An Account of the English Colony in New South Wales Volume II Part 20

[* This pine was p.r.o.nounced to be of the same species as that found in the middle harbour of Port Jackson, but was much superior to it in size.]

Very bad weather detained Mr. Flinders here for two days, during which they were occasionally visited by the natives, who came down upon both sides of the river, and entertained them with singing and dancing: their singing, indeed, could not be distinctly heard, being nearly lost in the wind. Not a spear was at any time seen among them.

While lying here, Mr. Flinders had some opportunity of observing their manner of fishing, which was perfectly new to his companion Bong-ree. The party on the east sh.o.r.e, near which the vessel lay, went out each morning at daylight along the side of the river with nets on their shoulders; and this, as far as a distant view would allow of observation, appeared to be the mode in which they used them. Whichever of the party sees a fish, by some dextrous manoeuvre, gets at the back of it, and spreads out his scoop net: others prevent its escaping on either side, and in one or other of their nets the fish is almost infallibly caught. With these nets they saw them run sometimes up to their middle in water; and, to judge from the event, they seemed to be successful, as they generally soon made a fire near the beach, and sat down by it; not doubt, to regale with their fish, which was thus no sooner out of the water than it was on the fire.

The rain ceasing on Tuesday afternoon, a party went to the eastern sh.o.r.e to procure fire-wood, and to comply with the desire which the natives had so often expressed of seeing them land among them. On approaching them, they carried their nets away into the wood; but three of them, who remained, suffered the white people to advance without laying down their muskets, which had never happened before. They were still timorous; but, on being encouraged and requested by signs to sing, they began a song in concert, which actually was musical and pleasing, and not merely in the diatonic scale, descending by thirds, as at Port Jackson: the descent of this was waving, in rather a melancholy soothing strain. The song of Bong-ree, which he gave them at the conclusion of theirs, sounded barbarous and grating to the ear; but Bong-ree was an indifferent songster, even among his own countrymen.

These people, like the natives of Port Jackson, having fallen to the low pitch of their voices, recommenced their song at the octave, which was accompanied by slow and not ungraceful motions of the body and limbs, their hands being held up in a supplicating posture, and the tone and manner of their song and gestures seemed to bespeak the good will and forbearance of their auditors. Observing that they were attentively listened to, they each selected one of our people, and placed his mouth close to his car, as if to produce a greater effect, or, it might be, to teach them the song, which their silent attention might seem to express a desire to learn. In return for the pleasure they had afforded, Mr.

Flinders gave them some worsted caps, and a pair of old blanket trousers, with which they were much gratified. Several other natives soon made their appearance, probably those who had carried away the nets. It was some little time before they could overcome their dread of approaching the strangers with their firearms; but, encouraged by the three who were with them, they came up, and a general song and dance was commenced.

Their singing was not confined to one air; they gave three, but the first was the most pleasing.

Of those who last came, three were remarkable for the largeness of their heads; and one, whose face was very rough, had much more the appearance of a baboon than of a human being. He was covered with oily soot; his hair matted with filth; his visage, even among his fellows, uncommonly ferocious; and his very large mouth, beset with teeth of every hue between black, white, green, and yellow, sometimes presented a smile, which might make one shudder.

Among other friendly interchanges, they learned the names of Mr. Flinders and his party. Him they called *'Mid-ger Plindah,' and his brother Samuel they named Dam-wel. Three of their names were Yel-yel-bah, Ye-woo, and Bo-ma-ri-go. The resemblance of this last to Porto Rico imprinted it on Mr. Flinders's recollection. When these people joined the party, the strangers were shown, and their names severally told to them, until they had gotten the p.r.o.nunciation. This ceremony was reciprocal, and accorded with what Captain Cook had said before of an inhabitant of Endeavour river, 'he introduced the strangers by name, a ceremony which upon such occasions was never omitted.' The difference of lat.i.tude between these two places is 11 degrees 39 minutes, or seven hundred miles.

[* In these particularities, their language resembled that of the Port Jackson natives. It may be seen in the former account, that Mr.

Ball was named Mid-ger Bool, and that none of them could ever p.r.o.nounce the letters f or s. Even Bennillong, on his return from England, still used caw-be for coffee. Many other instances might be adduced.]

