 34. I arrived in Sydney from London in the latter end of September, 1839. The weather was very hot, the glare very great, the dust abominable. I knew no one, and I was glad to get out of it without loss of time. I had read the treatises on sheep and cattle in the library of useful knowledge, and had endeavored to gain some information respecting colonial life from Major Mitchell's Travels in Australia, Mr. Waugh's Three Years Experience, and Dr. Lang's New South Wales, all which works I had industriously pursued on the voyage. Beyond this my general information regarding livestock was limited to a confused knowledge of sheep by their distinctive titles of rams, weathers, and ews, and a vague idea of cattle as heifers, cows, bulls, and oxen, and as beasts that had horns and made a great bellowing. But I am not sure that I could have distinguished any of either description of animal on view. I had, however, acting under the advice of certain prudent relatives in England, fully determined on entering on pastoral pursuits or what I found was called in the colony going into stock, and had armed myself with letters of introduction to several gentlemen who had emigrated a short time before me with similar views. Amongst these was one from Mr. Alex Hunter of Edinburgh, whom I had met in London, to Messers Watson and Hunter, who had sailed shortly before me and who were amply supplied with means to form large stations. I had an indistinct idea that Port Phillip was to be the field of their operations, and a much more indefinite one of how I was to get there. Some inquiries, however, in Sydney, brought me the gratifying intelligence that Mr. Watson was himself in the Sydney District at the time, though out of town at that moment, and I was further informed he was on the point of starting with an expedition for Fort Phillip, in which I made up my mind to join if possible. I accordingly purchased a horse off a Sydney dealer as a preliminary step, and, in five days from my landing, had made all the necessary arrangements with Mr. Watson for my forming one of his party. We left Sydney, I think, on the third of October, and we travelled by easy stages till we reached Sutton Forest, where we overtook Mr. Alex Hunter, who had gone on before with the Drays and horse stock. From this place we went on to Lake George, on the other side of which a property had been purchased for the sole purposes of procuring some assigned servants, of whom we had twenty in the expedition. In this neighbourhood I bought about three hundred head of cattle, and made an agreement with Mr. Watson to run them with his stock, giving him half the increase for two years and the benefit of my services during that time. I recollect nothing particular about the country we passed through, except that the bush was very thick, and that I was always afraid of losing myself if I left the road, or was out of sight of my companions for a moment. We had also about four hundred head of cattle bought from a Mrs. Barton at Barama, with which we fortunately got a stock man given in, named Little Sam, which, considering our intense greenness and the uselessness of most of the convict's servants who were just turned out of government, was of great consequence. Paddy's River, Yass and other well-known localities were passed, and we eventually encamped on the tumult, where some six hundred more cattle, with a run, had been purchased, which, to add to our trouble, had the character of being the wildest brutes in the colony. Here our party divided. Mr. Alec Hunter, Mr. Tula, and the honourable Gilbert Kennedy went on to Melbourne with the horses. Mr. Watson returned to Sydney to wind up some incomplete arrangements, whilst I remained with the cattle at the tumult, where we formed a station on the Gilmore Creek. Here I added to my fortunes one hundred picked heifers, which were strongly recommended by the vendor Mr. Shelley, and also by Mr. Watson, whose interested motives in advertising the purchase of female stock I was too gullible to see through at the time. My position at the tumult with my twenty government men, about one thousand two hundred head of cattle, and about thirty horses, in a country with which I was totally unacquainted, may perhaps be conceived, but it is difficult to describe. I was very much afraid of losing my cattle, and therefore tried to keep them within sight, counting them regularly every day, which, considering that more than half were broken into the run, was an absurdity which nothing but experience convinced me of. For when we wished to remove them, about six weeks after, it was found to be impossible, with our insufficient help, to drive them off the run, and we consequently formed a permanent station at Gilmore Creek, a tributary