SIMILARITY OF CUSTOMS WITH OTHER AUSTRALIAN TRIBES.

Captain King, who had previously experienced the same feelings of ill-will in the natives of Vansittart Bay, attributed them to the periodical visits of the Malays during the season of the trepang fishery. He says (volume 1 page 320):

On this beach (of Vansittart Bay) we found a broken earthen pot, which decidedly proved the fact of the Malays visiting this part of the coast, and explained the mischievous disposition of the natives.

...

I saw but three men of this fair race myself, and thought they closely resembled Malays; some of my men observed a fourth.

NATIVES AT ROEBUCK BAY.

An individual differing in appearance and colour from his aboriginal associates was also seen amongst a native tribe whilst the boats of the Beagle were surveying in Roebuck Bay, and is thus ably described by Mr. Usberne, the master of the vessel; who was in command of the boat at the time he was observed, and who thus narrates the interview:*

(*Footnote. Nautical Magazine for 1840 page 576.)

To prevent interruption during dinner the things were removed to the boat, and she was then shoved a few yards off the beach, and we commenced our repast.

As we took to the water they (the natives) rose and followed us close; but in the act of shoving off, the boat-hook being pointed over the bow, they one and all involuntarily stepped back a couple of paces, thinking no doubt that it was one of our spears, which to them must have appeared a formidable weapon; but, seeing no harm was intended, they remained at the water's edge, watching us whilst at dinner.

At this time I had a good opportunity of examining them. They were about the middle age, about five feet six inches to five feet nine in height, broad shoulders, with large heads and overhanging brows; but it was not remarked that any of their teeth were wanting (as we afterwards observed in others); their legs were long and very slight, and their only covering a bit of grass suspended round the loins. There was an exception in the youngest, who appeared of an entirely different race: his skin was a copper colour, whilst the others were black; his head was not so large, and more rounded; the overhanging brow was lost; the shoulders more of a European turn, and the body and legs much better proportioned; in fact he might be considered a well-made man at our standard of figure. They were each armed with one, and some with two, spears, and pieces of stick about eight feet long and pointed at both ends. It was used after the manner of the Pacific Islanders, and the throwing-stick so much in use by the natives of the south did not appear known to them.

After talking loud, and using very extravagant gestures, without any of our party replying, the youngest threw a stone, which fell close to the boat.

...

COINCIDENCE OF CUSTOMS.

It appears to me very probable that the same dark-coloured race inhabit the whole of Northern Australia, and perhaps extend over the islands in Torres Strait.

In order to support this opinion I shall first give an extract from the journal of Dr. Duncan, from Wilson's Voyage round the World, page 148, which contains a detail of the customs of Flinders Islands and part of Northern Australia, and displays two or three remarkable customs coinciding with those observed by myself and others to exist in Northwest Australia:

At 8 hours 40 minutes P.M. the colonial brig Mary arrived, bringing along with her a native of India, whom she picked up on one of Flinders Islands.

On the 18th July the Lascar came on board the Success, and from him I learned the following particulars: That he belonged to the ship Fame, which was wrecked in the Straits; that he and a few others escaped in a leaky boat after rowing for forty-eight hours. On landing the natives stripped them of their clothes, etc., but otherwise behaved very kindly to them. His companions in misfortune died the first year of his residence amongst the natives, which in all amounted, he said, to six or seven years.

The men in that part of Australia have from five to ten wives, of whom they are rather jealous at times. The tribes are continually at war with one another, and have regular pitched battles; but the moment that one is killed on either side, the battle ceases, until they carry off their dead, and mourn for certain days, according to their custom; bedaubing themselves over with black earth, and on another day the fight begins and ends in a similar way.

...

DISPOSAL OF THEIR DEAD.

This is singularly analogous to what occurred on our encounter with them on the 11th February. Dr. Duncan continues:

When one dies or is killed they bury the body in the earth, but at the end of five days dig it up again and wrap up the bones, etc., in bark of trees, and carry them along with them. When the women fight, which is very often, they use a short kind of club. The natives paint their bodies over with red clay to prevent the mosquitoes from biting them. When they paint their bodies white it is a sign of war with some other tribe.

...

A very remarkable instance of coincidence in this custom with regard to the dead will be found in a subjoined extract from a letter sent to me by an officer of the Beagle, together with a skeleton which he had found at Cygnet Bay. The skeleton has been presented to the Royal College of Surgeons:

The skeleton was found enveloped in three pieces of papyrus bark, on a small sandy point in Cygnet Bay. All the bones were closely packed together, and the head surmounted the whole. It did not appear to have been long interred. They had evidently been packed with care. All the long bones were undermost, and the small ones were strewed in among them. The head was resting on its base, face across.

Three natives were close to the place when we first landed: the eldest of the party went up to the spot immediately after I had removed the bones; he turned up the bark with his foot, and did not appear to show the slightest symptom of uneasiness. They were for some days among the watering party on very friendly terms.

...

CAVES. DRAWINGS. TOMBS.

As I never, during my subsequent travels in Australia, saw anything at all resembling the painted caves which I have described in the ninth chapter, I shall here add some observations on the subject, which I could not have there detailed without too great an interruption to the narrative.

Two other instances of Australian caves which contain paintings have been recorded. The first is by Captain Flinders and the second by Mr. Cunningham in King's voyage.

PAINTINGS AT CHASM ISLAND.

The caves found by Flinders were in Chasm Island, in the Gulf of Carpentaria, and are thus described:*

In the steep sides of the chasms were deep holes or caverns undermining the cliffs; upon the walls of which I found rude drawings, made with charcoal, and something like red paint, upon the white ground of the rock. These drawings represented porpoises, turtles, kangaroos, and a human hand; and Mr. Westall, who went afterwards to see them, found the representation of a kangaroo, with a file of thirty-two persons following after it. The third person of the band was twice the height of the others, and held in his hand something resembling the waddy or wooden sword of the natives of Port Jackson.

(*Footnote. Flinders' Voyages volume 2 page 158.)

...

PAINTINGS AT CLACK'S ISLAND.*

(*Footnote. North-east coast of Australia.)

The second instance is taken from Mr. Cunningham's manuscripts and is contained in the following extract:*

The south and south-eastern extremes of Clack's Island presented a steep, rocky bluff, thinly covered with small trees. I ascended the steep head, which rose to an elevation of a hundred and eighty feet above the sea.

The remarkable structure of the geological features of this islet led me to examine the south-east part, which was the most exposed to the weather, and where the disposition of the strata was of course more plainly developed. The base is a coarse, granular, siliceous sandstone, in which large pebbles of quartz and jasper are imbedded: this stratum continues for sixteen to twenty feet above the water: for the next ten feet there is a horizontal stratum of black schistose rock which was of so soft a consistence that the weather had excavated several tiers of galleries; upon the roof and sides of which some curious drawings were observed, which deserve to be particularly described. They were executed on a ground of red ochre (rubbed on the black schistus) and were delineated by dots of a white argillaceous earth, which had been worked up into a paste. They represented tolerable figures of sharks, porpoises, turtles, lizards (of which I saw several small ones among the rocks) trepang, starfish, clubs, canoes, water gourds, and some quadrupeds, which were probably intended to represent kangaroos and dogs. The figures, besides being outlined by the dots, were decorated all over with the same pigment in dotted transverse belts. Tracing a gallery round to windward, it brought me to a commodious cave or recess, overhung by a portion of the schistus, sufficiently large to shelter twenty natives whose recent fire places appeared on the projecting area of the cave.

Many turtles' heads were placed on the shelves or niches of the excavation, amply demonstrative of the luxurious and profuse mode of life these outcasts of society had, at a period rather recently, followed. The roof and sides of this snug retreat were also entirely covered with the uncouth figures I have already described.

As this is the first specimen of Australian taste in the fine arts that we have detected in these voyages it became me to make a particular observation thereon: Captain Flinders had discovered figures on Chasm Island, in the Gulf of Carpentaria, formed with a burnt stick; but this performance, exceeding a hundred and fifty figures, which must have occupied much time, appears at least to be one step nearer refinement than those simply executed with a piece of charred wood. Immediately above this schistose is a superincumbent mass of sandstone which appeared to form the upper structure of the island.

(*Footnote. King's Australia volume 2 page 25.)

...

PAINTINGS IN THE YORK DISTRICT.

There is a third instance of a cave with a figure in it in the district of York, in the settlement of Swan River; but in this case the species of circle which is drawn on the cave, or rather scraped into it with a piece of stone, may represent anything or nothing; in fact it is no more than any idle or thoughtless savage might have executed, without any fixed design whatever. The only other vestige of drawing contained in the cave is evidently the mere impression of a hand, which has been rubbed over with the red paint with which the natives are in the constant habit of bedaubing themselves, and has then been pressed in on the wall.