With regard to the comparative size of these people, they were evidently somewhat lower than the common standard of Englishmen, and perhaps less in every respect, except in the disproportionate size of the head; and indeed this was not general. In the features of the face, particularly in the elongation of the lower ones, in the small calf to the leg, and the curve of the thigh, they bore a general resemblance to the natives of Port Jackson; but there was not one in all this group, whose countenance had so little of the savage, or the symmetry of whose limbs expressed strength and agility, so much, as those of their companion Bong-ree.

A hawk presenting himself in an interval of conversation, Mr. Flinders thought it a fair opportunity of showing his new friends a specimen of the effect and certainty of his fire-arms. He made them comprehend what was intended; but, while shifting the buck shot which were in the musket for a charge of small shot, their agitation was so great, that they seemed to be on the point of running into the woods; however, an expedient to keep them was devised; the seamen placed them in a cl.u.s.ter behind themselves, and in this situation they anxiously saw Mr. Flinders approach toward the bird, and fire. What must have been his sensations at this moment! for the hawk flew away, though not indeed unhurt, as the natives noticed that the leg was broken. This disappointment brought to his recollection how ineffectual had been some former attempts of his to impress them with an idea of the superior refinement of his followers.

Bong-ree, his musician, had annoyed his auditors with his barbarous sounds, and the clumsy exhibition of his Scotch dancers unaccompanied with the aid of music, had been viewed by them without wonder or gratification.

It is almost unnecessary to say that these people go naked. They, however, wore belts round the waist, and fillets about the head and upper parts of the arm. These were formed of hair, twisted into yarn-like threads, and then into bandages, mostly reticulated. Indeed the inhabitants of this bay appeared to possess in general a very pointed difference from, if not a superiority over, those of New South Wales, particularly in their net-works. A seine eighty feet in length, and the scoop nets which they use, have been mentioned. To these may be added the bag in which they seemed to carry their portable property, and which was most probably of the same kind as those mentioned by Captain Cook; but they were seen of different sizes, and two that Mr. Flinders procured were very differently worked. They were in general shaped somewhat like a breast plate; and, being suspended from the necks of the possessors, led him, previous to his first interview with them, to suppose they were some kind of defence for the more vital parts. There was no doubt but that they were provided with nets for catching very large fish, or animals, as the fragments of a rotten one lying on the sh.o.r.e were picked up, the meshes of which were wide enough to admit the escape of a moderate sized porpoise; and the line of which it was made was from three quarters to an inch in circ.u.mference. Probably the large animals which Mr. Flinders took to be sea lions might be the objects for which these large nets were fabricated.

Mr. Flinders was of opinion, that this mode of procuring their food would cause a characteristic difference between the manners, and perhaps the dispositions, of these people, and of those who mostly depend upon the spear or fiz-gig for a supply. In the one case, there must necessarily be the co-operation of two or more individuals; who therefore, from mutual necessity, would a.s.sociate together. It is fair to suppose, that this a.s.sociation would, in the course of a few generations, if not much sooner, produce a favourable change in the manners and dispositions even of a savage. In the other case, the native who depends upon his single arm, and, requiring not the aid of society, is indifferent about it, but prowls along, a gloomy, unsettled, and unsocial being. An inhabitant of Port Jackson is seldom seen, even in the populous town of Sydney, without his spear, his throwing-stick, or his club. His spear is his defence against enemies. It is the weapon which he uses to punish aggression and revenge insult. It is even the instrument with which he corrects his wife in the last extreme; for in their pa.s.sion, or perhaps oftener in a fit of jealousy, they scruple not to inflict death. It is the play-thing of children, and in the hands of persons of all ages. It is easy to perceive what effect this must have upon their minds. They become familiarised to wounds, blood, and death; and, repeatedly involved in skirmishes and dangers, the native fears not death in his own person, and is consequently careless of inflicting it on others.