of the tumult, where we left the cattle till the next year. The vast herds which were traveling from Sydney District, and the possibility of the Melbourne markets being overstocked, coupled with the difficulties of the road from the flooded state of the rivers, confirmed us in this decision. My troubles as a squatter commenced very early in my career. The great scarcity of flower, during the summer of eighteen thirty-nine, was felt all over the colony, but in no part more so than in the interior, where it was selling at sixty pounds a ton. Even at government house in Sydney it was said that Lady Gipps was restricted in her supplies for pastry. For some weeks our food at the tumult was confined to beef and milk and a little rice. But the incessant grumbling of the men at last induced me to send a cart to Yass for flour. The tumult was flooded at the time, but I had seen a horseman cross and ventured over myself at the same place. A hurdle was lashed on the drae, on which the bedding of the two men who were to accompany it was placed, and with three horses harnessed to it, it went boldly into the stream after me. The leading horse, about half way across, turned down the stream, and in a moment the cart was afloat and soon capsized, drowning the two other horses and nearly drowning the two men on the hurdle. The one was a fine swimmer and swam out to the leading horse and eventually released him from his harness. The other clung to a log, and was hauled ashore by a rope about ten minutes afterwards. A few days after this the river having partially subsided and the grumbling continuing unabated, a second attempt was made but at another crossing place and with only one horse. The same occurrence took place again, except that the horse swam for a quarter of a mile down the river with the cart after him, and was not drowned till a log turned the cart over and rendered him helpless. The driver, who remained till then on his seat on the hurdle up to his neck in water, calling out to me, he was done like a dinner. Three hundred pounds worth of horse flesh went in these adventures. I then bought a team of bullocks and eventually procured a ton of flour from Yass, which lasted the party till it reached Melbourne. An overseer was then engaged and the cattle delivered into his care, and on the twenty-fourth December Mr. Watson and I started in a tandem for Fort Phillip. Near the Murray we broke both shafts, and had to take to our saddles, leaving the remains of the gig and several valuables, amongst others my writing case and journals, at an out-station hut of Mr. Cockburn's to be sent on by the Drays. Of course I never saw any part of them again. On arriving at the Murray we overtook several expeditions which were waiting for favorable opportunity to cross. There were said to be ten thousand head of cattle on its banks in various mobs. Messers Bolden had crossed several hundreds that day, and at night we camped with our party. On the ovens we overtook others. The natives had attacked some parties in this neighborhood during the previous summer, and the places were pointed out to us where faithfuls men were murdered, and where snodgrass had had a stand-up fight with the blacks. My own experience of the natives at this time led me to suppose that they were a very inoffensive race. For all I had seen had been the Bogong blacks on the tumult, who came down in the summer from the ranges, sleek and lazy, from the grub or fly of that name which infests that part of the country. I think they were the handsomest natives I have ever seen. At all events they were the best conditioned. On the ovens, however, we saw none. A party of mounted police was stationed at the Broken River, who entertained us as they appeared to do all travelers for a consideration. The country was all so far settled, although we saw no signs of it, either by meeting with human habitations or with sheep or cattle. If the country was stocked, the stock fed off the road. But we heard the names of Barber, Mitchell, Fowler, W.A. Broderib, Faithful, McKay, Docker, Binney, Speed, and Anderson as occupants of the various runs through which we passed. At Templeton's, on the Seven Creeks, Mr. Watson left me to go up to the Devil's River, which he and Mr. Hunter had occupied during the previous spring. I remained for a few days at Belora, a station Mr. Hunter had formed on Templeton's Creek, about three miles above him, but which was about being abandoned for the better country of the Devil's River and Mount Battery. I accordingly proceeded alone to the settlement, as the city of Melbourne was in those days called, stopping at Hughes, Hamilton's at the Sugarloaf, and at a Mr. George's in Kinlachew, and eventually reached Keylor, where Messers Watson and