NATIVE TRADITIONS.

I had been told that the natives had some very curious traditions current amongst them with regard to this last cave and, after having visited it and satisfied myself that there was no analogy between it and the caves on the north-west continent of Australia, I set about collecting some of the native stories that related to it. These legends nearly all agreed in one point, that originally the moon, who was a man, had lived there; but beyond this there was nothing common to them all, for every narrator indulged his own powers of invention to the greatest possible degree, scarcely ever relating the same story twice, but on each occasion inventing a new tradition; and the amount of marvels and wonders which he unfolded in this revelation were exactly proportioned to the quantity of food which I promised to give him. I once or twice charged them with attempting to impose upon my credulity and, far from denying the charge, they only laughed and said, "that was a very good thing which they told me, and that the Djanga (white men) liked it very much."

COLOURS USED IN PAINTING.

In the painted caves on the north-western coasts five colours were used: red, several shades; yellow; blue; black, and white. With the exception of blue these colours are all known to the natives of the whole continent. The red they either dig up from the earth, fit for use, in the form of red earthy pebbles, or they find it in the form of a brilliant yellow clay, which they beat, clean, and dry, leaving it exposed to the air for several days, when they bake it in a bark basket, and then, if the clay is good and it has been well prepared and burnt, it is nearly as bright as vermilion. In some parts of the continent however no good clay can be found; and in this case, at their annual fair, where they meet to exchange certain commodities only locally produced, this brilliant red ochre is considered a very valuable article of traffic.

Yellow they obtain from several sources: the most common is the yellow clay from which the red is afterwards produced, but they also procure it from a stone which is traversed by veins of yellow earth; from the interior of the nest of a species of ant which collects a yellow dust; and from a sort of fungus from which a similar dust is also obtained.

The black is nothing but finely pounded charcoal.

The white is a very fine greasy species of pipe-clay, common all over Australia, and which they use either wet or dry.

How the blue colour used in the caves on the north-west was obtained I do not know; it is very dark and brilliant, and closely resembles the colour obtained from the seed-vessel of a plant very common there, and which, on being broken, yields a few drops of a brilliant blue liquid. I therefore imagined that it was procured from this source.

AGE AND MOTIVE OF DRAWINGS.

With regard to the age of these paintings we had no clue whatever to guide us. It is certain that they may have been very ancient, for, although the colours were composed of such perishable materials, they were all mixed with a resinous gum, insoluble in water, and, no doubt, when thus prepared, they would be capable of resisting, for a long period, the usual atmospheric causes of decay. The painting which appeared to me to have been the longest executed was the one clothed in the long red dress, but I came to this conclusion solely from its state of decay and dilapidation, and these may possibly have misled me very much; but, whatever may have been the age of these paintings, it is scarcely probable that they could have been executed by a self-taught savage. Their origin therefore I think must still be open to conjecture.

But the art and skill with which some of the figures are drawn, and the great effect which has been produced by such simple means, renders it most probable that these paintings must have been executed with the intention of exercising an influence upon the fears and superstitious feelings of the ignorant and barbarous natives: for such a purpose they are indeed well calculated; and I think that an attentive examination of the arrangement of the figures we first discovered, more particularly of that one over the entrance of the cave, will tend considerably to bear out the conclusion I have here advanced.

SINGULARITY REGARDING THEM.

It is a singularity worthy of remark that the drawings we found in the vicinity of the coast were nothing but the rudest scratches; that they gradually improved until we reached the farthest point we attained from the sea; and that it was in the vicinity of this point that some of the best productions were found.

CHAPTER 12. PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY. COMMERCIAL PROSPECTS.

PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY. MOUNTAIN RANGES.

The most remarkable geographical feature in North-Western Australia is a high range of mountains running north-north-east and south-south-west, named by me Stephen's Range after James Stephen, Esquire, Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies. From this primary range several branches are thrown off: 1. One between Roe's River on the north and Prince Regent's River on the south. 2. Macdonald's Range that throws off streams to Prince Regent's River on the north and to Glenelg River on the south. 3. Whateley's Range which gives forth streams to Glenelg River on the north, and to the low country behind Collier's Bay and Dampier's Land on the south.

These branch ranges as well as the principal one are all composed of ancient sandstone, deposited in nearly horizontal strata, or of basaltic rocks which are only visible in certain places, and are most fully developed in that part of Stephen's Range which lies behind Collier's Bay, and in the low ground near Glenelg River.

With the extent of Stephen's Range I am unacquainted; but I have no doubt that the high land whence the Fitzroy River takes its rise is merely an under-feature again thrown off from it, and which I propose to call Wickham's Range after Captain Wickham, R.N., the discoverer of the Fitzroy.

We may form some idea of the limits of Stephen's Range in a north and east direction from the following passage extracted from Captain King's survey of these coasts:*

Lacrosse Island is situated in the entrance of a deep opening trending to the south-south-west towards some steep, rugged hills. The character of the country is here entirely changed. Irregular ranges of detached rocky hills of sandstone formation, very slightly clothed with small shrubs and rising abruptly from extensive plains of low, level land, seem to have superseded the low wooded coasts that almost uninterruptedly prevails between this and Cape Wessel, a distance of more than six hundred miles!

(*Footnote. King's Australia volume 1 page 291.)

...

It appears therefore that this main range contains within it the sources of Roe's River, Prince Regent's and Glenelg Rivers, most probably the Fitzroy, and those that run into Cambridge Gulf and perhaps others that have their embouchures between this last and Admiralty Gulf.

From an accident having occurred to the only barometer we could carry with us I am unable to state the elevation of the highest land we reached above the level of the sea; but the appearance of the country on the coast does not give the impression of any very elevated ground existing near it. This however is owing to the great height of the shore cliffs and the gradual rise of the land towards the interior. The following observations, made with the barometer before it was broken, will show however that the altitude of the country at no great distance from the coast is considerable.

MACDONALD'S RANGE.

Our first encampment was on the banks of a small river at a spot 2,640 feet from the sea. This river ran through a deep and narrow valley, descending with a nearly regular slope from a tableland of sandstone, in which it took its rise about seven miles inland. At this encampment the height of the bed of the river above the level of the sea was 188.76 feet, as found by the mean of several very accordant observations, which, at the same average slope, gives an elevation of about 377 feet for the height of a spot on its banks distant only one mile from the sea; and if we conceive the average increase of elevation to the sandstone tableland to be only 200 feet in every mile (and I believe it to have been more) we shall have 1400 feet for the elevation of the tableland which formed one of the highest parts of Macdonald's Range.

ELEVATION OF HILLS.

After passing across this range we again descended rapidly into the low country, the face of which is much broken by conical hills composed of basalt. The heights of some of these hills above their base, which had a considerable elevation above the sea level, were in three instances as follows:

February 28.

The measured height of a hill above its base was 331 feet.

March 4.

Measured the altitude of a hill above its base and found it to be 222 feet.

March 8.

Measured the altitude of a hill above its base and found it to be 229.5 feet.

None of these hills had apparently near so great an elevation as the sandstone range of which they were under-features. At this period our barometer was unfortunately broken. We now proceeded up the banks of the Glenelg and arrived at many hills and conical peaks, apparently much higher than those I had measured; yet on afterwards passing the river and attaining the summit of the opposite sandstone range, we looked down upon them as hills of far inferior elevation to those on which we stood. From this circumstance, and from the very perceptible change of temperature we experienced, I should think the altitude of the farthest point of Stephen's Range which we reached must have been 2,500 or 3,000 feet above the sea.

CHARACTER OF THE RIVERS.

The rivers in North-western Australia much resemble in character those of the south-eastern parts of the continent. They rise at no very great distance from the sea. Near their sources they are mountain torrents, but in the lowlands they become generally streams with slow currents, winding through fertile and extensive valleys or plains which are liable to sudden and terrific inundations, caused, I conceive, by the rain which falls in that part of the mountains where the rivers take their rise; for at one period, when we had our encampment on the bank of the small stream near the sea at Hanover Bay, I was myself distant about fourteen miles in the interior in the direction of its source, where we had heavy rain; and on my return I found that the party at the station had been surprised by a sudden rising of the water for which there was no apparent cause as there had been no rain where they were.

The Glenelg River, in like manner, is subject to sweeping inundations, rising sometimes to the height of fourteen to fifteen feet above its usual level, as was evinced by the weeds and other substances we saw in the trees on its banks.

