- less the water be more tranquil than it generally is. I have said that we touched, on a former voyage, at Mayo. This island is of no great extent, and its sterility is even more apparent than that of St. Jago : the only signs of vege- tation which we were enabled to discover, being observed on the sides of two mountains, of con- siderable elevation. We landed at some steps cut out in the rock, and a worse landing place I have rarely seen ; for the sea beats with no Httle violence against the precipitous sides of the cliff, ARRIVAL AT SWAN RIVER, 13 SO that it requires great care and attention to prevent the boat from being stove or upset. The town, as it is termed, is a collection of miserable huts, inhabited by about 1500 Portu- guese blacks ; and not far from it are the salt- pans, where a large quantity of salt is annually made, forming the sole produce of this delecta- ble spot. During the rains, the island is said to be covered with grass, but when a drought occurs, the condition of the natives, as also of the cattle and asses, must be dreadful. We procured water by digging holes in the sand, and then placing casks, into which the water was allowed to drain ; a tedious process. That which we got, however, although soft and vapid, was by no means bad. I would recommend no one to touch at this most wretched island. The only land made, after leaving St. Jago, until we reached New Holland, was the Island of St. Paul, by all accounts a most singular spot ; but we were not near enough to make any obser- vations concerning it. After a voyage of sixteen weeks, with no inci- dents or events of any kind worth relating, we finally arrived at Swan River ; and it may be imagined how much our curiosity was excited to see, with our own eyes, a spot of which such a variety of accounts had been published. 14 ARRIVAL AT SWAN RIVER. This place was known to the French long before the English thought of colonising it : they seem to have entertained no very high opinion of its beauties or capabilities^. The coast, to some dis- tance on each side of the entrance to the river, has a most wretched appearance, nothing being visible save barren rocks, or a sandy beach, with a dreary looking country beyond ; in short, a more inhospitable spot is rarely to be found ; and a vessel driven upon the rocks, formed an object which did not conduce to animate the scene. The port, or road-stead, called Gage's Roads, is partially sheltered by Garden Island, and two other islands named Rotten Nest and Pulo Carnac, but it is greatly exposed to the north-west winds, which often blow with considerable violence. The best anchorage is in Cockburn Sound, formed by Garden Island and the main, with the disadvantage, however, of being nine miles from the landing-place at Freemantle ; so that it will always be highly inconvenient for the boats of the merchant -vessels, besides causing a serious delay in discharging the cargoes of the latter. Gag's Roads are said to be perfectly safe from October to April, as land and sea-breezes prevail regularly during that season. * Swan River was discovered in 1696 by Viaming, but he gives no account of it. FREEMANTLE. 15 Freemantle, at the time of my arrival— (in October 1829) — was a mere encampment, every person being either in a tent or temporary hut : its site is a level spot, consisting entirely of sand, and the *'bush" or forest, extends to within a very short distance of it. Water was easily pro- cured by digging holes a few feet in depth, but it was not particularly good ; and that which we took on board, at our departure, was not drink- able ; I understand, however, that a plentiful supply has been found since, and of a good de- scription. The only spring, near the place, was about a mile distant, and it fell into the river only a few yards from its source. Some accounts state that Freemantle has been almost deserted, the colonists having removed to Perth, or to their grants ; others that it is in a flourishing condition ! Be this as it may, if the site alone be considered, a worse spot for a town could hardly have been selected ! Situated as it is upon a bed of sand, and exposed to a glare that is almost insupportable, it holds out but little in- ducement for any person to fix his residence there, unless compelled by circumstances.''*' * Subsequent to writing this I have been informed, by one gentleman, that there were five hundred houses at Freemantle : and, by another, that the number was very small : yet both had recently been there ! 16 AN INCIPIENT TOWN. It was not a little curious to observe the in- cipient town during the first few months after its commencement. Tents and huts in every va- riety ; goods of all descriptions scattered about in disorder ; the emigrants employed, some in cooking their provisions, and others in saunter- ing about, or landing their effects ; many looking very miserable, and not a few equally happy ; different kinds of animals, just landed, and show- ing evidently how much they must have suffered during so long a voyage ; such was the scene I witnessed on landing at the spot on which the future principal sea-port of Western Australia was to stand. At the entrance of the Swan, which is close to Freemantle, there is a bar on which the depth of water does not exceed six or seven feet ; and often, even when the wind is moderate, the pas- sage over it is not a little hazardous. From thence to Perth the distance is about nine miles, and the navigation is impeded by shoals, which, in some places, extend nearly across the river. On approaching the township, one part of the river forms a lake several miles in extent, which would make a fine harbour if a canal could be cut so as to admit large vessels. Its shores are rocky, and generally useless to the agriculturist. Perth, the intended capital, stands on a rising spot AN EXPERIENCED SURGEON. 17 covered, when I was there, with trees, in the midst of which the settlers had pitched their tents, or erected their huts ; and the situation is not only well chosen, but affords some highly interest- ing views. "^ The river, at this part, is about half a mile wide, or rather more, but it is so shallow that it may sometimes be forded. The doctor who came out with us, in attempting to ford it, stuck in a hole and was drowned. He was short and stout, and was found, a day or two after, standing upright, with his head only a few inches below the surface ; his companion got safe across. The former unfortunate young man was a proof how little dependence is sometimes to be placed in the advertisements in the London papers, with respect to vessels bound to New Holland. The agent advertised the L , conformably to established custom, concluding with — ** This vessel will carry an experienced Surgeon." This *' experienced Surgeon" — (the doctor of the L. ) —was a shop-hoy in the employment of a chemist and druggist ; and he told me, without hesitation, that so far from being acquainted with medical matters, he did not know even how to bleed ! He was one day about to perform the operation of * There are now at least 120 houses there, if my information is to be relied upon. C 18 SOIL AROUND PERTH. phlebotomy on one of the crew ; and commenced by fastening a bandage round the man's wrist ! he was, of course, told that he was doing wrong. He tried to bleed a horse, and, after several attempts, failed entirely— the horse died ! The agent also pledged me his word of honour (blessings on his honesty !) that the fare should be good, and the allowance ample. The first was, in every respect, most execrable, even the salt junk and pork being unfit to be eaten ; and the commander took especial care that we should not gorge ourselves at the expense of his larder, such as it was.^ Many and very contrary opinions have been given concerning the soil immediately around Perth ; and the reader will easily perceive to what an extent this was carried, when he is informed that one gentleman said it was a rich loam, with a superstratum of sand ; and another asserted that there was nothing but sand to the depth of several feet ! Both of them were residing upon the spot, not above thirty or forty yards asunder, and * It is very rarely the case now, that the living is bad : indeed, our fare on board the Royal George and Brothers was not only excellent in its kind, but of a description far superior to what I had expected to meet with on board any merchant vessel : the wines especially would have done credit even to those who pride themselves in keeping what is termed a good cellar on shore. Most of the regular ships are equally well provided. THE RIVER. 19 neither of them would have willfully misrepresented the matter. As there happened, opportunely, to be a saw-pit at hand, I examined it with great care to the depth of nearly seven feet, and found the latter assertion to be strictly correct. Consequently one of the above gentlemen must have judged entirely from hearsay. It does not however follow that the colonists will not be enabled to cultivate the land, and make it in some way or other available ; for the soil about Sydney is of a considerably more arid des- cription, yet a variety of fruits and vegetables are produced in abundance. A mile or two above Perth there are several islands ; and the river, at this spot, was so shallow, that we were obliged to get out of our boat and drag or lift it through the mud for some dis- tance ; after which, we found ourselves again in deep water, and it soon became fresh. From this part of the river, to a distance, as well as we could judge, of twenty-five or thirty miles above Perth — that is to say, as far as we could proceed in a boat, the scenery was fre- quently of a beautiful description, and the banks, in many places, were composed of a rich alluvial soil, covered with excellent grass. Unfortunately, the good soil was rarely found to extend more than half a mile from the river, and often not more c 2 20 ASPECT OF THE LAND. than fifty or a hundred yards. The land, to a greater distance, may be capable of cultivation, but we lost sight of the black mould, and observ- ed, beyond it, sand and ironstone. In some parts, the country was thickly clothed with forest ; in others it had the appearance of a fine park, in which scarcely a tree was to be seen that one would think it necessary to destroy. It has been confidently asserted that the land is generally so scantily wooded that there are not more than two trees to the acre ! Nothing can be more absurd ; for it is only here and there that such is the case, the country being more com- monly what is denominated '* open forest," with spots where the trees are very close together. We made a point of landing wherever^ we per- ceived an indication of good land, and frequently discovered the holes which had been dug by those who had preceded us, in order to ascertain the nature of the soil, and saw at once the cause why some persons had been so greatly deceived. In- stead of proceeding in a direct line from the river, they had, in consequence of their ignorance of its course, passed partly across an elbow, or bend, formed by it, without being aware that they were all the time not far from its banks ; so that they were led to believe the black mould extended several miles/rom instead of along it. THE RIVER CANNING. 21 About forty miles from the sea, following the sinuosities of the river, our farther progress was impeded by fallen trees ; but the French are said to have explored it to a distance of eighty miles from the entrance. If this be true, they must have disembarked at the place where we were stopped, and followed it up on shore. We were prevented by want of time from going to the source. The Canning falls into the Swan a little below Perth, on the opposite side, and in most of its features resembles that river ; but it is smaller. Our party ascended the stream as far as the 'fallen trees permitted, which was not more, I think, than fifteen or sixteen miles from its confluence with the Swan. Its banks are highly picturesque — often romantic ; and it struck me there was rather a larger proportion of good soil than on the last named river ; but even on the Canning, it extends not farther than from half to three quarters of a mile, and very seldom so far. I cannot speak with any certainty as to the exact distance that we went up the two rivers, for we could only surmise it by judging, as well as we were able, at what rate we rowed ; though I do not conceive it could have been much far- ther than I have stated, as we occupied only nine days in making the excursion, employed much of our time in exploring, or shooting, and 22 THE DARLING RANGE. did not exert ourselves very greatly in rowing. Between . Perth and Freemantle the land, in an agricultural point of view, is almost worthless, if we except a few small spots ; the greater portion of it consisting of sands or sandstone covered with trees and underwood. The base of the Darling range approaches to within a few miles of Perth : the declivities of these hills had not the appearance of being particularly abrupt ; and their elevation is considered to be only about 1,200 feet, which I am inclined to believe is somewhat underrated. Their aspect is triste and displeasing. How far inland the range extends is not known ; some officers had gone up the Canning as far as they could in a boat, and then walked, according to their statement, upwards of forty miles ; when, seeing no apparent termi- nation to the range, and their provisions being well nigh exhausted, they were obliged to retrace their steps. They said (and there is every reason to believe their information to be correct) that the soil was bad or indifferent, excepting sometimes at the bottom of a valley or ravine, nor did they see much land adapted even for the purposes of grazing ; indeed their account of the interior was far from cheering. On the Canning we fell in with twenty-one of PARTY OF ABORIGINES. 23 the aborigines y a greater number than had been previously seen in a body. They were of good height, straight limbed, very slightly made, and appeared to be extremely active. As though they were not naturally sufficiently ugly, many of them had thrust a feather, a bone, or a piece of wood through the septum of the nose ; and the same practice was observed on various parts of the east coast by Cook's people, who'gave to the ornament the appellation of spritsail yard. Of their women we were unable to get more than a transitory glimpse, as the natives seemed to be either afraid or jealous of us, and therefore kept them concealed, although not far off, a sable head occasionally shewing itself amidst the bushes whenever that inquisitiveness so natural to the sex was excited. Nevertheless, these men were ever ready to make off with our own women, as was afterwards proved more than once. They repeated all we said, and imitated all our actions ; and an amusing instance of the former propensity oc- curred to a party while on their way up the same river. At a spot where they had no expectation of meeting with any person, they heard a cry of **Go it, ye cripples, crutches are cheap !" On looking about them, they observed some of the natives emerge from the forest, one of whom must have heard an officer use the expression when 24 GAME. exploring the country, and not improbably fancied it was our mode of salutation. This addiction to mimickry has been noticed by several navigators ; and it is not confined to the inhabitants of the west coast. They were extremely afraid of a gun, and almost equally so of a dog : which last, by the way, was rather singular, for they have dogs of their own. These people excavate large holes in the ground, but for what purpose, does not seem to be precisely known. They are thought to be intend- ed for catching tortoises, but there is more reason to suppose that kangaroos must have been meant ; as they are so deep, that when I tumbled into one, by no means the most profound among them, 1 was immersed above the shoulders. We found on both rivers various kinds of water fowl and other birds ; these were rapidly decreasing, the constant warfare kept up against them on the part of the colonists being so active, that scarcely one of the feathered race could escape them. Our lair at night, while on this expedition, was formed by an oil-cloth, drawn partly over a bar supported by two trees, and quite open in front ; at the ends were placed some branches, and before us was a large fire. Rushes, or grass, formed an excellent bed ; and a blanket, or cloak, was a good substitute for bedding. Our fare consisted of GARDEN ISLAND. 25 *' all the delicacies of the season" namely black swans, ducks, widgeon, white, and black, cocka- toos, parrots, etc. Of kangaroos we met very few, and only two emus were seen. We found the musquitoes excessively annoying, though far more so at Perth than elsewhere. At Freemantle there appeared to be none ; it was not far from the latter that I had pitched my tent, just within the ** Bush" and close to a huge rock, where I had the advantage of a natural chimney and fire-place. Here I passed three weeks in searching for the beauties and wonders of this much extolled spot ; though I cannot say with any great degree of success. Garden Island may be about twelve or fifteen miles in circumference, and the highest part 150 feet above the sea. It is little better than a mere bank of sand, and was so densely covered with trees and underwood as to be in many places quite impervious : nor from the nature of the soil does it present any capabilities of improvement or of alteration for the better. The water procured there was of such an in- different quality, that the officers of H. M. S. Sulphur were necessitated to send over to Free- mantle for a supply, such as it was : I have since been informed that some of a better kind was afterwards procured from wells. 26 GARDEN ISLAND. The sheep and goats, which were left on the island some time before, had perished, and the only animal found upon it at my visit, was the Wallabee kangaroo, with an occasional seal. The island appeared to be quite useless to the husband- man ; but it may possibly prove an eligible spot for the establishment of a fishery, as snappers and other fish were abundant. Sharks also of a large size, are seen both in Cockbourn Sound and Gag's Roads ; we had one of these monsters alongside the vessel, and its length was certainly not less than twenty or twenty-two feet. I am not positive whether the black whale has been seen near the land : there were great numbers round the ship when we were within sixty or eighty miles of it. The animals at Swan River are of the same description with those on the East Coast, and the only noxious beast is the native dog, or wolf of this country. From the colony being so nearly in the same parallel with Sydney, it is taken for granted that the climate of both must necessarily be alike. It does not, however, follow as a matter of course ; for local circumstances may cause an essential difference ; in proof of which, a variety of places might be mentioned, and it is frequently exempH- fied in New South Wales. I do not mean to say there is a difference, for some time must elapse CLIMATE. 27 before the climate of Western Australia can be fully known ; but as Perth and Sydney are so widely asunder, and so differently situated, it is probable there must be a distinction. While I was at Freemantle, the thermometer rose at noon to 87 deg., and once or twice to 91 deg. ; before nine o'clock in the evening it had frequently fallen to 56 deg., making a difference of from 31 to 35 deg.; this was in a large tent. After my departure, it was sometimes as high as 105 deg. in the shade, and before midnight fell upwards of 40 degs. ! What effect this rapid change of temperature may have on the consti- tution, remains to be proved ; in so far as I was individually concerned, I found a cool night, after an oppressive day, highly agreeable to the feelings, and not in the least injurious to the health ; but it must be remembered that I was only five weeks at the place. I have heard that opthalmic complaints were common, and have abundant reason to believe they were greatly magnified. Throughout the months of May, June, July and August, 1829^ the rains were incessant ; and as, sometimes for several days together, there was scarcely an hour's intermission, the sailors were in the habit of saying that it had left off raining, and taken to pouring. Afterwards, when I was at Sydney, there were 28 ERRONEOUS DESCRIPTION. great complaints of drought at the Swan; from whence I infer, that both the east and the west coasts are equally liable to suffer from drought and floods. The situation of the settlement with res- pect to its distance from various parts of the globe, is unquestionably superior to that of Sydney or Hobart Town ; and provided it possessed a safe harbour, and a fair proportion of good soil in the interior, without being too distant from the coast, I should undoubtedly prefer a location there to either of the other two colonies. That the re- presentations of the fertility of this portion of New Holland, which were published in the different periodical works, were amplified, will admit of little doubt ; and hence the reason why so many persons experience a feeling of disappointment on their arrival, as they had naturally been led to expect a much finer country, with a sufficiency of arable land in the vicinity of the capital. It is easy to conceive, that when those who first explored the rivers, observed the scenery on their banks, (for whatever may be said to the contrary, the scenery is often beautiful,) they may have been greatly struck by the general effect ; and, judging only from the immediate neighbourhood, have taken it for granted, that the alluvial soil extended to a much greater distance. This, to say the least of it, was injudicious, as the examination of UTOPIAN SCHEMES. 29 a spot intended for colonization, cannot be too minute ; and nothing could be more calculated to deceive, than the publication of a highly coloured picture of its aspect. When we are told of a country being singularly magnificent, we are naturally inclined to believe it in every respect eligible for a settlement, not taking into consideration that whatever may be the nature of the scenery, the land may be of a very different quality, or, from local circumstances, not adapted to the purposes of tillage. Admitting that some reproach attaches to those who, by their description of Western AustraUa, misled the public, still one cannot but blame per- sons who, finding on their arrival that the reality did not equal their anticipations, became after- wards discontented, and despaired of ever suc- ceeding in their speculations. Some of them had quitted England with the most visionary notions imaginable, and, on the demolition of their airy castles, which vanished within a few hours after they had landed, they left the place in disgust, with heavy complaints of deception, and then strove to assuage their choler by striving to make it appear far worse than is actually the fact. One of them seriously contemplated taking out a pack of fox-hounds ; another was resolved on having a cock -pit ; and we may with justice suppose these 30 CONTRADICTORY REPORTS. trifling projects were not the only Utopian schemes that were concocted in the brains of the multitude of fanciful dreamers, who thought the terra Aus- trails incognita of our forefathers, would prove the El Dorado of their posterity. The last accounts (1831,) stated the population of Swan River at 3,000, or more, which is probably not overrated, the arrivals having been very numerous. It may with truth be asserted, that of no place on earth have there been published such contra- dictory reports as of Swan River. While I was in New South Wales and Van Dieman's Land, (in 1830,) information came from all quarters, that the whole of the settlers were in a state of utter destitution, not having even the most essential necessaries of life. At this very time, I read a letter from one of them to his friend at Sydney, in which occurred the following remark : " We have every thing in abundance, save fish-sauce, for which we are but badly off; try if you can per- suade any one to send a supply, it would be sure to meet a ready sale 1" Although one would think the emigrant must have enough to occupy his mind, without going to the trouble of procuring such ridiculous luxuries, this man's letter plainly proves the want of vera- city on the part of those who said the settlers were suffering from starvation. RASHNESS. 31 A gentleman who afterwards went on to Sydney, affirmed most positively, that there was not a blade of grass throughout the settlement, having absurdly founded his opinion on what he had re- marked between Perth and the sea ; so that here we have one of the numberless instances in which emigrants have touched at Swan River, inspected a portion of country not nine miles in extent, and then left the place, marvellously astonished at not having perceived abundance of grass on the sea- coast itself. There are settlers who have suc- ceeded in their exertions, and are now comfortably established ; but it must be confessed, that rather a large proportion of those who embarked the whole of their property in the speculation, have suffered considerably ; and such will always be the case, when persons evince so little foresight as to invest their entire substance in a scheme, of which the success is extremely doubtful, and a failure attended with almost utter ruin. The interior has been explored, and, as I ex- pected, tracts of country affording fine pasturage, have been discovered. The soil, also, on the banks of several streams to the southward, is represented to be excellent ; but it cannot be expected that I should describe the country from mere hearsay. The only portion of it that I had an opportunity of exploring, was that about the Swan and Can- 32 APPRENTICES. ning ; and if I attempted to delineate the interior from the accounts given to the public by those prejudiced against it, or biased in its favour, I should only mislead the reader. It is obvious, from the same cause, that it is out of my power to give any advice on the subject of seeking for land ; the emigrant may rest assured that he will find none unoccupied within sixty or eighty miles of Perth, and in all probability not within a much greater distance. 1 have no doubt, however, that as the country becomes more known, arable and pasture land will be found when least expected, as was the case in New South Wales, when in one instance, nearly sixty miles of mountains covered with dense forest, were traversed before the open plains were seen, on which the township of Bathurst has been established. Unfortunately a long period must elapse before roads can be made in a colony without compulsive labour ; and when made, nothing save valuable merchandize of small bulk would defray the expense of distant land car- riage. I am not at all convinced, that it is a good plan to take out apprentices ; many of those that went having proved very refractory and of little use. Their wages varied from lOZ. to 251. or more per annum ; while the mechanics, and others who had gone there at their own expense, and were conse- WORKMEN AND SERVANTS. 33 quently independent, earned from eight shillings to a pound daily. As soon as the apprentices, whose term of servitude I believe was for seven years, perceived this, they very naturally wished also to be free, and in order to accomphsh it, did all that lay in their power to annoy their em- ployers to the utmost so as finally to oblige them to cancel their indentures. This is not so diffi- cult as might be expected, for the quantity of work to be daily performed is not specified ; and although the law authorizes the master to correct an apprentice, the latter may easily manage to keep clear of the law, and at the same time go through his labours in such a careless and negli- gent manner, that the master often has cause to regret having had anything to do with him. It will perhaps be asked, what is to be done without them ? I can only reply to the question by repeating my previous assertion, that those taken from England rarely turn out well, and the greater portion of them extremely ill ; for which reason I would rather trust to hiring those who are at liberty to work, where, and for whom they think proper. It is precisely the same with servants who are taken to the other colonies. Two cases occurred in the ship in which I last went out ; nor were D 34 PROVISIONS. their faults and inutility discovered until it was too late to remedy the evil. The preceding notes are extracted from my journal ; and I have in addition collected the latest intelligence in my power, touching the progress of the colony, but it is not of a satis- factory nature. Conflicting statements still exist, and to such a degree as almost to render it im- possible to give any correct information relative to the present condition of the place. Several of those who formerly spoke and wrote of it in the highest terms of admiration, have, notwithstand- ing, gone on to New South Wales or Van Dieman's Land. A writer observes, in a recent pubUcation, ** As a proof that the accounts of the scarcity are false, I neither heard nor dreamt of any want during my stay there of two months ; for I bought fresh butter at 4s. 6d. per pound ; potatoes at 9d., and vegetables at the same scale of price !" How this can be adduced as a proof of the abundance of provisions, (such was the case in the work alluded to), I am at a loss to discover. I am greatly pleased to find, that not a few of the emigrants who remained are perfectly con- tented and happy, and hope soon to hear that the colony is in a far more thriving state than is generally supposed. Other settlements have been ERRONEOUS COMPARISONS. 