Hunter had their headquarters at the time. There were no particular charms in Melbourne in those days beyond the champagne lunches which always accompanied the sales by auction, and of which I partook with others, though I never bought any land. One cannot help reflecting on the narrow escape from making a fortune, which daily fell in one's way, when we look at the properties which were to be had for a few pounds at the time, now bringing in thousands per annum. However, I was never destined to do this, and I soon returned to the bush, and devoted myself to learning my trade as a squatter. A serious illness which attacked me at Mount Battery, however, threw impediments in my way. I was confined to my bed with bilious fever for several weeks, and on my recovery went back to Melbourne, from whence by the advice of the medical men I went by sea to Sydney. A few weeks nursing at Parramatta restored me to health, and in May I returned to Melbourne in the Cumberland, chartered by Mr. Dutton. I was then about proceeding in her to Valparaiso to buy horses, and had secured my passage when the news of a bad sale of South American horse stock in Sydney deterred us from entering into the speculation, and I went back again with Mr. Hunter to Sydney to make further purchases of horses and cattle, taking some sixteen thousand pounds with us for the purpose. After a few days delay I accompanied Mr. Terrence Murray to his station near Cuyen Bayan to attend a large sale in which he was interested, and to purchase cattle if I thought it advisable. Failing in getting what I liked, for I had by this time become a judge of stock, I went on to the tumult to collect our leavings of the previous year where I was shortly after joined by Mr. Hunter and his cousins with more cattle and horses. We had altogether about two thousand head and about seventy horses, with which we again started for Fort Phillip, and after many losses and crosses eventually formed our main cattle station on the upper part of the Broken River, about four miles above the station at present in the occupation of Mr. John Moore. From the Broken River to the Devil's River, crossing the Mount Battery Plains, a distance of about twenty miles, the whole country was claimed and stocked by Messers Watson and Hunter. Messers Stevens and Thompson were camped upon the Broken River about three miles above the cattle station, but only remained until they had shorn their sheep when they moved towards the westward. During the winter that I remained at the Devil's River I was a witness of the fatal effects of Qatar on sheep. The climate was very severe, the frosts and fogs frequently lasting all day. The sheep could not be let out of the yards on many days until noon. How the disease came into that neighborhood, if it is really contagious, I do not know, but if any climate could produce it I am sure that of the Devil's River in eighteen forty was quite trying enough. I have seen as many as five hundred sheep dead at the yards in a single night. There were some settlers who had come with a few sheep above us on the Devil's River. I think their names were McFarlane and Mitchell. Their loss was more severe than Messers Watson and Hunter's. We used to fancy that the river was affected by their throwing the carcasses into the stream, though this is not probable, as they were sixteen or twenty miles above us, and the river was a considerable one. During this year I formed one of a party consisting of Mr. Alec Hunter, Mr. Archibald Jameson, an overseer, and a black fellow named Pigeon, who was afterwards drowned at the wreck of the Salt House, that started to find a road into Gippsland for stock, which Strizzle Lecky's discovery had just opened as a field for Port Phillip Enterprise. We ascended what we took for a leading range into the south-west of Mount Bueller, but found ourselves in a most difficult succession of galleys, in which we struggled for eighteen days, and eventually camped on the headwaters of the La Trobe. My horse had met with an accident in falling down a steep bank, and I remained with Pigeon at our camp on the river, while my companions went on to see what they could of the new country. In three days they returned, having reached a rich plain and fine herbage. I then included part of the run afterwards occupied by Mr. Reeve. On our return we got upon a leading range in Right Good Ernest, which in two days took us back to the head of the Gilborne, but the descent was considered too steep for stock, and the idea of bringing a herd by that route was abandoned. Mr. Tyre's afterwards tried to follow on our returning tracks, but lost his horses and gave up the attempt to reach Gippsland from that entrance, and I am not aware that it has yet been considered