To show that these are characteristics of the Fitzroy River I shall quote the authority of Captain Wickham from a letter addressed to me just before our meeting at Hanover Bay:

It (the Fitzroy) appears to be very similar to the rivers on the south-east side of New Holland, subject to dreadful inundations, caused by heavy floods in the interior, and in no way connected with the rainy season on the coast. Our visit to it being in February and March, immediately after the rainy season on the coast, without our seeing any indication of a recent flooding, although there were large trunks of trees and quantities of grass and weeds lying on the bank and suspended from the branches of trees from ten to twelve feet above the level of the river. The bed is entirely of sand.

...

INUNDATIONS.

It will be clearly seen how nearly this corresponds with what we observed about the same season on the banks of the Glenelg. I have therefore little doubt that the Fitzroy takes its origin from the same mountain chain, and that the inundations described by Captain Wickham originate in the causes which I have here assigned.

To demonstrate more clearly the similarity of character of these rivers with those of New South Wales I shall quote two passages from the British Colonies of Mr. Montgomery Martin, regarding the Hawkesbury and Hunter Rivers of that colony:

The Hawkesbury, which is a continuation of the Nepean River, after the junction of the latter with a considerable stream, called the Grose, issues from a remarkable cleft in the Blue Mountains in the vicinity of the beautiful town of Richmond, about forty miles from Sydney. Along the base of these mountains the Hawkesbury flows in a northerly direction, fed by numerous tributary mountain torrents, descending from narrow gorges, which, after heavy rains, cause the Hawkesbury to rise and overflow its banks as it approaches the sea. In one instance it rose near the town of Windsor ninety-seven feet above its ordinary level. Volume 4 page 257.

Again he says, page 258:

Hunter's River, about seventy miles to the northward of Port Jackson, disembogues into the sea at the harbour of Newcastle.

There are three branches to the Hunter, called the upper, the lower, and the middle: the two former are navigable for boats for about 120 miles, and the latter for about 200 miles; but the branches are all subject to sudden and terrific inundations owing to the rapid descent of torrents from the Blue Mountains.

...

MOUTH OF THE GLENELG.

In concluding my remarks on the rivers of the north-west I should state that Mr. Stokes, the surveyor of the Beagle, after a careful examination of the coast did not succeed in finding the mouth of the Glenelg; and he imagines that it has several openings, consisting of large mangrove creeks, which fall into Stokes Bay; whilst it is my impression that it will be found to run out somewhere between Camden Sound and Collier's Bay, and that by some accidental circumstance its mouth was missed. That it joins the sea in a considerable body I should infer from a shoal of porpoises having been seen high up the river, and from the rise and fall of tide, which was twenty feet at the direct distance of thirty miles from the coast.

VALLEYS.

The valleys in this country are of two kinds: those which are almost ravines, bordered on each side by nearly inaccessible cliffs; and valleys of great width, bordered by fertile plains, often extensive, and which occur where the basaltic rocks are developed; although ravines of this formation are also of frequent occurrence in the mountainous parts.

CHARACTER OF THE VALLEYS. SOIL.

The soil found in the valleys of the former kind is extremely rich, but they are all subject to very heavy inundations. As an example of this kind of valley I may cite the one in which we first encamped. Its mean width was only 147 feet, and the rocky precipitous cliffs at half a mile from the sea rose above their base 138 feet. These deep valleys undoubtedly afford water at all seasons of the year.

The sandstone formation is intersected in all directions by valleys of this kind, which are seldom more than from two to three miles apart, while the top of the range between them is a tableland, divided by lateral valleys and gently rising towards the interior. Seawards they all terminate in saltwater creeks, having the same narrow, rocky, and precipitous character as they present themselves.

These tablelands afford good timber, particularly pine. Sheep thrive upon the food there produced, but we found goats did not answer so well.

The richest land in this part of the country is found in the valleys of the second class. The streams flowing through these valleys have generally almost imperceptible currents and often form wide reaches. The land upon their margins is thinly wooded; and I have often seen exposed fine vegetable mould of ten or twelve feet in thickness, through which these streams had worn their way. Good examples of this kind of valley are those through which run the Fitzroy and Glenelg rivers.

The northern banks of Prince Regent's River I conceive to offer no inducement whatever for the formation of a settlement, the whole of the country in that direction, as far as I have seen, consisting entirely of sandstone ridges. These ridges are continually intersected by valleys, or rather ravines of great fertility, but they are so narrow, and the good land contained in them is so very limited in extent, that from the first moment of the establishment of a colony here the individuals composing it must necessarily be scattered over a large space of country. They would thus be separated from one another by considerable intervals, which separation would not only render them more liable to disagreements with the natives, but would for many other reasons be highly detrimental to the interests of an infant colony.

The same objection holds good with regard to the south bank of this river, as far as the longitude of 125 degrees 3 minutes east, and even after passing this point the land immediately bordering the river is of the same sterile character; however a creek which trends nearly south runs up from thence into one of the most fertile countries I have ever seen.

HARBOURS.

The coastline to the south of Prince Regent's River is indented, as shown upon Captain King's chart, by numerous deep bays, many of which afford excellent anchorage; indeed I believe that there is no other part of the world in which an example occurs of three such fine harbours as Port George the Fourth, Hanover Bay, and Camden Sound, lying so close to one another.

These harbours alone render this a point of considerable consequence to Great Britain; but when viewed in connexion with the fine tract of country lying behind them its importance is very materially increased.

COMMERCIAL ADVANTAGES.

Should this part of Australia be found eligible for colonization its commercial importance is well worthy of consideration.

PRODUCTIONS SUITED FOR CULTIVATION. COTTON TRADE.

The cultivated productions for the growth of which the country and climate seem best adapted are cotton, sugar, indigo, and rice.

A species of cotton plant grows wild in the greatest abundance, and if a colony was established and the proper cotton-plant introduced the following advantages would be obtained:

Great Britain would possess in Northern Australia a colony standing in the same relation to her manufacturies for cotton that her colonies in the south do to her wool-market.

This colony would also form a sort of entrepot to which the manufactured cotton would again be exported for the purpose of sale in the islands of the Indian Archipelago or its vicinity, and other parts where we have at present no trade, and where printed cottons now are, and from the nature of these countries must constantly be, in great demand.

Thus a fresh supply of cotton for our markets would be obtained, which, coming from an English colony, would give employment to British vessels alone, and the industry of our manufacturers would be called into operation by an entirely new market for cotton goods being thrown open to them, in which the demand for these articles is far greater than the supply could be for many years.

ARTICLES OF EXPORT.

The natural productions that are at present found in North-west Australia and might be available for exportation consist chiefly of timber, gum, lichens, and mimosa bark; all of which are abundant, and might be collected with a trifling degree of labour.

There are many varieties of useful timber. Among others, pine, fit for the purposes either of building or making spars for vessels, is abundant and good, and could be readily and cheaply exported if they were cut in the vicinity of the streams and floated down to the sea in the rainy season, whereby all land carriage would be avoided.

I sent to England specimens of five different gums in order that they might be examined. These consist of an elastic gum, closely resembling Indian rubber, gum tragacynth, another gum yielded by a sort of capparis and which I believe to be hitherto unknown, and two kinds of gum resin.

The mosses are of various kinds, many of which would afford useful dyes; and these, together with the gums, would probably be found valuable articles of export; for the collecting of them is a species of labour in which the native tribes would more willingly engage than any other I am acquainted with.

Immediately off North-West Cape is good whaling ground. The schooner employed on the expedition fell in with two vessels—the Favourite, Captain White, and the Diana, Captain Hamott, whalers belonging to Messrs. Bennett & Co., of London, and then fishing between North-West Cape and the position usually assigned to the Tryal Rocks. Both these vessels had been very successful.

COMMERCIAL PROSPECTS. TRADE WITH THE ASIATIC ARCHIPELAGO.

With regard to the commerce that might be carried on by Northern Australia with the islands of the Indian Archipelago I have made many enquiries, and have gained from the most authentic sources some important facts.

The points upon which I first endeavoured to obtain information were:

1. What desire was evinced by the inhabitants of the islands of the Indian Archipelago and the China Sea to become possessed of articles of British manufacture; and,

2. If they were able to pay a fair price, either in money, or by giving goods for which there would be a demand in European markets, in exchange for such articles of British manufacture as might be introduced amongst them.

Upon both of these points I received very satisfactory information. In some instances most respectable merchants detailed to me the result of speculations of this kind in which they had been engaged; in others mercantile letters were placed in my hands, fully corroborating what had been told me; but the information I thus obtained bore reference also to the following points:

1. The degree of labour necessarily required to transport articles of British manufacture to such a distant mart as the one here contemplated for their consumption.

2. The length of time during which wages must be paid to and food provided for the individuals engaged in this labour.

3. The duties to which the articles will become liable in the various ports; and,

4. The danger of loss or injury that may be incurred in their transport thither.

With regard to the two first of the above heads it appears that the profit that may be realized by the trader is so considerable as not only to cover the expenses that they would necessarily entail upon him; but after these expenses have been defrayed the residue of profit that would remain in his hands would be so large as to render this commerce one of the most lucrative in which capital could be embarked.

