Discoveries in Australia Volume I Part 19

While our return to Swan River was thus baffled and delayed by the long and almost unbroken continuance of foul winds, it afforded some diversion to watch the countenance and conduct of Miago, who was as anxious as anyone on board for the sight of his native land. He would stand gazing steadily and in silence over the sea, and then sometimes, perceiving that I watched him, say to me, "Miago sing, by and by northern men wind jump up:" then would he station himself for hours at the lee-gangway, and chant to some imaginary deity an incantation or prayer to change the opposing wind. I could never rightly learn to whom this rude melody was addressed; for if anyone approached him near enough to overhear the words, he became at once silent; but there was a mournful and pathetic air running through the strain, that rendered it by no means unpleasing; though doubtless it owed much of its effect to the concomitant circ.u.mstances. The rude savage--separated from all his former companions, made at once an intimate and familiar witness of some of the wonders of civilization, carried by his new comrades to their very country, and brought face to face with his traditionary foes, the dreaded northern men, and now returning to recount to his yet ruder brethren the wonders he had witnessed--could not fail to interest the least imaginative.

Yet Miago had a decided and most inexplicable advantage over all on board, and that in a matter especially relating to the science of navigation: he could indicate at once and correctly the exact direction of our wished-for harbour, when neither sun nor stars were shining to a.s.sist him. He was tried frequently, and under very varying circ.u.mstances, but strange as it may seem, he was invariably right. This faculty--though somewhat a.n.a.logous to one I have heard ascribed to the natives of North America--had very much surprised me when exercised on sh.o.r.e, but at sea, out of the sight of land, it seemed beyond belief, as a.s.suredly it is beyond explanation: but I have sometimes thought that some such power must have been possessed by those adventurous seamen who, long before the discovery of the compa.s.s, ventured upon distant and hazardous voyages.

I used sometimes, as we approached the land of his nativity, to question him upon the account he intended to give his friends of the scenes he had witnessed, and I was quite astonished at the accuracy with which he remembered the various places we had visited during the voyage: he seemed to have carried the ship's track in his memory with the most careful accuracy. His description of the ship's sailing and anchoring were most amusing: he used to say, "Ship walk--walk--all night--hard walk--then by and by, anchor tumble down." His manner of describing his interviews with the "wicked northern men," was most graphic. His countenance and figure became at once instinct with animation and energy, and no doubt he was then influenced by feelings of baffled hatred and revenge, from having failed in his much-vaunted determination to carry off in triumph one of their gins. I would sometimes amuse myself by asking him how he was to excuse himself to his friends for having failed in the premised exploit, but the subject was evidently a very unpleasant one, and he was always anxious to escape from it.

In spite of all Miago's evocations for a change of wind we did not see Rottnest Island before the morning of the 25th. The ship's track on the chart after pa.s.sing the North-West Cape, resembled the figure seven, the tail pointing towards the north. We pa.s.sed along the south side of Rottnest, and by keeping its south-western extreme shut in with the south point, cleared the northern end of the foul ground extending North-North-West from a cl.u.s.ter of high rocks called the Stragglers.

RETURN TO SWAN RIVER.

As Gage Road was not considered safe at this time of the year, the ship was taken into Owen's anchorage under the guidance of Mr. Usborne. We first steered for the Mew Stone, bearing south, until the leading marks could be made out; they are the western of two flat rocks lying close off the west side of Carnac Island and a large white sand patch on the north side of Garden Island. The rock must be kept its own breadth open to the eastward of the highest part of the patch; these marks lead over a sort of bar or ridge of sand in 3 and 3 1/2 fathoms; when the water deepened to 5 and 7 fathoms, the course was then changed to East-South-East for a patch of low cliffs about two miles south of Fremantle, which brought us up to Owen's anchorage in 7 and 8 fathoms, pa.s.sing between Success and Palmelia Banks.

Thus concluded our first cruise on this almost hitherto unknown part of the continent; and looking at its results we had every reason to feel satisfied, having appended 300 miles of new land to our geographical store, and succeeded in an object of paramount interest in this country, the discovery of a river. Besides the nautical information obtained, some additions were made to the secondary objects of the voyage, by increasing our knowledge of the natural history and indigenous productions of North-western Australia.

CHANGES OF TEMPERATURE.