practicable. The time was now drawing near when my agreement with Mr. Watson was about expiring, and I was most anxious for it, as I found that cattle in halves was not a profitable speculation to the proprietor. An attempt had been made to muster the whole herd in March, but it proved ineffectual, and it was not till October that I eventually got delivery of my stock. I now made an agreement with Mr. Riley of the Wannon to put my cattle on his run, he undertaking to hand his heifer station over to me if we did not continue to keep our cattle together. And early in November, 1841, I left the Devil's River and drove my herd to Melbourne, where I sold all the butchers would buy, and after providing myself with a tray and stores, started for the west with the remainder, somewhere about three hundred head. We passed by La La'l, Bounen Yang, Baileys, and Mount Imu, which country was all occupied right and left of us, and crossed the plains to Lake Bolog, which was the only vacant spot I saw. Weiselaski was at the crossing place of the Hopkins, where his station now is. Dr. Martin, under the guidance of Mr. James Manning, who had sold his cattle with the condition that he was to find a run for them, had occupied Mount Sturgeon, the station being at the time under the charge of Mr. Knowles. Beyond him, to the west of the Wannon, was Mr. Barnett, now churned sides, and next to him was Mr. Riley, where my headquarters were for twelve months. During this time I saw a good deal of the surrounding country. At the Grange, a police magistrate Mr. French was establishing himself, and in the month of June of the same year I had the honour of being appointed a magistrate and assisted him regularly on the bench. Mr. Riley's station had been occupied by a Mr. Gibson, whose wife was famous for some extraordinary journeys she made to Melbourne, accompanied by a single male attendant, was abandoned by him and afterwards taken up by a Mr. Norris, who suffered so severely from depredations committed by the blacks that he had also given it up. The natives had, however, by all accounts, been taught some severe lessons, and had learnt to be better behaved, but they were still what was usually termed in the bush very troublesome. We had in the meantime occupied Engelfield, on the Glen Elg, as our heifer station, and had erected the necessary improvements there, but we found that the natives continually intimidated the men, and whilst absent from the hut had occasionally stolen their rations, and it was eventually determined to give up the heifer-tailing scheme, and the station was abandoned. Dr. Edward Barker, who had come into that neighbourhood on my recommendation, immediately occupied it. A few months' residence there, and a partnership which he had in the meantime formed with Mr. Riley, induced him to sell it back to me for the value of the improvements, fifty pounds, and in the summer of 1842 I again took possession of it. My cattle had, in the meantime, discovered other country for themselves on the head of Brian's Creek, but the arrival of Mr. Caddon, previously an overseer of Mr. John Hunter Patterson's, with sheep and cattle, soon dislodged them. Mr. Archdell next came in between me and the Wannon, with sheep and cattle of Mr. Hyde, of the Green Hills, near Bacchus Marsh, and eventually, under the orders of Captain Fiennes, the Crown Commissioner, I was hemmed in within very moderate bounds. The jealousy with which we heard of the arrival of any one in our neighbourhood, not with standing the vast tracts of land that we each laid claim to, was one of the remarkable features of our early settlement. I recollect my stockkeeper coming in one evening with a story of a drey track across the Kongbool Plain, as it was called, about eight miles to the southward, and some coffees spilt along it, and soon after finding we had a neighbour in a Mr. Mather, a carpenter from Melbourne, with a few sheep, who was soon after killed by the falling of a tree near his hut. He was known in consequence as the coffee merchant till his death. There was no one at this time above me on the Glen Elg, and the stringy bark ranges came in upon the river so determinedly for many miles, that we imagined for a long time there was no available country in that direction. But Mr. Caddon soon after discovered a small creek running into the river, which would serve his purpose as a washing place for his sheep in the event of the water in Bryan's Creek failing, which was considered more than probable. He soon, however, deserted the outstation he formed there, which was then taken possession of by Mr. Urquhart and Glen Dinning, where they formed their head station. It is now held by Mr. McIntosh. Above him, again, Mr. D. C. Simpson occupied both sides of