Volume I Part 19 (2/2)
Travertine Liular Current
Appearance of Land in the neighbourhood of Sydney
Position of Lighthouse
Entrance and first view of Port Jackson
Scenery on passing up the Harbour
Meet the Expedition bound to Port Essington
Apparent increase of Sydney
Cause of Decline
Expedition sails for Port Essington
Illawarra
Botany Bay
La Perouse's Monu
Appearance of Land near Sydney
MIAGO'S RECEPTION BY HIS COUNTRYMEN
We were considerably ao assumed towards his countrymen on our arrival, which afforded us a not uninstructive instance of the prevalence of the ordinary infirmities of our common human nature, whether of pride or vanity, universally to be e He declared that he would not land until they first came off to wait on him
Decorated with an old full-dress Lieutenant's coat, white trousers, and a cap with a tall feather, he looked upon hie, and for the whole of the first day re into each boat that left the shore for the dusky forms of so withstand the desire of display; yielding to the i, took his departure fro described it as cool on both sides, arising on the part of his friends fro from the nature of his costume, that he had abandoned his bush life Be that as it reatly to lower the pride of our hero; who through generosity (expending all histreacherously speared, soon convinced his for their confidence He did not, however, participate in the revelry then going on ast the natives at Fremantle, where, at this period of the year, they asseht in by the boats of a whaling establish an opinion that this fishery, if properly ed and free from American encroachments, would become one of thethe tireat pains to wean hie life by instilling such infor, and from his often-expressed resolutions ere led to hope a cure had been effected; great was our disappointht after our arrival, he had resust the native inhabitants of the bush To us he had been the source of great mirth, by the absurd anecdotes he sometimes related about his country the arrival of the first settlers may amuse the reader; he said, ”the shi+ps were supposed to be trees, and the cattle large dogs (the only aniaroo known to them) whose size and horns excited such alar met by a party of natives reatest terror”
STATE OF THE COLONY
It lected state of this infant colony, tothe entire period of our absence--a space of six months--there had been but one arrival there, and that not froland The solitary visitor was HMS Pelorus from the Indian station
The want of co to be felt severely, and in raver moment than mere news Many necessary articles of home manufacture or i almost unattainable: one familiar instance will illustrate at once how this state of things presses upon the comfort of the colonists; the price of yellow soap had risen to four shi+llings per pound!
OWEN'S ANCHORAGE
The usual winter anchorage in cockburn Sound, being seven miles from the town of Fremantle, the colonists were naturally very anxious to see tested the equal security of one which we had chosen within half that distance The point was fairly tried, and very satisfactorily deter the heavy weather which we experienced on the 31st of March, and 11th of June, which did not raise more sea than a boat at anchor could have ridden out with safety These gales lasted about forty-eight hours each, co themselves out at West-South-West In each instance a heavy bank of clouds in the north-west gave us a day's notice of their approach The indications of the barometer were less decisive; its maximuales et and unsettled; but afterwards, until our departure, it continued rerees
The winds at this season prevail froular
ANNIVERSARY OF THE COLONY
We were just in time to share in the annual festivities hich the inhabitants celebrate the forlish sports showed that the colonists still retain the tastes and habits of hoines took part in the amusements of the day with evident enjoy the spear they were excelled by an English competitor We hardly kno to reconcile this fact with our own favourite theories upon the perfection of the savage in the few exercises of skill to which he devotes his attention, and were obliged to take refuge in the inadequate suggestion that the wild ree of excite out, or call into action, all the resources of his art A George's Sound: they had coood understanding which appeared to exist between them and their fellow-country different tribes ether, under si of to-day, er and deadly hatred in which they are too prone to indulge
The natives in the town of Perth are ars: the softer sex ply this easy craft evensolicitations and undeniable iether fail of success, and ”quibra (ie shi+p) entleive it ust them, who from some accident had lost several of his toes When in conversation, if he fancied any person was observing his foot, he would iured by burying it in the sand Another instance, exe how prevalent is the frailty of vanity in the heart of man in his primitive condition
VISIT YORK
As a little tiht refit and the crew so York, situated about sixty miles east froly, oneour way over the Darling Range Long after dark the welcoht, assuring us that shelter was at hand, and we soon found ourselves before a large fire in the only house on the road, enjoying, after a dreary wet ride, the usual fare at that tiaroo About this tene the whole line of road that could at all lay clai like fertility; at which I was the more surprised, as our route intercepted the direction in which patches of good land are generally found in this part of the continent The soil of this little piece was of a rich blackOur road lay in some places over tracts of loose white sand, and in others round and over low ironstone hills Descending frohts to a rich narrow flat, the presence of three or four houses informed us ithin the townshi+p of York The position of the level it occupies forms the western bank of the river Avon, which is now and has been for so hbourhood the hills lie detached froranite; from the summit of one on the western side of the toe looked over a vast expanse of undulating forest land, densely wooded, with scarcely a grassy patch to break the ive an idea of the personal labour early settlers are obliged to undergo, I may mention that we found Mr
Bland, thethe plough I was disappointed in my visit to this part of the country as it did not leave a favourable impression of its fertility--still it affordedby comparison of the quality of the soils in Western Australia and on the banks of the Fitzroy, and I was happy to find I had not overrated the latter