35 formed along the coast to the southward, but I know not with what success. It is a prevalent opinion that the seat of government ought to have been at King George's Sound, where there is a plentiful supply of water, and good soil in the interior, with a safe harbour. Some persons have said that it is not even now too late to select a more eligible spot for the capital ; but what would the colonists at Perth say to a change that would so depreciate their property, as to render it, com- paratively speaking, of scarcely any value. Swan River is a proof amongst many, how cautious people in England ought to be in be- lieving all that is written respecting Australia, and particularly where they observe that inch- nation to hyperbole or exaggeration, which are so often found in the productions of those who attempt to describe that vast island. One writer says he has been in Switzerland, in South Ame- rica, and in other regions, without having seen any thing equal to the tract of country between Swan River and King George's Sound ; and ano- ther makes the same remark in New South Wales*. I cannot say I was able to discover the most distant resemblance, (if I except the descent * A third remarks that the environs of New Norfolk, in Van Dieman's, are also superior to any views which he observed in Switzerland ! ! D 2 36 ERRONEOUS COMPARISONS. into lUawarra,) between any part of New Holland that I have visited, and Switzerland or South America. The aspect of the country is totally different, so is the vegetation ; the mountains are mere mole-hills, compared with those of the other two countries, and the absence of water in the landscape would alone cause a material difference. Besides, how is it possible to form a comparison oetween the beautiful valleys of Switzerland, strewed as they are with cottages, vineyards, fields and gardens, watered by noble rivers, or innu- merable streams that descend in cascades from the rocks, and diversified by magnificent lakes, which reflect every object around them, and the gene- rally cheerless valleys of New Holland ; or between the sublime mountains of the former, the summits, often the craggy and precipitous sides of which, are covered by eternal snow and ice, and the uni- formly monotonous hills (the most lofty known is little more than a third of the height of Mont Blanc,) of the latter. The great plains of New Holland most probably resemble the Savannahs of America ; and any farther comment on this part of the comparison would be superfluous ; nor should I have alluded to the subject except to guard any one in England from placing too implicit a confidence in the ab- surdities penned in Australia. HOPES OF THE COLONY. 37 If activity, perseverance, and urbanity, on the part of a governor conduce to promote the pros- perity of a colony, that at Swan River ought to succeed ; but whether it will or not, time alone can prove. Difficulties and obstacles occur at all newly formed settlements ; but these disappear, as was the case at Sydney, provided the colonists do not remit their exertions ; and that such will not be the course pursued in Western Australia, will, I feel confident, be proved by the result of their labours. The reader will bear in mind, that this brief sketch of Swan River applies to the Settlement no later than 1831. Many changes have taken place since that time, but I shall leave him to peruse more recent accounts of the Colony ; and if he should chance to meet with an absolutely true, or entirely impartial statement of all that concerns it, he will be very fortunate. For my own part, if determined upon emigrating, I would personally inspect the country, however distant, in which I proposed to settle, and not trust to any accounts, no matter by whom written. CHAPTER II. VOYAGE PROM ENGLAND — ARRIVAL AT SYDNEY— MODE OP TRA- VELLING IN THE " bush" WHERE UNLOCATED LAND IS TO BE POUND — ROUTES IN THE VARIOUS SETTLEMENTS— LIVER- POOL — CAMPBELL TOWN COW PASTURES BONG-BONG GOULBOURN PLAINS WOLLONDILLI LAKE GEORGE LAKE BATHURST SHOAL HAVEN GULLIES — PERSONS LOST IN THE WILDS OP NEW HOLLAND — CAVES NEAR THE GULLIES DESCENT INTO ILLAWARRA WALLOGONG — GREAT SIZE OP THE PISH IN THE SHOAL HAVEN AND OTHER STREAMS- COAST SOUTH OP ILLAWARRA ROUTE OF BATHURST PARA- MATTA BLUE MOUNTAINS — TOWNSHIP OF BATHURST ASPECT OP THE PLAINS, OR DOWNS ROUTE TO THE HUNTEIR — HAW- KBSBURY — SCENERY IN THE BLUE MOUNTAINS FALL IN WITH A PARTY OP NATIVES WALLOMBI — MERTON GAMMON PLAINS SINGULAR APPEARANCE OP THE LAND — MOUNT BOOROVAN CORBORN COMLEROY — REMARKABLE SPRING — BASALTIC CO- LUMNS — PURSUIT OP THE EMU LIVERPOOL MOUNTAINS INVERMEBN ST. HILIER's — MAITLAND COUNTRY ON THE HUNTER ENORMOUS TREE — NEWCASTLE PORT STEPHENS- PORT MACQUARRIE — MORBTON BAY RIVERNEPEAN — COUNTRY ON THE HAWKESBURY. The voyage from Swan River to Sydney occu- pied three weeks, but I shall suppose myself on my second visit to the Austrahan colony ; this wa& in August 1832. After our departure from St. VOYAGE FROM ENGLAND. 39 Jago, where we touched for water, etc., nothing meriting a detail occurred until we reached Bass' Straits, between New Holland and Tasmania. We had sailed upwards of 12000 miles without having seen land, which must have been delight- ful to those who admire an endless expanse of sky and water, but the uniformity of which was some- what fatiguing to those who delight in woods and green fields. Just as the night '* had rushed down black and sudden upon the face of the deep" we accidently saw certain rocks, lying almost in the track of vessels sailing through the Straits, on which a strong current had nearly driven us. If this had happened, and the merest chance alone prevented it, many of us, perhaps all, would as- suredly have met with a most disagreeable termi- nation to our wanderings ; for shortly afterwards the winds arose, and the waves with them, so that if we had struck upon the rocks, the total loss of the vessel would have been inevitable. It is rather extraordinary that upon the islands here, and indeed upon all those on the coasts of the two countries, there are kangaroos, but how they got there seems incomprehensible. Having cleared the Straits, and their nume- rous rocks and shoals, we entered the Pacific, not- withstanding its appellation, one of the most bois- terous of oceans, and soon reached Sydney. Possibly it may interest some readers to know. 40 ADVICE TO THE EMIGRANT. that taking the distance in direct daily rans from Plymouth, we sailed more than 14,000 miles : but the total number of miles traversed on our aqueous route could not have been less than 19,000, a distance equal to nearly four fifths of the circumference of the globe. The duration of the voyage was about the same as from England to the Swan, that is to say six- teen weeks. On his arrival at Sydney, the emigrant, if mar- ried, should take a lodging, for at the hotels his money will disappear with a celerity somewhat marvellous ; besides which, he must take into consideration that his wanderings in search of land may be far more protracted than he imagines ; and in the meantime, there is no reason why his family should not be made as comfortable as his circumstances will admit of. Above all things, let him be cautious what con- nections he forms, and with whom he becomes acquainted ; and he must also be careful how he places too great dependence in what he may hear of the various districts. I was informed, at Bat- hurst, that the *' New country"— -(Argyle) — was actually not worth a visit ! On going there I had reason to prefer it, in some respects, to Bathurst : another proof that the traveller had better trust to his own observation than to that of others. It has often occurred to me, that the emigrant ADVICE TO THE EMIGRANT. 41 would do well to pass a couple of months in exa- mining the different parts of the colony, and of course, more particularly where unlocated land is likely to be found, before he finally decides upon establishing himself in any particular district. More than one person, whose opinion I have asked, has entirely agreed with me ; and although I admit that some time might perhaps be saved by his locating himself as soon as possible after his arrival, still I cannot but think the advantages derived from being thoroughly acquainted with the localities of the co- lony would fully counterbalance any loss of time. To a single man the extra expense would be scarcely worth consideration — (it would be amply compensated by the information he collected) — and, in fact, the whole cost might not equal his expenses if residing at Sidney. A married man could leave his family in lodgings, in any of the towns, at no great distance from the capital ; such as Paramatta, Windsor, Richmond, Liverpool, or Campbelltown, in all which, excepting, perhaps, the first, house-rent must be lower than at Sydney : he might then absent himself for several weeks at a time, during which period, instead of spending their money at some cheerless inn, his family would be just as comfortable as if they had re- mained in England. Any articles of furniture that may be thought necessary, had better be purchased 42 TRAVELLING IN THE BUSH. in London ; if not wanted afterwards, they are sure to sell at a price that will fully repay the original cost and freight. The only convenient way of travelling in the *' bush,"* is on horseback. In this manner, there- fore, the emigrant will proceed into the interior, putting up at the different inns so long as he jour- nies on the high road, and when he quits it, at the houses of the settlers,! who will always give him a cordial reception. If there is no habitation at hand, a bark hut may be constructed in a few minutes. In some parts of the colony it will be necessary to have a pack-horse to carry provisions, and, in that case, a tent may easily be taken — a tent-pole can always be procured at the spot where the tra- veller bivouacks. The most convenient dress is a shooting suit, and the following articles should be carried when a person sets out on one of these ex- cursions : — a gun, some matches, a compass, to- mahawk, blanket, and tether-rope for his horse, * ** Bush" is the term commonly used for, country j9er se.- " he resides in the Bush," implies that the person does not reside in, or very near, a town. It also signifies a forest ; and is an expres- sion so well understood, and so much employed in the colonies, besides, being extremely convenient, that I have often used it for want of a better. t By *' Settlers," I mean the farmers only : and by " Colo- nists," the whole of the free inhabitants. UNLOCATED LAND. 43 with some bacon and flour, and any other necessa- ries that may be deemed requisite ; some tea, in a cannister, must not be omitted ; it is almost meat and drink to a person when on one of these expe- ditions, as I know from experience, and far prefer- able to spirits. I should also recommend the tra- veller to take a brace of good kangaroo dogs, as they will frequently prove of great use — indeed he will often be indebted to them for a dinner. It is indispensable that the valise or saddle-bags be made so as not to gall the horse, and that the sad- dle be always well dried, beaten, and brushed ; without these precautions the animal will, in hot weather, be quite certain of having a sore back. Two or three persons setting off thus furnished, and having with them a servant or a couple of na- tives, might enjoy themselves greatly, if at all par- tial to travelling. Many objects would excite their interest in a country totally different from any other they may have previously visited. I will now inform the emigrant, to the best of my power, where he is likely to find unlocated land, leaving his own judgment to decide him, whether one situation be better than another ; in fact, advice upon this head would be worse than useless, as it would only tend to deceive ; for when a tract of country is thrown open to location, the most eligi- ble portions of it are often disposed of within twelve 44 UNLOCATED LAND. or eighteen months afterwards. If, therefore, I were to recommend any one to inspect a spot where there is at present vacant land, he might find, on his arrival in New South Wales, that it had all been secured, and that he must go still farther into the interior. Nearly all the intermediate country from Sydney to Shoal Haven, Lake George, Bathurst, Hunter's River, and to a distance of ninety miles up the last, is long since occupied, or unproductive. South of Shoal Haven — (sixty -five miles from Sydney) — are Jervis Bay, Bateman's Bay, and other places, where there is still land unoccupied ; and when it is reflected how much more valuable a farm near water-carriage is than when at a remote distance in- land, I am surprised there are not more settlers on this line of coast, and the more so, as it is not un- likely that the climate may be preferable to the northward of the capital, and less liable to drought. There are stock- stations — (to which cattle and sheep are sent) — nearly as far as Cape Howe, 240 miles from Port Jackson. In the vicinity of Lake George, to the south-west of Sydney, there is land that is not taken ; with the disadvantage, however, of being upwards of 150 miles inland ; so that the expense of carriage, which is considerable, would annually absorb a large sum ; and nothing would remunerate the THE RIVER MURRAY. 45 farmer except wool and tobacco. By employing his own drays he could save very little, and per- haps nothing. Beyond the Lake is the river Morumbidgee, which, after flowing some distance, falls into the Murray ; and the last, after a course of several hundred miles, empties itself into a lake near En- counter Bay. Much of what has been said con- cerning these two rivers is extremely difficult to comprehend ; for instance, they are said to be na- vigahle one thousand miles ; but if this be true, how is it that the boat in which a late expedition des- cended them was twice stove, and frequently in great danger from sunken trees, rocks, and sand- banks, etc., etc.? If the Murray be really the noble stream it has been represented to be, it appears strange that a whale-boat was unable to proceed on it, without encountering such perils that the skifl", which was towing astern, was once actually sunk by coming in contact with a log ! And again, how are we to understand the account which represents the Lake to be from ffty to sixty miles in length, and thirty or forty miles in breadth, with a medium depth of only four feet ? Would not even a mode- rate gale convert the whole of its waters into an expanse of breakers ? It is asserted that the Mur- ray for 50 miles from its mouth is 350 yards broad and from 20 to 25 feet deep. 46 WELLINGTON VALLEY. Behind Cape Jervis there is a tract of country bounded on the west by the Gulf of St. Vincent, and by Lake Alexandrina and the sandy space which separates the latter from the sea on the east. This tract is said, in the same account, to include a space 75 miles in length, and 55 miles wide, and to occupy a surface of seven millions of acres, of which five millions consist of rich soil, whereon no scrub is found ; and is accessible through a level country on the one side, and by water on the other 1 ! Now the above would comprise only 4,125 square miles, or 2,640,000 acres ! I presume, there- fore, this must be a mistake. The Lake is imme- diately to the eastward of Gulf St. Vincent, ex- tends to the shore of Encounter Bay, and has no available communication with the sea. There is much vacant land on the banks of the Morumbidgee, and there are some few settlers, with stock-stations, at a distance of nearly 300 miles from Sidney : the most remote of the former is not above 200. Bathurst is 120 miles to the westward of the capital; beyond the township there is unappro- priated land, but, I believe, not nearer than thirty or forty miles. A Government Establishment formerly existed at Wellington Valley, 117 miles from Bathurst ; and it was to this place that all the principal con- PORT STEPHENS. 47 victs, or those called specials were sent : that is to say those of good connections. It has been des- cribed to me, by persons who have been there, as a very beautiful country, with good soil, and no defi- ciency of water. Here, in addition to the great distance from Syd- ney (237 miles), there is the objection, that to reach Bathurst itself the traveller must cross the Blue Mountains, over which he has to proceed nearly sixty miles ; and although the route has of late been greatly improved, some parts of it are still in a bad condition. The Hunter's River district, 130 miles, is en- tirely located, but there is still land to be had oil the banks of the Chichester, Manning, Williams, and other streams, not far from it. At Port Stephens, 100 miles by sea, and nearly double that distance by the common route to the Hunter, there are not many settlers, the Australian Company having taken a million of acres, and con- sequently precluded any one else from making a selection there. Of this part of the colony an au- thor remarks as follows : — '' Here a million acres of good arable and pasture land have, with all imagin- able ease, been culled out, superiorly watered, etc. Of this grant 300,000 acres were inspected ; only one hundred were calculated to be absolutely use- less ; 500 more were bad, but still productive ; leav- 48 PORT MACQUARRIE. ing 299,400 acres of either excellent, or at least of very tolerable quality !" He says, also, that Port Stephens is for merchant vessels one of the finest harbours in the world I How he could possibly have been so misinformed, I cannot conceive ; nor could I have imagined any person who had been some time in the colony, so credulous as to believe that such a large tract of good land (1,562 square miles), could be found at one spot, on any part of the coasts of New Hol- land. The port is a bar harbour, so that small vessels alone can enter it, those of a larger description being compelled to anchor outside ; and the coun- try has a barren and unsightly appearance. With- out doubt the soil of some portions of this enor- mous grant must be tit for every purpose, but its advantages have been magnified to a degree not a little incredible. I cannot say, positively, whether there is any available land in the immediate neighbourhood of the Grant, but am quite convinced, it would not be worth the time or trouble of a visit to ascertain . Port Macquarrie is the northernmost point at present (1833) open to location. The vicinity may be considered a fine country, but there are lofty mountains no great way off. Although no alluvial plains have been discovered, excepting UNLOCATED TRACTS. 49 near the settlement, there is much open forest land, with good feed for cattle or sheep. Water is also plentiful and of excellent quality ; and no- thing can exceed the luxuriance of the wheat and maize cultivated there. The harbour has a bad bar at the entrance, yet few accidents happen ; as at high water, vessels drawing from ten to twelve feet can enter with perfect safety. The river, formed by the union of the Wilson and Hastings, is navigable about thirty miles : the country is undulating with much thick '* bush" on the banks of the two streams. This was formerly a penal settlement, but was thrown open about three years since, and is ra- pidly becoming settled. There is no doubt of its being well worth a visit, and the emigrant could go there by land if he wished to see the inter- mediate country : the distance is 278 miles. North of it there is no beaten track ; with a guide, however, there would be no difficulty in following the coast. There are still unlocated tracts of open country at Gammon Plains, 150 miles from Sydney, and between them and Liverpool Plains, fifty miles farther, but often hemmed in by mountains ; these are generally covered with grass to the summit. A farm at this distance inland can only serve as a station for cattle or sheep. 50 VARIETIES OF SOIL. To recapitulate the several districts where un- appropriated land may be found, it may be re- marked, that south of the Shoal Haven River, beyond Lake George, and on the Morumbidgee and Murray, between Bathurst and Wellington Valley, between Bathurst and the Hunter, and to the northward of the latter as far as Port Mac- quarrie, the emigrant will no doubt be enabled to find a grant that would suit his purpose. , I say nothing concerning the indication of good or bad soil, as I take it for granted, that every person, intending to become a farmer, knows, at once, the difference between that which is pro- ductive and that which is not. As to certain trees indicating the quality of it, this is merely a general rule liable to many exceptions. I have seen trees growing in very bad soil, when, ac- cording to some who have , written upon this subject, they are found only where it is good : the apple is said by many to indicate the best of land, and by others, that which is, in every respect, the worst. So much for a contrariety of opinions upon a point which might be decided with the greatest facility without reference to trees of any kind. The various descriptions of soil are not likely to bewilder any person who possesses a moderate knowledge of agricultural matters ; and any one who does not, had much better remain in England. ROUTE TO LAKE GEORGE. 51 Besides, there are very different opinions enter- tained respecting sand loam ; some preferring the former because it does not part with its moisture so freely as the loam, a point of no small conse- quence in such a dry climate. Having thus touched on the subject of seeking for land, I shall now describe the routes from Sydney to the interior and distant settlements, adopting the terms most commonly used in the colony ; for if I were to designate the various counties, the reader would not be in the least assisted. The route to Lake George, more com- monly denominated the " New Country,"* is by what is called the Great South Road, both sides of which, as far as Liverpool, twenty miles, are too thickly covered with forest to afford much interesting scenery ; nor do I recollect a single view particularly worthy of mention. This town- ship, or village, contains a good hospital, and some neat cottages and inns : the population is trifling. Quitting this place, I passed the houses of numerous respectable settlers, and came to Campbell Town, twelve miles. Too much forest still meets the eye, but some^of the views are rather fine. This is a small place and badly situated ; it is likewise not always well supplied with water * So named, because comparatively speaking, recently settled. E 2 52 ASPECT OF THE ROUTE. unless it rains hard, at which time some of the inhabitants get more than they require, as their houses are flooded. In the vicinity of, and for some miles beyond, Campbell Town, the country is very undulating and picturesque, and quite superior to the environs of Sydney ; the settlers too are numerous, so that this tract has an animated and populous ap- pearance. Seven miles hence are the Cow-Pastures, con- taining many thousand acres of fine land, but a large proportion is the property of one gentleman. The route then leads principally through forest,^ which is often very dense, and across the Razor- back, an acclivitous hill, of no great elevation ; after which the traveller enters Bargo Brush, an uncouth forest, encompassed by wild and craggy hills, and covering the worst of soils, through which he has to proceed ten or twelve miles. I then crossed the Mittagong range, of moderate * " Open forest," is of that description where there is no underwood, and the trees in general are far asunder. " Scrub," is dense forest with much underwood and bad soil. ** Vine brush," is almost impenetrable forest, where great numbers of climbers, parasitical plants and underwood, are found : the soil is generally good* " Brush," is forest with occasional underwood, but not so dense as ** scrub :" besides which, the latter may be without arge trees ; ** brush" is never destitute of such. ASPECT OF THE ROUTE. 53 height, entered a much more cheerful country, and came to Bong-Bong, 80 miles from Sydney. Here are some good farms, with a fair proportion of rich soil and well watered. The township is on the Wingecarahbee, a small stream, and is a ca- pital of Campden, or rather was so, for another site has been selected, five miles lower down, where a new township, called Berima, is to stand. The road then passes for some miles through Wombat Brush, which is quite as unsightly as that of Bargo, and after crossing the Uringalla, (20 miles from Bong-Bong,) more commonly called Paddy's River, (because, I presume, more har- monious,) I soon found myself in the open forest country of Argyle, and came to Lockersleigh, an estate affording abundance of pasture and arable land. In proceeding hence to Goulbourn Plains, 12 miles, I had twice to ford the WoUondiUi, which more usually forms a chain of ponds than a river. The plains are 120 miles from Sydney, and con- tain from 25,000 to 30,000 acres naturally clear of trees, with a large extent of open forest around, particularly on the way to Lake George, 30 miles farther inland. What proportion of the ground here is fit for cultivation, it would be difficult to say, but most of it is probably more adapted for pasturage than tillage; indeed a finer grazing district is seldom 54 LAKE GEORGE. seen. There is excellent soil along the banks of the WoUondilli, which intersects part of the plains, forms here and there miniature lakes, and imparts an extremely pleasing effect to the landscape, and some patches are likewise observed at a distance from the river. The last may possibly form a stream of some little consequence after much rain : its more usual ap- pearance is that of a series of ponds connected by small rivulets often not more than a few inches in depth. From the plains, or rather downs, are seen endless ranges of mountains ; still this may be considered, upon the whole, a very noble tract of country, nor are the elevations themselves always useless ; as although for the most part, they are, throughout their entire height, overspread with trees, there is commonly found a luxuriant herbage beneath them. While on a visit here 1 went to see the Cookburndoon, 12 miles from the plains ; this is also a chain of ponds. Some pretty spots are about it, but only calculated for small farms, as they are closely confined by hills* Lake George is from 15 to 18 miles in length, and seven in its greatest breadth. On the eastern shore there are extensive plains, and open forest : the western has nothing very agreeable in its as- pect, being merely a range of low hills nearly level WILD FOWL AND FISH. 55 on their summits, and looking more like a huge bank, with httle, if any, available land between them and the water. This Lake is supposed to have been formerly a succession of inconsiderable ponds, which is scarcely probable, as, if such had been the case, the last '* Great Drought'' would have almost dried it up. It is not unlikely that some years since its present level rose in conse- quence of a flood, 15 or 16 feet, and killed all the trees around it : after which, during a drought, it was reduced within the original boundaries. The dead trees still remain, and where the land is low, extend some way from the shores. The water is brackish, yet the cattle prefer it to any other, and some of the settlers do not dislike it. No one seems to know what animals inhabit the Lake, though it is pretended that a species of seal, or as it was called a devil, had been seen in it ; but as Satan is made to personify all animals whatever, when of the non-descript or wonderful kind, it is not improbable that the creature in question, may have been altogether imaginary. Several settlers informed me that they had seen nothing living it : there were, however, plenty of black swans, ducks, teal and other wild fowl, upon its surface ; and in the water-holes, or creeks, that communicated with the Lake, there are cray-fish and eels, together with some very small fish. 56 THE CRANE AND THE BUSTARD. none of which appeared to quit the fresh water. Eels of large size are sometimes caught in the water-holes ; in one of the latter, not twenty yards across, near Goulbourn Plains, one of these ani- mals was killed, that weighed twenty -two pounds. There was no river within several miles, but eels are known to wander much on the land. It was here that I first met with the Native Companion, or Gigantic Crane : there were 40 of these great birds (they are six feet high) in one flock, and it was an amusing sight to see them marching along in military order like a file of soldiers : the effect, too, was fine when they rose at once into the air. Here also are numerous wild, or native turkies, the Bustard of New Holland. When a person wishes to shoot this bird, he should go on horse- back ; it will then often permit him to approach within half a dozen yards : on foot he will seldom get more than a distant shot, which is almost use- less, as it will carry off* an incredible quantity of lead. Lake George is upwards of two thousand feet above the sea ; and in March, answering to our September, the evenings were so cold, that we always found a fire necessary after sunset. In proceeding hence to Lake Bathurst by the shortest route, I had to steer by compass, and crossed three ridges, from the most lofty of which LAKE BATHURST. 