METHOD OF BARTER.

This will be readily conceived when it is considered that the mode of barter is that which is most usual amongst the inhabitants, and that the trader puts his own valuation upon the articles he exchanges with them. One of the oldest and most respectable merchants at the Cape made a voyage through these islands for the purpose of procuring gold dust, and he detailed to me the mode in which he conducted the traffic. A Spanish doubloon was placed in one of the scales, and gold dust in the other; when the quantity of gold dust was equal in weight to the doubloon, he gave a doubloon's worth of goods they required, at his own valuation; the profit realized was large.

One great drawback to this commerce at present is the necessity of coasting from place to place in order to obtain a full cargo. The same inconvenience was felt along the coasts of Africa and Madagascar until some enterprising London and Liverpool mercantile houses established the system of receiving vessels, which remained stationary at one point whilst smaller vessels collected cargoes for them. Now a colony in some northern part of Australia would in the same manner totally obviate this inconvenience by affording a place in which cargoes could be collected from small vessels, and to which the British manufactures to be exchanged could be brought. Kupang in Timor at the present moment is used for this purpose by the Dutch.

DUTIES LEVIED AT THE ISLANDS.

With regard to the third point I find that at the native ports, in general, no duty is required; but where there is a Rajah it is politic to make him a present in goods. The duties levied by the Portuguese at Dili in the month of June 1838 was 10 per cent. With regard to the duties levied by the Dutch on British merchant vessels I know but little; but the duty demanded at Kupang and Roti on each horse exported, or each musket imported, was six rupees, being almost equal to their original value. Arms or ammunition are no longer contraband either in the Dutch or Portuguese possessions.

In considering the danger of loss or injury that may be incurred in the transport of merchandise to these parts it is unnecessary to compute the ordinary dangers to which the merchant is more or less liable in all quarters of the world; but two distinct drawbacks to commercial enterprise at present exist in these countries, which are peculiar to them, these are the prevalence of piracy, and the constant occurrence of political commotions in the native states. The establishment of a settlement on the north or north-west coast of New Holland would have however the effect of diminishing both these evils in so great a degree that a very few years would probably suffice for their complete annihilation.

SUCCESS OF AMERICAN VESSELS. CAUSES OF IT.

Notwithstanding the drawbacks occasioned to commercial enterprise by the circumstances above detailed, there at this moment exists a very considerable trade in the Indian Archipelago, which is, with the exception of the few vessels that sometimes bring ponies to the Isle of France and the British settlements, almost wholly in the hands of the Americans. Indeed no fact which I have met with has so much surprised me as the extraordinary diffusion of the American commerce, and the great spirit of enterprise exhibited by them. For in many places where the British merchants can find no commerce apparently worth their attention the Americans carry on a lucrative and prosperous trade, and in half-civilized countries, where the largest profits are always realized, the Americans are so eminently successful that the British merchant cannot attempt to compete with them.

This appears to arise from the following circumstance. The masters of the American vessels engaged in this kind of trade are, in many instances, whole, and in all other instances, part owners of the vessel and cargo; whereas masters of English vessels have frequently little or no interest in the vessel and cargo, and are moreover frequently tied down by directions issued from the firm for which they act.

The difference between these two cases is very great; the American can turn every circumstance that occurs to account: he can instantly enter into any speculation that holds out a prospect of success; and can act with rapidity and decision on his own responsibility. The English master, on the contrary, has usually a certain prescribed line of duty to fulfil, from which he cannot vary.

Hence it is that we often see the American whalers with arms, ammunition, and other articles for barter on board. They whale off Madagascar, and, whenever an opportunity offers, carry on a lucrative trade with the natives. From thence their course is directed to St. Paul's and Amsterdam, and afterwards along the coast of New Holland; and when it again becomes necessary for them to refresh they touch at some island in the Archipelago, and the scene of barter is once more renewed. Their cargo eventually consists of sperm oil, gum copal and other gums, ebony, tortoiseshell, gold dust, seal-skins, shells, and curiosities; yet they originally started upon a whaling voyage.

INSTANCES.

During the years 1824 and 1825, when the port of Mombas upon the East Coast of Africa was temporarily ceded to the British Government, Lieutenant Emery, R.N., who was stationed there as commander, was witness to a curious instance of this nature.

Whilst this port was in the possession of the English but one British merchant vessel arrived there, yet three American vessels entered the harbour. The master of the English vessel was not a part owner; the American masters were all part owners and carried on a very lucrative trade, shipping a large quantity of ivory, whereas the English master was placed in a very unpleasant position, for, owing to the orders he had received from his owners (Messrs Tobin and Co. of Liverpool) he had not been able to ship a cargo suited to the market of Mombas, and if Lieutenant Emery had not kindly cashed a bill for him the speculation would have been a total failure.

The cargo these American vessels brought to Mombas was principally muskets and ammunition, which they bartered with the natives for ivory; and this is the cargo they always ship for trade with the inhabitants of the Indian Archipelago, and, as muskets and ammunition are there of great value, the profit they realize is enormous.

As an instance of the kind of persons these American masters often are I may state the following circumstance.

Captain Wickham, R.N., was at Valparaiso in South America in the year 1836, where he met a purser in the American navy who had realized about 3000 pounds sterling; this person here quitted the American service and laid out his capital in the purchase of a small vessel in which, having embarked a cargo suited to the trade of the country, he started for the coast of California; in a short period he returned to Valparaiso, having in this single trip more than doubled his capital; this Captain Wickham also stated was by no means a rare instance.

TRADING PRODUCTS OF THE SEVERAL ISLANDS.

Having bestowed some attention on the state of trade in the Indian Archipelago, and collected considerable information from various individuals who had been engaged in it, I shall here subjoin a summary of such of the principal facts as I think may be depended on.

TRADE WITH TIMOR.

In all the ports of the natives, as well as those under the Dutch and Portuguese authorities, the produce is much the same. It consists chiefly of goats, pigs, poultry, maize, paddy, yams, plantains, fruit, sandalwood, beeswax, and tortoiseshell in small quantities.

At Dili duties of 10 per cent are exacted and produce is rather dear. Sandalwood is to be had at from 2 to 4 dollars the picul of 125 catties; wax is generally from 30 to 35 dollars (Spanish) the picul of 110 catties.

The ports of Timor furnish a little gold dust at times. Good water and firewood are to be had at most of them; that of Dili is a good and safe one.

Gold dust, I understand, is also procurable at Sandalwood Island and New Hebrides.

For vessels the good season on the coast is from about the 10th of April to the 15th of October.

Cootababa affords horses and all the produce of the other places. No duties are levied here, the place not being subject to the Portuguese. It is a small port and should be entered with caution.

The best ports of Timor for wax are Dili, Cootababa, Ocussi, Sitranny, Nilow, and Manatronto. It is gathered in June, cleaned in July, and sold principally in that and the two following months; but a vessel should be active, as enterprising people go along the coast and buy it up for the Kupang merchants, who send it to Batavia where it is said to sell for 120 rupees the picul; the price at Cootababa, being lately about 80 rupees at 2 1/2 to the Spanish dollar.

Sandalwood can be had from March to October, the usual trading season; but from March to May is the best time as vessels from Kupang and Macao are on the coast early, buying it up in time to return to Macao and China in the favourable monsoon. The best ports for sandalwood are, Cootababa, Ocussi, and Sitranny, but it is to be had most abundantly at Ata-poopa.

ARTICLES IN REQUEST.

Spanish dollars, muskets, and gunpowder are the essentials for procuring wax or sandalwood, but if you wish to have a greater assortment, small quantities may be added of any articles from the following list.

Doubloons (Spanish). Sovereigns (English). blue cloth of Pondicherry of good quality. ditto English (if cheap) of dark colour for officers. white shirting or good calico for men and women. handkerchiefs of colours and sorts. white cotton stockings. men and women's gown pieces of sorts and colours. silk stockings, plain and ribbed. shoes for men and women. brandy, rum, gin, lead and flints. quart-glass decanters, cruet stands, dress swords, wine glasses and rummers, knives and forks, razors, needles, scissors, earrings, bracelets, shawls of sorts, mock jewellery, sugar, soap, biscuits.

Bally and Surabaya are good places for rice, but more especially the former, as it is to be had cheap, especially if bartered for opium. The rice can be carried to Macao where a good price can always be obtained for it.

Puloo, Batao, and Ocussi on the coast of Timor are good places for obtaining tortoiseshell at all times, as well as the islands in front of Timor, from October to December. The price is about 800 Spanish dollars per picul in cash; but in exchange for blue or white cloth, powder, arms, flint, etc., it would be obtained for much less.

