Volume I Part 32 (2/2)

Alligator

Visit Melville Island

Green Ants

Thoughts of taking shi+p up Adelaide abandoned

Tides in Dundas Strait

Return to Port Essington

Theatricals

HMS Pelorus arrives with Provisions

Further remarks on the Colony

PORT ESSINGTON

The expanse of water presented to our view in standing up Port Essington, quite delighted us It is in truth aon its shores the capital of Northern Australia, destined, doubtless, fro eastern possessions, to becoreat commercial resort, but a valuable naval post in time of war Many circureat size, having an extent sufficient to hold the largest fleet, is in itself of vast importance, while, as a shelter for distressed vessels, or the surviving crews of wrecks, it cannot be too highly rated: the rows in the neighbourhood, especially teak and oak, specimens of which with others, Captain Laws forwarded, in 1828, to one of the dockyards in England

As we advanced the shores of the harbour contracted, and at the distance of thirteen miles from the entrance are only one able, fro off the west side, which is a rocky head called Spear Point, fro been there nearly speared by the natives The bearings for clearing the extremes of this reef are as follows For the south-eastern, Adarees West, for the eastern, Middle Head South 18 degrees West, and for the north-eastern, Oyster Head North 47 degrees West This great decrease in the breadth of the passage, necessarily gives the tide at this spot great rapidity, by which a channel, thirteen fathoms deep, has been forue of land called Point Record This naton and the contiguous country, being taken possession of by Sir Gordon Bremer when on his way to settle Melville Island, in 1824 A bottle containing an account of their proceedings was buried, and hence the name The same cause which influences the tides, has rendered the sides of the narrow channel very steep, and a vessel standing towards the bank fronting Spear Point, should, accordingly, tack when the water shoals to nine fatho Port Record are 12, 9, 7, and 2 fathoain widens and fore basin nearly fivetwo miles from the south-east side, the inner harbour is proportionably decreased in size Fro, from its position, Middle Head, a narrow bank extends so the only danger in this part of the harbour

BEARINGS FOR THE HARBOUR

Froe, Point Record bears north, and the North-East part of Middle Head, South 76 degrees East These and other bearings recently given, will perhaps be considered of little value by the general reader, but as they were required to take the Beagle into Port Essington, they will be found useful to others for the same purpose

APPEARANCE OF THE SETTLEMENT

The narrow entrance to the inner harbour, may by some be considered a drawback, but on the other hand, it ation, is also a safeguard against attack

Moreover, from this want of breadth in the harbour, a fort on Point Record, which is coht, would perfectly protect it

It was froliratified; and ere so the recent date of its fors as were scattered over the top of a cliffy point on the south-west part of the harbour, called Ada the bank off Spear Point, we ran up and anchored near HMS

Brito off the settleht of another vessel is ever cheering to the hearts of those who have been, as it were, for a ti, as we did, news and letters, any less welco interval the receipt of a letter, perhaps bearing an ill o unmixed emotions of pleasure So much may occur in the brief space of a few reat anxiety

(Footnote I well re a sail after an interval of nine months, and that wholly spent on the storo JLS)

PORT ESSINGTON

We too had our share of news to be made acquainted with Captain Stanley had been on acruise to the Arru Islands, the deeply interesting narrative of which expedition the reader will peruse, we are sure, with unqualified satisfaction, in a later section of the present work This ret I saw that he had been ator, had also made a journey over the Peninsula, to which I shall presently further allude

(Footnote Since prole during her last expedition)

We were of course extre at the jetty, which we found a very creditable piece of workmanshi+p erected under the direction of Lieutenant PB Stewart, we ascended the cliff, and on gaining the summit, found ourselves on a sh the trees, the dwellings of the settlers had an air of neatness, pleasing to the eye Aress was the church, which, planted as it was on the northern shores of the Australian continent, was expected to forrees draithin its influence the islands in the Arafura Sea, and thus widely spread the pure blessings of Christianity

It is highly characteristic of our countrymen, that where with other nations, the tavern, the theatre, the dancing-house, are as in a new settleht of In few corners of the world, where English influence has extended itself, is this otherwise than true, and it is a highly enviable distinction It see of Britain floats, there is made known the Word of God in its purity; and as an empire has been vouchsafed us on which the sun never sets, the extent of our influence for good in this respect is incalculable We may venture to express our sincere hope, that our country will ever continue to enjoy this noble supremacy

At the south-east extremity of the settlement, raised on piles, was the Government-house, fronted on the harbour side by a s very coarse grass, falls away to the south-west, and so in a low situation, are flooded during the rains, forreat deficiency of land fit for cultivation On soardens have been co further with our journal of events at Port Essington, it may be proper to introduce some brief account of the state and prospects of the settlement at that place The reader will remember an allusion in a previous chapter to the departure from Sydney of the expedition despatched for the purpose of for it a purely military character That expedition reached its destination on October 27, 1838, having taken formal possession on the way, of Cape York and the adjacent territory

Sir Gordon Bremer's first care was to select a site for the proposed townshi+p; and after due deliberation, a spot was fixed on which was thought to cohbourhood of fresh water, and easy approach from the shi+ps in port

In the selection of the spot to be occupied by a settlement, the capabilities of the soil must ever be the first consideration; still, however, there will always exist an objection on the ground of its great distance of 16 e in the Falkland Islands, proved of great detriment to the settlement in Berkeley Sound

The site of Victoria, for such was the name bestowed, in honour of her Majesty, on the new settlement, is raised in the loftiest part about fifty feet above high-water level Upon it the plans of a nuardens were rapidlybefore this hitherto desolate spot presented the appearance of a large straggling village A pier was speedily run out into the sea; and a good road cut to it The church, also, which I have beforeabove the Governe and officers'

quarters; while in order to ensure an ample supply of water, deep wells were sunk on the tableland within the settleood and abundant

Not long after the arrival of the expedition, M Dumont D'Urville, with the Astrolabe and Zelie, arrived in Raffles Bay, and it was popularly believed that they had entertained so our settlen poere entitled to take possession of points on the coast of Australia was much debated at the tis the respective Governarded each other at the time, the officers of the two nations seemed to vie in courtesy A boat was despatched froreatest har their stay

On the 28th of March, six Malay proas came in and were soon followed by others, their owners soliciting per under the protection of the British flag This being granted, they made choice of a spot on the beach, and a little subsidiary settle now for the first time secure from the attacks of the natives, whose hostility had until then forced every other man of them to keep under arms whilst the rest worked, they expected to pursue their occupation with far greater advantage to themselves