57 the prospect comprised an extensive range of broken country, with a wild intermixture of mountains, rocks, and occasional plains. Of gentle undulations, but few were to be perceived, the elevations appearing steep and difficult of ac- cess : and the vegetation formed one compact mass of fob age, only broken here and there by some enormous tree that had overtopped its fellows. The lake is not more than sixty miles from the sea, and its circumference does not exceed twelve miles : not far from it there is much naturally clear land, a portion of which most probably forms a lagoon in wet weather. The scenery here is of a bolder description than at Lake George, and also more picturesque, but hills predominate as usual, more than one would wish. Stock-stations extend nearly 100 miles beyond the Lake ; and even the farms or grants, some way. Such an immense portion of this vast tract abounds in grass, that there is yet space for innumerable flocks and herds ; nor can it possibly be exhausted for some generations. At present the actual population is very scanty even at Goul- bourn Plains ; and between them and the Lakes still more so. The fact is, the proprietors do not generally reside upon their farms, but leave them in charge of overseers. Bending my steps to the south-west, I passed 58 DANGEROUS RIVERS AND RAVINES. through much fertile, though almost uninhabited country, passed a day at Lumley, a most capital farm, and came to the Shoal Haven GuUies, twenty-six miles from Lake Bathurst. These are ravines of great depth (from 500 to 1,200 feet) and of tremendous appearance^ ; and through one of them flows the Shoal Haven river. Any one who loses his way in them, will stand a fair chance of ending his days there ; for even if he came upon the river itself, there are places where it rushes between vertical rocks, so that it would be quite impracticable to pass there, and equally so to ascend their precipitous sides ! An unfortunate man was lost in them a short time previous to my arrival, and information had just been given by some natives, of their having discovered his remains. It is a curious circumstance, that so few per- sons are lost in the intricate ravines and immense forests of New South Wales ; and the more so, when it is considered that the greater number of those who miss their way become so confused as hardly to know what they are about ! Upon these occasions I suspect accident alone enables them to extricate themselves, unless they meet with the * Oxley saw in the interior, a chasm, or ravine, from two to three miles wide at the top, and from 100 to 2Q0 feet wide at the bottom. The depth was 3000 feet. MEN LOST. 59 good fortune of the German Emperor ; which is, however, not very Hkely, as I never heard of angels, or chamois hunters, in the wilds of this country^^. Some persons have wandered about during several days ; and one gentleman informed me, that he and his companions were once three days without food, and were just on the point of kilHng one of their horses, when they luckily came upon a Stock- station ! One unhappy man was found on the thirtieth day after he was missing, and, from the state of the body, it was supposed that he had not been dead more than two days. Several of the convicts have perished when trying to escape ; but there is no doubt that much of what has been said of their setting off in search of Timor, Ireland, and China, is purely fabulous, whatever may be affirmed to the contrary. There are edible roots in the colony, though not easy to find ; the only one I ever ate was given me by a native at Swan River, and it was not unlike a parsnip. The fern root, however, is eaten by the Aborigines at Moreton Bay, and also by the New Zealanders ; and it is considered highly nutritious. * Maximilian of Austria once so completely lost himself in the mountains that he knew not which way to take : the chronicles of the time state, that an angel (most probably a chamois -hunter) extricated him from his disagreeable situation. 60 CURIOUS CAVES. Many people seem to possess an intuitive faculty of finding their way ; and I have known persons who will ride twenty or thirty miles through the " bush," and though unable to see more than a quarter of a mile in any direction, will yet exactly hit the place to which they were proceeding. Ad- mitting this to be the result of a general know- ledge of the country, it is not the less surprising ; for by keeping a mile too much to the right or left, the traveller may pass the house where he intends to stop, and have to ride a long distance before he comes to another ! Close to the gullies there are caves which are extremely curious, and well worth inspection, but they have not yet been explored. In walking along a level spot one comes unexpectedly to a hollow, seldom more than thirty or forty feet across, often not near so much, and of very trifling depth. At the side of this, or occasionally at the bottom, is observed a hole, into which it is some- times difficult for more than one person to enter at a time ; this aperture is the entrance to exten- sive fissures, ramifying in all directions through the limestone formation. I descended into the largest, forming at once a lofty cavern, though the '* hopper," as it is called, was only a few yards in diameter : the entrance was in the side of the last. The cave contains nothing particularly CURIOUS CAVES. 61 remarkable except the mouth of another, which must be of great depth. Into this we threw large stones, and judged that the first fall was fifty or sixty feet ; and from five to seven seconds were counted before a stone ceased to rebound, the last fall denoting plainly that it had met the water. It is supposed this cave cannot be less than twelve hundred feet deep, but these calculations are al- ways liable to error. Each time a stone was thrown in, a great number of bats were disturbed ; these might, without much trouble, be dislodged by any person venturesome enough to descend the cave, to do which ropes and torches would be required. Near this there are ** fairy rings" which, un- like those seen elsewhere, are entirely denuded of vegetation, being as bare as if they had been burnt. There is some admirable land in this part of Argyle, fit either for pasturage or grain, and why the settlers are not more numerous I do not com- prehend ; but from Bong-Bong to the Lakes, and thence to Inverary, nearly 120 miles, there are very few persons located on their grants, which are used more as stock-stations than farms. I am not aware that there is much that is worthy of observation between Inverary and Bong-Bong, forty-one miles ; the features of the country are much the same with what one finds on every road in the colony. 62 A TRYING SITUATION. From the latter township to the brow of the Merrigong Range I had again to pass through Bargo Brush, but in a different direction ; the distance is about seventeen miles, through dense forest, or over swampy flats of a most dismal as- pect, in some of which my horse sank up to the girths ! In consequence of the trees not having been properly marked, I had the extreme satisfac- tion of losing my way, and passing a night on a flat rock, not twenty yards round, and surrounded by bogs and streams, with the further consolation of having nothing to eat during thirty hours — that is to say, from the dawn of one day to noon of the following ! The night was lovely, and the moon was at the full, while a cloudless sky, studded with innu- merable stars, added to the effect; but in these dreary solitudes there reigns so deep a silence, that even the hoarse croaking of a frog would have been a relief ; nor did I perceive the slightest symp- toms of animated existence, save an occasional owl or bat that flittered past in quest of its prey. I might possibly have admired the solemnity of the scene at any other time, but must confess, that after riding and walking nearly ten hours (for, short as was the distance, it employed me all that time in flnding my way to the rock on which I bivouacked), I began to think with the philoso- phers, that Nature really does abhor a vacuum. SUPERB PROSPECT. 63 Moreover, being of opinion that a rigid fast, or abstemious diet, are alike detrimental to the tra- veller, I would willingly have exchanged my lair for a comfortable room, and my meditations for a supper. When a hungry man thinks of eating he only increases his appetite ; I therefore made a large fire of banksia, converted my saddle into a pillow, and was soon sound asleep upon the rock. To such trifles as these one soon becomes habituated when travelling in the *' Bush;" and in a climate like that of New South Wales, I doubt if the danger from exposure is of any con- sequence. Arrived, after a tedious search, at the com- mencement of the precipitous pass by which I was to descend, I enjoyed a most superb prospect of the district of lUawarra, with a vast extent of ocean. No one who has not wandered over such a region as New South Wales, can fully appreciate the effect on the mind when, after having passed through vast forests, and among eternal mountains or hills, the traveller emerges from such triste scenery, and comes at once to a spot whence the view appears absolutely boundless ; and the effect is greatly heightened by the suddenness of the transition, which probably causes a person to fancy the prospect even more magnificent than it really is. 64 WOLLONGONG. The pass winds beneath lofty crags, some of which project so much as to have a very threat- ening appearance ; and the path is so steep and sHppery, as well as stony, that no loaded animal could descend it without imminent danger, as it is not only extremely narrow and abrupt, but the ravines are of such depth, that a fall would be attended with inevitable destruction. The distance to the township, called Wollongong, was about eighteen miles, that is, from the summit of the pass near which I had spent the night. The district has very properly been called after the native name ; it had previously been termed the " Five Islands," from as many islets on the coast. It contains 150,000 acres, and is com- pletely hemmed in by the Merrigong range and the sea. Its aspect is that of a tropical region, espe- cially near the range, and it is incomparably superior in point of scenery to any part of the Colony I have visited. The palms, from fifty to eighty feet high, and quite straight, the fern trees, parasitical plants, and climbers, were beautiful, and in many places so luxuriant was the vegeta- tion, and so completely were the climbers, many of them nearly as large as a man's body, in- terwoven amongst the trees, that they rendered the forest off the path, utterly impervious. Wollon- gong is sixty miles from Sydney by the nearest WOLLONGONG. 65 route, and is situated close to the coast. Even in this interesting district there are not many respectable residents, nor has much land been cleared ; so that some time wi 11 elapse before its various resources are called forth. Along the shore the good soil extends, in some places, to within a few feet of high- water mark, even where the land is low : and, at the northern extremity of the district, quite to the edge of the cUfFs. The last contained large seams or veins of coal, fragments of which were strewed about the beach. The observation made by some writers respect- ing the trees here being for the most part cedar, is an error ; and what they have said of the boat harbours is also wrong. The fact is, the shore is entirely exposed and open, affording no shelter whatever ; and when I was there, a small vessel of not more than six or eight tons, was driven by a gale high and dry upon the sand. With a safe port, lUawarra would soon become of consequence, and perhaps the intended road will make it so : it appears to be well watered, and the coast abounds in fish. The land is so heavily timbered, and the trees are frequently of such enormous dimensions, that the expense of clearing it would be very great ; but once in a state of cultivation, I have no doubt such rich soil would make an ample return. F 66 NETTLE TREE. — BELL BIRD. It is here that the nettle tree Curtica gigasj is produced ; if handled, it inflicts a pain far more severe than that caused by the common nettle, and grows to the height of thirty or forty feet. I had intended proceeding farther south, but a lake had forced its way through the sandy barrier which divided it from the sea, so as effectually to put a stop to my farther progress along the coast, unless I had waited a few days, which want of time prevented me from doing ; and if I had gone by a circuitous route, I should still have had to swim my horse across several streams that had overflowed their banks, which would have been attended with some danger and great inconvenience. It is a common opinion that the bell bird denotes the proximity of water ; if this be true, lUawarra must have enough of that necessary article, for I heard more of these birds than in all the rest of the Colony — the woods literally swarmed with them. The note is not unlike the single tinkle of a sheep bell, at least I know of nothing else to compare it with ; it is melancholy as well as monotonous. The Shoal Haven River, so named because it falls into the haven, takes its rise in a swamp at Corrumburoo, . 1 90 miles from Sydney ; and although in many places a mere mountain stream, it contains fish of the weight of fifty or sixty SHOAL HAVEN RIVBR. 67 pounds, and there are people who say they have seen them of ninety pounds ! Certainly the fish in some of the streams are of a size that would as- tonish any one in Europe.* There are settlers or stations from the source to the haven (the last is thirty-five miles from Wollon- gong) ; and there is also on it a church grant of 42,467 acres. The accounts of the tract of country through which the river flows are highly favourable ; the grounds that enclose the ravines are level, and afford pasturage, as well as arable land, which is likewise the case in several of the ravines them- selves, (the number, however, that are accessible is but small), the kangaroo ground being one of the most remarkable ; and at a place called by the natives Cambewarra, there is a space of twenty square miles of the very best land. Between the upper part of the river and a branch of the Morumbidgee (on which are the plains of Molonglo, Limestone, and Yarralumla, where there are numerous stations) the mountains are represented to be of great height, and the summit of one to the south-west of Lake George is usually covered with snow. * Oxley caught, in the Lachlan, a fish that measured 3 feet 5 inches in length and weighed 70 pounds. F 2 68 MOUNTAINS. The present southern boundary of the Colony is at Muroya, twenty miles from Bateman's Bay, and 190 from Sydney. The appearance of the coast south of Illawarra, as far as Cape Howe, when viewed from the sea, is mountainous ; but in general the mountains appear to be at a sufficient distance from the shore to admit of locations along its whole line, and the moderately elevated or undulating ground, some- times stretches a long way back. As far as I could judge from the vessel in running along the shore there did not seem to be any land naturally free of timber ; in short, all the plains at present known are in the interior. Of course 1 was unable to form any opinion as to the nature of the soil. I quitted Illawarra by a pass not quite so preci- pitous as that by which I had descended, but nevertheless sufficient to try the vigour of man and horse, as it was no easy affair to scramble over the fallen trees, and up the rugged spots which continually impeded our progress ; and after riding many miles through a tract of country apparently condemned by nature to perpetual loneliness, and desolation, I came to Appin, 30 miles from Wol- longong. Here there are numerous settlers, and much land is cleared and cultivated. The distance hence to Sydney, through Camp- DAMAGE DONE BY FLOODS. 69 belltown and Liverpool, is forty-five miles. On my way I saw a specimen of the damage that may be caused by floods, and found that all the bridges had been destroyed, so that people were under the necessity of passing by temporary ones, swimming their horses across, with the assistance of men stationed on the banks of the streams, for that purpose. '* The great drought" had lasted so long that some persons began to think no more rain would fall in the colony : they were mistaken, for the flood-gates of the heavens were opened, and there descended such a deluge that the rivers overflowed, and swept away barns, stacks, and fences, besides drowning several people and many cattle. It will be perceived in the slight sketch of this excursion of 400 miles, that, instead of describ- ing minutely every mile of ground, I have only attempted to convey to the reader some idea of the general . aspect of the country through which I travelled ; and this mode I shall adopt throughout, for it would be useless to occupy his time with the constant repetition of — here I passed through forest, and there over a small spot of clear or clear- ed land, and so on. Between Sydney and Liverpool the proportion of cultivated and cleared land is not near so con- siderable as might have been expected from the 70 GOULBOURN PLAINS. proximity to the capital ; besides which, the bad soil predominates greatly. It is not until we reach Goulbourn Plains that naturally clear land of any extent is seen, nor is the country at all populous excepting from Liverpool to the Cow-pastures ; beyond the latter, the settlers bring only land enough into cultivation to supply their own wants. The route to Bathurst is by Paramatta, a small town, sixteen miles from the capital ; it is the head-quarters of one of the regiments, and near it is the country-house of the governor. The place contains, about 3,000 inhabitants, which includes the troops, and different families in the neigh- bourhood ; as also the factory, a mile distant, to which the refractory female convicts are consigned, in order to go through the tonsorial operation, hard work, bread and water diet, etc., and a rare unruly race they are. The town stands in a hollow, in consequence of which, together with the circumstance of the sea-breeze being scarcely felt so far from Port Jackson, the heat is even more intense than at Sydney, and the thermometer, more than once last summer — (1832-33) — rose to 98 deg. in the shade. The houses are small, and though some of them are rather neat, I cannot say they appear- ed, to my eyes, to ** shine like transparent alabaster y*' neither did they excite in me any THE BLUE MOUNTAINS. 71 '' thrills of admiration. Therefore, other travellers must have been more easily excited, or more fortunate than myself. Some of the most fertile soil in the colony is on this route, but chiefly at Prospect, an eminence not far from Paramatta ; there are also many farms, and a fair proportion of cultivated land— (princi- pally off the road) — as far as the Nepean, nine- teen miles ; there is however far too much wood. The Nepean is fordable in a dry season, but the ford is very bad ; on crossing (there is a punt) the road passes over Emu plains, of inconsiderable extent ; and the traveller then ascends the Blue Mountains by an acclivity far too laborious and fatiguing for a high road ; but another and better route was in progress, which will be a great im- provement. Among these mountains I rode nearly 60 miles, passing the entire distance through forest, with an occasional inn by the road side. They are ex_ tremely rugged and wild and most of them very difficult of ascent. They consist of masses of hills irregularly connected, diverging into ranges of various heights without any appearance of unifor- mity, and invariably shrouded by sullen evergreens, which afford but little shade ; while the ravines, which divide them are very narrow, and often form dark and gloomy chasms. Their aspect, indeed, 72 RAPID DESCENT. is peculiarly dreary, exhibiting little save continu- ed precipices, with a sterile soil ; nor do they display either beauty or magnificence : added to which, that horror umhrarum so solemn, and, to most persons so replete with disagreeable reflections, has an effect not very exhilerating to the lonely traveller. Previous to reaching Collet's Inn, 7^ miles from Sydney, one part of the route is 3000 feet above the sea ; there is then a rapid descent into the vale of Clywd, in which the house is situated. It is only at the Inns that grass is found near the route, and even there it was but scanty. Water is also scarce in a dry season, and when discovered, the bullocks are sometimes so eager to get at it, that they are apt to rush (dray and all) — into the water- hole : of this I saw an instance on my way. From one point on the route, there is a pros- pect extending over nearly forty miles of country, affording a fair specimen of the scenery of New South Wales, with its mountain-ridges which reach to the horizon in all directions ; and its forests, just broken here and there by a farm. The common drag would never answer on this road, particularly in descending Mount York, where the inclination is so rapid, that the carriers are in the habit of attaching to the drays a large log or billet of wood, as for example the trunk of ROUTE TO BATHURST. 73 a tree, which being drawn after the vehicle, pre- vents it from descending too quickly : at the foot of the hill the log is thrust to the side of the road, and the latter, in consequence, is only passable for one vehicle at a time. In Van Dieman's Land a carpenter and wheel- wright has established himself at the base of a precipitous hill, where the same drag is employed, and of the wood thus brought down, he makes use, as he finds convenient. Five miles from the vale there is a military station on Cox's River, and a government reserve of 200 acres, not far from whence are sundry grants used as stock stations, but these are not near the route. Twenty-one miles farther on is a bad ford, over the Fish River, otherwise called the Macquarrie, which flows into the interior, Cox's River being the last that takes its course to the coast, to the northward of Sydney. Both banks are located all the way to Bathurst. During the whole of this journey of 120 miles, there is, after leaving Emu Plains, very little to interest the mere traveller. The Vale of Clywd is rather romantic, and there are some few savage looking ravines that are well enough ; but the wildest spot is near the weather- boarded hut, an inn twenty-three miles from the Nepean. Here a small stream falls over a precipice of several hundred 74 BATHURST. feet into a glen, the sides of which form a rocky and abrupt rampart which precludes all ingress or egress. The water is lost in the obscurity of a thick wood -, nor does it appear to be known by what channel it afterwards escapes. From the cascade there is a striking view, between two vertical rocks about 200 yards asunder, which extends over, and far beyond the glen. The greatest elevation of the Blue Mountains is stated to be 4000 feet above the sea: after passing them, the land though still hilly, is thinly timbered and fertile. Bathurst is well situated, and there is little doubt of its becoming in process of time a considerable place ; for as the country inland becomes settled, stores or shops, will be established at the township, and mechanics of every denomination will fix themselves there. I heard a gentleman say, that as soon as steam navigation becomes more in use, the interior set- tlements will be entirely deserted by residents, and only employed for stock. I might with equal propriety assert, that when steam carriages be- come common, Bathurst, and other inland places, will increase their population very rapidly! At all events, it is not likely that such a tract will ever be deserted by the settlers, especially when it would be scarcely possible (I feel certain it would not), to find such another nearer the sea-coast. THE DOWNS. _ 75 The Macquarrie, after joining the Campbell, flows past the township, but some of the neigh- bouring farms are badly supplied with water, except after rain ; the proprietors are therefore obliged to send to the river for a supply, a great inconvenience, as it is some way from them. The plains or downs, (they undulate conside- rably) are twelve miles in length, about five in width, and contain 30,000 or 35,000 acres de- stitute of timber and surrounded by open forest. They are not unlike the Brighton hills. One circumstance respecting them is remarkable, viz. on the summits of some of the elevations or knolls, there are found dangerous quagmires or bogs; and they are also seen in the miniature valleys. These have not unfrequently a resemblance to a pond that has been dried, but others are concealed by verdure; into one of the former I went in to my girths, and nearly lost my horse. *' Fairy Rings" are common on the Downs, and on most of them grow fungi of large size; seldom however, within less than several feet of each other ; mushrooms are common in all the moist parts. These plains are 2000 feet above the ocean, and are surrounded by a fine open country : and as the settlers are numerous arid all highly respectable, the society is pleasant, and the 76 SOCIETY. families that constitute it extremely sociable; so that this may be considered the only spot beyond the mountains, where a person can be said to have a neighbourhood immediately around him. The township itself does not contain more than a dozen houses. On the whole, I was greatly pleased with the place, and the only objection I should have to reside there, is on account of its distance from a market; but when the improvements of the route are completed, there will be even in this respect a material difference. It is here that the best cheese is made; at least such is the prevailing opinion ; though why the settlers in the other districts cannot make cheese of an equally good description I am at a loss to discover, as the pasture in some of them is equally good, and in several better. Wel- lington Valley inland of Bathurst has already been noticed. On the banks of the Macquarrie, and Lachlen, the former of which loses itself in extensive swamps in the interior, there are Stock-stations to a distance of three hundred and fifty miles from Sydney ; many of these are grants, but they are used as stations. The Lachlan falls into the Murrambidgee; and the land about it (such is also the case over all the country watered ROUTE TO THE HUNTER. 77 by this river, and Wellington Valley as well) is covered with open forest, with abundant pas- turage of the best description. From Bathurst I ought to have crossed the country to Argyle, but in consequence of the information I received of its not being worth a visit, I returned to Syd- ney by the usual route. To proceed to the Hunter the traveller must again pass through Paramatta; after which he has to ride eighteen miles through forest, with cleared spots that are few in number and far between ; they had notwithstanding a pretty effect, which was increased by the contrast they formed with the '* Bush ;" and they took off in some little degree from the monotony which reigns over much of the landscape. Some of the views too over Windsor, and taking in the Blue Mountains, Emu plains, &c. were fine. The settlers are all small farmers, and there are not many of them. Three miles farther on we no longer observed signs either of cultivation or good soil: and then had to ride fourteen miles over rocky ridges and through *' Scrub," which being a style not in the least in accordance with the ideas of my companion, or myself, touching the pleasing or picturesque, we were very glad to find our- 78 THE HAWKSBURY. selves at the little inn on the right bank of the Hawksbury. The road on approaching the river is unfi- nished and in a very ruinous condition: at one spot, the side of it, built up with large stones, had entirely given away, so as to leave a path only wide enough to admit of one vehicle, and of rather a dangerous kind. The river is 250 yards in width, and 13 fa- thoms in depth: and the distance from the sea is perhaps 40 miles in a direct line. The inn stands on a romantic and interesting spot, but there is far too little space between the Hawks- bury (and its branches) and the mountains to admit of much cultivation. We crossed over in a punt and immediately commenced the ascent of the Blue Mountains by a carriage road extremely creditable to the person who planned it. This pass is not many miles from that which commences the route to Bathurst. Here we enjoyed some good views of the farms on the Hawksbury, which improve the landscape greatly. The road would have been completed, but on account of the facility of proceeding from the Hunter to Sydney by steam- vessels, which has reduced the intercourse by this route to almost nothing, the Government have wisely SOMBRE SCENERY. 