Roti and Bally are both good places for ponies in exchange for cash or goods.

The following is an account of our purchase and barter at the island of Roti in January 1838:

10 horses for 10 muskets (old). 4 horses for 2 fowling-pieces (old). 9 horses for 27 1/2 rupees each. 3 mares for 22 rupees each. 8 sheep for an old regimental breastplate. 14 goats for a pair of pistols (old). The duty on each horse was six rupees.

In Mr. Earle's translation of the account of the voyage of the Dutch colonial brig Dourga, which, it is stated, left Amboyna May 26th 1825 and visited the islands of Kissa, Lettee, Mon, Damma, Lakor, and Luan,* it is said, in speaking of them:

The clothing of those who cannot obtain European or Indian cotton cloth is pieces of prepared bark fastened round their waists.

The productions of these islands are sandalwood, beeswax, pearls, tortoiseshell, trepang, edible birds' nests, Indian corn, rice, vegetables, with abundance of livestock. As the use of money is scarcely known these are only to be obtained by barter in exchange for cotton cloths, brass wire, iron chopping knives, and coarse cutlery. The first article, cotton cloth, is most in demand and M. Kolff suggests that a European merchant might carry on an advantageous trade here. The value of an ox is from 8 shillings and 4 pence to 10 shillings; of a sheep from 3 shillings and 4 pence to 5 shillings. Beeswax can be obtained in abundance at Roma at the rate of 2 pounds 7 shillings per hundredweight. The trade with the islands is carried on solely by natives, those of Macassar, Amboyna, and the Arru Islands being the chief purchasers; and Chinese brigs from Java occasionally visit Kissa.

(*Footnote. The Serwatty Islands to the east of Timor see the map of the Asiatic Archipelago by Mr. John Arrowsmith.)

...

Geby, an island in the Gellola passage, has a fine harbour; a large quantity of tortoiseshell can be obtained there for trade with the natives. The Asia's Islands, lying a short distance to the northward, are not inhabited but abound in turtle.

TRADE WITH THE ISLANDS OF THE ASIATIC ARCHIPELAGO.

The following points of information concerning the Indian Archipelago were furnished by Captain Brodie, formerly in command of a Dutch vessel of 326 tons:

In case of a necessity for repairing or coppering a vessel Surabaya is the best place as it can be done well and cheap. Wood for ship-building is abundant; and good carpenters can be had at the rate of 20 copper doits per diem, that is to say, three men for a rupee a day.

The Malaccas are under Dutch government, of which Ternate forms a part. It is said to be a good place to dispose of odds and ends,* and for getting a little shell. It is also a good place for refreshments.

Banda is not so good a place to go to, if another is at hand, as it is for a merchant vessel a strictly prohibited port. In fact the Spice islands, or Malaccas, can be entered for water and refreshments.

At Timor (Kupang) you can get sandalwood, wax, and a little shell, but dear.

At the north-east end of Celebes there are two other places, Monado and Keema, where the best gormootip or black coir rope can be obtained at about 7 rupees per picul. These two places are under the Dutch government. Some little business might be done there: stock in particular is cheap.

At the island of Ceram the inhabitants are said to be favourable to the English, but Dutch vessels of war cruise often about there, and are very jealous.

Bouton, a small island with a Rajah under Dutch protection, situate at the south-east end of Celebes, and off the bay of Boni, is a place where prows assemble and get vast quantities of shells and beche-de-mer. Nearly all these prows proceed with their cargoes to Singapore for a Chinese market.

Fine cattle are to be had at about four dollars a head at the town of Bally, in the Straits of Allass, between Lombok and Sumbawa.

New Guinea produces good beeswax, pearls, tortoise-shell, trepang, birds-of-paradise, etc.

(*Footnote. Another authority says: Tidore near Ternate is a good friendly place. Articles for trade are looking-glasses of a better kind, knives and forks, beads, watches, printed calicos, blue Pondicherry cloth, Salimpores, arms, powder, flints, lead or shot, razors, scissors, handkerchiefs; in return for which you may get pearls, pearl-shell, tortoiseshell, birds-of-paradise, nutmegs, etc.)

...

FIELD FOR ENTERPRISE.

I shall conclude this subject with some remarks of Mr. John Sullivan. R.N., a gentleman who possesses a vast fund of information regarding the Indian Archipelago, and to whom I am indebted for many details regarding its commerce. He says:

To suppose that the almost countless islands in the ocean before-named (the Pacific) do not give many valuable articles, and particularly tortoiseshell and pearl, would be no less an error than to doubt the existence of the islands altogether.

No, the case is otherwise; and it is needless to say that in the quarter alluded to there are already a few American merchants, who have discovered by their China, whaling, and sealing voyages many sources of wealth, and who are at this moment reaping rich rewards for their toil, while 999 out of every thousand of the European world know nothing at all about it. Nevertheless there is yet a vast field open to the speculator, which must ever promise ample recompense for his confidence and outlay.

CHAPTER 13. AT SWAN RIVER.

PLAN FOR RETURNING TO THE NORTH-WEST COAST. WHY ABANDONED.

On arriving at the Mauritius I found that my stay would be unavoidably protracted from the state of my wound, which the want of rest and attention had prevented from healing during the expedition, whilst my men were still suffering under the effects of the hardships and privations they had recently been subjected to; my first step therefore was to discharge the Lynher, and the next to consider a plan for future operations.

The rivers Fitzroy and Glenelg, simultaneously discovered by Captain Wickham and myself, although of considerable magnitude, were only sufficient to account for the drainage of a small portion of the vast continent of Australia, and this interesting question, far from being placed in a clearer point of view by our expeditions, was if possible involved in deeper obscurity than ever. I was therefore anxious to return to the north-west coast and solve the mystery that still hung over those regions; but, after considering various plans and suggestions, in which I was kindly assisted by the advice and opinions of Sir William Nicolay, then Governor of the Mauritius, I was induced to forego the intention of proceeding again direct to the north-west, and to bend my course in the first instance to Swan River. There I could consult Sir James Stirling, the Governor, who had been instructed on our departure from England to afford us every assistance; and, according to the means which could then be obtained, I might either proceed again by sea to the vicinity of the Glenelg or the Fitzroy; or, if a proper vessel and equipments could not be had, I might endeavour to pass the range to the north-east of that colony, ascertain the direction of the streams which must be thrown off by it to the interior, and trace the main river into which they fell (if such there was) to its outlet.

PROCEED TO SWAN RIVER.

I accordingly embarked my party and the stores in my possession at Port Louis on the 21st August 1838, and arrived on the 18th September at Swan River, where I lost no time in communicating my views to Sir James Stirling, who concurred in the plan for returning to the north-west; and it was arranged that as soon as the colonial vessel Champion, then absent on a voyage to St. George's Sound, should come back to the Swan, it should be prepared for the conveyance to Camden Bay of myself and party, reinforced by such additional persons as might feel disposed to proceed there at their own cost for speculative purposes.

RETURN TO THE NORTH-WEST FRUSTRATED.

It was not however until the month of December following that the Colonial schooner became disposable, and then new impediments arose from her being found so much in want of repair as to be, in Sir James Stirling's opinion, scarcely in a condition to proceed on such a voyage as we contemplated, whilst the repairs required were of a nature which could not be effected in the Colony. From these and other considerations, more especially the danger and disappointment likely to be experienced for want of proper equipment, which it was found very difficult to supply at the Swan in an effective and satisfactory manner, the expedition to the North-west was deemed unadvisable and for the present given up.

It is unnecessary here to dwell on the mortification I felt at being obliged thus to abandon my long-cherished projects. The delays I had already experienced were sufficiently vexatious, but I had endeavoured to turn the time thus lost to some profit by endeavouring to acquaint myself with the resources of the country, as well as in acquiring information of a scientific nature, and I had attained such a knowledge of the language of the natives as enabled me to form a vocabulary of the different dialects spoken in these parts, which was printed and forwarded to England at the close of the year.

My excursions into the country from Perth whilst awaiting the arrival and fitting out of the Champion were necessarily short, but the journal of one to the northward, made in company with my young friend Mr. Frederick Smith, who afterwards fell a sacrifice in the expedition to Shark Bay, will I think be interesting enough to be inserted here.

EXCURSION TO THE NORTH OF PERTH.

November 30.

Mr. Smith and myself started at noon this day, accompanied by Corporal Auger and two natives, upon a trip in a northerly direction; about 5 P.M. we reached a lake distant about fifteen miles from Perth, and called by the natives Mooloore: we halted here for the night.

The horses were scarcely tethered and our fire made when four more natives joined the party; their names were Noogongoo, Kurral, Jeebar, and Dudemurry; they brought us a present of twenty-seven freshwater tortoises, the average weight of each of which was half a pound. They said that, although the lake was called Mooloore, the name of the land we were sitting on was Doondalup.

