Volume I Part 33 (1/2)

Originally hopes were entertained that a very large population of Malays, and even Chinese would speedily collect at Port Essington: but froration was for a tith, however, a reiven for the introduction of settlers froreat difficulty that this s, is the clih not absolutely pernicious in itself, is unsuited to European constitutions The settlers have been attacked at various tie comparative ulations, especially if temperate habits could be introduced, this h it has by soricultural purposes, are still supposed by others to be great, and it is believed that if colonists, capable of working in the cliton, rice, cotton, indigo, etc reat abundance

The livestock at the settlelish cow and a bull, two Indian heifers and ts, above fifty goats, six working oxen, thirty buffaloes, six pigs, a fels, five ponies, and thirty half-greyhounds for catching kangaroos Some of these were private, others public property Several cattle have been lost, on hearing which, a plan that had before suggested itself, recurred vividly to ht the herds of buffalo and other ani, by a fence run across the Peninsula, between Mount Norris Bay, and the north-east corner of Van Diemen's Gulf The width is only three miles, and the rude Micmac Indians of Newfoundland, have carried fences for a similar purposebecame more apparent each time I visited the place, especially when I heard of herds of buffaloes being seen upon the e which occurred to me in connection with this subject, was, that it would have rendered an out-station necessary, and have thus led to a further communication with the natives, which would ultie of them and the interior; this after our subsequent discovery of Adelaide river becareater moment

The existence of the out-station would also fore for the settlers, and journeys thither would remove the dreary inactivity of a new settlement at certain periods The absence of this fence ns of buffalo on the mainland; he discovered the tracks of a cloven-footed animal, which one of his nised as the spur of a buffalo But one advantage can arise from the want of this precaution

Sohbourhood of Sydney, now called Cow Pastures, were discovered, by finding them to be the constant haunt of wild cattle; a sihbourhood of Port Essington

To return, however, to the period of the establishment of the colony: it was of course dee Cobourg Peninsula, on which Victoria is situated; and accordingly on May 1st, Lieutenant PB Stewart, with several well-ar expedition They carried water and a week's provisions on two ponies, but did not encuht from the dew in little huts made of branches On the second day they crossed several running strea the sultry part of the day on the banks of a river or chain of pools Here grew rained, while thick woods of the rove appeared on all sides: theseany great progress However, they crossed to the eastern side of the Peninsula, where they found a rich and beautiful country, in so them of the rich South American forest, rather than the dreary sameness of an Australian wood Numerous tracks of the buffalo seemed to testify to the excellence of the pasture Several evidences, also, of the presence of natives were froth a small party met theuides to the explorers, showing the every infor them with crabs; but of course they did not fail to ask for bread, of which as iven them On May 8th, they conducted Lieutenant Stewart's party back to Middle Head, and he expresses great surprise at the precision hich they found their way in the bush without having any apparent uide them I have before alluded to this instinctive power of the aborigines of Australia

Lieutenant Stewart gives as the general result of his observations, extending over about seventy or eighty miles, that there is abundance of fresh water on the Peninsula; that the South side is by far the finest and best watered country; that the trees are there free froe tract of country, the cabbage-palm abounds He also observes, that asabout a mile froreater than at Port Essington

The natives were found by the settlers, as we have already stated, very friendly, and their assistance proved valuable: they brought in the head of the palh to procure it, the tree is cut down and destroyed: they also supplied the party ild honey One of the Raffles Bay tribe instantly made himself known on the arrival of the Expedition in the Bay; he was called by the nah his proper appellation was Marambari

From Lieutenant Vallach of HMS Brito the natives, whom I find to be divided in three distinct classes, which do not intermarry The first is known as Maudrojilly, the second as May, the third as Mandrouilly They are very particular about the distinction of classes, but we could never discover which was the superior and which the inferior class, though it is supposed by most of those who have inquired into the subject, that the Madrojilly, or first class, head the others in war, and govern the affairs of the tribe