79 transferred the people who were employed upon it, to places where their services are more re- quired. It forms a singular contrast with the only miserable road that has been made in Van Dieman's Land ! The scenery is mountainous to the Wollombi Brook, thirty-five miles, and there is not an habi- tation of any kind. Although among these moun- tains there are some really fine views, much of the scenery is indescribably sombre. The eye seeks in vain for something more cheerful to look upon than a succession of ridges, stretch- ing as far as the vision can reach, and deep gullies without a single spot uncovered by trees, and not a blade of grass in any direction ! Yet there is a multitude of flowers which contribute in some degree, to adorn these solitudes; and they prove in a measure, the truth of the re- mark, that the poorer the soil the more it abounds in flowers. This is not the case every where in the colony, and appears to me to be very uncertain ; the principal floral ornament of the Blue Mountains was the Warrataw, one of the most magnificent of flowers ; from one to three grow upon the same plant, and the latter is from eight to ten feet high. The gigantic and rock lillies also are uncommonly beautiful, the first growing to the height of six or seven feet, and 80 FLOWERS. bearing a crimson flower: the last is white and flourishes only on a bare rock. Large stones or rocks, entirely without soil, were nearly con- cealed by this ornamental plant. One objection to the scenery is the almost total absence of living creatures, with the exception of one or two small birds at the few spots were water is found : the only specimen we saw was one of those singular animals the Ant-eater (Echidna) which we captured. On descending the mountains we arrived at the WoUombi Creek, found cultivated ground, a far more cheerful country, and a comfortable inn. Resuming our ride, we passed through some very romantic open forest country, some- times along the steep bank of the creek, seldom far from it, and in several places had to lead our horses, the nature of the track which was on the side of a rapid slope, not admitting of riding. The shortest route to the lower part of the Hunter bears to the right of the above inn, and that was the one I took on my first visit to the river: the distance is not above twenty or^wenty- five miles. From the inn I passed over a level tract interspersed with farms belonging to small settlers, but more commonly there is nothing but a dense scrub, and came upon the Hunter at an estate twelve miles from Maitland. On ABORIGINES. 81 my present excursion I went altogether a diffe- rent way. Some miles from the inn we fell in with seve- ral of the aborigines, and the farther we rode the more we saw, until at length there were not less than sixty with us, while our own party consisted of our two selves, the overseer and seven convict servants ! En passant, I may as well do the last the justice to say, that I never saw men conduct themselves better ; they were on foot, had to lead some young horses, and yet went thirty-five miles in one day without a murmur. It was entertaining to observe the different groupes wandering among the trees, for we were all more or less scattered, and the shouts of the wild denizens of the woods added to the effect. Nothing respecting these people surprised me more than their avidity for tobacco, they willingly sold me some of their arms for two or three pieces not worth more than as many pence. Their manners are scarcely formed yet, if I may judge from the behaviour of one of them : he was trying to teach me the mode of throwing the spear ; when observing me to be somewhat clumsy, he took it out of my hand, remarking at the same time, "Oh you d — d stupid!" This was not polite in the barbarian, but so long as the natives G 82 THE WOLLOMBl RIVER, learn their English from the convicts, I fear we shall get no better language from them. I am not at all convinced that this black intended to make use of an improper expression. These people consisted of two tribes, one from Illarong, the other belonging to the Wollombi, and were on their way to wage war with another tribe. Some of them were diligently employed in painting their sable bodies in a most fantastic manner, with a substance that resembled pipe clay ; and may have adopted this Pictish plan, in order by thus disfiguring themselves to strike the greater terror into their enemies. Although it certainly added to their already naturally hideous aspect, the paint imparted to it far more of the ludicrous, than either the martial or terrible. They were but indifferently armed. After a delightful ride of thirty miles from the inn, we reached the Wollombi river, where I re- mained several days. In consequence of the hilly nature of the country through which we had ridden, the farms were mostly small, nor was there much cultivated land ; but on approaching Mr. B's. (called by the natives Kineland) the valley of the Wollombi began to expand, and at the farm is full two miles wide. It is closed in by rocky ridges in every direction, and the river, a trifling stream which falls into the Hunter after a short course, is BIRDS. 83 half a mile from the house. All this portion of country, with the exception of occasional cultivated spots, is covered with wood, and such has been the case from Paramatta, about one hundred miles: but it is not thickly timbered after leaving the Blue Mountains. The variety of birds in the valley is not great ; I found three kinds of quail, and a bird called the Indian Bee-eater (Merops) ; it is nearly twice the size of the common swallow, flies very much in the same manner, and the plumage is extremely handsome, with two feathers projecting an inch or more from the tail : its nest is made in a bank, into which it burrows much farther than the sand martin (Hirundo Riparia) and it feeds entirely upon horse-flies (Libellula.) It was here too that I first heard the Cuckoo as it is called, a bird of conside- rable size, and not unlike a hawk ; its note is harsh and discordant, though still bearing some resemblance to that of our harbinger of the spring ; it is only heard at night. There is also a species of large curlew, whose singularly shrill cry, con- jointly with the lugubrious note of the cuckoo, has an eflect which is inexpressibly melancholy. While here I went out after kangaroos, and to my surprise saw only sixteen, at a place where formerly a hundred might have been seen together; but within the last two or three years they have G 2 84 jerry's plains. almost disappeared. The hunting ground was far superior to any I saw in Van Dieman's Land, being not near so rocky, nor so densely timbered. The whole of the valley of the WoUombi is granted away; some of the farms are of great extent, and only one or two of the owners reside upon their property ; of society therefore there is none. As Mr. B. and I were now to travel through a region where there are only stock-stations, we took with us sumpter-horses, a canteen, tent, etc., and proceeded from Kineland to Jerry's Plains, fourteen miles ; these form a valley eight miles long, and not more than a mile in breadth ; we were now upon the Hunter, about 100 miles from its mouth. On leaving the plains, (they were named after a convict Irishman), we forded the river, which was not higher than the horses' girths, though it has been known to rise here thirty or forty feet within three or four days. We then rode through a succession of hills and valleys to Merton, thirty miles from Kineland ; most of the land (it is all open forest), is very fertile, the soil being rich, and with no want of grass ; but it is used chiefly as a sheep-walk. All this tract is too much con- fined by elevations, particularly about the Goul- bourn, a stream that joins the Hunter, near Mer- MERTON. 85 ton. This estate is eighty miles from water car- riage, and is well supplied with water : the garden is the best in the district. From Merton we crossed the Hunter, and rode several miles over alluvial flats, subject to inun- dation ; our way then led us through an indifferent country to the Wybong or Waibong, a small stream that takes its rise in the Liverpool range, and falls into the Goulburn. Leaving this, we found the land thinly wooded, and the soil sandy ; nevertheless grass was plenti- ful, nor has there been any deficiency of it for the last 70 miles. The next little stream to which we came was called the Bingan creek ; this we followed up seven Or eight miles, then crossing two low ridges, we reached the Wobungi Creek, which passes through Mr. B.'s sheep station, and five miles beyond this, we were on Gammon Plains : having ridden thirty- five miles, or rather less, through an exceedingly varied and interesting scenery, in all respects equal to aught at Bathurst or in Argyle, and in some greatly superior. The mountains are some- times so thrown together, that the valleys are of very narrow dimensions, but we rode every mile of the way over a rich sward. The contrast between New South Wales in 1829, 86 GAMMON PLAINS. and at the present time, is not a little striking : for during the ^* great drought," 1826, 27, 28, 29, not a blade of grass was visible, except in shady spots, and now it abounds every where. Gammon Plains greatly resemble those of Goul- bourn, but the soil at the former is generally better ; even on the hills it is often good. Many hundreds of acres have not a single tree upon them, and thousands more are so thinly sprinkled with timber, that there is not the slightest occasion for the axe. The various parts of the plains are named by the natives ; one of these is called Gul- lingal, a second Booroobulbarrowindi ; a third Mi- angarindi, etc. In this part of the colony I remarked a very pe- culiar appearance in the surface of the ground. I allude to places where the land rises in ridges ex- actly as though it had once been in a state of cul- tivation ; that is to say, like a field in which wheat for instance had been once cultivated, and then permitted, after the removal of the crop, to remain untouched ; so that the water or drain furrows may still be perceived. The ridges were often several hundred yards in length, more commonly parallel than otherwise, from ten to fifteen feet asunder, and frequently terminated abruptly. The summits of the ridges, which were seldom elevated more WILD BIRDS. 87 than six or eight inches above the intervening fur- rows, were perfectly bare ; in other respects the ground was covered with a luxuriant herbage. This '* ploughed land/' as it has been termed, was observed only where the soil was a rich black mould, and rarely where the surface had not a slight inclination or dip ; but admitting that the furrows have been produced by the agency of water, it is still difficult to account for the great regularity with which they run, and for their abrupt termination. I have never remarked this peculiarity to be so very evident in any of the other districts. Some persons refer the cause to the de- luge, a theory, like others of the same description, very absurd and very unlikely to be correct. The plains are watered by a small stream, which is much like the WoUondilli, and the pasturage is of the first description. The buttercup abounds, but I am not positive if it is indigenous, though I am inclined to believe it is so, notwithstanding that I have never yet met with a person who had seen it at any place where cattle had not been depastured. In the creek* we shot ducks, teal, widgeon, and a few snipe, amongst which may be included * A creek is commonly the bed of a stream, which, being partially exhausted during dry weather, forms only an occasional pond or water-hole. 88 the painted snipe, larger, and far handsomer than the common one ; the native turkey and ox-bird are Ukewise seen here. One of the ducks was rather different from the others, being of a brown colour, with the eyes black and surrounded by a broad white circle. We shot also some platypi, and a small bird like a mule canary (a species of saxicola) ; this last is exceedingly rare in the colony, and I am not aware that any other person possesses a specimen ; there were only three together, and the natives said they had never seen any before. We had pitched our tent close by the hut on Mr. B.'s grant of 10,000 acres, whence we rode through a remarkably fine open country, to the foot of a mountain named Boorooan, eighteen miles, without having seen any bad soil, and encamped for the night by the side of a small brook at the head of a narrow valley, having around us a complete am- phitheatre of hills. At dawn of the following day, we sent on the ser- vants with the pack-horses, by the usual route, with directions to await our arrival, and in the mean time ascended the above mountain, called also Oxley's Peak^. The ascent is very easy, and admitted of our riding to within a short distance of the summit ; we then dismounted, tethered our horses, and went the remainder of the way on foot. The Peak is * And if I mistake not. Mount Wereid as well. VIEW FROM THE MOUNTAIN. 89 said to be 6,000 feet above the level of the great plains, but this most probably means above the level of the sea ; it cannot certainly be more than 4,000 feet above the former. From the hazy state of the atmosphere, the view was not so extensive as it might have been, nor was it improved by the to- tal absence of water. Clusters of irregular emi- nences were seen in all directions, shrouded to the summits with evergreen trees, which formed a strong contrast with the grassy plains observed amongst the elevations ; but a prospect of far- stretched hills and funereal forests, although inter- spersed with immense tracts of meadow land, in- spires one with feelings of melancholy and sadness, rather than of satisfaction. Nevertheless there is a sort of savage grandeur in the aspect of some parts of New South Wales, which excites interest in the traveller, who cannot but admit that the scenery of these stern wastes possesses a character of peculiarity he has never witnessed elsewhere. This is part of a range branching off from that which divides the eastern from the western waters : and from it, mountains seventy miles off may be distinctly perceived on a clear day. I have stated that flowers grow well in the sandy soil of the Blue Mountains. On Mount Boorooan, on the contrary, with the exception of the butter- cup, there was hardly one to be found ; and this 90 LIVERPOOL PLAINS. was the case on the Liverpool range generally. Descending the mountain, on which we saw kan- garoos, and the indications of cattle having heen there, we rode over good soil until we came, not more than eight miles from its base, to the Great Plains, of which so much has been said or written, and so little is known. We may now be supposed to have quitted the colony, properly so called, as no actual locations are permitted on this side of the Li- verpool, or dividing range. In speaking of Liverpool Plains, the aborigines call them Corborn Comleroy, Corborn implying great, as Gammon does small. I was unable to discover if they applied the term to the whole of this tract of the country, or only to some particular portion. After travelling over ten miles of a flat, without a tree or a shrub upon it, we encamped near a hut, on Mr. B.'s cattle station. Yarramunbar is the appellation applied to that part of the plains over which we had crossed, and Gircobill is the name of the station itself. We had previously passed sundry mountains, with some unmeaning English name applied to them; such were Nanni, Moorgoinboin— (a basal- tic mountain) — and others ; the English terms I do not recollect. The head of the small river which traverses the plains, or rather a part of them> is IMMENSE PLAINS. 91 called Mochi, and the following are the names of various stock stations : Woondee, Warra, Breza, Wallawarree, Guingulli, Euninbun, Waldoo, all which, with those given to a portion of Gammon Plains, (except perhaps that of Booroobalbarro- windi, which may possibly be over-long to be easily got through on one of our short days in England) , appear to me far more euphonous than the terms applied by those who wish to immortalise themselves or their friends. The distance from Gammon Plains to Gircobill, is twenty-two miles. Little seems to be known of the actual extent of the Corborn Comleroy ; that they occupy an immense space, is, of course, evi- dent enough ; but if one is to believe all that the natives, stock-keepers, and others assert, they must be some hundred miles across. A respectable set- tler informed me that he once rode, in a straight linej during nearly a month, and then returned hopeless of succeeding in reaching their utmost verge ! And one of the natives said, that to the place where he was born, it would occupy a person a whole month to travel on horseback, and that there is not wood enough there to make even a waddie or club. Fifty miles beyond Gircobill, if one may judge from the concurrent testimony of those who have been there, they must be far more 92 THEIR APPEARANCE. extensive and clear of eminences than at that station. The ground was similar to a beautiful EngUsh meadow, the grass being about two feet high, and the butter-cups were in some places so numerous — (they are double the size of those in England) — that the only colour visible was a bright yellow. Some parts of the plains had the resemblance of burnished gold ; but where the grass was burnt or dried by the sun, the glare was excessively dis- agreeable to the eyes. I had received quite a false impression of these regions, having been led to suppose, from various accounts, that they constituted one boundless flat, unbroken by hills, denuded of trees, and completely covered with such high grass, as to be almost impassable. This is clearly a wrong description of them ; they^^iay rather be likened to a lake, in- terspersed with islands, clothed with wood ; or in other words, they form one vast plain, on which are insulated woody spots, the elevation of which is from several hundred feet down to almost nothing ; for they are not always raised above the plain itself, at least the height is so very trifling as not to be worth mentioning ; only one or two of them were without trees. One eminence was opposite our tent, three miles from it, and was a curious and SNAKES. 93 prominent feature in the landscape ; for while the mountains or hills at hand were of whinstone, here was an elevation composed entirely of sand and sandstone — (neither of which is found within a space of several miles) —from 500 to perhaps 700 or 800 feet high ; six or seven miles long, and overspread with thick ** bush." The tree of greatest consequence is the pine, which resembles the common fir, and grows always in a bad soil. The plains, not unfrequently over a considerable space, are so burrowed by the rats, that they are like a rabbit-warren, and riding is in consequence not only unsafe, but, if the speed be great, even perilous. Snakes, I had been told, swarmed in all directions, so as to make it highly dangerous to walk in the long grass. How far this may be true I cannot say — T saw none, and Mr. B. only one, on which he nearly placed his foot ; but in ascending the Liverpool Range we killed a large black snake, though why I hardly know, unless it be from the natural antipathy that mankind bear to these crea- tures. The unhappy reptiles rarely, most probably never, inflict an injury wilfully, and of the multi- tudes I have seen in all parts where I have been, I never knew a single instance of one attempting to bite, unless when trod upon or attacked— it is natu- ral they should then do so in self-defence. Some of the settlers, and many of the convicts have 94 INUNDATIONS. adopted a strange fancy, that a person or animal bitten by a snake, is quite certain to die about sun- set ; and others say that the bite of a black or brown snake will assuredly prove mortal ; that the last is not always the case may very easily be proved, as I have myself known several instances to the contrary. In one of these, the comrade of the man who was bitten, killed the snake, and rubbed some of the fat upon the wound, after which he procured the aid of a medical gentleman who entirely cured the patient. A dog was bitten by a black snake ; its jaw became greatly swollen for a time, but the animal eventually recovered. It is curious that this idea of dying at sunset should be so prevalent ; for in Japan, and many other countries, it is also a common belief. Close to the hut at Gircobill, there is a creek or series of ponds, some of which extend from 100 to 150 yards or more, in length, and are connected only in wet weather. At a distance of some miles there is a river; an inconsiderable stream, that loses itself in a swamp ; of its source I am igno- rant. On both the creek and river there were such multitudes of wild fowl that we shot as many as we could devour ; at the same time taking care not to destroy them unnecessarily. We met with one spoonbill, the third that I have seen in the colony — it is a very uncommon bird. VAST SOLITUDES. 95 All this portion of the plains is liable to inunda- tions ; and at these times large lakes are formed, which often cover, according to the stock-keepers, a surface of many miles. When this occurs, great numbers of rats are drowned, and the snakes are obliged to retreat to higher grounds. Behind Gircobill there is a whinstone-hill, from 500 to perhaps 700 feet high, ten or twelve miles in length, and several in width ; from its summit we could see, even to the horizon, immense plains of the greatest verdure, without a tree upon them. One of these, (though the whole extent was not visible, the greater portion was, and its length has been pretty correctly ascertained), was at least twenty-jive miles in length, and from five to ten broad ; and this flat alone must contain not less than 100,000 acres ! All the plains are bounded by mountains of some height (one is decidedly higher than Borooan), except to the north-west, in which direction only an occasional elevation was observed, but no continuous range. It would be in vain for me to attempt to convey an idea of the effect of a view over these vast solitudes : I have never seen aught like them ; and can only com- pare them to the boundless savannahs or pampas of America'**' ; and, at the same time, I must confess * TTie Great Plain, or Pampas, east of the Cordilleras, is about 900 miles in extent. 96 LONELINESS. that I cannot perceive how any other comparaison can be drawn between the two countries. The ex- treme silence that prevails here almost exceeds what the imagination can conceive. It is true that a herd of cattle, some emus, or perhaps a solitary bustard, can sometimes be distinguished, but they are generally afar off ; and the traveller may fre- quently ride many miles without seeing a living creature ! One would imagine that a residence in such a lone place would be liable to cause a change of some consequence in the minds and habits of any person ; and it would be an interesting point to ascertain the effect on the convict stock -keepers, who, for weeks together, can have no opportunity of conversing with a white man, except their sole companion ; for there are always two in a hut. The time cannot hang very heavily on their hands, as they are almost constantly engaged in riding after cattle, in order to drive them within certain boundaries ; or in hunting the kangaroo, of which there are great numbers on the hills, and the emu. From Gircobill we rode 20 miles, or more, in rather a circuitous direction, to the other side of this part of the plains, and pitched our tent at a station called Booranbill ; there was a stream close by, which, after a short course, like the river, is lost in a swamp. Our ride had led us over some miles of boggy REMARKABLE SPRING. 97 ground, on which we were obhged to lead our horses, as they sunk in at every step they took ; in other respects we passed over land covered with grass, and quite firm. The grass was high and coarse ; but, where recently burnt and grown again, it was delightfully green and refreshing to the eye ; too much of it was, however, withered by the heat. We visited in our way a remarkable spring which issued from a spot a little higher than the surrounding ground, and on which there grew nothing but rushes and long grass. The natives say, and some of the stock-keepers believe, that the devil or an ally of his resides in it ; and as we were determined to ascertain if his Satanic majesty had really established himself in such un- comfortable quarters, we sent in a posse of dogs, in the hope that they would easily discover the oc- cupant of' this little swamp, which was not above twenty yards in diameter. They had no sooner entered, than we heard a peculiar noise, which we agreed was made by some bird ; but as none was seen, and as the dogs would not proceed with the adventure, the mystery still remains unravelled, affording an opportunity for any future traveller to display his prowess : he must, however, wear mud pattens, and invoke the assistance of St. Dunstan ! A few miles before we arrived at our resting H 98 * EMUS. place, we came to an accumulation of loose stones 20 feet in height, and 40 or 50 across : some of them were of large size, others very small, and all of them were sand-stone ; and not far from this we found a most singular mass of basaltic columns. The elevation did not exceed 40 feet, nor the wndth at the base above 70 or 80 yards ; and the summit was about 12 yards in diameter. None of the columnar fragments were more than 3 feet in length, nor were any under 6, or above 12 inches thick ; and they all had either three, five, or six sides ; at least we w^ere unable to find any other form, although we searched with great care. We did not observe that any of them were upright or even nearly so ; the heap appearing to have been thrown up in such a manner, that all the fragments were lying about in the greatest confusion. The soil for miles around both the sandstone and basalt consisted of rich black mould. Near this we saw thirty-five emus, widely scat- tered, however, on a plain which we had to cross, but from the nature of the ground were prevented from getting very near them ; yet we saw a good run, as two of the greyhounds pursued a pair of these birds. The emu, some distance in the rear of the other, exerted itself entirely by fits and starts, running with incredible speed, though STORMS IN THE PLAINS. 99 much faster at one time than at another. One of the dogs at length came up with it, and got kicked head over heels for his pains, which will teach him in future to jump at the neck instead of trying to lay hold of the leg ; he may consider himself fortunate in having received no injury, as not long before our present expedition, a greyhound be- longing to my fellow-traveller, had his ribs broken by an emu, and died almost immediately. The bird always springs off the ground when about to lash out, and a kick from it is nearly equivalent to one from a horse. Stately as it is, the ostrich far surpasses it in grandeur of gait : indeed the latter, when running at its utmost speed, is truly a mag- nificent object, at least I thought so when in Africa. A storm on these plains has an awful effect ; one was experienced during our stay at Gircobill, and the wind was heard approaching amongst the trees on the hill behind, with the noise like the rushing of a torrent, and long before it reached us. This furious gust was exactly similar to a tornado, and, like it, was accompanied by vivid lightning and tremendous peals of thunder, ren- dered doubly loud by the reverberations from . the hill. The rain and wind had well nigh upset our tent, and compelled us to take shelter in the hut. Want of time prevented our remaining more H 2 100 THE CAMEL. than a few days in the plains, and had this not been the case, we could have made no discoveries without proceeding a long way into the interior. Several persons have tried to cross them, and were obliged to return after suffering from want of water and other causes. Mr. Oxley in returning, found the land flooded, and had to ride some way up to the girths ; and another gentleman, who found a copious supply of water on his way inland, was greatly straightened for that necessary article on his way back. The Surveyor-General went a great way on them, but two of his men, who had been left for some reason at a place in the rear, having been murdered by the aborigines, he re- traced his steps. It would possibly be worth the while of Govern- ment to ascertain if the camel could not be intro- duced into the colony, even if only for the purposes of discovery. This '* ship of the desert,'* such is the strong and expressive appellation that denotes its value as a beast of burden, will travel great distances without water, and with a load of five or six hundred-weight : he will likewise swim across rivers, for the celebrated Burchardt passed several at the tails of his camels, on which oc- casions each animal had an inflated skin attached to his neck ; but as the conformation of this quadruped is so peculiar, it remains to be proved MAGNIFICENT PROSPECTS. 