STORY-TELLING.

As soon as supper was finished they became very talkative, and, in a sort of recitative, recounted various adventures; and, when they conceived that they had sufficiently entertained me, they requested me to give them an account of my adventures in the northern part of the country, where they had heard from other natives that I had been for some time.

Having now acquired some knowledge of their language, I was able to make myself tolerably intelligible to them, and they listened with the greatest anxiety and interest to the various misfortunes that befel me. When they heard that I had been wounded by the natives to the north no persuasions or protestations upon my part could convince them that my object in now proceeding in that direction again was merely to gratify curiosity, and not from motives of revenge; but they kept continually requesting me not to attempt to kill anybody until I had passed a spot named Yalgarrin, about ten days journey to the north, and they then advised me indiscriminately to shoot everybody I saw; and were the more urgent in pressing the adoption of this course upon me from the fact of a quarrel existing between some of their relatives and the tribe dwelling there.

After I had exhausted the theme of my northern journey they desired me to give them some information with regard to England; I therefore related various circumstances which I thought would amuse them. Amongst other things I described the track of the sun in the heavens in those northern latitudes; this they fully understood, and it excited their most unqualified admiration. I now spoke to them of still more northern latitudes; and went so far as to describe those countries in which the sun never sets at a certain period of the year.

ITS IMPRESSION ON THE NATIVES.

Their astonishment now knew no bounds: "Ah I that must be another sun; not the same as the one we see here," said an old man; and in spite of all my arguments to the contrary, the others adopted this opinion. I wound up the night's conversation by an account of the diminutive Laplanders, clothed in skins of the seal instead of kangaroo; and amidst the shouts of applause that this account excited I laid down to rest. I this night observed a circumstance which had often before struck me, namely, that savages care but little for narratives concerning civilized man, but that anything connected with other races in the same state is most greedily received by them.

December 1.

Before sunrise this morning the two natives Yenmar and Nganmar, who had accompanied us from Perth, came to me and said that, from what I had told them last night, it appeared that some cause of quarrel existed between myself and the natives to the north; and that, however pacifically I might now express myself, they felt convinced that, if a fair opportunity offered, I should revenge myself upon some northern native. Now they, being southern men, had nothing whatever to do with these quarrels and disputes, and therefore they should at once return to Perth.

I did my utmost by means of protestations and promises to induce them to forego this resolution, but in vain; and the only boon I could gain from them was that they would accompany me to another tribe, distant about five miles, some of whom would probably go on with me; they, at the same time, assured me that they would preserve the most profound secrecy as to the fact of my having any cause of quarrel to the northward; and advised me to hold my tongue upon this point and quietly shoot the first man I saw there.

MEETING WITH OTHER NATIVES.

Finding that the arrangement pointed out by these natives was the only one I could adopt I was obliged to follow their advice, and we accordingly moved off in a north-east, and then north-east by east direction. After travelling over about four miles of country we heard the distant cries of natives, and soon after came up with and found them engaged in the pleasant occupation of carrying two wounded men on their shoulders into Perth. These men had quarrelled and had settled the dispute to their mutual satisfaction, as well as to that of their friends, by spearing each other through their respective thighs. One of the poor fellows was very ill and told me that his intention was to sit down at my house in Perth until he was well—and he kept his promise.

I had many friends amongst these natives and soon selected four to accompany me, their names were Warrup, Jenna, Dwer, and Ugat. There were five northern natives with the tribe who had never seen white men; they seemed to view us with great suspicion at first, but the present of a little bread soon placed us on the most friendly terms; and, after about half an hour's halt, we separated, they proceeding to Perth whilst we pursued a northerly course. After having made about four miles in this direction we halted for the day at the head of the Lake Moolore.

LAKE COUNTRY.

December 2.

We started before dawn, travelling in nearly a straight line across the country, our compass course being 329 degrees from the north. After we had made about three miles we reached a swampy lake, called Nirrooba, covered with wild-fowl. We here halted and prepared our breakfast whilst the natives went out to hunt. I soon shot a brace of wild ducks, and they speared nine; I now gave little Ugat my gun, and he brought in four more ducks, making a total of fifteen. Part of these we cooked, and kept the remainder for our dinner. I forgot to mention that we yesterday shot twelve parakeets.

I wandered for some distance about the eastern side of this lake and saw some very good land, I should say at least fifty acres; and, in addition to this land of the best quality, there was plenty of good feed for cattle all round the lake.

DELAY, AND BIVOUACK.

At 2 P.M. we started again in a due north direction and, having proceeded about four miles, reached a lake called Nowoorgoop. We now changed our course to north and by west, and, after travelling six miles more, came to a lake called, by the natives, Beeulengurrinyup; the water was however so thick and muddy that I determined, although it was getting late, to proceed further; we therefore changed our course to north and by east, and after travelling for about four miles more reached another lake, called Maubeebee. This lake was about three-quarters of a mile long. Mr. Smith's feet had latterly become so sore that he had been compelled to tie pieces of kangaroo skin over them, and thus equipped to walk without his half-boots; and, on coming in to our bivouac, I had the mortification to hear that, having been put carelessly on the horses, one of these boots had fallen down; I saw therefore that it would be necessary to let him and a native go back the next day upon the two horses we had with us for the purpose of finding it. To Europeans it would seem rather a visionary task to travel twelve or fourteen miles in a trackless forest in the hope of recovering a boot, but the natives' eyes are so keen that their finding it amounted to a matter of certainty.

LOVELY BIVOUACK.

Our bivouac this night had a beauty about it which would have made anyone possessed with the least enthusiasm fall in love with a bush life. We were sitting on a gently-rising ground which sloped away gradually to a picturesque lake surrounded by wooded hills, whilst the moon shone so brightly on the lake that the distance was perfectly clear, and we could distinctly see the large flocks of wildfowl as they passed over our heads and then splashed into the water, darkening and agitating its silvery surface; in front of us blazed a cheerful fire, round which were the dark forms of the natives, busily engaged in roasting ducks for us; the foreground was covered with graceful grass trees and, at the moment we commenced supper, I made the natives set fire to the dried tops of two of these, and by the light of these splendid chandeliers, which threw a red glare over the whole forest in our vicinity, we ate our evening meal; then, closing round the fire, rolled ourselves up in our blankets and laid down to sleep.

December 3.

At dawn this morning Mr. Smith and Warrup started on the horses in search of his boot; and I spent the day in shooting wildfowl and various kind of game, as well as in collecting words from the natives for my vocabulary. About 4 P.M. Mr. Smith returned with his boot and we all retired early to rest.

December 4.

We started at sunrise and travelled about six miles in the direction of 17 degrees, and then halted for breakfast at a lake called Boongarrup. The whole of the country we passed over this morning was sandy and bad, being thinly clothed with Banksia trees; but immediately about the lake there was, as usual, good land. We started immediately after breakfast as the natives told us we had a long journey to make. Our course now lay in the direction of 13 degrees. The country we passed over was still of the same sandy nature; and after travelling about ten miles we made another lake.

STRANGER TRIBE. NATIVE TOILETTE.

The natives here saw the recent signs of strange blacks and insisted upon my coming to a halt whilst they painted themselves and made sundry additions to their toilette. I urged my remonstrances upon this head, but it was in vain. They said that we should soon see some very pretty girls; that I might go on if I liked, but that they would not move until they had completed their preparations for meeting their fair friends. I therefore made the best of it and sat myself down whilst they continued adorning themselves. This being done to their satisfaction, they came and requested my opinion as to their appearance; and as I intimated my most unqualified approval they became in high spirits, and gave a very animated description of the conquests they expected to make.

This weighty affair having been completed we again moved on, the natives keeping a careful lookout for the friends they expected to see. They at length espied one sitting in the rushes looking for small fish; but no sooner did he see the approaching party than he took to his heels as hard as he could, and two others whom we had not before observed followed his example.

MEETING WITH A NEW TRIBE.

Our native comrades now commenced hallooing to the fugitives, stating that I had come from the white people to bring them a present of rice and flour. Moreover Jenna shouted out to his uncle, "Am not I your nephew—why then should you run away?" This and similar speeches had, at length, the desired effect. First one of them advanced, trembling from head to foot, and when I went forward to meet him and shook hands with him it reassured the others, and they also joined our party, yet still not without evident signs of fear. An old man now came up who could not be induced to allow me to approach him, appearing to regard me with a sort of stupid amazement; neither horses or any other of those things which powerfully excited the curiosity of the others had the least charm for him, but his eyes were always fixed on me with a look of eagerness and anxiety which I was unable to account for.