During the period of our visit we had a temperature varying from 76 to 125 degrees; the weather generally fine, with moderate south-easterly winds, and occasionally heavy squalls from the eastward, excepting in the month of February and part of March, when we experienced heavy falls of rain, accompanied by fresh westerly winds. But as these changes have already been noticed in the diary, it is needless to enter into further detail about them here.

CHAPTER 1.8. SWAN RIVER TO SYDNEY.

Miago's reception by his countrymen.

Whale Fishery.

Strange ideas entertained by Natives respecting the first Settlers.

Neglected state of the Colony.

Test security of Owen's Anchorage.

Weather.

Celebration of the Anniversary of the Colony.

Friendly meeting between different Tribes.

Native beggars.

Personal vanity of a Native.

Visit York.

Description of Country.

Site of York.

Scenery in its neighbourhood.

Disappointment experienced.

Sail from Swan River.

Hospitality of Colonists during our stay.

Aurora Australis.

Gale off Cape Leeuwen.

Stormy pa.s.sage.

Ship on a lee sh.o.r.e.

South-west Cape of Tasmania.

Bruny Island Lighthouse.

Arrive at Hobart.

Mount Wellington.

Kangaroo Hunt.

White Kangaroo.

Civility from the Governor.

Travertine Limestone.

Leave Hobart.

Singular Current.

Appearance of Land in the neighbourhood of Sydney.

Position of Lighthouse.

Entrance and first view of Port Jackson.

Scenery on pa.s.sing up the Harbour.

Meet the Expedition bound to Port Essington.

Apparent increase of Sydney.

Cause of Decline.

Expedition sails for Port Essington.

Illawarra.

Botany Bay.

La Perouse's Monument.

Aborigines.

Meet Captain King.

Appearance of Land near Sydney.

MIAGO'S RECEPTION BY HIS COUNTRYMEN.

We were considerably amused with the consequential air Miago a.s.sumed towards his countrymen on our arrival, which afforded us a not uninstructive instance of the prevalence of the ordinary infirmities of our common human nature, whether of pride or vanity, universally to be met with both in the civilised man and the uncultivated savage. He declared that he would not land until they first came off to wait on him.

Decorated with an old full-dress Lieutenant's coat, white trousers, and a cap with a tall feather, he looked upon himself as a most exalted personage, and for the whole of the first day remained on board, impatiently, but in vain prying into each boat that left the sh.o.r.e for the dusky forms of some of his quondam friends. His pride however could not long withstand the desire of display; yielding to the impulse of vanity, he, early the following morning, took his departure from the ship. Those who witnessed the meeting described it as cool on both sides, arising on the part of his friends from jealousy; they perhaps judging from the nature of his costume, that he had abandoned his bush life. Be that as it may, the reception tended greatly to lower the pride of our hero; who through generosity (expending all his money to purchase them bread) or from a fear of being treacherously speared, soon convinced his former a.s.sociates how desirous he was of regaining their confidence. He did not, however, partic.i.p.ate in the revelry then going on amongst the natives at Fremantle, where, at this period of the year, they a.s.semble in great numbers to feast on the whales that are brought in by the boats of a whaling establishment--which I cannot allude to without expressing an opinion that this fishery, if properly managed and free from American encroachments, would become one of the most important branches of industry.

During the time that Miago was on board we took great pains to wean him from his natural propensity for the savage life by instilling such information as his untutored mind was capable of receiving, and from his often-expressed resolutions we were led to hope a cure had been effected; great was our disappointment then on finding that in less than a fortnight after our arrival, he had resumed his original wildness, and was again to be numbered amongst the native inhabitants of the bush. To us he had been the source of great mirth, by the absurd anecdotes he sometimes related about his countrymen. His account of their conjectures respecting the arrival of the first settlers may amuse the reader; he said, "the ships were supposed to be trees, and the cattle large dogs (the only animal besides the kangaroo known to them) whose size and horns excited such alarm, that one which strayed into the bush being met by a party of natives made them climb up the nearest trees in the greatest terror."

STATE OF THE COLONY.

It may give some definite idea of the neglected state of this infant colony, to mention that during the entire period of our absence--a s.p.a.ce of six months--there had been but one arrival there, and that not from England. The solitary visitor was H.M.S. Pelorus from the Indian station.

The want of communication with the mother country was beginning to be felt severely, and in matters of graver moment than mere news. Many necessary articles of home manufacture or importation, scarcely valued till wanted, were now becoming almost unattainable: one familiar instance will ill.u.s.trate at once how this state of things presses upon the comfort of the colonists; the price of yellow soap had risen to four shillings per pound!