101 to what extent h^ would be enabled to ascend, or descend the rugged precipices that must be passed by the traveller on a journey of discovery. From Sydney to the " Corborn Comleroy," however, there is not a place that presents the most distant impediment to the progress of a camel, and it is only on the plains that it would be of use. '* In travelling through the desert," says Vol- ney, *' camels are chiefly employed, because they consume little, and carry a great load. The or- dinary burthen is from 6001bs. to 7501bs., and they eat whatever is given them, straw, thistles, the stones of dates, beans, barley, etc. In the journey from Cairo to Suez, which is 40 or 46 hours, they neither eat nor drink ; but these long fasts, if often repeated, wear them out. Their usual rate of travelling is very slow, being hardly above two miles an hour, for they will not quicken their pace ; but if allowed a short rest, they will travel from 15 to 18 hours a day." The point is, how would they succeed in passing over swampy ground ? From Booranbill, our servants and pack-horses returned to the Wollombi by the usual route, while we took that over the Liverpool range to the Hunter. The ascent commenced four or five miles from the Stock-station, and was, at times, abrupt and fatiguing ; but we were amply com- 102 FINE TRACT OF COUNTRY. pensated for our trouble by some magnificent prospects, particularly in the direction of the plains : and the alpine is so blended with the champaign style of scenery, that the views are totally different from those amidst the Blue Moun- tains, though with the same absence of water. Although the effect of the first view, when upon the Plains was striking ; and although one cannot help acknowledging the richness and verdure of the land, its beauty soon begins to pall ; the eye be- comes fatigued with so extensive a view, bounded only by the level horizon, and the fancy can but imagine a continuance of a similar series of flats. The prospect from the Liverpool range was very different, as the grand characteristics of mountain scenery afforded a relief which would be sought in vain on the plains themselves. With respect to the tract of country through which we travelled from the WoUombi to the summit of the range (in a circuitous direction,) say 140 miles, it may, without exaggeration, be considered as unsurpassed by any part of the colony, whether it be looked upon in the light of a pastoral or agricultural country. The mountain that we crossed is 200 miles from Sydney, but this pass is only practicable for horses and cattle, the route for drays being more to the northward. Six or seven miles from the foot of the range. ST. HILIERS. 103 we lost the whinstone, and came upon a sand- stone country, and met, afterwards, alternations of good and bad soil, until we reached Invermeen, nearly 30 miles from Booranbill. The country at this farm, and to some distance in every direction, is interesting. There is much forest land, though sufficiently open to admit of good sheep-walks. We passed the night there, greatly to our satisfaction, after having been so many days under a tent. Near Invermeen is Segenhoe, an estate of 24,000 acres, on which the level land runs in narrow strips, enclosed by hills and forests ; — that is to say, just such an estate as is usually found in the colony. I believe it is considered a good farm. Twelve miles farther is St. Hiliers, one of the finest estates on the Hunter ; the house is the best in the district ; and as the proprieter is constantly engaged in planting the most useful and ornamental trees (one of the very few instances I have seen in the *' bush"), the place bids fair to remind him, at no very dis- tant period, of an EngUsh country house with its shrubberies. Much has been said of the park-like scenery of the Hunter ; I really cannot speak quite so favour- ably of it. After riding no great distance from St. Hiliers, that fine description of landscape, so much of which we had traversed from the time we left 104 BANKS OF THE HUNTER. the Wollombi, entirely disappeared ; much of the soil was indifferent, or worthless, the grass scanty, the forest unsightly, and the latter part of the ride, nearly twenty miles, uninteresting ; nor could T perceive any improvement in the general features of the scenery all the way to Maitland, thirty-six miles farther. There is undoubtedly fine land on both sides of the river ; but instead of speaking in such laudator}^ terms respecting the mere aspect of the country watered by it, writers and travellers would do much better to state simply, that most, perhaps all, of the grants on its banks form ex- cellent farms, leaving the scenery out of the question, for it will bear no comparison whatever with that which we had seen previous to our coming upon it. Even in regard to the quaUty of the land it is far inferior, as within a given distance there is much less good soil than we had found during the preceding part of our journey. Go where you will on this stream, the distance will be short, excepting in a few instances, before iron- stone and sand, with the usual concomitants of ugly gum trees, are met with ; however, the settlers have more than sufficient good land to supply their wants, and there is no scarcity of grass, though not equal to that on Gammon Plains. I have heard this termed the finest agricultural district in the colony ; yet in 1829, many of the AGRICULTURAL DISTRICT. 105 crops had failed, and likewise during the three preceding seasons, so as not to produce seed for the following year ; at the same time, the wheat at Bathurst was tolerably abundant, but full of smut ; while in Argyle it was perfectly clean, and the soil in some cases yielded thirty-six bushels to the acre. I should consider it a fine sheep country, and maize and tobacco thrive uncommonly ; indeed grain also grows extremely well, though in dry seasons it is liable to fail. Frost sometimes injures the maize, and such is also the case in Argyle. The Hunter rises rapidly after heavy rain, and in some places, even to the height of fifty feet ; but I am not aware that the floods have been attended with any destruction of property ; and from the nature of the country on both sides of the river, there does not appear any danger of this happening, unless where persons have placed their houses, etc. in such situations, that they must necessarily incur some hazard. There are fords as low as Maitland ; and even when the weather has not been remarkably dry, the river may be crossed in several places almost dry-shod. Its direct course is 125 miles, and it is navigable 20 miles, or double that, following its sinuosities. From the Liverpool range to New- castle, nearly 120 miles, the entire country is clothed with wood ; but it may generally be termed 106 MAITLAND. open forest as far as Maitland. The last is now the principal township on the Hunter, and is rapidly increasing in size ; the situation however is particularly ill chosen ; not that the government are to blame, for the township properly so called, where the court house and jail are, is some way from the other, and out of the reach of floods ; but on account of the facility with which boats can be loaded or unloaded, the proprietors of the ground have erected their houses on the bank of the river, and also of a creek that falls into it. The consequence will most probably be, that the first extraordinary rise that takes place will demolish some of the houses, and drown the inmates. The water has already more than once flowed into the street. There are some alluvial flats in the vicinity, but not so much good soil as I had been led to expect, from the high-flown accounts given me of this part of the Hunter. One gentleman told me, when I first visited the colony, that I might as well have quitted Rome without having seen St, Peter's, as leave this district, or New South Wales, (I forget which), without beholding Maitland. Now that I have beheld the last, I must confess I feel some- what disappointed : Perth, at Swan River, in point of situation, is far superior. Thus it is : ask any person for a true and im- partial account of the colony, or of one of its dis- MAITLAND. 107 tricts, and the probability is, the account will be unsatisfactory in all its bearings ; for what one traveller considers a beautiful country, is by another deemed quite the contrary, and vice versa ; and this goes far to prove how cautious the emi- grant should be how he places too great confidence in the descriptions or accounts of New South Wales, and Van Dieman's Land, and particularly of Swan River. I have attempted to give a correct description of the colonies but am just as likely to err as any other writer. Close to the township there is a lake or lagoon, several miles in circuit ; it was dried up during the *' great drought," but was soon filled again. It has frequently occurred in this colony that large ponds, of some depth when first discovered, (as the streams are styled by courtesy rivers, so these ponds are termed lakes) — and of an extent equal to that near the township, have suddenly disappeared ; one gentleman called his farm after his own cog- nomen, with the addition of a word denoting the pre- sence of apiece of water, the two together forming the name of one of our finest lakes in Cumberland. The mere name remains, the mere water is gone. On the opposite side of the creek, behind the town, there is one of the thickest vine brushes in New South Wales, so that it is difficult to pene- trate even a few yards, amidst such an exuberant 108 ENORMOUS TREE. vegetation. Here I saw a most enormous tree of the Ficus tribe, but what the proper name is I am not botanist enough to determine ; it is known by the title of the great fig ; it no more resembles a fig than it does an oak. The form of the trunk is triangular, the side facing the south-east being eighteen feet in width ; that to the north nineteen feet and half ; and that to the west, twenty- two feet and a half ; total, sixty feet. This measure- ment is rather under than above the truth. The trunk does not rise more than about thirty feet before it separates into branches of such mag- nitude as to equal trees of considerable size. Will it be credited that the former owner of the farm had actually commenced felling this '* giant of the forest ?" This was positively the case, and he was only prevented from fulfilling his intention by the remonstrance of the settlers around. This noble specimen of vegetation still bears the marks of the axe, a memento of the Vandalic taste of him who could contemplate the destruction of such an interesting object. Instead of embarking on board the steamer at Maitland, we proceeded to Newcastle in a carriage, for which act of imprudence "we were almost suffocated by the dust, broiled by an intensely hot sun, and well nigh jolted to death. The distance is twenty miles by land, and nearly forty by water. DISAGREEABLE JOURNEY. 109 We had one or two tolerable views of the Hunter, but every thing considered, few drives could have afforded less interest ; and the greater portion of soil, on each side of the miserable road by which we went, (deep sand, deep holes, and deep ruts all the way) , was generally of the worst descrip- tion ; but water appeared abundant. The soil on the banks of this river, (and I believe this is gene- ral all over the colony), is so alluminous, that the water procured from wells is not often fit to drink. I saw two wells, one not less than 120 feet in depth, and the other above sixty ; the water in the former was bad, and in the latter nauseous. This circumstance causes great inconvenience to the settlers generally, as they are obliged to employ a man with a dray, and from two to six or eight bullocks, to bring a supply from the nearest, stream or creek, w^hich may be at some distance from the house. I have known instances where, in dry weather, there is not a drop of water within from three to four miles ; but this was not on the Hunter. In England, if I recollect rightly, for I am no disciple of Tubal-Cain, kettles wear out exter- nally, while there is always a sediment inside, which is removed. In New South Wales, on the contrary, there is no sediment, but the kettle be- comes thickly coated with rust, which abrades the 110 STREAMS. metal until it is quite honeycombed ; and even the cast-iron kettles made in England, and well tinned, last but a short time. Newcastle was a penal settlement, and a very improving little town : at present, in consequence of the communication between this district and Sydney being carried on from Maitland, it is rapidly becoming deserted ; nor indeed is there any inducement to settle there, as the land about it is bad, and not fit for cultivation. It is prettily enough situated, though rather exposed ; and from the church there is a view of the ocean, as also of a considerable tract of melancholy forest ; it takes in likewise the river. All the coal sent to Sydney is supplied from this place by the Australian company, who have . a large coal-mine here ; the quantity exported can hardly repay the cost of working it. Veins of this mineral are also found in the cliffs of Nobby 's Island, a remarkable rock or islet at the entrance of the port, and very near the town ; and it is found on other parts of the Hunter as well. Newcastle is 70 miles from Sydney by water, and nearly 1 50 by land. There are several streams at no great distance from the Hunter; such are the Paterson, Wil- liams, Chichester, and others, on all which the locations are numerous ; but I do not imagine that STREAMS. Ill many of the owners reside upon them, as 1 was informed they are at present employed more as stock-stations. The country about them (150 miles from Sydnejr,) is characterized as open forest land, affording excellent pasture, with small flats or strips of alluvial soil on the banks of the rivers, a remark that may be applied to all the rivers, as they are called, in the colony, and here and there *' vine brush," in which are found cedars and other useful trees. There are also settlers on the Manning ; between it and the WiUiams there is a tract of thirty or forty miles, perfectly useless, being covered with scrub, and the soil worthless. Contrast the names of the rivers in this district with those in Argyle, 'per ex. the Cookburndoon, Wallondilli, Uringalla, Ooromea, Narjongoolmar, Windellama, Caradulla, Yaralla, etc. etc., and then decide whether the sonorous titles of the for- mer, or the modest terms of the latter, are the more euphonous ! From Newcastle to Port Stephens, the distance by the coast is not above twenty miles ; but to pro- ceed by this route, the Hunter must be crossed at the former place, as otherwise a person would have to go round by Maitland, which would make it much farther. Although it is not above 180 miles from Sydney 112 WANT OF SOCIETY. to Port Macquarrie by sea, by land it is 100 more. I have already stated that this settlement is in- creasing fast, and there is no doubt of its being very soon a place of consequejice, when steam- vessels are more numerous. One most essential advantage that the Hunter district has over Bathurst and Argyle, is its proxi- mity to a market, for the steam-boat can easily reach Sydney in twelve hours ; while a dray occu- pies three weeks in performing the journey from Bathurst to Sydney and back, and probably not less from Goulbourn Plains. Here is at bnce a far more substantial reason than its park-like scenery, for preferring it to the other two districts. There are the materials of a most excellent so- ciety in this part of the colony : unluckily the farms are so far asunder, that is to say, from eight to fifteen miles, that a free intercourse cannot well be kept up ; and then again, many of the respec- table proprietors of land reside in Sydney. Whether this absence of social communication would accord with the feelings and ideas of every one, I cannot of course say : some of the settlers themselves seem to have no objection to a retired life ; but they are all married, which makes a wonderful difference ! As Moreton Bay has not been thrown open to location, and as some time may elapse before this MORETON BAY. 113 will be the case, I have said nothing concerning its capabilities in respect to unlocated land, etc. when pointing out the different parts of New South Wales, where any is to.be found ; indeed it may be considered, at present, as quite a distinct portion of the colony, just as Norfolk Island is. The following remarks are by Capt. C. of the 1 7th regiment, and I was permitted to transcribe them through the kindness of Col. D. of the same regiment. "■ In point of climate, Moreton Bay being far- ther to the northward, must, on the whole, be warmer than Sydney ; and although we have no hot winds here, the thermometer ranges, during the summer, from 80 to 100, but I have seldom felt it so oppressive as in India ; and the nights are generally cool and pleasant. In winter, except at our highest station, ice has hardly ever been seen: the mornings and evenings, however, are gene- rally very chilly, and for several months constant fires are agreeable : at this season the climate may be considered as delightful. From the greater heat, all tropical plants thrive better than at Sydney, but bananas, plaintains, and pines, are the only fruits that have yet been tried. Cotton grows well, and I dare say rice might be cultivated to advantage, as many of the fields might easily b^ irrigated. 114 PRODUCE. ** Wheat is very liable to fail ; but as it succeeds in hotter climes, I have no doubt of its eventually doing so here, if we are allowed to use ploughs, and to try the soil higher up the country ; nor do EngUsh potatoes thrive, for they soon degenerate into sweet potatoes, which, however, are better here than in any part of the world that I have hitherto visited. The principal article cultivated at the settlement is maize, which grows very luxu- riantly, on what is termed " Scrub Land," being neither more nor less than patches of ground, which, in their original state, have been covered by almost impenetrable brushwood. Upon this soil we can have two crops of maize in the year ; but unless the winter sets in very mild, the second is not good. On the forest-land generally, near the settlement, nothing but cotton succeeds, as the soil is very poor ; higher up, where our flocks are, and where we burn lime, there are thousands of acres of rich land almost without trees, well watered, with plenty of coal and lime ; and the side next us has a long, but very good water com- munication with the sea. " This part of the country, I am also inclined to believe, would be more healthy than where we now reside, from its being drier, and more ele- vated. I am, however, far from thinking our present place of abode unhealthy, although fever SALUBRITY. 115 and ague have, of late, been rather prevalent ; but these were not known when first I came here, and probably may not always continue to annoy us. It is strange that during the last very hot weather, when these complaints were most preva- lent, the soldiers suffered more than the convicts ; and we had from 10 to 15 sick : such a circum- stance never occurred before nor since. Often we have no sick military, rarely more than two or three ; and in the course of seven years, the period that has elapsed since the establishment of the settlement, only one soldier has died, and his complaint was dropsy ! *' Of twelve hundred persons, I have at times known only seven or eight to be sick at once ; these were principally old men with chronic in- curable disorders, and worn out constitutions. Though the half year ending June, 1832, was considered unhealthy, of twelve hundred persons only /ve died; and in all likelihood they would have died in any other part of the world, as they were all old and exhausted." The country between Moreton Bay and Port Macquarrie does not appear to have been much explored, and will most probably be found to re- semble what is seen elsewhere : the distance is 264 miles. When thrown open to location, the former I 2 116 VALLEY OF MULGOA. place will no doubt afford most eligible farms for the settler. I have now described all the most distant settle- ments, and although it may perhaps be thought that I have given rather too cursory a view of them, and of the intermediate country, yet from the general sameness of the features in the aspect of New South Wales, I could not have said more without being tedious and prolix ; nor would the reader have been much benefitted if I had devoted a volume to this subject alone. One of the most cheerful portions of the colony is the tract of country extending from the head of the valley of Mulgoa to Windsor. The valley itself is ten or twelve miles long, but in some places of no great width, and the land is very undulating, affording some extremely pretty points of view ; there is also excellent soil in various parts of it. It is here that the junction of the western, or Cowpasture River, and the Warra- gamba, takes place, which is at a spot that forms a basin, enclosed by lofty crags, and displaying a scene of wild and savage grandeur, such as is not often observed. The bold and picturesque rocks at the confluence of the two streams, are of sandstone, and in some places form caves which have afforded shelter to bushrangers. NATIVE DOGS. 117 The Wollondilly takes its rise somewhere in Argyle: after flowing some distance, it passes through the Cowpastures, hence its second name ; on its junction with the Warragamba it becomes the Nepean, and finally, at Windsor, is termed the Hawksbury. Its course is about two hun- dred miles. Native dogs are sometimes ilumerous between the upper part of Mulgoa and the Cowpastures, and it was here I first hunted them. Taking with me a man named Tribe, who was excellent as a guide, and equally so at finding the game, but whose movements were scarcely commen- surate with my ideas of celerity, perhaps in con- sequence of his having passed the meridian of his vigour, I set out at dawn of day, and rode no great distance before a large dog was seen, which we pursued and killed, after a run of a mile: the next we killed was much smaller, and had only time to run a few yards ; and we caught a third, but our greyhounds would not hold him, so that before we could get through some fences that were in our way, they lost him. There is some satisfaction in hunting this ani mal, but the fox is permitted to exist for the sole purpose of affording amusement in the pur- suit ; the native dog often commits such ravages amongst the sheep and poultry, that it is abso- 118 NATIVE DOGS, lutely necessary either to destroy it, or, at all events, to expel it from the inhabited parts of the colony; therefore a person ha» not the dissatisfaction of reflecting that he is guilty of wanton cruelty; and yet even with this reflection, I must confess myself not a little partial to indulging also in the pursuit of poor renard. Tribe related t© me an aff*air that he had with a native dog, which may perhaps amuse the reader, and will at least shew him, that when hunting, it is possible, even in New South Wales, to catch a Tartar; and that, consequently^ it is as well to be cautious not to make too free with him until dead. It also furnishes a striking in- stance of the tenacity of life which this creature possesses : I shall give Tribe's story in his own words : — *' One day. Sir, I comes upon a large native dog, and after a long run we catches him. Well, Sir, my dog pitches into the joker, and I sup- poses they had killed him; so I dismounts, and tie& my horse up, while my dogs goes to a water-hole to drink. Then I takes the native dog by the leg, and draws my knife across his hock, meaning to skin him, as his hide was worth half a crown ; but I had no sooner done this, than up he jumps, and tries to lay hold of me by the throat! So I kicks him, and thumps REGENTVILLE. — WINDSOR. 119 him, and swears at him," (the last ought to have had some effect,) "• but all to no purpose ; whereupon I was obliged to scramble up again on my horse, and halloo for my dogs, which pitched it into him until he w^as quite dead, and afterwards I cuts his throat to make sure ! By gollins, Sir, you never catches me skinning another native dog before I have cut his throat !" The best way of hunting the animal is with fox- hounds or harriers. At Regentville, situated very near the Nepean, which is here a beautiful piece of water, with some highly interesting scenery, the country be- comes more open, much land has been cleared, and from the house there is a very extensive view towards Windsor. On the right of the river the soil is of the most fertile description, the settlers are numerous, and there is a considerable portion of land in cultivation. On* the left bank are Emu plains, backed by a range of the Blue Mountains, which extend to the sea. There are some farms on the sides of the hills, but on account of the abruptness of the declivities as well as the nature of the soil they are not nu- merous. Windsor is thirty-four miles from- Sydney, and about twenty-five from that part of the river which is crossed on the route to the Hunter. 120 DWELLINGS. It is a small and ill-built place, and it is in this neighbourhood that the floods, caused by the Hawksbury, are so disastrous. The greatest height to which this river has been known to rise is estimated at ninety feet ; and from fifty to eighty feet is not uncommon! The houses in this district are the best that are to be found in the ** Bush," most of the settlers in the other parts of the country residing in their original huts, some of which have been erected eight or ten years or more; or else they have built small cottages, which, although very clean and neat, are often much too small for families. However, those who reside between the Blue Mountains and Sydney can scarcely be said to be settled in the ** Bush.'' CHAPTER III. GENERAL OBSERVATIONS ON NEW HOLLAND — COASTS — CORAL BANKS— ACCOUNT OP THEM BY FLINDERS MELVILLE ISLAND BATHURST ISLAND — WEATHER ON THE COASTS PRE- VAILING ASPECT OF THE COUNTRY EXTENT OF THE COLONY RIVERS CONSIDERABLE SEA SAID TO HAVE BEEN FOUND IN THE INTERIOR — NORFOLK ISLAND NEW ZEALAND- ISLAND. «(. New Holland is the largest island on the globe, being nearly 2,000 miles from north to south, and nearly 2,500 from east to west; it is com- prised between the parallels of 10 deg. south, and 39 deg. south, and the meridians of 154 deg. east, and 1 13 deg. east. It was first visited by the Portuguese and Spaniards in the sixteenth century ; though the Dutch, who explored the west coast in 1605, were the first who made it known to Europe. Between the years 1616 and 1641 the coasts were several times visited by Dutch ships ; and 122 NEW HOLLAND. in 1642 Abel Tasman was sent to complete the survey of them. In 1688 Dampier fell in with the island, and afterwards paid it a second visit ; since which period it had been frequently visited by navigators, and in 1788 was colonized. Australasia is a general term, and commonly includes New Holland, Van Dieman's Land, and other islands in the South Seas. Australia is a denomination of New South Wales, or the eastern half of New Holland, and western Aus- tralia of the remainder. The island is separated from New Guinea by Torres' Straits, which are about eighty miles wide, and contain a great number of islands, besides a multitude of coral reefs and banks. These rendered the navigation extremely dangerous and difficult, until the publication of Captain King's directions for sailing through ; by following them, the difficulty is now so materially lessened, that ships frequently proceed from Sydney by this route. This passage is advantageous only as a way from the east coast of New Holland, shortening the distance both to India and China. The proper season for passing through the straits commences about the end of February, and ends in October, that is to say, during the easterly monsoon, but for the remainder of the year the passage ought not to be attempted ; as TORRES* STRAITS. 