The net also appearing to be a more certain source of food than the spear, change of place will be less necessary. The enc.u.mbrance too of carrying large nets from one place to another will require a more permanent residence; and hence it would naturally follow, that their houses would be of a better construction. Those which had been met with in Shoal Bay and Gla.s.s-House Bay were certainly far superior to any that had been seen in the neighbourhood of Port Jackson; and this superiority Mr. Flinders attributed to the different mode of procuring fish which had been adopted by the inhabitants. He likewise supposed that the use of nets, and consequently whatever resulted from such use, arose from the form of the bay, which, being shoal for a considerable distance from the sh.o.r.es, gave the greatest advantage to nets, over every other method, more especially the setting and scoop nets. Pumice Stone river, being full of shoals, required the same manner of fishing; and it was observed that most, if not all, of the islands in the bay were surrounded by extensive shoals, which, by extending the necessity, would a.s.sist in bringing nets into more general use.

At one time they saw near twenty natives engaged in fishing upon one of these flats, the greater part of whom were employed in driving fish into a net which was held by their companions. That they were so engaged, they convinced our people by one of the party holding up a fish to them while he was standing in the water.

During the time the sloop was in Gla.s.s-House Bay, they scarcely saw any of the women.

Of their canoes but little could be reported. The only one which Mr.

Flinders had any opportunity of examining was on the east side of Pumice-Stone river. This was formed of the stringy bark, and was much larger than any used at Port Jackson. The ends of it were tied up in the same manner; but it was misshapen and clumsy. Not any of the natives ever attempted to approach the sloop in canoes, although at times eight or ten were seen standing together, who appeared very desirous of having a communication with it.

On the day the sloop was laid ash.o.r.e in the river, the rise of the tide was but three feet and nine inches. The tides were then neaped, and the remark made by Captain Cook, that 'they had only one high tide in twenty-four hours' seemed to apply in this bay; for, although the sloop was got up as high as the strength of the crew would admit, yet she righted a full hour and a half before the night tide had done flowing, and shortly after one man haled her off. The superior rise of the night tide was well known, and advantage taken of it, at Port Jackson: it also rose the highest at Western Port, round the southern promontory of New South Wales. The time of high-water in the river preceded the moon's pa.s.sage over the meridian by two hours and a half, and Mr. Flinders did not think the highest rise of the tide was more than seven, or less than five, feet.

On Wednesday the 31st, having a moderate breeze at S by W with fine weather, they got under weigh with the weather tide, and beat out of the river. Having pa.s.sed fifteen days in Gla.s.s-House Bay, Mr. Flinders was enabled to form his judgment of it. It was so full of shoals, that he could not attempt to point out any pa.s.sage that would lead a ship into it without danger. The east side of the Bay had not been sounded; if any existed, it would probably be found on that side.

Mr. Flinders named the land upon which Cape Moreton was situated Moreton Island, supposing it to be that which Captain Cook would have given it, had he known of its insulated form. It appeared to be a strip of land whose greatest extent east and west was not more than four or five miles; but, according to the observations for the lat.i.tude, its north and south extent was about twenty-two miles. The ridge of land which ran along the middle of the island was nearly of the same height with the Cape; and, although it appeared to be composed of great piles of sand heaped together upon a base mostly of stone, it was yet interspersed with small trees calculated to mislead a distant observer, who would probably think that some parts of it were not among the most barren spots in the universe.

In pa.s.sing out of the bay they saw a large turtle lying asleep upon the water; whence it became not improbable, that the capture of these animals might form a part of the labours of the inhabitants, and of the intention with which their larger nets were made.

CHAPTER XXI

The _Norfolk_ proceeds to Hervey's Bay Some account of it Curlew Island She returns to Port Jackson Observations on the currents and tides along the coast A criminal court a.s.sembled Order respecting the issuing of government notes Public works September A ship arrives from America The _Buffalo_ sails for the Cape The governor crosses the Nepean A calf killed October Convicts found on board the _Hillsborough_ and _Hunter_ The master of the _Hunter_ tried A young ox stolen Ration reduced Price of Grain fixed

In his pa.s.sage to Hervey's Bay, the next place of his destination, Mr.

Flinders was not more than two days; pa.s.sing the Wide Bay of Captain Cook on the 1st and Sandy Cape on the 2nd of August. The southerly wind of the day veering round in the evening to the eastward compelled him during the night to keep at a distance from the land; but, returning to it in the morning, he found that Captain Cook's description of the coast applied exceedingly well, so far as the distance of the sloop from the sh.o.r.e would enable him to judge.

