Volume I Part 4 (2/2)

SWAN RIVER SETTLEMENT

The Swan River Settlement, which is a portion of the colony of Western Australia, was founded in August 1829, under the auspices of the Colonial Office, Captain Stirling being the first Lieutenant-Governor

FREMANTLE

Fremantle, at the entrance of Swan River, is the sea port; and Perth, situate about nine miles inland, the seat of Government: Guildford and York are the other chief places in the colony

There is nothing very particularly inviting in the first appearance of Western Australia; dull-green-looking downs, backed by a slightly undulating range of hills, rising to nearly 2,000 feet high, are the chief natural features of the prospect Fremantle, of which it ittily said by the quartermaster of one of His Majesty's shi+ps who visited the place, ”You lass in a day,” is but a collection of lohite houses scattered over the scarce whiter sand The only conspicuous lande is the Jail: rather a singular pharos for a settlement in Australia, which boasts its unconta I afterwards induced the Governor to have white-washed, and it now forms an excellent mark to point out the river, as well as the town

(Footnote A large patch of white sand, on the coast, about three miles to the northward of Swan River, also serves as a landmark)

Shortly after our arrival, I was introduced to the Governor, Sir Jae, joined in regretting that Lieutenant Grey had not decided to come on with us The accounts we heard of the country and the natives gave us every reason to entertain but slender hopes of his success

AN INLAND LAKE

Sir James and Mr Roe, the Surveyor-General, appeared to coincide with the general opinion that a large inland lake will ultimately be discovered They had questioned many of the natives about it, who all asserted its existence, and pointed in a south-easterly direction to indicate its position Their notions of distance are, to say the least, exceedingly rude; with the is ”far away, far away” The size of this water the natives describe by saying, that if a boy co round it, by the time he finished his task he would have becoreat Australian Bight that these natives have heard of, for none we met in Western Australia pretended to have seen it? They derive their information from the eastern tribes, and under such circuue

(Footnote This much-talked-of lake, which it was the assumed labour of a life to circumambulate, was discovered in January 1843, by Messrs

Landor and Lefroy, who found it about 100 miles South-South-East fro, and about fifteenby seven and a half broad!)

The Surveyor-General had lately returned fro journey to the eastward of the capital, and reported that there existed no reasonable probability of extending the colony in that direction: he strongly recommended us to proceed at once to the north-west coast, and return again to Swan River to recruit; saying that we should find the heat there too great to reer period This course Captain Wickhaly all the stores, not absolutely required, were forthwith landed, and the shi+p made in every respect as airy as possible The 25th November was fixed for our departure, when most unfortunately Captain Wickham, while on his way to Perth, was attacked with a severe dysentery, and continued so ill that he could not be brought to the shi+p till the end of December The most that could be effected was done to improve this unavoidable delay; and our tidal observations, before coreatest rise only thirty-one inches, and here, as elsewhere on the Australian coast, we observed the remarkable pheno operations were also entered on, connecting Rottnest Island with the ers which surround it, as well as those which lie between its shores and the coast, were discovered and laid down: this survey, of great i in these waters, was ultimately completed on our subsequent visits to Swan River

That arid appearance which first meets the settler on his arrival, and to which allusion has already beento hiuine expectations of a second Paradise have been heightened by the interested descriptions of land jobbers and eents

APPROACH TO PERTH

However, when he ascends the river towards the capital, this feeling of despondency will gradually wear away; its various windings bring, to his eager and anxious eye, ht patch of park-like woodland; while the river, expanding as he proceeds, till the beautiful estuary of Melville water opens out before hinificent feature in the landscape; and the boats, passing and repassing upon its sive the aniest all the cheerful anticipations of ultimate success to the resolute adventurer

From about the centre of this lake-like piece of water, the eye first rests upon the capital of Western Australia, a large straggling village, partly concealed by the abrupt ter upon a picturesque slope on the right bank of the river, thirteenround to the picture, and the refreshi+ng seabreeze which curls the surface of Melville water every afternoon, adds to the health, no less than comfort, of the inhabitants The former inconvenience, caused by the shoal approach, and which rendered landing at loater a most uncomfortable operation, has now been remedied by the construction of a jetty

Like all the Australian rivers hich we are yet acquainted, the Swan is subject to sudden and tremendous floods, which inundate the corn lands in its vicinity, and sweep away all opposing obstacles with irresistible impetuosity

NARROW ESCAPE OF THE FIRST SETTLERS

The first settlers had a most providential escape froinally selected for the site of their new city, a low-lying piece of land, which, during the first winter after their arrival, was visited with one of these strange and unexplained invasions froe been delayed for another year, these luckless inhabitants of a neorld would have shared the fate of those to whom Noah preached in vain; but, warned in time, they chose some safer spot, from whence, in future, they and their descendants randeur of similar occurrences, and thankfully profit by the fertility and abundance which succeed to such wholesale irrigation During this, our first visit, I had no opportunity of penetrating into the country further than the Darling range: in journeying thither, we passed through Guildford, a townshi+p on the banks of the Swan, about seven miles north-east from Perth, and four froh part of the alluvial flat fringing the river, and which extends from half to one mile froined from the fact, that, in 1843, after thirteen years of successive cropping, it produced a more abundant harvest than it had done at first, without any artificial aid from ular flight of strange birds, was noticed at Guildford about the year 1833, during the tireen: they arrived in an innumerable host, and were so taeneral appearance they reseer, and quite as heavy on the wing They disappeared in the same mysterious manner as they arrived, and have never since repeated their visit Were these birds visitors froratory journey froretted that no speciht have helped to clear an interesting subject froe in ascending this range, from the alluvium near its base, to the primitive formation of which it is itself composed, is very remarkable Shells still common on the adjacent coasts were e, by one of the colonists when sinking a well In the sa that particular wavy appearance which is always noticed upon the sea beach These appearances, as well as the general aspect of the adjacent country, seem to justify the conclusion I arrived at while on the spot, that the land which now intervenes between the mountains and the shore, is a comparatively recent conquest from the sea The character of this land may be thus described: The first three es of hills, froh, of calcareous li out in such innumerable points and odd shapes as to be ale barnacle; both lurass, and thus concealed, becoreat hindrance to the pedestrian, who is constantly wounded by thees succeed sandy forest land and low hills, except on the banks of the rivulets, where a belt of alluvial soil is to be found The Darling range traverses the whole of Western Australia in a direction, generally speaking, north and south It appears to subside towards the north, and its greatest elevation is nearly 2,000 feet The cliffs of the coast at the h covered with thousands of roots, twisted together into a species of network

A SINGULAR CLIFF

A sie's Sound, so often alluded to by forators, and by the where they originally grew Bald Head was visited by Mr Darwin, in company with Captain Fitzroy, in February 1836, and his opinions upon the agencies of formation, so exactly coincide with those to which I attribute the appearances at Arthur's Head, that I cannot do better than borrow his words He says--page 537, volu to our views, the rock was for which process, branches and roots of trees, and land-shells were enclosed, theafterwards consolidated by the percolation of rain water When the wood had decayed, lime ashed into the cylindrical cavities, and became hard, sometimes even like that in a stalactite The weather is noearing away the softer rock, and in consequence the casts of roots and branches project above the surface: their resemblance to the stu them, ere sometimes at a loss to knohich were composed of wood, and which of calcareous matter”

(Footnote For more exact details the reader should consult Mr Darwin's volume on Volcanic Islands)

THE NATIVES