123 the westerly monsoon, besides being a contrary wind, is generally accompanied by much bad and gloomy weather, with frequent storms, which, independent of the danger of shipwreck, cause great delay in the voyage. Navigators have seen snakes^ of large size swimming about the Straits, but of what de- scription they are I have never been able to learn ; though if what the captain of a vessel told me be true, it would appear that some of them must be poisonous. He stated that while a Newfoundland dog was amusing itself with swimming round the ship during a calm, a snake, eight or nine feet in length approached and bit the animal, which was immediately taken on board, but only survived a few hours. From Van Dieman's Land, or Tasmania, New Holland is divided by Bass's Straits, 120 miles in breadth, and containing several islands of little note, of which mention will be made hereafter. * Snakes are often seen in the Bay of Bengal, Straits of Malacca, and Timor Sea : their length is from four or five to seven or eight feet, and their colour is yellow, with black and brown spots. They are seen only in fine weather, and always move very sluggishly. Peron, in the Naturaliste, while on a voyage of discovery, saw sea-snakes from 300 to 400 miles from land. They were from one to thirteen feet in length. Snakes are found also in. the Persian Gulf, Red Sea, etc. 124 THE COASTS. I shall now take a rapid glance at the coasts, and add one short extract from FHnders, leaving the reader to consult the various works that have been published for any farther information concern- ing them. The description of Port Jackson will be given when speaking of Sydney : at present I shall merely remark that the Light House is in 3e3 deg. 51 min. south, and 151 deg. 20 min. east. The entrance to the harbour is between two enormous cliffs not quite two miles apart ; both of these are rugged and precipitous, and in many places the appear- ance of the rocks is extremely grand and striking. Some of the cliffs are partially excavated by the waves, forming caverns or arches ; and several of the headlands are uncommonly magnificent. On leaving Port Jackson, and proceeding to the north- ward, we come to Broken Bay, where the Hawks- bury falls into the sea. Several vessels have been built there, and ships of burden may find shelter in it ; but this bay is very little frequented. Port Hunter is the entrance to the river of that name, and ships of 300 tons have loaded there ; I have already noticed it, as also Port Stevens, and Port Macquarrie^. * Oxley describes the country about Port Macquarrie as very beautiful. The Port, however, is only adapted for vessels of 100 tons. THE COASTS. 125 Moreton Bay is in 27 deg. 1 min. south, and 153 deg. 26 min. east. The bay is a considerable ex- panse of water, sheltered by an island, and on the bar there is a depth of eighteen feet. The Bris- bane, thought to be the largest river on the east coast, falls into the bay, and the latter is said to be 60 miles in extent. From the latitude of 25 deg. south to the northern extremity of Australia, a distance of 850 miles, Captain King says he saw neither rivers, nor springs, of any consequence ; and although in some parts the country was well wooded, and of a pleasant as- pect, this ceased to be the case to the northward of Endeavour River, whence to the North Cape, in lat. 10 deg. 43 min. south Ion., 142 deg. 39 min. east, 300 miles, the country is quite barren. Endeavour River is the place where Cook repaired his ship after having been many hours on a coral reef ; it is not adapted for large vessels unless when actually in distress. Breaksea Spit commences in about 25 deg. south, and is a vast barrier reef of coral, extending to New Guinea, that is, upwards of 1,000 miles. In some places it is from 90 to 100 miles from the land ; towards the south it occupies a breadth of from 45 to 50 miles, but is narrower to the north; and in lat. 16 deg. south, it closes in with the shore at Cape Tribulation. For more than 126 CORAL BANKS. 350 miles from the south opening of the spit there is no entrance that can be trusted as safe : there are openings, but these are very dangerous. It is said, that on this part of the coast no settlement could be formed ; but as the sea, between the bar- rier and the land, is so smooth that small vessels can navigate it with ease, it is not unlikely that when a steam vessel is employed to examine it more minutely, its colonization will not be found impracticable. Captain Flinders has given such an excellent, and at the same time interesting account of the formation of coral banks, that a perusal of it cannot fail to entertain the reader, and I have therefore extracted it verbatim. " Half-way island, to the east of Torres' Straits, is scarcely more than a mile in circum- ference, but appears to be increasing both in ele- vation and extent. At no very distant period of time, it was one of those banks produced by the washing up of the sand and broken coral, of which most reefs afford instances, and those in Torres' Straits a great many. These banks are in different stages of progress ; some, like this, are become islands, but not yet habitable ; some are above high- watermark, but destitute of vegetation ; whilst others are overflowed with every returning tide. *' It seems to me that when the animalculse, CORAL BANKS. 127 which form the corals at the hottom of the ocean, cease to live, their structures adhere to each other, by virtue either of the glutinous remains within, or of some property in salt water ; and the interstices being gradually filled up with sand and broken pieces of coral washed by the sea, which also ad- here, a mass of rock is at length formed. Future races of these animalcules erect their habitations upon the rising bank, and die in their turn, to in- crease, but principally to elevate, this monument of their wonderful labours. The care taken to work perpendicularly in the early stages, would mark a surprising instinct in these diminutive creatures ! Their wall of coral, for the most part, in situations where the winds are constant, being arrived at the surface, affords a shelter to leeward so that their infant colonies may be safely sent forth : and to this their instinctive foresight it seems to be owing, that the part of the reef which is exposed to the open sea, is generally, if not always, the highest part, and rises almost perpendicularly, sometimes from the depth of 200, and perhaps many more fathoms. To be constantly covered with water seems necessary to the existence of these animal- cules, for they do not work, except upon holes in the reef, beyond low-water mark; but the coral, sand, and other broken fragments thrown up by the sea, adhere to the rock, and form a solid mass 128 CORAL BANKS. with it, as high as the common tides reach. That elevation surpassed, the future remnants, being rarely covered, lose their adhesive quality, and re- maining in a loose state, form what is usually called a key upon the top of the reef. The new bank is not long in being visited by sea-birds ; salt water plants take root upon it, and a soil begins to be formed ; a cocoa nut, or the drupe of a pandanus is thrown on shore ; land birds visit it, and deposit the seeds of shrubs and trees ; every high tide, and still more, every gale, adds sometliing to the bank : the form of an island is gradually assumed ; and last of all comes man to take possession." Since Flinders wrote, several of the coral banks which he describes are become partially covered with vegetation. The width of the entrance to the Gulf of Car- pentaria^, from Cape York to Cape Arnheim, is 338 miles, and the gulf itself is nearly 1,200 miles in circuit. It is into this immense gulf that some of the principal rivers of New South Wales are supposed to flow ; which appears to be an as- sumption not at all corroborated by the testimony of navigators, particularly Flinders, (and I think Capt. King) ; nor can we perceive amidst the va- rious theories of those who have written concerning * Flinder's sailed 500 miles in this gulf and saw only one ele- vation of a hundred feet. MELVILLE AND BATHURST ISLANDS. 129 this point, any particularly good or forcible reasons for assuming that such is the fact ; for we are told that the gulf has already been examined, and that if any considerable rivers had fallen into it, they must have been discovered. From Captain King's account, the best harbours, with the exception of Port Jackson, are on the north coasts. On the east and north-east coasts shell-fish of prodigious dimensions have been seen ; even so large as three feet in length, and weighing, shell and all, nearly two hundred pounds ; a friend of mine told me they were strong, and not very palatable ; and added that he had seen them even much larger. Dampier says he found an empty shell which weighed 258 lbs ! The b^che de mer is found on all the reefs on the east coast, but is little sought for there : on the north-west coast, however, the Malays seek for it with the greatest avidity for the Chinese market. I found a specimen at Swan River, but believe it is not common there. It is also called the Trepang. Melville Island is 370 miles from Cape Arnheim ; and close to it is Bathurst Island. On the former a settlement was formed, with the view of esta- blishing a commerce with the Malays and others ; it failed from several causes. 1. The Malays did not appear inclined to engage in a trade with the colony. 2. The soil was so bad that no grain K 130 shark's bay. would thrive in it. 3. The aborigines were inimi- cal to the colonists, and killed several of them* 4. When a vessel went from Sydney to the island it was obliged, during many months in the year, to return by the western coast, thereby circumnavigat- ing New Holland ! Consequently the island was subsequently deserted. Each of the islands is about 100 miles in circumference, and they are separated by a channel only a gun-shot across. Both are in- habited, and the natives, as also the animals, re- semble those on the main land. Lat. 1 1 deg. 56 min. south, long. 130 deg. 55 min. east. The next conspicuous spot to which we come is North West Cape, 1,140 miles from the above is- lands ; and in lat. 21 deg. 47 min. south, long. 114 min. east. On the whole of this vast line of coast, there are no known rivers, and the appearance of the land is represented to be sandy, barren, and sterile ! Shark's Bay, discovered by Dampier, is a spaci- ous and safe harbour 236 miles from North West Cape, and nearly 400 to the northward of Swan River. The land about it is sandy, barren, desti- tute of inhabitants, and without water ; at least such was its inhospitable aspect as described by those who visited it. I am greatly inclined to doubt if this spot has been hitherto sufficiently explored, es- pecially in the interior. A good harbour is of such consequence in a colony where so few ports are shark's bay 131 known to exist, that provided land of a fair des- cription was discovered at no great distance in the interior, it is of no very essential consequence what kind of soil prevails near the shores. The latitude is 25 deg. 43 min. south. Passing Swan River we come to Cape Lewin, in lat. 34 deg. 22 min. south, long. 115 deg. 6 min, east, and 136 miles from the former. This is the south-westernmost point of New Holland ; and vessels are not unfrequently many days before they can weather it, on account of the north-west winds which so often prevail here. The distance hence to King George's Sound (to the south-east) is 150 miles. The account given by Flinders of the country here was unfavourable. He says ''that through which he passed had but little to recommend it. The stony hills of the coast were, indeed, generally covered with shrubs, but there was rarely any depth of vegetable soil. The land, extending from Princess Royal harbour to some lakes several miles from the sea, was swampy. There the surface is clothed with grass and brushwood, and on the parts a little elevated there are forest trees ; nevertheless the soil is shallow, and unfit for cultivation. The sound is sheltered from all winds except those from the eastward, but the inner harbour will only admit small vessels. From all I have heard of this settle- ment, it does not seem to be in a very thriving state. K 2 132 GULFS AND PORTS. Spencer's Gulf runs about 190 miles into the land, and is fifty or sixty miles wide at the entrance. The distance from the sound is 870 miles, nearly east. Near it is the Gulf of St. Vincent, also of considerable extent : the countr\' about the latter is superior to that on the shores of the former. Port Lincoln, on the western side of the entrance to Spencer's Gulf, is considered a good harbour, with the disadvantage of having no constant run of fresh w^ater, which is therefore procured by dig- ging, and even then greatly discoloured by the clay. The country around is rocky and barren, with a sufficiency of grass, bushes, and small trees, not to look quite desolate. From hence to Cape Otway, we may reckon 246 miles ; and to Wilson's Promontory 1 50 miles farther. Between the two last are Port PhiUip and Western Port : the former, which is the westernmost harbour on the north side of Bass's Straits, is seventeen or eighteen leagues to the north-eastward of Cape Otway, and although an excellent harbour, labours under a deficiency of fresh water : the latter is eight or nine leagues from Port Phillip, and may be chosen as a place of shelter, if a ship is driven near its entrance by a southerly gale. The coast between the two ports presents a continued barrier of rock, with a heavy swell tumbling in from the south west. BAYS. 133 Although Port Phillip is capable of receiving the largest fleet that ever went to sea, it labours under this great disadvantage, that the entrance, in its whole width, is scarcely two miles, nearly half of which is occupied by rocks on the one side, and shoals on the other. The country is described to have a fertile ap- pearance, and some of the vallies are adapted for agricultural purposes : and although some parts are sterile, there is grass sufficient for the support of numerous cattle or sheep. Attempts at colonization have been made at both these places, but owing to want of water, and the nature of soil, they failed. Wilson's Promontory is a lofty mass of hard granite, about 20 miles long, and from 6 to 14 wide. The soil upon it is shallow and barren, though the brushwood, dwarf gum trees, etc. which cover the rocks give it a deceitful appear- ance to the distant observer. From hence to Cape Howe, 241 miles, the shores are sandy, with barren land behind. The interior is mountainous, but not having been much explored, very little is known concerning it. Twofold Bay, 30 miles from the Cape, is chiefly adapted for small vessels only, being greatly ex- posed to easterly winds : as nothing larger than boats can find shelter on the line of coast from 134 DESOLATE SHORES. Jervis Bay, lat. 35° 6" s. to Furneaux Isles in 40° 30'', it becomes of importance to whalers, and ships passing along the coast. The soil of the contiguous hills is good, and water is tolerably abundant. The entrance to Jervis Bay, 1 00 miles to the northward, is 2 miles wide, and inside there is a bay or harbour, from three to four leagues in length, and two in width. It is considered a safe port for ships of any size, but although only 80 miles from Sydney, is very little resorted to. The land immediately round the bay is mostly barren, as is commonly found to be the case near the coast. On the eastern side it is chiefly rocky, with brushwood ; the western is low, swampy, and sandy, with some partial exceptions > on the south there are grassy places, which might afford pasturage for cattle. Botany Bay is 6 miles from Sydney, and is of great extent ; during tempestuous weather from the eastward it forms a very indifferent anchorage. It was here, as in fact must be pretty well known, that the settlement was first estabhshed ; and at the head of the Bay is Cook's River, while George's River falls into it near the entrance. Very few persons reside on its shores. As a general observation upon the coast, it may be remarked that most navigators speak of the Gulph of Carpentaria in no very favourable terms ; APPEARANCE OF THE COUNTRY. 135 and certainly, judging from the various accounts of it, the country about its shores must have a most dreary and inhospitable appearance. Such also is the description of the coast from Cape Arnheim to North-west Cape, and thence to Swan River, a distance of 2,116 miles ! When I inform the reader that such too is the case with respect to a great portion of the south and east coasts, he will be able to form some slight idea how desolate and melancholy must be the general aspect of the shores of this immense island. The circumference of New Holland is about 6,000 miles, that is, without following strictly all the inflections of the bays, etc. The weather on the coast is extremely uncer- tain and variable, often very stormy, and seldom to be depended upon. Lightning generally denotes a change, and is commonly considered the pre- cursor of bad weather. The last time I left Sydney we experienced, during three successive nights, the most awful lightning I ever beheld. In consequence of the frequent gales and heavy sea, vessels employed in whaling prefer the neigh- bourhood of New Zealand, and other islands, and also of the Equator. Of the general appearance of the country, it is difficult to convey an adequate idea to the reader, 136 THE INTERIOR. for it is so different from any other region I ever beheld, that I am at a loss what to compare it 'with. Of the mountains scarcely enough is known to enable me to impart any really accurate infor- mation concerning them. A barrier range is sup- posed to run parallel to the east coast, and another on some parts of the west coast, particularly at, and south of. Swan River : from Cape Jervis also there is a ridge, 3,000 feet in height, and 210 miles in length, which joins the ridge on the east side of Spencer's Gulf. The direction, however, of the various ramifi- cations which extend into the interior, seems to be extremely irregular, for to whatever point the eye is directed vast groups of mountains are visible ; and a person, judging only from that part of the country at present known, would be led to sup- pose the entire island a congeries of mountains or hills, separated by narrow, and deep gullies and ravines, with occasional valleys, usually of no great width, and covered in some places by open forest, but in more by forests that are almost impenetrable. The naturally clear spots are few in number, and extremely circumscribed, when compared with the extent of the colony ; nor is it until he reaches a distance of 200 miles from the coast that the astonished traveller emerges from the maze of mountains and woody wildernesses. THE RIVERS. 137 and finds himself on the boundless Corborn Comleroy ! Some future Park will probably explore the country beyond; and we shall then know how true, or false, the tales are which have been com- municated by the aborigines (with whose language we are very imperfectly acquainted) , and swallowed by the credulity of those who believe that every thing connected with the interior must be wonder- ful and extraordinary. The extent of the colony of New South Wales was, in 1829, 34,500 square miles, or upwards of 22,000,000 of acres ; it must be greatly increased since the country about Port Macquarrie was thrown open to location. Such vast tracts are seen where the soil is utterly worthless, that the proportion of good land to the absolutely bad, or indifferent, is very trifling ; and where fertile soil is found it is ever in patches of no extent, excepting at places where it would not repay the labours of the agriculturist, from its being at too remote a distance from a market. Of the rivers much has been both said and written ; but whatever may be the opinions of writers concerning them, they are mere streams; for although their height is great during floods, they are more commonly navigable to a distance 138 MARVELLOUS STORIES. of not more than thirty or forty miles from the sea, and seldom so much. It is conjectured that the Lachlan is the channel by which all the waters rising in those ranges to the west of Port Jackson, known by the name of the Blue Mountains, and which do not fall into the sea on the east coast, are conveyed to the im- mense inland marshes. The course of this river, according to Oxley, exceeds 500 miles in a straight line, and including its windings, it flows at least 1,200. It rises sometimes 36 feet; but in dry seasons the channel is empty, or forms only a chain of ponds. There is not in fact known to exist one really navigable river in the whole Island, exclusive of the Morumbidgee and Murray, of which I strongly suspect very little is known, save that the last was of some depth when first visited ; and that the expedition, in returning, found the body of water greatly diminished ! A single visit to a river in this country cannot possibly enable any one to form a correct opinion as to its usual average depth. The stockmen* at Wellington Valley procured * Stockmen are convicts, who are appointed to look after the cattle and sheep : sometimes free, or ** ticket of leave" men, are appointed instead. INLAND SEA. 139 a piece of information, in 1828, which would have been of no small consequence to the colony, if true; and I shall, therefore, extract it from the periodical in which I accidentally observed it, just to show with what facility marvellous stories are snatched up, and circulated by those who do not take time to consider. '' The tribes who occupy the country two or three days' journey from Wellington Valley, have been engaged in war several years with the tribes living west and north-west ; but owing to the death of one of the chiefs, peace has been at length restored between them, and these mial, or strange blacks, have related to their new friends, and these. to us" (and doubtless without losing by the repetition) ** that there exists in the western country, many days off, a vast interior sea, where the water is salt, and where whales are seen to spout I The manner in which they imitated the whale throwing up water was so completely satisfactory y as to leave little doubt of the fact, as it is not likely these inland blacks could have known it but from actual observation. Here, then, is a problem that will repay the working, and the sooner we are relieved from the present state of suspense arising from such a report, the better!" By making a fair calculation the *' great sea" ought to have been nearly about the centre of the 140 NORFOLK ISLAND. island, so that the ** great iish" must have had to travel up a ** great river" to a distance of some 1,200 miles from the coast! But the ''great drought" seems to have dried up the first, for it has disappeared, and the whales with it ; so that the above writer need not now be ''in a state of suspense !" The only island tliat is colonized on the coast of New Holland, is that of Norfolk, which is a penal settlement, different from that at More ton Bay, inasmuch as those persons sent to the former are generally of the worst description, and most probably sent there for a long period ; while con- victs are not sentenced to the latter for more than seven years. Its distance from Sydney is about 1 ,000 miles, and it is 400 to the northward of New Zealand. For the following notices of it I am indebted to an officer of the Fourth, or King's Own Regiment, who was stationed there some months. Norfolk Island, situated in 29 deg. 2 min. south latitude, 168 deg. 13 min. east longitude, is about twenty-one miles in circumference. The air is very pure, and the climate fine and temperate, re- sembling very much that of Portugal, but subject to sudden squalls, chiefly from the S.E. The soil is uncommonly fertile, and capable of producing the fruits and vegetables of every part MOUNT PITT. 141 of the world in perfection ; but care must be taken to shelter fruit trees from the effects of the southerly winds, which are liable to destroy them by a kind of blight. The island is covered with a very thick *' brush," and a great variety of trees, amongst which the pine fpinus insularisj is the most conspicuous, growing to the height of two hundred and forty feet y and forming very useful timber : there is also a tree called the blood wood, so termed from the colour of its sap, and a variety of others with the botanical names of which I am unacquainted : some of them are peculiar to the island, and have never been described. Lemons, citrons, guavas, grapes, pomegranates, coffee plants and figs, abound in almost all the gullies. The ferns are numerous and very beautiful, and several of them are found nowhere else. Every kind of grain can be culti- vated with success : tobacco and sugar canes also thrive well, particularly the former. The surface is extremely irregular, consisting of a succession of hills and gullies thrown together without the slightest appearance of design or order ; and nearly all the gullies are watered by small streams, gene- rally of the purest water, occasionally mixed with a considerable quantity of iron. Mount Pitt, which arises 1,200 feet above the 142 POPULATION. — SCENERY. sea, is basaltic ; the rest of the island is commonl}^ pudding-stone and sand-stone. There is no safe anchorage on any side of the island, and the landing is at all times very pre- carious, the surf rising so very rapidly as to preclude any certainty even for a very short time. The population consists of 800 persons, of whom upwards of 500 are convicts, 124 military, and the remainder civil servants of the government. The prisoners are employed in building, felling timber, making roads, and cultivating the farm, on which the principal grain is maize. Fish are plentiful, and the most abundant are snappers, trumpeters, salmon, king-fish, gropers, etc. etc. The only animals are wild cats, which are com- mon, and rats ; the birds are pigeons, woodquests (a large and handsome kind of pigeon,) parrots, lories, several kinds of peterel, boatswains, and sometimes curlew and plover. From the uncommon verdure which prevails throughout the year, caused by the frequent showers, the scenery is highly beautiful and ro- mantic ; the lemon and citron trees are seen bend- ing under the weight of their fruit, and guavas are equally abundant. The last form the principal food of the rats. DIFFICULT LANDING. 143 There are several good roads in the island leading to the different objects considered worthy of notice ; the brush, however, is so thick, that it is a very easy matter to lose one's way for many hours : in some places it is quite impervious. In the gullies, New Zealand flax rphormium tenaxj is found in large quantities ; the government sent three natives of that country to instruct the pri- soners in dressing it ; but either from want of proper instruments, or as was said of the proper class of natives, the attempt was, for the most part, a failure. The Norfolk island pine sometimes attains a most astonishing size : the following dimensions of one were given me by a medical gentleman long resident in the island. Diameter near the ground 12 feet; and at the height of 80 feet, nearly 9 feet ; to that height the stem was perfectly straight, but it had then a slight twist or bend. The total height of the tree was two hundred and sixty-seven feet ! He added that the settlement ought to have been on the north side of the island, as the landing is much more easy there : on the south side the colony is so difficult of approach that vessels are sometimes several weeks off* the place before they can disembark their passengers, or discharge their cargoes. Another objection to the present site is the circumstance of there being a morass close by it ! 144 NEW ZEALAND. As the convicts who are transported to the island (from Sydney) are those only who have been convicted of crimes of some enormity, it may easily be imagined what a set of knaves must be collected together, when it is considered that in addition to the sentence of transportation (perhaps for life) pronounced upon them in England, they are sentenced, in New South Wales, to a second deportation ! From all that I have heard of this settlement, I should hardly suppose it can pay its own ex- penses ; of course, as the number of convicts increase, some other spot must be selected as an additional penal establishment. It will perhaps be thought irrelative to the present subject to introduce any observations on New Zealand, as it has not yet been colonized by us ; but a resident, or consul, having been re- cently appointed, I may now consider it as strictly connected with our Australian settlements. It would, however, be entirely foreign to my pur- pose to attempt a regular description of the islands, and I shall therefore refer the reader for any farther information he may require, to the works of those who have had better opportunities of seeing them than myself. We touched there on our 'voyage from Sydney to England ; but vessels would probably make a NEW ZEALAND ISLANDS. 