During this short run he pa.s.sed one of those spotted flat-tailed snakes which were first noticed by Captain Cook in this lat.i.tude, and which appeared to be of the kind observed by Captain Dampier on the north west coast of New Holland. Mr. Flinders had observed the same sort of snake among the islands between New Guinea and New Holland, when on board His Majesty's ship _Providence_; it was therefore probable, that it might be found upon most parts of this coast, which were situated within, or in the verge of, the Tropic.

In this bay Mr. Flinders remained until the 7th, during which time he had sailed round the interior of it, but without being able to enter any opening that might have led him to a river. It was deep and extensive, the soundings in it very irregular, and in several places he was prevented by breakers from approaching the sh.o.r.e.

Hauling up for an opening which he was desirous of examining, he came to a small sandy islet, which lay at the mouth of it. Being unable to find a pa.s.sage into the opening with the sloop, he came to an anchor, and went ash.o.r.e upon this island, which was surrounded with shoal water. The base of it he found to be a hard stone, over which was a covering of sand, mixed with pieces of coral and sh.e.l.ls. There was a little cl.u.s.ter of palms upon it, and some other small trees. Two or three large trees were lying upon the sh.o.r.e, thrown down either by wind or the flood, a.s.sisted by the weight of the trees themselves, which the depth of soil was not sufficient to support. They were a tough, hard, and close-grained wood.

Being about half ebb, the surrounding shoal was dry. On it were some thousand curlews and gulls, and some pelicans; but all too shy to allow of his approach within musket shot. Upon one of the trees was stuck the cap of a small whale's skull, and in one of the sockets of the eyes was a bird's nest apparently of the last season.

This islet must at times be visited by natives; for they found three spears, and near them was hidden a small shield, of the same form and substance as that seen in Pumice-Stone river. The spears were of solid wood, of twelve feet in length, and could not have been used with a throwing-stick. One of them was barbed with a small piece of some animal's bone.

From the trending of the sh.o.r.es of this harbour, it was divided into two bays, an upper and a lower bay; the former of which was the smallest, and, in comparison with the latter, resembled the cod to a seine. The sh.o.r.e on the east side of this bay (the upper) was high, and bounded by white, steep cliffs; whence Mr. Flinders was induced to hope that a deep channel might be found there, being unwilling to believe that there was not a good pa.s.sage even to the head of a sheet of water of six or seven miles square, and into which most probably one or more streams of water emptied themselves.

With the intention of attempting the eastern pa.s.sage into this upper bay, he returned on board from his visit to the islet (which he named Curlew-Islet, and which is in the lat.i.tude of 25 degrees 17 minutes S) and got the sloop under weigh; but was obliged to give up the idea, on finding the shoal water so extensive as to make it probable that it joined a line of breakers; and, the sun being near the horizon, to get clear of the shoal water before dark became a princ.i.p.al concern, and together induced him to shape a course for a sloping hummock on the west side of the bay.

The soundings deepened gradually to six fathoms; but, shoaling again to three and even two fathoms, Mr Flinders suspected that the flood tide might have set the vessel to the southward toward the sh.o.r.e; this, however, did not appear to have happened; for at daylight the following morning her situation was what he supposed it would be, the sloping hummock bearing W 5 degrees N and their distance off sh.o.r.e about two miles, the wind having remained at SW during the whole night.

Keeping along the sh.o.r.e until nine o'clock, the water shoaled to nine feet, and obliged them to haul off to the NE. Being now to the northward of where Captain Cook had laid down the coast line, and the land being visible at W 10 degrees N from the deck, and as far as NW from the mast head, he judged it unnecessary to pursue the research any longer, under the supposition of there being a double bay, and therefore continued his course for the extreme of Break Sea Spit, the sloping hummock bearing S 9 degrees E at the time of altering the course.

