Volume II Part 41 (1/2)

Leaving the Glennie Isles we examined the coast beyond Cape Liptrap; and from thence made the best of our way to Western Port There I availed myself of the kind offer of Mr Anderson--a settler on the Bass River, as going to Cape Patterson, to shoot wild cattle, the produce of the stock left behind when the old settleive Mr

Fitzmaurice, and a small party, conveyance in his bullock dray to that projection, for the purpose of deter its position A party was also landed on the eastern entrance of Grant Island, to collect tidal observations

(Footnote The next headland to Wilson's Promontory, from the extreme of which it bears North-West by West, twenty-foura bay nine rees 55 rees 17 rees 57 minutes East, and is the extreh A small islet lies close to the shore, about two miles northward from the extreme, where there is a boat cove Where the rocky coast ceases to the eastward, the shore falls back, affording shelter for vessels in north-inds; a rock lies off the southern point of this anchorage)

CORIO HARBOUR

Having e another party at Shortland's Bluff, also to make tidal observations, we pursued our course round Indented Head towards Corio Harbour, anchoring off Point Henry--where no less than four vessels were lading ool for England--early on theof the 27th We devoted the re a plan of the harbour; and from the result of our survey I feel h the northern part of which a channel winds for vessels of eight feet at loater) ht be reht There is deep water in the south-western part, close to the northern side of Geelong, where, by erecting wharfs, large shi+ps e which can never be obtained at Melbourne, and of so great i will ultimately be the capital of Australia Felix In this event communication will be held with Melbourne by railroad, for which the country intervening is ad a complete level the entire way At present a steamer plies daily between the two places; and e consider that on our last visit, only two years before, Geelong consisted of a few sheds at its north end only, and now stretched across from Corio Harbour to the River Barwon, a space of more than a mile, the belief seems warranted that at no distant period the line of rail I allude to must be laid down The townshi+p is now divided into North and South Geelong; the latter lies on a slope, reaching the river's edge

(Footnote Corio Harbour is in fact the best anchorage in Port Phillip, that at Hobson's Bay being very confined, and scarcely affording any shelter froe shi+ps Moreover, Corio Harbour liesno other place where the sheep-farmers of those parts can, with safety, shi+p their wool, except Portland Bay)

CAPTAIN FYANS

Located in a snug house, with a garden tee a still reach of the Barwon, I found Captain Fyans, of whom I have before spoken

ENCOUNTER WITH A NATIVE

In the course of conversation, pointing to a weapon used by the natives, called a Lliangle, reseh my horse's nose, a short time since, by a native, of whom I was in pursuit” As I expressed a desire to be made acquainted with the circu out with a party of mounted police, in search of so depredations on the flocks of the settlers, in the neighbourhood of Port Fairey, he suddenly, whilst crossing a valley in advance of his men, came upon the chief of those of whom he was in chase He, too, was alone; an attack immediately commenced The native threw his spears, but without effect; and Captain Fyans, finding that the rain had wetted the pried to cut hi himself with his shi+eld, only a narrow piece of wood, that beyond a few nicks on the fingers, Captain Fyans' sword-cuts were of no avail Several times he attempted to ride over the native; who, however, doubled himself up in a ball under his shi+eld, and was saved by the natural reluctance of a horse to tra been apparently ed to drive his lliangle through the horse's nose, and so firmly that he was unable to withdraw it The wound inflicted bled so freely that Captain Fyans was obliged to pull up, and the native made his escape He was not only a fine fellow in conduct, but in person, having a chest, as Captain Fyans expressed it, like a bullock's I afterwards learned that he displayed the sword-cuts upon his shi+eld in triumph at some of the sheep-stations

From Corio Harbour we proceeded to Hobson's Bay, for a hly satisfactory, differing froitude, therefore, of Batrees 16 rees 59 minutes 43 seconds East of Greenwich, may be relied on

(Footnote The approach to this harbour would be vastly i nearly across from Point Wilson on the north shore)

MELBOURNE

A great improvement had been e, by the erection of a light on Point Gellibrand This we found to be a small lamp fixed at the top of a kind of wooden fraested by the superintendent, Mr LaTrobe; and for a teht can be afforded, it is certainly a clever contrivance

(Footnote This light may be seen from a shi+p's deck, in clear weather, sevento anchor in Hobson's Bay should keep the light bearing North-West by North until the water shoals to 6 fathohts of Willia South-West by West, haul in West-South-West for the anchorage The best berth is in 3 1/2 fatho South 1/4 East and the jetty at William Town South-West 1/2 West)

The last three years had also s of William Town; but Melbourne had so increased that we hardly knew it again Wharfs and stores fronted the banks of the Yarra-yarra; whilst further down, tanners and soap-boilers had established themselves on either side, where, formerly, had been tea-tree thickets, froreeted the visitor Very different, however, were now the sights, and sounds, and smells, that assailed our senses; the picturesque wilderness had given place to the unron of business had superseded that of poetry and roain noticed thefurther observations upon it Mr Bynoe, however, having since visited Australia, has turned his attention to the subject, and the result of his experience, which will be found below, tends to overthrow the opinion I have previously expressed, to the effect, that this substance is the exudation of a tree, not the deposit of an insect

(Footnote There is a prevailing opinion in some parts of New Holland, particularly on the east side, that the gumtrees distil a peculiar form of manna, which drops at certain seasons of the year I have heard it froation, could only say, that it was to be found adhering to the old and young bark of the trees, as well as strewed on the ground beneath

In the month of Dece h the forest in search of insects, I met with this manna in the above-mentioned state, but could never find in any part of the bark a fissure or break whence such a substance could flow Wherever it appeared, moreover, the red-eyed cicadae were in abundance I was inclined to think that the puncture produced by these suctorial insects into the tender shoots for juice, would in all probability give an exit for such a substance; but by wounding the tender branches with a sharp-pointed knife, I could never obtain a saccharine fluid or substance It was the season when the cicadae were abundantly collected together for reproduction; and on wareous parts, particularly to trees that, having been deprived of old liorous stems, thickly clustered with leaves To one of these, in which thean intolerable noise, I directed my steps, and quietly shelteredwith it a dense column of smoke, which for a short tiround about the root of the tree was thinly covered with the sugar-like substance, and in a few ealed oncautiously to ascertain from whence it came, with a full determination not to disturb the insects but to watch their pursuits, I observed that it was passing of a syrup-like consistence per anum frouealed, and for this fluid, the insect raised the lower part of the abdomen and passed off three or four drops in sudden jets, which either strearound

I watched them for nearly half an hour, and in that space of time observed between twenty and thirty distil this fluid, which gradually concreted into a white substance I collected above three ounces, soather it in their rush baskets and use it as a part of their food)

RED BLUFF

Leaving Hobson's Bay we passed along the east shore of Port Phillip in search of a ledge of rocks, reported to lie about three ht miles to the southward of the above-er to be nothingthat bluff for a distance of half a mile, in a West by North direction, and which has three feet on it at loater, with three fathoradually decrease to this depth, the lead will always keep a shi+p clear of it

Anchoring under Arthur's Seat, I delivered the letters hich Mr