Volume II Part 34 (1/2)

(Footnote A spirited painting of this encounter I saw ornae at Guildford)

(Footnote Her Majesty's dockyards are now availing themselves of this supply of excellent tireatly enhance the value of this part of the continent)

CORRESPONDENCE WITH MR CLIFTON, ETC

Having conversed with Mr Clifton on the subject of the settlement he had intended to make near Port Grey, and beenthe existence of the harbour, and the fertility of the surrounding country, as well as with his desire to have the question satisfactorily set at rest, I requested him to write to me on the subject; and on the receipt of his letter, I co, with his Excellency, Governor Hutt, and the Surveyor-General, Mr Roe; the result of which correspondence was, that I determined to examine that portion of the coast; and to afford Mr Clifton the opportunity of acco himself of the policy or impolicy of the course he had adopted

(Footnote Froe Roads, in her Majesty's surveying vessel, Beagle, under your co your able assistance towards the solution of a question of great interest, not only to the Western Australian Coe; and I feel assured that your known zeal in the cause of Geographical and Hydrographical research will induce you, if it be within your power, to comply with the request which I now take the liberty to s I proceed to state to you, that the Western Australian Co their intended Colony of Australind, in Leschenault inlet, were led under circumstances which occurred, and information which reached them, to abandon that intention and to determine to fix their settleland by the appellation of Port Grey, and lying on the North-West coast of this colony, in or about the latitude of 29 degrees south, within the limits of the district between Gantheaume Bay and the River Arrowsmith, in which district her Majesty's Government had permitted the Company to take possession of extensive tracts of land in lieu of their property in other parts of Western Australia

Upon my arrival, however, in March last, at Port Leschenault, with the intention of conveying in the Parkfield, with the first body of settlers and e establishhbourhood, I received such communications fro the supposed Port Grey, and the country in its vicinity, together with a tracing of the partial survey rees 47 minutes South which is presumed to be identical with Port Grey, that I was induced, after full consultation with his Excellency, to unite with him in opinion, that it would be proper for me to depart froe on the spot originally contemplated in Leschenault Inlet, instead of at Port Grey, which deterly carried into effect under the Governor's sanction

It naturally was my most anxious wish, as it would have been my duty, if it had been practicable, to visit myself the supposed port, before I took, in conjunction with his Excellency, a step involving so great a personal responsibility, and so seriously affecting all the predeterrants I have since made every practical endeavour, but without success, to obtainto the district in question, in order to establish the fact by actual observation and research, whether that district does or does not afford a proper site for the establishment of a new settlement on an extensive scale, or is totally inapplicable for it, according to the information which led to the decision come to And as the result of such exareat importance to the local interests of this colony, and even to the interests of the mother-country, I venture to submit to your consideration, whether you would not deem that inquiry of sufficient i to Chale, under your command, to ascertain fully the capabilities of the country in its immediate vicinity, and to determine whether there be another harbour or not at the place assigned to Port Grey on theto that part of this coast should be within the scope of the service assigned to you by the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty, or the importance of the solution of these questions, on which such extensive interests and operations depend, should induce you to take upon yourself the responsibility of going there, I earnestly request you will allowyou, for the purpose of fulfilling my duty to the Directors of the Company, and to the very numerous body of persons interested in the formation of the intended settlement under thely, we sailed fro closed with the land in latitude 29 degrees 13thirteen ned to Port Grey in Arrowsmith's map, before alluded to From thence we followed the shore at a distance of between three and five s of 7 and 12 fathoms; the first part trended North by West twofive ht of that width being foreneral appearance of the coast was that of high sandhills, partly covered with vegetation; ie rather higher, and of a less barren appearance; behind these again, at a distance of eight or nine es, terrees 5 minutes South Mount Fairfax and Wizard Peak are the e

REACH CHAMPION BAY

Owing to the water being very s the point of the above ht, by a reef, the outer part of which bore South 37 degrees West fifteenthis danger,by the tirees 47 minutes South, from whence we had previously examined the coast northward for nearly thirty miles We had, therefore, now satisfactorily ascertained that, excepting Chae on the coast between the latitudes of 28 degrees 20 rees 20 minutes South

(Footnote For a description of Champion Bay, see above)

From what I have said it will appear, that the point represented in Arrows the north side, has no real existence It is probable, that the following passage fro the contrivance