We explained to the strange natives that we intended to halt for the night in this neighbourhood, and asked them to show us a good spot with plenty of water and grass. At the same time those I had with me stated to the others that unless the women and children came in I would give no rice or flour. This declaration was however wholly unauthorised by my sanction, and arose from their desire of exhibiting their personal attractions to the ladies of these parts; but, feeling rather disposed to see a little savage flirtation, I raised no objection to it.

The oldest of the natives, who appeared to regard me with so much curiosity, went off for the purpose of collecting the women whilst we proceeded to our place of halt. After going about three miles in a due north direction we made a river coming from an east and by south direction, and here called by the natives Goonmarrarup; it lies in rather a deep valley, and at this point consisted of large pools connected by a running stream about 20 yards wide. There was plenty of wildfowl upon these pools and Ugat soon shot some for us.

SCENERY.

The scenery here was very picturesque: high wooded hills were upon each side of us, and the valley was open and rather thinly timbered; but the few trees it contained were of considerable size and beauty. Beneath one of these we prepared our bivouac, the strange natives doing their utmost to render themselves useful. They had never before seen white people, and the quickness with which they understood our wants and hastened to gratify them was very satisfactory.

MEETING WITH NATIVE WOMEN.

After we had tethered the horses and made ourselves tolerably comfortable we heard loud voices from the hills above us: the effect was fine for they really almost appeared to float in the air; and as the wild cries of the women, who knew not our exact position, came by upon the wind, I thought it was well worth a little trouble to hear these savage sounds under such circumstances. Our guides shouted in return, and gradually the approaching cries came nearer and nearer.

CURIOUS SUPERSTITION. CEREMONIES.

I was however wholly unprepared for the scene that was about to take place. A sort of procession came up, headed by two women down whose cheeks tears were streaming. The eldest of these came up to me and, looking for a moment at me, said, "Gwa, gwa, bundo bal," "Yes, yes, in truth it is him;" and then, throwing her arms round me, cried bitterly, her head resting on my breast; and, although I was totally ignorant of what their meaning was, from mere motives of compassion I offered no resistance to her caresses, however disagreeable they might be, for she was old, ugly, and filthily dirty; the other younger one knelt at my feet, also crying.

At last the old lady, emboldened by my submission, deliberately kissed me on each cheek, just in the manner a French woman would have done; she then cried a little more and, at length relieving me, assured me that I was the ghost of her son who had some time before been killed by a spear-wound in his breast. The younger female was my sister; but she, whether from motives of delicacy or from any imagined backwardness on my part, did not think proper to kiss me.

My new mother expressed almost as much delight at my return to my family as my real mother would have done had I been unexpectedly restored to her. As soon as she left me my brothers and father (the old man who had previously been so frightened) came up and embraced me after their manner, that is, they threw their arms round my waist, placed their right knee against my right knee, and their breast against my breast, holding me in this way for several minutes. During the time that the ceremony lasted I, according to the native custom, preserved a grave and mournful expression of countenance.

This belief, that white people are the souls of departed blacks, is by no means an uncommon superstition amongst them; they themselves, never having an idea of quitting their own land, cannot imagine others doing it; and thus, when they see white people suddenly appear in their country, and settling themselves down in particular spots, they imagine that they must have formed an attachment for this land in some other state of existence; and hence conclude the settlers were at one period black men, and their own relations. Likenesses either real or imagined complete the delusion; and from the manner of the old woman I have just alluded to, from her many tears, and from her warm caresses, I feel firmly convinced that she really believed I was her son, whose first thought upon his return to earth had been to re-visit his old mother, and bring her a present. I will go still farther and say that, although I did not encourage this illusion, I had not the heart to try to undeceive the old creature and to dispel her dream of happiness. Could I have remained long enough to have replaced this vain impression by a consoling faith I would gladly have done it; but I did not like to destroy this belief and leave her no other in the place of it.

The men next proceeded to embrace their relation Jenna in the same manner they had before done me; and this part of the ceremony was now concluded.

The women, who had retired after having welcomed me, again came in from behind some bushes, where the children all yet remained and, bringing several of them up to me, insisted on my hugging them. The little things screamed and kicked most lustily, being evidently frightened out of their wits; but the men seized on and dragged them up. I took the youngest ones in my arms, and by caresses soon calmed their fears; so that those who were brought afterwards cried to reach me first, instead of crying to be taken away.

A POINT OF HONOUR.

A considerable time had been occupied by these various occurrences, which to me had been most interesting; but one of a more painful character was now to follow. It appears that a sister of the native Jenna had been speared and killed by a man who at present was resident with this tribe; and, although most of them were on friendly terms with this native, they conceived that Jenna was bound to revenge her death in fair and open fight. The old lady (my mother) went up to him and, seizing his merro, or throwing-stick, told him that the man who had killed his sister was at a little distance; "and if," said she, "you are not a man, and know not how to use this, let a woman's hand try what it can do," at the same time trying to force it from him. All the time that she was thus pretending to wrench his merro away she indulged in a most eloquent speech to endeavour to rouse his courage. I do not know enough of the language to translate it with proper spirit or effect, as I only caught the general meaning: it had however a great effect on Jenna; and some young ladies coming in at the conclusion, his mind was instantly made up; indeed the certainty that bright eyes were to look upon his deeds appeared to have much the same effect upon him that it had upon the knights of old and, jumping up, he selected three good spears (all the men being willing to lend him theirs) and hurried off to an open space where his antagonist was waiting for him.

NATIVE MODE OF COMBAT.

The combats, one of which was now about to take place, much resemble the ancient tournaments. They are conducted with perfect fairness. The combatants fight in an open space, their friends all standing by to see fair play, and all the preliminaries as to what blows are to be considered foul or fair are arranged beforehand, sometimes with much ceremony.

Taking into account the fantastic ornaments and paintings of the natives, the graceful attitudes they throw themselves into either when trying to avoid the spears of their enemy, or about to throw their own; and the loud cries and wild motions with which they attempt to confuse and terrify their adversaries, I must confess that if any exhibition of this nature can be considered showy or attractive, this has no ordinary claims to admiration.

NATIVE DUEL. REVENGEFUL COMBAT AND MURDER PREVENTED.

I am however not fond of shows in which the safety of my fellow-creatures is concerned, and on the present occasion was very anxious that nothing of the kind should take place; for before I could induce Jenna to come with me, I had passed my word for his safety, and I could not bear the thought of his being now either killed or wounded. When therefore the natives came to request our attendance at this spectacle, which they evidently expected would afford us great amusement, I intimated my decided disapproval of it: at first they imagined that this reluctance arose from some apprehension of a quarrel upon our parts, and to remove this the greater part of the men, who now amounted to sixteen, laid down their spears by our stores. I still however would not sanction the combat and, taking up my gun, intimated my intention of seeing that nothing was done to injure Jenna; upon this my brothers proceeded in a friendly way to hold me: which is exactly what one sees in England when two men, who have not the least intention in the world of hurting one another, declare in a loud tone their fixed determination of proceeding to the most desperate extremities; whilst mutual friends stand by and appear with the utmost difficulty to prevent them from putting their threats in execution. It was just in this manner that my soi-disant brothers held me, apparently not entertaining the least doubt but that I would easily allow myself to be persuaded not to interfere. I had now recourse to another expedient, and this was to declare to those about me that, if either of the combatants was wounded, I should instantly pack up the flour and rice and proceed to the white men's fires. This had the desired effect: those around me started off and put the holding system so effectually in force that the other natives and the two combatants soon came in.

Some of the natives who now approached told Mr. Smith that a cannon had been heard that morning in the direction of Fremantle; we therefore knew that a vessel had arrived, and this made me anxious to return to Perth; for, in the event of our obtaining canvas for the Champion's sails, I expected that vessel would be ready to take us in a few days to the north-west coast.

RETURN TO PERTH.

My anxiety to return was also increased by other reasons. Mr. Smith had, with the exception of the first few miles, walked the whole distance from Perth in pieces of kangaroo skin, and his feet were now in a dreadful state from the joint effect of thorns and bruises; he however never complained, and so much did I admire the quietness and perseverance with which he had borne up against so serious an inconvenience, that I was the more anxious to put an end to it as soon as possible. Besides it was evident that very deadly feelings existed between Jenna and the murderer of his sister, for he (Jenna) came and requested me to call this native my friend, at the same time to give him plenty of flour and rice, "And," added he, "by-and-bye, ask him to sleep at your fire; then, in the night, whilst he is asleep, I can easily spear him; and I will off, and walk to Perth." I however cooled Jenna's ardour by whispering to him that, if any quarrel was brought about by his attempting to spear this native, I should instantly shoot him; as I had no idea of running a risk of losing all our lives through his imprudence. This declaration had a very salutary effect, and my now giving the promised present of rice and flour entirely put a stop to all further differences.