OWEN'S ANCHORAGE.

The usual winter anchorage in c.o.c.kburn Sound, being seven miles from the town of Fremantle, the colonists were naturally very anxious to see tested the equal security of one which we had chosen within half that distance. The point was fairly tried, and very satisfactorily determined during the heavy weather which we experienced on the 31st of March, and 11th of June, which did not raise more sea than a boat at anchor could have ridden out with safety. These gales lasted about forty-eight hours each, commencing at North by West and gradually blowing themselves out at West-South-West. In each instance a heavy bank of clouds in the north-west gave us a day's notice of their approach. The indications of the barometer were less decisive; its maximum was 29.3.

The weather in the interval between these gales was wet and unsettled; but afterwards, until our departure, it continued remarkably fine with an average temperature of 60 degrees.

The winds at this season prevail from the land, the seabreezes being both light and very irregular.

ANNIVERSARY OF THE COLONY.

We were just in time to share in the annual festivities with which the inhabitants celebrate the formation of the colony. Horseracing, and many other old English sports showed that the colonists still retain the tastes and habits of home. Some of the aborigines took part in the amus.e.m.e.nts of the day with evident enjoyment: and we were surprised to find that in throwing the spear they were excelled by an English compet.i.tor. We hardly know how to reconcile this fact with our own favourite theories upon the perfection of the savage in the few exercises of skill to which he devotes his attention, and were obliged to take refuge in the inadequate suggestion that the wild man requires a greater degree of excitement than his more civilised compet.i.tor, to bring out, or call into action, all the resources of his art. Among the natives a.s.sembled were a small party from King George's Sound: they had come to Perth, bearing despatches from that place. The good understanding which appeared to exist between them and their fellow-countrymen in this district, led me to believe that by bringing different tribes more frequently together, under similar happy auspices to those which convened the meeting of to-day, much might be done to qualify the eager and deadly hatred in which they are too p.r.o.ne to indulge.

The natives in the town of Perth are most notorious beggars: the softer s.e.x ply this easy craft even more indefatigably than the men. Their flattering solicitations and undeniable importunity seldom altogether fail of success, and "quibra (i.e. ship) man," after the a.s.surance that he is a "very pretty gentleman," must perforce yield to the solicitation "tickpence give it um me."

There was one amongst them, who from some accident had lost several of his toes. When in conversation, if he fancied any person was observing his foot, he would immediately endeavour to conceal the part that was thus disfigured by burying it in the sand. Another instance, exemplifying how prevalent is the frailty of vanity in the heart of man in his primitive condition.

VISIT YORK.

As a little time was required to give the ship a slight refit and the crew some relaxation, it afforded an opportunity of visiting York, situated about sixty miles east from Perth, and at that extremity of the colony. Accordingly, one murky afternoon a small party of us were wending our way over the Darling Range. Long after dark the welcome bark of dogs rang through the forest in the still dark night, a.s.suring us that shelter was at hand, and we soon found ourselves before a large fire in the only house on the road, enjoying, after a dreary wet ride, the usual fare at that time at the out-stations--fried pork and kangaroo. About this tenement was the only spot of land along the whole line of road that could at all lay claim to anything like fertility; at which I was the more surprised, as our route intercepted the direction in which patches of good land are generally found in this part of the continent. The soil of this little piece was of a rich black mould and well watered by a neighbouring spring. Our road lay in some places over tracts of loose white sand, and in others round and over low ironstone hills. Descending from one of these heights to a rich narrow flat, the presence of three or four houses informed us we were within the township of York. The position of the level it occupies forms the western bank of the river Avon, which is now and has been for some time past nothing more than a chain of waterholes. In this neighbourhood the hills lie detached from one another in irregular directions, and are composed of granite; from the summit of one on the western side of the town we looked over a vast expanse of undulating forest land, densely wooded, with scarcely a gra.s.sy patch to break the monotony of the view. To give an idea of the personal labour early settlers are obliged to undergo, I may mention that we found Mr.

Bland, the most wealthy colonist in Western Australia, engaged in holding the plough. I was disappointed in my visit to this part of the country as it did not leave a favourable impression of its fertility--still it afforded me an opportunity of judging by comparison of the quality of the soils in Western Australia and on the banks of the Fitzroy, and I was happy to find I had not overrated the latter.