”To the south of the tongue of land which forms the bay, there is also another bay, which would be completely sheltered from all northerly winds, so as to combine, between the two bays, perfect shelter at all seasons of the year”

VISIT MOUNT FAIRFAX

This point being set at rest, we proceeded with a large ar of the 15th, to exa, we took an East by South direction for Mount Fairfax, the nearest andpoint About one mile and a half fro South by East about twenty yards wide, with banks froh, co considerable portions of ironstone in it A few srew in the sand that formed the dry bed of the strearadually rising plain, of a sandy scrubby nature, until reaching the foot of Mount Fairfax, e crossed another s South by West where, for the first time, we noticed a solitary stunted casuarina Mount Fairfax is the southern andMoresby's Flat-topped Range It rests on a reddish, sandy, sloping plain, on which were occasionally noticed fragments of quartz and ironstone, which latter formation is the character of Mount Fairfax, and apparently of the neighbouring heights

Having completed our observations, which place Mount Fairfax 582 feet above the level of the sea, we continued our journey to the south-east, in the direction of Wizard Peak Two ain to the Chaph Here, for the first time, there was an appearance of fertility; but only in the valley of the river, which was about a quarter of a mile wide

With the exception of a few brackish pools, the bed, as where we before crossed it, was dry, and for in which was a sum, besides a species of wattle and tea-tree Its course was about South by West and appeared to coes in the rear of Mount Fairfax, and north of Wizard Peak Continuing our journey, we proceeded over an undulating plain, on the higher parts of which a reddish sand and ironstone gravel universally prevailed; in the lower parts, and near the watercourses, the soil approached a light ht after by the natives In all this district the vegetation was of the worst description--the trees, which grew only in the valleys, were se enough to furnish building materials

ASCEND WIZARD PEAK

In the course of the afternoon we reached the summit of that remarkable and almost solitary pyrae blocks of ironstone, having aits direction in different places ten degrees Here we noticed two or three stunted xanthorrhoeas growing on the South-West side of the hill; and a few small casuarinas, and wattles were thinly scattered on its summit, which, by barometric measurement, was found to be 715 feet above the level of the sea Part of the range lying immediately north was absolutely a --to the North-North-West and North-East lay extensive valleys, all of which appeared through a spy-glass to be of the sareat many to the northward, the forular character, but no part visible appeared to be of greater elevation than that on which we stood; to seawards the appearance of the country was that of an undulating plain, with patches of stunted woodland widely scattered

(Footnote Distant eleven miles from Champion Bay)

APPEARANCE OF COUNTRY FROM WIZARD PEAK

After attentively exaround, all that lay within the extensive range of vision afforded by Wizard Peak, I could not help congratulating Mr Clifton on his display of judg the responsible step I have etic, and so well adapted for the duty he had undertaken, should have been totally abandoned by those who sent him out

It was now clear that this part of the country was not fit for the settler, being deficient in the three , and food for stock It was also now clear that the opinion expressed at Swan River, regarding both the harbour and the quality of the country was substantially correct But it was not until it became apparent to my own eyes, that I could believe anyone could be so reckless as to induce a large nu woerated representations, to sever the ties of kindred and of friendshi+p, and become voluntary exiles to a far country, in search of a new and more prosperous home; whilst in lieu of the pro in reality awaited them but sterility--the certain loss of property, and the imminent risk of their lives

(Footnote The reader will see le's party, and that of Captain Grey's, laid down in one of the charts acco this work)

(Footnote Mr Moore's description of the country near Cha by the eye at that distance, the entire space, as far as we had any opportunity of seeing, after going a little way back fro the hills, beyond the hills, and, in short, everywhere, as far as the eye could discern, appeared a grassy country, thinly sprinkled with some low trees or shrubs, perhaps acacias If this be the case, and there be water sufficient, of which there is no reason to doubt, this may certainly turn out to be the finest district for sheep pasture that this colony can possess” This testiue to justify the expression of any decided opinion as to the capabilities of the country Mr Moore judged entirely from a distant vieith the naked eye: he could not discern the nature of the trees, does not assert positively that the land was grassy, is unable to speak with certainty as to the existence of sufficient water, and ventures only to draw the conditional conclusion that this district MAY turn out to be the finest the colony can possess

Mr Bynoe, who accompanied me in my excursion over this part of the continent, writes as follows respecting it: ”There can be but one opinion of the country in the vicinity of the supposed Port Grey, namely, that it is co our two days'