(Footnote Lieutenant Vallach died at Moulines were certainly a fine race, differing in some matters from the other natives of Australia; their hair was neither curly nor straight, but crisp The custo thee here as elsewhere was perforated I noticed in particular that they did notstick or woer kind, however, than any I have observed elsewhere; the head of their spears was made of stone They have a smaller kind, chiefly used to kill birds and other anie heavy clubs, while the natives on the South coast carry only the short throwing stick They go wholly naked, except when entering the settlements, on which occasions they wear a few leaves Their canoes were chiefly obtained from the Malays

(Footnote We refer our readers to Mr Eyre's work, where these and other weapons are figured)

I here saw the onlythe natives of Australia It is a piece of bah which they bloith their noses It is fro, is called ebroo, and produces a kind of droning noise It is generally made use of at corrobories or dances, so and hile others are very indecent, and reenerally rees disappeared in a most mysterious manner They were understood to be sold to the natives inhabiting the loftier parts of the interior, but of this I entertain very considerable doubt Sand, in which the Australian continent abounds, is like everything else proceeding frohts the nativesthe can beout of the earth, like so many enchanted unfortunates in an eastern ro a substitute for soap; and when cooking turtle it is mixed with earth and sprinkled over the eneral habits are cleanly)

One discovery which was e tu and others, and supposed to be raised by the inhabitants, are the works of a bird; soh; they are always built near thick bushes in which they can take shelter, at the least alarm The edifice is erected with the feet, which are rerasping; they are yellohile the body is brown Nothing can betowards these piles on one foot, the other being filled with h much smaller in shape, in manner they much reses, which are deposited in layers, and are then hatched by the heat generated in part from deco bird cohtest care being taken of it by the parent Of the nus laid by each bird, seldoular that these mounds are found away from the earth and shells of which they are composed It seems difficult to credit that a bird so sest we ever saas about eight feet high, on one of the Possession Islands in Endeavour Strait

The naapodius tumulus, and it will be unnecessary to enter upon any further details concerning it, as he has described it ly in his work on the birds of Australia

Great nuaroos were also found here, which at the period of our arrival the settlers were just getting into the way of killing There are three varieties, of which the largest weighs about 160 pounds I must further allude to a most beautiful little opossum which inhabits these parts It is about half the size of a full-grown rat, and designated as Belideus ariel Its colour and fur greatly resemble the chinchilla, and I have little doubt that the skin is valuable and ht be made an article of trade This animal has a membrane between the fore and hind pahich aids it to soreat ene the the tree and listening for a buzzing fro to nearly a hundred, were about the size of a fly, of a dusky black colour, and strange to say, were hovering round an empty tar-barrel They have been unsuccessfully tried in hives at Sydney

Alligators abound, and one of the marines had a very narrow escape from them It appears that one of these ht, in search of food, found hi in his ha up near the water The alligator htful interruption of his slumbers, the man dexterously extricated himself out of his blanket, which the unwieldy brute, doubtless enraged at his disappointment, carried off in triumph For some tie reptile, on a similar excursion, was shot, a portion of the blanket was found in his sto off the pier head

Extensive hauls of fish were st which one species, there called sal

It is unnecessary for a transient visitor to enlarge upon the birds of Port Essington, as in Mr Gould's e have the result of the labours of an individual who spent hbourhood

The spot selected for our observations was Government House, where nearly a hundred observations with the sun and stars were rees 22 e to say, was nearly 15 seconds greater than Captain Stanley and Mr Tyers'

determination: this difference to me was quite unaccountable, as the instrule were before and subsequently, satisfactorily tested at well deter affected by the doubtful meridian distance between Sydney and Port Stephens, we can only give an approxiitudes of those places referred to the rees 12 minutes East of Greenwich

From the quantity of iron in the rocks at Victoria, it was iet any satisfactory observation for the variation of the corees east

We found that Mr Tyers had ave a very irregular rise and fall, varying fro half past three, at the full and change Oxide of iron is found in soe quantities, and is used by the natives to adorn theives to the coast the peculiar red hue noticed between Cape Croker and Port Essington Many of the cliffs were coht-coloured marl; but the forhest and most remarkable hills on the Peninsula, known as Mounts Bedwell and Rose, have singular flat tops, bearing some resemblance to the curious appearance of Cape Bedford I am inclined to believe this formation to be floetz trappe Their elevation is about four hundred feet, being twice the general height of the Peninsula