Volume II Part 11 (1/2)
It was on one of those soft beautiful evenings, so common in Australia, that I received this narrative froe, at the western extreed fro it from the view of the Shich now lay at our feet About a mile below, the broad shadow of Mount Eliza, nearly extended across the river; and in the darkness thus made, the snohite sails of a tiny pleasure-boat flitted to and fro
Beyond lay the beautiful lake-like reach of the river, Melville Water, just ruffled by a breeze that ca over its surface with all the delicious coolness of the sea The beauty of the scene did not divertrather to impress them the more vividly onmanner in which he delivered his narrative, and how his hard features became lit up as he proceeded by an expression of honest pride, fully justified by the fact that he had on that occasion been thethe lives of several of his fellow-creatures When he found them they were under a headland, which they had not sufficient strength left to ascend, nor were they able to round the sea face of it One of the further at an end, went down on his knees and prayed to the alhty for assistance; and just as another had bitterly re such a request, Mr
Roe and his party, as if directed by the hand of Providence, appeared on the ridge above them It would be painful to describe minutely the condition to which these poor fellows had been reduced; it will be sufficient to state, that thirst had compelled them to resort to the most offensive substitute for pure and wholesome water
DEATH OF MR FREDERIC SMITH
One of their party, Mr Frederick Smith, had been left behind; and so bewildered were they in their despair, that they could give no definite account of what had become of him Mr Roe immediately went in search, and not many miles in the rear, found the poor fellow quite dead in a bush, with his blanket half rolled round him It appeared that he had tried to scramble up a sandhill and had fallen back into the bush and died--a sad and reat disadvantages in walking, having cut his feet in very gallantly swi a hurricane in Sharks Bay
He was reduced to a perfect skeleton; having, in fact, been starved to death The sight drew forth a tributary tear of affection even froned poor young S up a piece of board to mark the spot, smoothed down his lonely pillow, and moved with his companions in mournful silence towards the south
It must have been an impressive scene; the sun, as if conscious that he was shi+ning for the last ti explorer, see to descend into the western horizon; and his full red orb painted a nuh the sky in the most brilliant colours, and shed a streae-like sound on the strand close by The howl of a wild dog now and then fell on their ears as they performed their ned around, as they retreated slowly along the beach
Whilst on this huift possessed by the natives The one that acco footmarks on the sand, where some of his countrymen had been, was enabled by them to tell Mr Roe, not only in what number they were, but THE NAME OF EACH This account was verified on their return to Perth, fro Mr Roe's absence on the same errand
HURRICANE IN SHARKS' BAY
The hurricane I have mentioned, as encountered by Captain Grey in Sharks Bay, latitude 26 degrees South, occurred on February 28th, which, corresponding with the hurricane season of the Mauritius, leaves little doubt that at the same time the shores of New Holland are occasionally visited byin nearly the sa in the neighbourhood are those of the Ceres, in 1839, in latitude 21 degrees South, above 300 uashas towards the end of February, 1843, in latitude 18 degrees South, about 400along the North-west coast of New Holland at the season we have mentioned, should be prepared for bad weather The hurricane experienced by Captain Grey began at South-east and ended at North-west The lull in the centre of it showed that the focus of the storm must have passed over that locality Captain Grey does not enter sufficiently into detail to enable us to trace the veering of the wind
(Footnote In volume 1 will be found le in this month on the north-west coast For further infor Inquiry into the Nature and Course of Stor this ti Many parts were perfectly dry, more so than any I had seen on the Victoria, and yet I was inforood stream It seems reasonable to infer, therefore, that in certain seasons of the year the Victoria, though dry in some places when I visited it, is a full and rapid river
During our stay the Colonial schooner, Champion, returned from an unsuccessful search for the mouth of the Hutt River, discovered by Captain Grey in the neighbourhood of Moresby's Flat-topped Range Near the south end of it, however, they found a bay affording good anchorage
ROTTNEST ISLAND
March 25
We moved the shi+p to Rottnest Island, to collect a little material for the chart, and select a hill for the site of a lighthouse The one we chose lies towards the south-east end of the island, bearing North 76 degrees West (true) twelve aol The Governor and Mr Roe accompanied us to Rottnest, where we found that a penal establish our absence
ABORIGINAL CONVICTS
No one would say that the Australian natives cannot work, if they could just see the nice cottages of which this settleives the convicts a little instruction at first, and they follow his directions with astonishi+ng precision They take great pride in showing visitors their oork It is an interesting though sorrowful sight to see these poor fellows--some of them deprived of their liberty for life, perhaps for crimes into which they have been driven by the treatment they receive from those who have deprived them both of their land and of their liberty Many, if not uilt; and they are al the relation bethat they have committed and the punished in the darkest ignorance; or if they know anything beyond thetheir imhtful possessions by the men whose chains they wear Surely this reflection should now and then present itself to the white man who is accustoehimself to coersive measures for protection, make hi the despised and oppressed savage more nearly to a level with himself in the scale of humanity
The native prisoners at Rottnest collect salt frorow sufficient grain to keep them, so that in a short time they will be a source of profit rather than of loss to the crown Some of them pine away and die; others appear happy Generally, however, when a fresh prisoner coerly about their friends and families; and what they hear in reply recalls vividly to their hts of their homes; and of these, too, they are someti over the uplands, catches their restless eye, as it wanders instinctively forth in that direction froaze on these row dis which, however debased they may appear, they share in common with us all On these occasions they naturally turn with loathing to their food Those who suffer er are strangers
The rapidity hich the young ones grow up and iular food and the care taken of the They are allowed to have a co stick; and soo to the west end of the island to endeavour to kill wallaby, which are there rather numerous
We were happy to find that the attention of the public, and the Governs of the Aborigines of Australia; and that a desire of preserving them from deterioration and ultimate destruction, had been evinced Protectors had been sent out for the purpose of attending especially to their interests, so that it was evident that anted was not goodwill towards them It was easy, however, to perceive that the system was a bad one, and to foretell its failure Thetogether of the natives in the neighbourhood of settlers without previously providing them with any means of subsistence, so that they were in a manner compelled to have recourse to depredations
AMERICAN WHALERS