The coast round Hervey's Bay was, in general, low near the sh.o.r.e, and on the west side the low land extended to some distance inwards. On that side the land wore a different appearance from that of Sandy Cape, there being few marks of sand, and the sh.o.r.e was mostly rocky. Advancing toward the head, the beaches presented themselves, and continued with little interruption into the upper bay. A large island lying off the entrance to the upper bay showed no marks of sand, but was well covered with wood and verdure. In height, it was equal to the higher parts of the main, and being four or five miles in length, seemed to be a fine island. On the eastern sh.o.r.e the sand was more or less apparent every where increasing in quant.i.ty toward the cape. The white cliffs that were noticed before very probably contained chalk; the upper stratum, two or three feet in thickness, being of a superior whiteness in those which were best seen.

With respect to fertility, the general aspect only can be spoken of.

About the head of the bay, the trees were of a fair growth; gra.s.s seemed sufficiently abundant, and there were few appearances of sand. Some parts of it Mr. Flinders thought were stony.

Of the inhabitants he could only observe, that their smokes were numerous about the bay, and that they at times frequented Curlew islet.

Of the animal, vegetable, or fossil productions of the bay, he could not speak, the shortness of his stay not permitting any examination.

From the appearance of the tide the day that he landed upon the islet, it had been high water between twelve and one o'clock, which was between three and four hours before the moon came upon the meridian.

The mean of nine amplitudes taken in this bay gave the variation 9 degrees 44 minutes east; and of two sets of azimuths 9 degrees 15 minutes east; from both, the mean variation of the azimuth compa.s.s was 9 degrees 30 minutes east.

Having cleared the point of Break Sea Spit, on Thursday the 8th he proceeded on his return to Port Jackson. Pa.s.sing the land between Smoky Cape and the Solitary Isles in the day which had been before pa.s.sed in the night, he observed that it seemed to be higher than most parts of its coast in the neighbourhood, Mount Warning excepted; and even there it was not so high near the sh.o.r.e. The view that he had of the land at sunset, when Smoky Cape bore S 25 degrees W distant five or six leagues, induced Mr. Flinders to think it probable that there might be an opening to the northward of it.

In the afternoon of Sunday the 18th, there being but little wind, and the weather fine, they were attended by several very large spermaced whales.

They were not more than twice the sloop's length from her, coming up on either side at times very near her; and remained playing, or perhaps feeding, in this way for more than two hours.

Their appearance was followed in the evening by a gale from the SW which reduced them to their storm sails, and compelled them to keep off and on during the night. The wind, however, moderating the next day, and a southerly current having been in their favour, Mr. Flinders concluded his labours at dusk in the evening of the 20th; at which time he secured his little vessel alongside his Majesty's ship the _Reliance_ in Port Jackson.

The observations which were made by Mr. Flinders on the set of the current at different parts of the coast, being directly opposite to the remarks of Captain Cook, it may be proper to state them. That great and able seaman says, in his notice of the current on this coast, that 'It always ran with more force in sh.o.r.e than in the offing.' Now, in going to the northward the sloop was kept as near in sh.o.r.e as circ.u.mstances would permit; but the whole sum of southing produced in eight entire days, from lat.i.tude 33 degrees 45 minutes to 24 degrees 22 minutes south, was sixty-five miles, almost the whole of which were lost off the Three Brothers and Smoky Cape, when their distance from the sh.o.r.e was more than in general it used to be. To counteract this, they had twenty-five miles of northing, reducing the current to thirty miles in eight days, which could scarcely be called a current.

On the other hand, their average distance from the sh.o.r.e, when on their return, was about twelve leagues, or barely within sight of the land; and in running the same difference of lat.i.tude in twelve days the sum of the southing was two hundred and eleven miles, and the northing but one mile and a half. Out of this, thirty-four miles were gained in one day when their distance off the sh.o.r.e was the greatest, being between twenty and twenty-five leagues.

From these data it should appear, that the current was strongest at the distance of five, and from thence to twenty or more leagues; and within that, there was some set to the northward. But Mr. Flinders thought it most probable, that the southerly current would prevail nearer to such projecting points of land as Point Danger, Smoky Cape, Red Point, and the Heads of Jervis Bay; perhaps close to them, at such times when its strength was greatest, for in that respect it had been found to vary much: it was even believed at Port Jackson, that the current changes its direction totally during some short s.p.a.ce of time.