The natives I had with me employed themselves in teaching the others, to whom flour was an unknown commodity, the art of making dampers; whilst Mr. Smith and myself, having arranged to start for Perth early the next morning, mixed with the groups and visited their fires; the little children now crawled to our feet and, all fear being laid aside, regarded our movements with the greatest curiosity. After various amusing conversations and recountals of former deeds the natives gradually, one by one, dropped off to sleep; and we in turn, one always remaining on the watch, followed their example.

INVITATION TO A NATIVE FEAST.

December 5.

I should have stated, in justice to the natives, that they last night brought me the head and forequarters of a kangaroo, being the only game they had with them; and of this they offered to make me a present, which however I did not accept. They were again this morning very anxious that we should delay our journey for a day or two, promising upon their part, if we acceded to the request, to give us a grand entertainment at which all their young men would dance, and that we should have abundance of kangaroos if we would give flour in return. I deemed it however most prudent to hasten my return to Perth to see what vessel had arrived; therefore, after taking a cordial farewell of our friends, we moved off on our homeward route and reached Boongarrup about the middle of the day following, by a route rather to the westward of that by which we had come out.

December 6.

This morning we started at daybreak and breakfasted at Manbeebee, and immediately after breakfast resumed our route. I left the main party with two natives and travelled up a swampy valley running nearly in the same line as the chain of lakes we had followed in going. The natives insisted on it that these lakes were all one and the same water; and when, to prove to the contrary, I pointed to a hill running across the valley, they took me to a spot in it, called Yundelup, where there was a limestone cave, on entering which I saw, about ten feet below the level of the bottom of the valley, a stream of water running strong from south to north in a channel worn through the limestone. There were several other remarkable caves about here, one of which was called the Doorda Mya, or the Dog's House. Probably therefore the drainage of this part of the country is affected by the chain of lakes, which must afterwards fall into the river I saw to the northward. We slept at Nowoorgoop.

RETURN TO PERTH.

December 7.

We slept at Mooloore, and on the morning of the 8th we entered Perth and found that the native's information was true, for the Britomart had arrived from England.

I have already stated that on the arrival of the Champion her condition did not enable us to proceed in her, and all prospect of being able to conduct another expedition to the north-west coast being, for the present, abandoned, I could only await further instructions from the Government at home, and in the meantime resolved to employ the interval in some scheme of exploration from the Swan which did not present the same obstacles. Having again consulted Sir James Stirling, it was first arranged that I should endeavour to explore overland in the direction of Shark Bay; but this was soon abandoned on account of the difficulty of procuring horses; and, to enable me to attempt this scheme with any hope of success, I should consequently be obliged to incur a much greater expense than I felt warranted in doing.

The same objection did not however exist to the plan of exploring the coast towards Shark Bay in boats; and I imagined, if I could obtain two good ones qualified for the purpose, that I might at a small expense have some chance of making a successful trip. But there still existed a difficulty in getting boats which occasioned a further delay.

Sir James Stirling had now (January 1839) quitted the colony, having been succeeded in the government by John Hutt, Esquire, and, as no immediate prospect was apparent of accomplishing my present design, I readily acceded to a request made to me which led to another excursion to the southward of Perth, the principal circumstances of which are narrated in the following short journal.

EXCURSION IN SEARCH OF MR. ELLIOTT. CAUSE OF IT.

In consequence of a conversation I had with his Excellency the Governor on the morning of the 8th of January I received, in the afternoon of that day, a letter from the Colonial Secretary stating that:

From accounts which had been received from the Williams and Leschenault, there appeared every reason to believe that Mr. George Elliott, who left the former place for the latter on the 17th December, had lost his way, as no accounts of his arrival have been received from the Leschenault, the Williams, or any other place.

Under such circumstances His Excellency the Governor is anxious that a party in search of him should be despatched from Perth, and he has instructed me to inform you that, if you could form such a party from your own establishment, you would be rendering a service to the local government, etc. etc.

...

As I had at this moment no matter of importance to occupy the party I resolved to follow that course which the calls of humanity pointed out to me, and within an hour from the receipt of this letter Mr. Walker, myself, and the two non-commissioned officers of the Sappers and Miners were ready to proceed. It was found however impossible to procure the necessary horses for us before the next day, and our departure was consequently delayed until the morning of the 9th.

Before entering into the details of this expedition it is requisite to give a short outline of the circumstances under which we started. The Williams River, from which Mr. Elliott had proceeded, is distant about seventy miles from Leschenault in a direct line. The Williams is in the interior, and the Leschenault on the sea-coast, and between the two places lies the Darling Range, a high chain of mountains which had never before been crossed at this point. Now, under ordinary circumstances Mr. Elliott might have been expected to have reached Leschenault in three or four days. He had therefore only carried with him a supply of provisions calculated to last for that period. His party consisted of two men besides himself, and he had with him a mare and filly.

His absence had however now unaccountably extended to a period of twenty days; and the only rational conclusion that could be arrived at was that he had either been murdered by the natives or had lost his way.

The Williams is distant from Perth in a direct line about one hundred and twenty miles, and I had thus a considerable journey to perform before I could get upon Mr. Elliott's tracks; and as this was the bad season of the year there was but little hope that we should be able to follow them for any great distance, if we ever succeeded in finding them.

Notwithstanding these various discouraging circumstances I still however felt warm hopes for his ultimate safety. He was well acquainted with the bush, having been ten years in the colony; and the same articles of food which formed the subsistence of the natives would at least enable him to maintain life for a considerable period. He had moreover with him two horses, which past experience had taught me not only to be a nutritious, but even an agreeable article of food. I imagined therefore that no immediate danger of starvation need be apprehended; and in order that I might have the best possible chance of finding his traces three intelligent natives, Miago, Denmar, and Ninda, were engaged to accompany me.

On the morning of the 9th however, when the party were all ready to start, these natives were not forthcoming. The length of the journey and the danger of falling in with hostile tribes had frightened them, and they therefore kept themselves aloof from us; but Kaiber, one of the most intelligent natives of these parts, volunteered to supply their place. Our three horses were soon swum across the estuary of the Swan; and with no slight anxiety I started on an expedition upon the proper conduct of which would probably depend the lives of three of my fellow-creatures.

ROUTE TO THE MURRAY.

Our proceedings until we had reached Pinjarra on the banks of the Murray offer little or no interesting matter; I shall therefore pass them over in silence. We arrived in Pinjarra on the morning of the 11th, having been somewhat delayed by the weakness of a young horse; as there was however no possibility of obtaining another in its place I was obliged to take it on with us. On the afternoon of the 11th we made little more than four miles in a southerly direction along the banks of the Murray.

THE MURRAY RIVER.

On the 12th we started before dawn and travelled about eight miles in a south by east direction; we then halted for breakfast on the banks of the same river, which here issues out of the Darling Range after having found a passage through that chain of mountains. Whilst breakfast was preparing I walked up into the mouth of the gorge, which was replete with most wild and beautiful scenery at this point. The river comes streaming out from a rocky mountain pass, forming in its course a series of small cataracts. The vale in which it runs offers an interesting specimen of woodland scenery, and the high, bold, and partially bare granite mountains which rear their heads above it differ much in character from the tame mountain scenery that lies between Perth and York: this place is a favourite resort of the wild cattle, and we saw everywhere numerous recent traces of them.

WILD CATTLE.

In the afternoon we again started in a south by east direction. About a mile after leaving the Murray we came suddenly upon four head of wild cattle; two, which were distant from us, made off to the mountains, but a noble white bull and a cow followed a line lying exactly in the course we were pursuing. As we had one saddle-horse, which I was then on, I could not resist having a gallop after them. I soon brought the bull to bay, but when he had taken breath he turned and made off again and, as I had no time to spare, I gave him no further interruption; on however wishing to ascertain the hour I found that my watch had fallen from my pocket during the course of the gallop.

NATIVE TRACKING.

I now waited until the party came up, when I requested Kaiber the native to walk back and find the watch. This he assured me was utterly impossible, and I really at the time agreed in this opinion; however as it was a watch I much valued I determined to make one effort. "Well, Kaiber," I said to him, "your people had told me you could see tracks well, but I find they are mistaken; you have but one eye, something is the matter with the other (this was really the case) no young woman will take you, for if you cannot follow my tracks and find a watch I have just dropped how can you kill game for her." This speech had the desired effect, and the promise of a shilling heightened his diligence, and I returned with him. The ground we had passed over was badly suited for the purpose of tracking and the scrub was thick; nevertheless, to my delight and surprise, within the period of half an hour my watch was restored to my pocket. This feat of Kaiber's surpassed anything of the sort I had previously seen performed by the natives.