145 more rapid passage by keeping to the southward of the islands, at all events in February or March, and I understand at some other periods of the year, if their commanders would escape the con- trary winds which we encountered after making the Three Kings (islets off the north point,) and which prevented us, for many days, from quitting the coast after our departure from Kororadica. Besides, little is to be gained by going there, with the exception of potatoes, pigs, water, and per- chance a few spars. With respect to the first, it must be admitted they constitute not merely one of the greatest luxuries on board ship, but one of the most considerable necessaries, particularly for the crew, who have nothing save salt provisions. As to water, a supply after such a short run can scarcely be required, and spars are not always to be procured. The New Zealand islands are three in number, the northernmost of which, called Eahei No Mau- wee, is 1100 miles from Sydney. The average width of this singularly formed island, as far as Woody Point, a distance of 230 miles, is not more than 30 miles ; it then suddenly expands, the remainder being 220 miles in length, by a breadth of 120. Tavai Poenammoo, the centre island, is 450 miles in length by an average breadth of 100. L 146 BAY OF ISLAND. These two are separated by Cook's Straits, se- venty-five miles wide at the north-west entrance, but much narrow^er at the south-east. Stewart's Island is about 100 miles in circumference, and separated from Tavai Poenammoo by a strait of trifling width, and containing many islands or rocks. The north point of Eahei No Mauwee is in lat. 34 deg. 24 min. south ; long. 173 deg. east ; and the south point of Stewart's Island in lat. 47 deg. 20 min. south ; long. 167 deg. 40 min. east. We anchored in the Bay of Islands on the north- east coast of Eahei No Mauwee, and 80 miles from the north point. This is one of the finest and most spacious bays ever beheld, being, in so far as respects the mere aspect, greatly superior to Port Jackson itself ; but no part of it affords a harbour equally safe. It contains a great num- ber of ramifications, or arms of the sea, some of which extend far into the land, and are beautifully studded with islands that conduce greatly to the general effect ; and when during a calm the land is reflected from the placid surface of the water, the scene is one that far surpasses any of the pros- pects in the vicinity of the Australian capital. If the views, in the present neglected state of the place, are often fine, what may we not expect when the country becomes colonized and culti- MOUNTAINS. ' 147 vated ? I do not mean to imply that the land where we anchored is remarkable for its scenery, the most interesting prospects being farther up the inlets or rivers ; but even on the shores of the bay itself, cultivation will soon cause a wonderful change. There are two streams which fall into the bay, one is the Wye Catte, the other is named the Cower-Cower ; and rivulets are also found. New Zealand may be considered, on the whole, a mountainous country, some part of it rising to a considerable elevation, particularly on Tavai Poenammoo, where the mountains are very lofty, and, as viewed from the sea, constitute an ex- tremely bold feature in the landscape. This was particularly observable from the ship while near White Island - a curious volcano on that coast. At the Bay of Islands the surface is more com- monly undulating, though approaching occasionally to the alpine. There did not appear to be any forests of consequence near the bay, but much of the land is concealed by brushwood or fern, while the gullies, or ravines, are filled with a variety of trees that form an almost impenetrable wilder- ness. Nor is there any level land on its shores — not even a few acres, except in one or two places, where a small patch of very trifling extent may be discerned. The soil is extremely rich, both close to the water and upon eminences of considerable L 2 148 THE NATIVES. height, and apparently adapted for all the purposes of husbandry, but we found no grass. Of the natives we saw many, and they are with justice considered a fine race of people, being well formed, athletic, and active. One of them, who came to England in the same ship with myself, although, for a New Zealander, by no means a powerful man, gave us a specimen of his strength, and at the same time convinced the crew that he was not to be annoyed with impunity, for he lifted one of them by the heels, and then knocked his head against the anchor. If the man had not been rescued, either his head or the anchor would have sustained some material injury. They were all, in a greater or less degree, tattooed^ — the chiefs, however, much more so than the others; and some of them carry this to such an extent, that the countenance seemed to have been marked in every pore. In most of them the face and the rear had alone been tatooed ; indeed the latter was fre- quently far more elaborately ornamented than the former, and the effect w^as so ludicrous as to excite our mirth, in which the people themselves joined, though well aware of the cause of it. Some of them had long hair, while in others it was short and curly; they took little trouble in dressing it. The women, if I may be allowed to judge from those we saw, are not worthy of the praises that CANNIBALS. 149 have been bestowed upon their beauty ; the only really good-looking young female among them was the offspring of an Englishman, (I abuse the name) and a native. I had always been led to believe the New Zea- landers were extremely brave, and was therefore not a little disappointed, when informed on the spot, that they do not possess the courage attri- buted to them by the early navigators ; and that so far from engaging openly and fairly, they are in the habit of attacking their enemies by surprise. They talk of battles as if they were nothing but a pastime or recreation, and they certainly appear to be always warring with each other ; but we were told that not unfrequently, when they pretend they are going to slay and devour their enemies, their arms have been miraculously converted into pota- toes, and their implacable foes into a marvellous herd of fine hogs, both of which were cooked and consumed without compunction by the soi-disant combatants ; or, to speak more soberly, they had gone to meet another and friendly tribe, in order to have a feast. I take it for granted they sometimes display their martial ardour, as we hear of sanguinary encoun- ters, in which the amount of the slain is rather considerable, furnishing to the victors a plentiful though horrible banquet. All voyagers unite in believing these people to 150 CANNIBALS. be anthropophagi, but they have not been proved to be so from any absolute predilection for human flesh. It is supposed they believe, (and as many of their theological opinions are well known, the conjecture is probably a correct one) that if the body of an enemy be devoured, his soul will pass into everlasting fire, there to be tormented to the end of time ; but if interred with all due formality, it will be received into a habitation more congenial to it. Even granting this not to be the fact, those persons who have been most among them, and who had opportunities of studying their character, assert most positively, that in eating an enemy whom they have slain, they are persuaded they will become possessed of the valour and abilities of the defunct. Cook observes, that among other reasons which he had heard assigned for the prevalence of this horrible custom, the want of animal food was one ; but how far this is deducible from facts or circum- stances, must be left for those to find out who advanced it. In every part of New Zealand where he had been, fish was in such plenty that the na- tives caught as much as served themselves and his crew. They had also plenty of dogs ; nor was there any want of wild fowl, which they know very well how to kill : so that neither this nor the want of food of any kind can be the reason. If such was Cook's opinion sixty years since. CANNIBALS. 151 it is not likely that at the present time, when in addition to fish and fern root, the natives have abundance of potatoes, maize, and pork, they would eat human flesh from preference. '' Human flesh," remarks one of our best historians, '' was never used as common food in any country ; and the various relations concerning people who reckoned it among the stated means of subsis- tence, flow from the credulity and mistakes of travellers." The most strange instance of cannibalism known to exist, is that practised by the Battas, a nation of Summatra ; their anthropophagism however is judicial, for they do not eat their enemies, but only those condemned to death for some crime. In one respect the New Zealanders must be more humane than those miscreants, as they never wan- tonly inflict pain, putting the victim to death at once, instead of employing the revolting mode, common with the Battas, of cutting up a human being in such a manner as to avoid, so long as possible, injuring a vital part. For my own part, I must still maintain that there is no proof of any nation being naturally can- nibals ; although, from constantly indulging in a vindictive feeling towards their foes, they may not only have overcome the repugnance usually felt by mankind to eat human flesh, but even to have contracted a liking for it. 152 FONDNESS FOR WAR. War is said to be almost as natural to mortals as peace ; if we may form an opinion from the pugnacious disposition of the South Sea Islanders, it is far more so, peace of any duration being scarcely known to exist among them ; for the transient intervals during which they are not actually engaged in warfare, are for the most part occupied in concocting some act of aggression ; and although their conflicts may not often be san- guinary, they are very frequent. Rousseau tells us, that great eaters of flesh are commonly cruel, and cites as an example the bar- barity of the English ; by a parity of reasoning the New Zealanders, who, before the introduction of pigs, fed principally upon roots, shell-fish, and other fish, ought to have been remarkable for the suavity and softness of their manners, unless the circumstance of their occasionally eating an enemy may be supposed to have had the effect of render- ing them otherwise. Whatever their fare may be, whether fish or flesh, they are notorious for ferocity, treachery, and revenge ; and are never to be trusted as a body, unless when the weaker party. They are also great thieves, (which, ac- cording to the authority of a celebrated writer, I think Lord Kames, is the case with all islanders,) crafty, and idle, considering time of no value. For the '' Indian weed" they betray as great a penchant as the New Hollanders, pipes and tobacco BARTER. PROVISIONS. 153 constituting a considerable article of barter ; but gunpowder and muskets have of late become somewhat reduced in value, although still ex- changed to great advantage, by the whites,, for provisions, etc. The pigs roam where they please, and the flavour of the pork is sufficient to tempt an Israelite, while the potatoes are of such fine quality as to be esteemed not inferior to the best in England. These are sown in holes made with a stick, as the land does not go through any prepa- ration by the hoe or spade, the soil being of so friable a nature that very frequently the hand alone is used. The holes are not more than three inches in depth, and the earth is raised to the same height above the surface of the ground. When gathered they are placed on stands, or platforms, raised ten or twelve feet, on which they are heaped up, and loosely covered with fern. Experience has shown that the best way to pre- serve the potatoes is to admit a free current of air ; hence the reason why they are so exposed ; besides which, the rats cannot get at them when in such an elevated situation : potatoes are seldom sown twice on the same spot. Dogs are now seldom eaten, nor does it appear they ever were an important article of diet. If they go on increasing as they have done of late, the settlers and missionaries will find it difficult to secure their sheep from them. 154 VILLAGES. CUSTOMS. The natives construct their huts with pecuhar neatness ; and their mats furnish a convincing proof, that with so much natural ingenuity, they would soon excel in many manufactures if tutored. They die the mats with the sap of different plants. Their canoes are the largest I have seen, some of them being 100 feet in length by 12 or 15 in breadth ; the body is formed of a single tree, but the ends are added, and highly carved or orna- mented. Most of the villages are placed in situations not easily accessible to an enemy without his being observed. Kororadica, off which we anchored in order to be near the watering place, is an excep- tion, as it extends along the beach, and, except in front, is surrounded by eminences. Small as the village is, it is ruled by three chiefs, each of whom reigns over his particular portion : these possess the place by right of conquest, having ex- pelled a tribe that now resides farther up the bay, and in a much better situation. I learnt but Httle of their customs^ that is not already known to the generality of readers, and shall therefore only notice the way in which they dispose of their dead. The body being put into a box, or coffin, is then secured on a stand, or on * One of the most singular is the following. They will neither eat nor drink, nor will they permit any one else to do so, within their habitations : all meals must be taken outside. INTERMENT. 155 the lower branch of a tree, where it remains un- til quite decayed ; after which the bones are buried with much ceremony ; but on particular occasions a hut is erected, in which the body is placed in a sitting posture, with the most valuable property of the deceased ; the ground is then tabooed, so that no native dare approach it, nor can any foreigner do so with impunity. The captain of a vessel informed me that he once looked into a hut of this description, not being aware at the time that a tabooed spot was held so sacred. There were in it three skeletons, and judging from the property left with them, he supposed them to be the remains of persons of some consequence. His curiosity cost him a disturbance with the natives, and a good sum of money to boot. I was informed also that the body is sometimes elevated to a certain height from the ground, after which any native who passes the spot, throws a piece of wood, or a branch, beneath the corpse. Of the climate of New Zealand the reports are highly favourable, and from the concurrent testi- mony of persons who are conversant with it, there is every reason to believe they are correct. Diseases do not seem numerous ; of these, con- sumption is considered the most fatal, and carries off great numbers of the youth of both sexes. There are some excellent harbours in the island. 156 NATIVE MAP. the principal of which appears to be Southern Port, fifteen miles in length, but of no great width ; the shores are described as rocky and bold, with here and there a sandy beech. From a curious map or chart that I possess, delineated by a native, there must be lakes of no small extent in Eahei No Mauwee, some of which are connected by streams with the sea ; but one of the largest has no apparent outlet. They contain islands on which there are fortified villages, and from the number laid down in all directions, the population of this part of New Zealand must be considerable. Many of the bays and inlets are indicated with an accuracy I should not have ex- pected in an untaught savage, and it is this exact- ness with respect to the coast, that induces me to believe he may also be correct, with regard to the interior. The chart chiefly takes in the Thames, or Ee How Rackey, and the country to some distance inland, or to the south-west. Stewart's Island differs essentially from the other two, and the sealers who frequent it say it rains there nine months in the year. Emus and wild dogs are said to have been found upon it, as also a bird resembling our hen pheasant, but it was unable to fly. The seal frequents the creeks and bays, ** and has been observed three miles inland," at least so says my informant, who INTERCOURSE WITH EUROPEANS. 157 passed two months there, during which period they killed 300, and procured from them a large quantity of oil. The timber i« not equal to that on the other islands ; the soil is greatly inferior, and the climate bad. The New Zealanders are rapidly becoming dete- riorated by their intercourse with Europeans ! This is caused principally by a number of convicts who have escaped from the colonies, and now reside in the islands ; as also by men who have deserted from vessels, and are little, if at all, better than the convicts. It may easily be con- ceived how much immorality must be imbibed from a set of convicted felons, who are far greater savages than the islanders themselves, though the last are pagans and cannibals. Several of these runaways reside at Kororadica, where they realize money by purchasing spirits from the merchant vessels that put into the bay, and then retailing them to the crews of the whalers. One of the most noted of them is a fellow named Poyner, most likely an assumed name, who has married a native, and is the father of the good-looking young female to whom I have alluded. A New Zealand woman wears two mats, one over the shoulders and reaching below the waist, and the other secured round the waist and de- scending to the feet. To deprive her of the first f 158 SUMMARY PUNISHMENT. is looked upon as a mark of sufficient degradation, but to uncover her entirely is considered a most humiliating punishment. The above ruffian tore off, in my presence, the upper mat from his wife, and then threatened to expose her completely, at the same time giving her a severe beating. In a place where neither laws nor regulations exist, it was out of my power to interfere except by inter- ceding for the unfortunate creature, which, as might have been expected, was of no avail. To my great contentment, although doubtless much against the will of the fellow himself, he once got a chastisement on board an American vessel that he will most probably remember for some time to come. He had gone on board for some purpose, and while there misconducted himself, for which the captain, previous to turning him out of the ship, inflicted on him a sound flogging. I honour the American for his act of summary justice, and wish the commanders of our vessels would follow so good an example. With reference to the aversion entertained by the women to exhibiting their persons, I have seen sketches in which they are represented in nearly a state of nudity ; but while at the Bay of Islands I did not observe one who Vvas not clothed from the throat to the feet ; that an improper ex- posure is considered degrading I had ocular proof CONDUCT OF CONVICTS. 159 in the above instance ; besides which, a well informed person, who had passed some time among them, informed me that such was actually the case. The missionaries make sad complaints of the bad conduct of the men to whom I have alluded, with whom they should commence their labours instead of which the New Zealanders, as do the few respectable merchants who are settled at the Bay of Islands ; but they possess no power of pre- venting them from following evil incUnations, their authority extending no farther than their own thresholds. Nor is it believed that the resident or consul (he had not arrived when I w^as in the bay) will be able to assist them unless accompanied by a detachment of soldiers, which, by all ac- counts, is not likely to be the case. Yet without some aid I cannot perceive of what utility his office will be, as his authority will be rendered altogether nugatory, if he is not furnished with the means of enforcing coercive measures with the convicts, etc. ; and if troops were sent, I fear it would soon provoke a fracas with the natives. By offering to the chiefs a reward of tobacco, powder, or any article that is prized, they would, in a very short time, capture and deliver up the whole of the runp,ways. It must be confessed that these vagabonds are 160 CREWS OF WHALERS, not the only cause of the demoralization of the natives, for the crews of the whalers (there were seven in that bay) conduce almost equally to effect it, although in a different way, I witnessed on board of one of their ships a scene which baffles all description, and made me fancy myself amongst the most riotous of those worthies the Buccaneers ! The number of females (natives) equalled or sur- passed that of the crew ; and the sounds of revelry and licentious riot which pervaded the vessel, would have astounded Morgan, Van Graff, Van Horn, or any other of the renowned freebooters. Whalers are ever a lawless race ; after the hard- ships and privations of a cruise of perhaps four or five months, it is natural to suppose they must be glad of a little relaxation when they go into port to refit ; but instead of indulging themselves mo- derately and rationally, they rush at once into the very vortex of the most boisterous mirth and dissi- pation, and the lord of misrule reigns paramount amongst them. I shall not exceed the limits of truth in stating, that the infernal orgies of these men resembled more the unholy mysteries of the ancient worshippers of Bacchus, than the sober enjoyments of Christians ; and the reader will readily agree with me that such persons are not likely to improve the morals of a nation of bar- barians. CRIMES OF THE CONVICTS. 161 I have not the slightest intention of attempting to make the reader believe that the crews of the whalers are to be even compared, in point of moral turpitude, with the convicts, or whatever they call themselves, of Kororadica, for their faults are ex- ceeding venial when compared with the crimes of such villains ; but by teaching the New Zealan- ders to drink, and encouraging their women to lead a life of infamy, the example they set is equally pernicious in its effect upon their minds ; with this excuse, if an excuse can be alleged, that the faults of the sailors are more the result of that hilarity and thoughtlessness peculiar to those, the principal portion of whose lives is passed in a constant suc- cession of hardship, and whose time for pleasure or recreation is necessarily brief; but the crimes of the convicts are of a far deeper die, and arise from a settled principle of brutality and baseness, inherent in some, familiar to all of them : they are men whose minds are sunk to the lowest grade of vileness. I was greatly amused with an observation which occurs in a recent publication, stating that '* to the crews of the whalers we are indebted for having, in a manner, civilized the hardy is- landers !" It is, indeed, '* in a manner," but not quite the right one. If proper means were adopted to reclaim the M 162 MISSIONARIES. New Zealanders, a point under existing circum- stances not very easy to accomplish, we have no reason to doubt of their becoming eventually a people of some consideration, as the country pos- sesses advantages which ought to enable them to hold a respectable situation among the nations of the earth : it has materials for building ships, a salubrious climate, a fertile soil, and the coasts swarm with fish ; and, finally, the three islands contain an area of nearly 100,000 square miles, which is more than equal to that of Great Britain. Whether the missionaries have conferred a benefit on the islanders or not, with respect to intellectual attainments, I will not venture to afiirm or deny ; there being so many difierent sentiments upon this subject, I would rather de- cline giving an opinion. They have a neat, and rather pretty little village ; and 1 understand a good many children are taught to read and write, which can scarcely be of equal utility with some of the handicraft trades. One thing is quite certain, namely, that no adult native has hitherto been converted, which may possibly arise from the circumstance of the missionaries '* trying," as Kotzebue remarks, '' to make christians of them before they make them mm." More than one New Zealander has de- manded a musket, or blanket, for listening to a BRIEF REMARKS. 163 missionary, and declined to attend because re- fused a reward. This reminds me of the Coobd in Anastasius, who chose to become a catholic while rice was distributed, but when the supply ceased, cried out '* no pilaff, no pope !" There are about 150 Europeans in the islands, including children, (the missionaries in particular have large families) , and some of them have pur- chased land of the chiefs, with the view of culti- vating flax, and of supplying shipping with pro- visions, spars, and plank. It has been supposed that the flax is not adapted for cordage, as the rope is very liable to unlay, and is easily broken ; but it will be useful for many other purposes : indeed, many persons are of opinion, that the flax brought to this country had not been properly pre- pared, and that it will eventually be found to answer perfectly well. In the above brief and desultory observations I have referred to no work of any kind, for, as I have already stated, it was not my intention to give a regular description of New Zealand, but simply to notice it as connected with the Austra- lian Colon V. M 2 CHAPTER IV. ABORIGINES OF AUSTRALIA OBSERVATION ON THEM BY DAMPIER EXTRAORDINARY INSTANCES OP DELUSION CRUEL TREAT- MENT OP A SHEPHERD BY A TRIBE UNFEELING CONDUCT OP THE WHITES CUSTOMS OF THE WOLLOMBI NATIVES — SUPER- STITIOUS IMPRESSIONS — WARS — NATIVES AT MORETON BAY COWAKRWEL BLACKS — THE KABARRAH WEAPONS DIFFI- CULTY OF RECLAIMING THE NATIVES — SAID TO BE CANNIBALS —THEIR LANGUAGE — ANIMALS OP NEW HOLLAND WONDERFUL TENACITY OF LIFE DISPLAYED BY THE NATIVE DOG — VARIOUS KINDS OF THE KANGAROO — REPTILES, BIRDS, INSECTS, VEGE- TATION RAPIDITY OF THE GROWTH OF TREES CLIMATE—- HOT WINDS DESTRUCTIVE FIRES DROUGHT. The aborigines of New Holland are a singular race, and very different from the savages of the other South Sea Islands ; and as little is known in England of their habits or customs, the reader may possibly derive some information from the follow- ing observations. Their hair is not woolly, nor is it always frizzled, for I have seen it long and straight ; the nose is ABORIGINES OF NEW HOLLAND, ETC. 165 flat, the nostrils expanded, the lips thick, and mouth wide. They are of good height, and with the exception of their limbs being somewhat too slender, they are sufficiently well formed. In some, the complexion is black as that of the negro ; in others it approaches nearer to that of a mulatto. As their habits are migratory, so are their habita- tions temporary, being constructed of pieces of bark^ or branches of trees, wherewith an oven- shaped hut is made, six or eight feet in diameter, and of about the same height : in this they repose in a sitting posture with their knees against the chin. Natural deformity is very rarely met with, and most of them retain their teeth, in all their perfec- tion to the last. Of those on the north-west coast Dampier re- marks : "The inhabitants of this country are the most miserable people in the world ; the Hottentots compared with them are gentlemen ! They have no houses, animals, nor poultry ; their persons are tall, straight bodied, thin, with long limbs ; they have great heads, round foreheads, and great brows ; their eyelids are always half closed to keep the flies out of their eyes, (for they are so troublesome here that no fanning will keep them from one's face,) so that, from their infancy, they never open their eyes as some people do, and therefore they ]66 MANNERS AND CUSTOMS. cannot see far unless they hold up their heads, as if they were looking at something over them. They have great bottle-noses, full lips, wide mouths ; the two fore-teeth of the upper-jaw are wanting in all of them ; neither have they any beard. Their hair is short, black, and curled ; and their skins coal- black, like that of the negroes in Africa. Their only food is fish ; they consequently search for them at low water, making little weirs or dams, with stones, across the coves of the sea. They have neither boats nor canoes !" This is not a very flattering portrait, but it seems to be correct ; it does not however apply to those in New South Wales, at least so far as regards the flies. At Swan River, the natives (they have already been noticed) are extremely inimical to the Euro- peans, and have murdered several persons, besides destroying a greater number of sheep. When I was there soon after the formation of the settle- ment, we found them friendly and quiet, nor did I hear of a single act of aggression on their part ; the only way therefore of accounting for the bad feel- ing which now exists between them and the settlers, is by supposing they must have been ill-used, or that some misunderstanding has taken place. Of their customs not much appeared to be known ; one however is singular, as it prevails on the east SUPERSTITION. 167 coast upwards of 2,000 miles distant. They in- variably destroy an individual of a neighbouring tribe whenever one of their own tribe has paid the debt of nature ! This has been absurdly attributed to the circumstance of Providence having decreed the final destruction or extinction of all the people in this part of New Holland ; as if we have any right to suppose Providence capable of an act of such ab- solute supererogation as that of creating a race of human beings merely to destroy them*. Those I saw were naked, and, some of them, painted ; and their disfiguring themselves by thrusting a bone through the septum of the nose, and adorning their heads with feathers, is a practice which I under- stand prevails along the whole western coast : on the eastern it is very common. There is no particular difference between the natives of that part of New Holland south of Swan River on the West, and of Shoal Haven on the east coast ; their arms are much the same, though there appears some distinction in their tomahawks and knives, if they can be so termed. These will be noticed in their proper place. * Whan any friend of the Pampas Indians dies before he has reached the natural term of hfe (which is unusual) they believe that some enemy has prevailed upon the evil spirit to kill him, and assemble to determine who this enemy can be. They then de- nounce war against the supposed culprit. 168 SUPERSTITION. At Shoal Haven River there occurred, some years since, so curious an instance of superstition, that it may be worthy of mention. Three natives per- suaded a convict servant to accompany them in search of cedar, an ornamental and useful wood that is found in this part of the country. The man, naturally expecting no treachery was intended, as he, in common with others, had been accustomed to such expeditions, set off with them without hesi- tation — for the blacks, being much better ac- quainted with the localities, save both time and trouble to those who have occasion to penetrate into the ** bush." The guides, watching a favour- able opportunity, pushed him over a precipice, and he was killed upon the spot. One of them then cut out his tongue, and ate it, in the supposition that as he had eaten the tongue of a white man, he would in consequence be enabled to speak English ! I readily grant this is somewhat marvellous ; but there is not the smallest reason to doubt the word of the gentleman who related the circumstance to me. He added, that the body was subsequently found, and one of the blacks described the cause and manner of the murder*. * According to Marco Polo the Tartars had a custom, that when a stranger of good appearance happened to lodge with them, they used to kill him in the night, believing that the good quali- HORRIBLE PRACTICE. 169 At certain times of the year, numerous blacks are seen at and in the neighbourhood of Sydney, who are the most wretched in appearance of any I have met with ; nor will this excite surprise, when it is considered that they learn to drink, and also to become idle, depending entirely upon the charity of the whites for food, and neglecting during their stay among them, all those active habits to which they have been accustomed. These people are never permitted to enter the town unless clothed. During my excursion to Lake George, I saw very few natives ; there was no marked distinction be- tween them and those scattered over the other parts of the colony. Every one must be aware that savages, when depending upon the chase for subsistence, some- times suffer greatly from famine, and in conse- quence do not hesitate to destroy their newborn children ; but this is an act of necessity, and if done by the New Hollanders, is done by them in common with others. I was told that the natives about ties of the murdered person would afterwards devolve to the inha- tants of the house ! It is, I suppose, to this custom that Butler alludes when he says " A wild Tartar, when he spies A man that's handsome, valiant, wise ; If he can kill him, thinks t' inherit His wit, his beauty, and his spirit." 170 HORRIBLE PRACTICE. Lake George were in the habit of having recourse to this horrible practice. They have also a custom so extraordinary that I should have hesitated to mention it, if it had not been related to me by a gentleman well acquainted with them. He said he had seen them bleed themselves with a bit of flint or a shell, and allow the blood to flow into a sort of dish made of bark ; the latter was then placed upon the warm embers, until its contents were somewhat dried: the blood was then eaten! If this was not borrowing from Peter to pay Paul, I know not what is. May not this strange practice be some superstitious ceremony ? 1 heard also that the native women, both in this part of the colony, and elsewhere, sometimes put their children to death, in order that they may be enabled to suckle the whelps of the dogs, by which they are invariably accompanied. This idea is so monstrous that I do not believe it ; but that they do frequently suckle the whelps is well known to be the case. Near Bathurst I fell in with from 100 to 200 natives, who appeared to be on excellent terms with the colonists ; but some serious disturbances had taken place a few years before, when many of them were killed. Discovering afterwards that it was in vain to contend with their antagonists they became quiet, and have remained so ever since. NATIVE LANGUAGE. 171 The following is a specimen of their native language, and my reason for inserting it is, its being the best specimen of a native idiom that I was able to pro- cure. The words are spelt as nearly as possible ac- cording to the pronunciation — Boongoo . . Squirrel. Warranlung . Snake. WiUee . . . Opossum. Mallongong . Platypus. Wamboa . . . Kangaroo. Werrumba . Tortoise. Begarra . . . Old ditto. Norong . . Emu. Wondeelee , Porcupine. f^T .. Curragonbullong . Bullock. Cambull . 1 Native • • I Turkey. Jambuck . . Sheep. L •' Toontoo , . Black Swan. Woamboarabang . Wild Duck Miree . . . . Native Dog. BuUterrasera . . Plover. Mill . . . . Eyes. Pallang . . Head. Nang . . . . Mouth. Moro . . . . Nose. Woota . . . Ears. Erang . . . . Teeth. Ketar . . . . Hair. Yeran . . . Chin. Tairong . . . Legs. Tommal . . . Arms. Gunna . . . Shoulder. Tinnoung . . Feet. Berrin . . . Breast. Tallin . . . Tongue. Yelen . . . . Side. Moura , . Fingers. Eramang . . . Horse Younoun . . . :£lbow. While in the Bathurst country, I witnessed a Corrobborey, or meeting between two hostile par- ties^, and for some time entertained an idea that they were only amusing themselves ; in fact, after * A Corrobborey, however, does not always imply a hostile meeting. 172 INTOXICATION. all their trouble, it was not very evident which party got the best, though it was quite so that two individuals got the worst of it, one of them having hig head broken, and the other his leg. The disputants afterwards separated, and re- turned to their respective districts, with as much unconcern (the wounded of course excepted) as if nothing had happened. If thickness of skull would enable a person to bear a large quantity of liquor, these aborigines might out-do the toper of yore, who directed that it might be inscribed upon his tomb what an enor- mous portion of wine he could swallow ; but the maudlin native of New Holland becomes intoxicat- ed by a vulgar beverage made in the most simple manner possible. A bag, in which sugar has been imported from the Mauritius, and made of the leaves of a particular kind of tree that grows in the island, is steeped in water, by which means all the saccharine matter is extracted, forming a decoction of sugar, (there is no reason for sup- posing the bag itself has any effect on the beverage,) and with this simple drink the native soon be- comes in that state in which men Uke to be who love their wine. This however general it may be at and about Sydney, is not so throughout the colony ; for I neither saw, nor heard, that the natives at Lake A COMPARISON. 173 George, Bathurst, and in other parts of the in- terior, were addicted to inebriation. This may possibly arise from their not having the opportu- nity, as I have never met with an uncivilized people who would not indulge, if any intoxicating drink were placed in their way. It was during my rambles from the Wollombi to Liverpool Plains that I saw more of the natives than in all my excursions ; and certainly what I did see of them by no means inspired me with a very high opinion of their intellect or general habits. Speak- ing of them collectively, it must be confessed I entertain very little more respect for the aborigines of New Holland, than for the ourang-outang ; in fact, I can discover no great difference. In com- paring them, however, with this animal, I make the similitude only in so far as their general habits are considered ; and in selecting the Simia Troglo- dytes, I cannot think an injustice is done them ; at least if we are to believe BufFon, who affirms that he saw one so trained, or rather educated (which, as far as my recollection carries me, was his expression), that he would use a knife and fork, or napkin ; take wine with a person, and, when invited to take tea, would bring a cup and «aucer, put in sugar, pour out the tea, and^allow it to cool before he drank it ; in short, he is stated to have conducted himself at table with as much 174 A COMPARISON. propriety as any individual of the genus Homo ! If this be true, it would certainly have put to the blush the whole race of New Hollanders, for he says (BufFon, not the ourang-outang) that the above mentioned individual was likewise very cleanly in its habits. Now those of the natives of this country are filthy beyond conception, espe- cially in their mode of eating. They take, for example, an opossum, deprive the creature of its fur, and then, when just warmed over a fire, tear it to pieces and devour it, in very nearly a raw state, giving the entrails to their wives. There is something peculiarly disgusting in observing them while eating, nevertheless I could not refrain from laughing when I thought of the contrast between them, and a fat citizen while swallowing his turtle. The ourang-outang is represented to be of a grave appearance, and melancholy disposition, disinclined to frolic even when young. This is not exactly the case with the New Hollanders ; but the former is certainly a '^ mere animal," and Lord Monboddo says that man in *' a state of nature" is nothing more I The comparison, therefore, between Homo and Simla is, in this instance, clearly in favour of the former. We found the Wollombi natives very friendly towards us, but they seemed to have taken a much greater liking to some swine belonging to the SWINE STOLEN. 175 gentlemen with whom I was staying ; of these they slew several, and were bearing them off in triumph, when to their extreme dissatisfaction, not to say dismay, the superintendant made all possible haste in pursuit with his establishment of dogs. One of these sable stealers of pork was driven into a tree, and another was fairly run down and brought to bay, crying out all the time in a most unbecoming manner ; an evident proof that he did not belong to the sect of the stoics. The superintendant took great care that the dogs did them no injury, his object being only to frighten the depredators ; and, having recaptured his pigs and secured the spolia opina in the shape of two spears, he wisely retired ; his retreat being per- haps accelerated by the warlike appearance of the tribe, who began to brandish their arms, and to show symptoms of a sudden enlargement of their " organs of destructiveness." A neighbouring tribe killed, in 1830, more than 100 sheep belonging to a settler who has a farm near WoUombi ; they then bound the shep- herd hand and foot, left him upon an ant's nest (a bed that Guatimozin himself would not have envied him), and then departed. The man was rescued before he had sustained any injury, and most fortunately for him, for these ants sting and Mte in a way that would astonish any one, as I 176 LAW OF RETALIATION. know from experience, having twice suffered from their attacks, to my great annoyance, for many days afterwards. The large black ant can cause a pain almost as acute as that of a wasp ! A party of soldiers, or dismounted police, were sent after the offenders, of whom they killed several. In case of any serious affray with the blacks, it really would appear to be the most judicious plan, to make upon them at once, a strong im- pression ; for if only one or two be killed, the sole effect is to instigate them to revenge their com- panions, whereby a series of murders on both sides is the consequence 1 At the same time actual necessity alone can justify the destruction of these poor creatures ; nor should the trifling circumstance of stealing a pig, or a sheep, be admitted as an excuse. But on the other hand, they should not be permitted to harrass the settlers with impunity : we have taken possession of their country, and are determined to keep it ; if, therefore, they destroy the settlers or their property, they must expect that the law of retaliation will be put in force, and that reprisals will be committed upon them- selves. This has rarely been the case, as they have been wantonly butchered ; and some of the Christian (?) whites consider it a pastime to go out and shoot them. 1 questioned a person from Port Stephens concerning the disputes with BRUTALITY, 177 the aborigines of that part of the colony, and asked him, if he, or any of his companions, had ever come into colHsion with them, as I had heard there prevailed much enmity between the latter and the people belonging to the estabhsh- ment ? His answer was, '* Oh we used to shoot them like fun !" It would have been a satisfac- tion to have seen such a heartless ruffian in an archery ground with about a score of expert archers at a fair distance from him, if only to witness how well he would personify the repre- sentations of St. Sebastian, This man was a shrewd mechanic, and had been some years at Port Stephens : if such people consider the life of a black of so little value, how is it to be won- dered at, if the convicts entertain the same opi- nion ? It is to be hoped that the practice of shoot- ing them is at an end, but they are still sub- jected to annoyance from the stock-keepers, who take their women and do them various injuries besides. Some of the customs of those near the Wol- iombi are brutal in the most extensive sense of the word 1 One of their dances commenced by great adorning of their heads with feathers, etc., after which they formed a circle round four women, and then began dancing. The women were on their knees, and threw their heads about as if 178 NATIVE nANCE. knocking them against the ground ; at intervals they threw up their heels, like an animal when kicking, the whole party, at the same time, yelling in concert in the most hideous manner im- aginable, and with as much regularity as if a master had been at hand to direct them. After this had continued some time, the women raised themselves on their hands and feet, the men still dancing round them, and accompanying their movements by the most libidinous gestures ! The remainder of the dance was far too disgusting to bear a description. Few of the feelings, which are so commonly shown by other nations towards their kindred, seem to exist among these savages : fathers and sons frequently fight and the latter often deprive the former of their gins,^^ (not their own mothers,) and other property. All the tribes procure their wives by treachery, and always from some other tribe : on these occasions the unhappy woman is often most dreadfully beaten. Amongst many superstitious notions is a great dislike to being called by the same name as a person who is dead ; nor do they even like to hear the name of a dead man mentioned, as they believe he will rise and lay hold of them : they * These are not the gin, jin, or genii of the Mahometans, but the wives of the New Hollanders. MODE OF BURIAL. 179 have moreover no taste for graves, not liking at all to approach one, particularly at night ! In an affray that took place on the Wollombi between two tribes, four men and two women of the Comleroy tribe were slain ; they were buried at a very pretty spot in the following manner. The bodies of the men were placed on their backs in the form of a cross, head to head, each bound to a pole by bandages round the neck, middle, knees, and ancles, the pole being behind the body ; the two women had their knees bent up and tied to the neck, while their hands were bound to their knees; they were then placed so as to have their faces down- wards : in fact, they were literally packed up in two heaps of earth, each of the form of a cone, about three feet high, and rather removed from the cross ; for their idea of the inferiority of the women will not allow^ them to be interred with the men. The neatness and precision observed with respect to the cross and cones is very re- markable, both being raised to the same height and so smoothly raked down, that it would puzzle the nicest observer to discover the slightest inequality in the form. The trees for some dis- tance around, to the height of fifteen or twenty feet, are carved over with grotesque figures meant to represent kangaroos, emus, opossums, N 2 180 MODE OF BURIAL. snakes, etc., with rude representations also of the different weapons they use. Round the cross they made a circle, about thirty feet in diameter, from which all rubbish was carefully removed, another was made outside the first, so as to leave a narrow interval between them: within this interval were laid pieces of bark, each piece touching the rest, in the same way that tiles do. The devil, they say, will not leap over the bark, and cannot walk under it ! Such evident pains and labour to make a place of sepulture, struck me as being not a little extraordinary in a people so very indifferent about most other matters ; but I could discover no satisfactory reason why such care had been taken of these members of their tribe. They said it was the way in which they usually buried their dead, but this practice is by no means common. Four waddies (clubs) were stuck into the earth in the centre of the cross ; and these they informed me were left in order that the deceased might have some arms, ** when they jump again," so as to be enabled to drive away the devil, and prevent him from taking them again into the earth ! It would appear from this that they have some idea of a future state ; but it is difficult to be- lieve all that is said by those who have con- THEOLOGICAL IDEAS. 181 versed with them respecting this point. Several creditable persons have informed me that the natives imagine they will he happier in a future state than at present, as they are to ** jump up" white men, and to possess all the comforts which they see us enjoy, with plenty to eat and drink, and eternal sunshine to keep them warm ! If this be true, their theological ideas must be of recent formation, or have experienced some sud- den change. I have somewhere read of four convicts who escaped from Sydney in 1790, and were found four or five years afterwards at Port Stephens, having lived in the interim with the aborigines. The account stated that the convicts spoke in high terms of their pacific and gentle manners. It is remarkable that these people believed the whites were some of their ancestors who had fallen in battle, and returned from the sea to revisit them; in consequence of this they held them in high respect. One native was convinced that he had iden- tified his father in the person of one of the run- aways, and conducted the man to the spot where the body of his parent had been burnt. When informed that great numbers of people existed in other parts of the world, they said they must be the spirits of their country- 182 STRANGE BELIEF. men, which, after death, had migrated to other dimes. Having once asked a " wild man" why they so much dreaded the devil — devil (as they term him) and the place to which he would convey them ? His answer was — * ' Because he would carry them to a very cold place, where they would never see the sun, and be detained in a state of hunger and cold, from whence there would be no release."^ If they really acknowledge a Supreme Being, a point never ascertained, it is not unlikely they may entertain notions concerning him similar to those prevalent among the negroes on the coast of Africa, who do not fear the Almighty, be- cause, being perfectly good, and from his nature beneficent, he is by consequence averse to inflict an injury; but are in no little dread of the devil, as they believe him to be naturally male- volent, and inclined to harm them. For this reason they think it requisite to propitiate him by sacrifices. A multitude of instances might be adduced of the awe in which uncivilized na- tions stand of the devil ; the following, however, will suffice: — The Hottentots oflered sacrifice to a mahgnant deity in order to soften his temper, * Mahomet also taught that the wicked, when in hell, would be tormented by intense heat and extreme cold. SACRIFICES TO SATAN. 183 or assuage his wrath; but not to the good, as they are of opinion he never does mischief. In the Friendly Islands the natives try more to con- ciliate the evil genius, as he is supposed to inflict diseases. Some of the Kurds, or Koords, likewise worship Satan (or the evil principle) . The Ame- ricans were persuaded that their good deities, prompted by the natural benevolence of their nature, would bestow every blessing in their power without solicitation or acknowledgement, and their only anxiety was to soothe and depre- cate the anger of the powers whom they regarded as the enemies of mankind. The New Zealanders, too, dread an evil being, without concerning themselves about a beneficent deity. Even Luther himself, not possessing the bold- ness of the saint of yore, feared his infernal majesty, and thought he caused thunder! Of whatever description the superstitions of the New Hollanders may be, they can hardly be more contemptible than those of other nations. The women have nothing very irresistible either in their aspect or appearance; those with whom I met being far inferior to the young Africans. Nor have they yet adopted the in- genious method of carrying their children so commonly employed in Africa. I allude to the use of the kankey, a bundle secured behind, and 184 NEW HOLLAND WOMEN. beneath the garment; upon this sits the infant, with its arms round the mother. When the seat is vacant, although somewhat considerable in its dimensions, and perhaps rather ultra-fashio- nable, it strongly reminds one of a certain ad- dition to the costume af our modern belles, which shall be nameless, but which will readily occur to the reader. Indeed, there can be little doubt that the European fair have adopted the sug- gestion from their dark-visaged sisters; and we may expect, ere long, to see our countrywomen combine the useful with the ornamental, and our rising generation taking the air a la hankey I The anly ornament that I procured was a string of kangaroo teeth worn round the head, these people resembling in this respect the Natives of Fernando Po, in which magnificent island the men pay more attention to the embelUshment of their sable bodies than the women. This is not the only particular in which they resemble the islanders; their mode of painting themselves is similar. At Fernando Po several kinds of clay were used, some of the men having their eye- brows painted white, the cheeks yellow, the upper lip red ; many were striped from head to foot, some before, others behind, and a most hideous effect it had. Now although the colour used by the Wollombi tribes was principally NATIVES OF FERNANDO PO. 185 white alone, they were painted much after the same manner. Their spears, too, were made exactly like some I brought from the African island. The most striking similarity between them is, that both employ the same monstrous plan of disfiguring the body by frightful vesicles and scars. ^''^ The blacks of Gammon Plains wear short beards, which seems an arbitrary custom, some wearing them, and others plucking out the hair by the roots. The men and children generally go quite naked ; and such is the case with most of the New Hollanders; their women, however usually have kangaroo or opossum skins thrown loosely about them, as have also the men in cold weather; indeed, they sometimes make kangaroo cloaks with no httle neatness. When about to fight, the contending parties, except where treachery is employed (which I believe does not very often occur), encamp op- posite each other. At the dawn of the following day two young men, one from each side, advance in front of their respective friends, and, after using the most opprobrious epithets to each other, mutually throw a spear, and then retire to pro- cure others, which ai'e thrown in the same * A practice common also among the Eboe people of Western Africa. 186 ORDER OF BATTLE. manner. If neither is wounded, they then com- mence a battle with the club, using sometimes an elaman, or shield, made of wood; while the women, particularly those advanced in years, who are probably more crabbed than the younger ones, excite them to the utmost. When one is worsted, another advances to succour him, and others to aid his adversary, until a general mSlee takes place, and broken heads, and sometimes bad spear wounds, are the result ; but the latter do not occur so often as might be expected. The con- quered are allowed to depart without molestation; and they will even frequently join the victors, so that a person would not know that there had been any animosity between them. There is certainly more talking than fighting in their battles, and it is, therefore, to be hoped they will some day send over a few of their people as missionaries, to convince civilized nations that it is far worse to cut the throat of a man while alive, than to eat his body when dead! I was greatly disappointed at not falling in with a tribe on Liverpool Plains ; the stock-keepers in- formed me that they had gone to war against the Never-never-blacks, who are so called because they have hitherto kept aloof from the w^hites. ' The natives on the Hunter resemble their neigh- bours in every respect. In common with all those NATIVES OF MORETON BAY. 187 tribes with which we are acquainted, they make excellent guides, when well treated ; but when hard pressed, which is sometimes the fact, when accompanying persons on horseback, who forget that a horse at a good walk goes much faster than is convenient for a man on foot, they turn sulky, and avail themselves of the first opportunity to give their employers the slip. On my arrival at Newcastle a tribe had just come in from punishing a man for some crime ; this is done by throwing a certain number of spears at him, which he wards off, if he can, with his shield ; should he fail, he is pretty certain of receiving an ugly wound or two.^ Of tattooing I met with very little, but fre- quently observed the skin much scarred, and also raised in blisters or vesicles. The natives of Moreton Bay, although of the same race as those near Sydney, differ in language, and in many of their customs, especially in not being, as it is termed, civilized ; in other words, they have not yet picked up a little bad English, learnt to get drunk, smoke tobacco, or any of the vices- so prevalent among the whites. (This definition of civilization will apply equally to the New Zea- landers.) * In Africa^ Bosman saw a negro punished in a similar manner. 188 THEIR TRIBES. It has been asserted that it is unsafe to go among them ; they have certainly murdered an officer and several other persons ; but if the real truth were known, it would, in all probability, be found that the blacks here, like those in other parts of the world, have been the injured party, and simply retaliated upon their persecutors some of the numberless wrongs experienced at their hands. In point of appearance these people are greatly superior to those in the neighbourhood of the capital, being more robust, manly, as well as healthy looking ; in respect, however, to the expression of their countenances, they do not surpass the other New Hollanders. They all go without clothing. The men of each tribe are tattooed in a peculiar manner ; this, in some in- stances, is neatly enough executed ; in others it consists solely in making a number of horrid scars, or raising the skin in blisters. The tribes commonly consist of from thirty to fifty men, women and children, each having its own particular boundaries, which are seldom passed, except at the *' corroberies," held about the period of the full moon. At this time several collect together, not unlikely from superstitious motives, though principally for the purposes of amusement. The meeting at an end, they return MIGRATORY HABITS. 189 to their respective hunting or fishing grounds, to pass which, at any other time, is considered an act of aggression, or a signal for war. Those bush-rangers, who have Uved longest with them, say their wars are of rare occurrence, short duration, seldom attended with loss of life, and, for the most part, mere sudden ebullitions of passion, evaporating in empty threats ; or, at most, a few spears are thrown, an