the river immediately under the Victoria Range, and adjoining what is now Mr. Rose's station in the Grampians. This was not until 1843, in which year also Mr. Charles Sherrott, who had come from a station of Mrs. Heap and Grices at Mount Alexander, arrived on the opposite side of the river to me, and occupied the frontage to it for many miles. He politely came to my hut and asked me what I claimed, and took what I did not want. Below me, Mr. De Saley was in possession of the station now held by Mr. Armitage, having occupied it with sheep from Van Demensland for Sir John Owen. About this time, however, the station got into chancery, and in 1842 was managed by Mr. George Fairbairn, who now has the adjoining stations of Mather and Affleck, the latter having been admitted by me onto a part of my run during the winter of this year, as they were old servants of my friends the hunters, on the express condition that they should return the station to me when the weather would allow them to look for another. They, however, sold it in spite of me to my neighbors for fifty pounds. Below De Saley, Ricketts, who had been removed from the Buntingdale Mission Station on the bar one on its occupation by the natives, had, in 1841, taken up the stations now held by Mr. Blair, as well as those occupied on the opposite side of the Glen Elg, by Mr. Thomas Hamilton of Coot-Narran, and Mr. Donaldson of Longlands, now Messer's Whittakers. Mr. Norris, whose compulsory abandonment of the Wannon I have mentioned, came next on the river, taking up both sides with sheep belonging to Mr. Thomas Winter of Van Diemen's Land. This station, comprising the pigeon ponds and chat-wind country, was subsequently sold to Messer's car and Swanson, and is now divided into two runs occupied by Messer's Willis and Swanson, and Messer's Staywell and Alice. Mr. Gibson, who had first occupied Mr. Riley's station on the Wannon, came next on the river. Very little of the country which had not frontage to the main rivers was considered available at this time. It was not until 1844 that Mr. John Ares sent a party, consisting of a Mr. Mann and his overseer, with about three thousand sheep, to look for country in my neighborhood. I had an indistinct notion, from various cattle hunts in that direction, that there must be plenty of good country to the north-west of me across the river, and advised them accordingly, and they returned to my station in a week having discovered the Mount Talbot country, which, if they had occupied all they could at the time, would have been one of the finest runs in the whole colony. The want of water was for a long time considered its only deficiency, though it is now covered with many immense lakes, several of which are from twelve to fourteen feet deep. In the summer of this year several others passed to the west word, and the new country, as it was called, was occupied by Wallace, Hope, Bates, Ballantine, McLeod, etc. The collisions with the blacks, which I had heard of on almost every station after my arrival in the western district, if they took place at all, were kept very quiet. There were certain hangers on at stations, Tallah at the Grange, for instance, who boasted of such encounters, but it was generally believed that those who talked most knew least of such scenes. Their aggressions, however, whether avenged or not, were not infrequent. I had a horse which till his death would never go near a tree, my stockkeeper having been attacked by the blacks from behind one. On another occasion the blacks were seen driving my cattle through a swamp and holding on by their tails and spearing them as they went. I recollect a cow being brought into the stockyard stuck all over with spears like a porcupine. We extracted them, and she lived and fattened, and was eventually sold fat in Melbourne. On my first settlement at Englefield, in tracking cattle, I came upon a place where the blacks had within a few days camped some stolen sheep in bow-yards, and where the torn fleeces and broken legs and joints, since nod by wild dogs, told a tale of wasteful destruction. It was scarcely to be wondered at that the settlers took the law into their own hands on such occasions. Whether it was fear or a better acquaintance with us which worked upon them it is difficult to say. But about 1843-4 we heard no more of sheep stealing in the neighborhood, and the blacks, who had always fought very shy of my station, where Cranky Jem, my hutkeeper, had the reputation of being a good rifle-shot, which was clearly proved by the holes in all the trees round, where bullets had been cut out, commenced to come about, and offered to strip bark and make themselves useful. They are not generally very much wanted on a cattle station, and I seldom encouraged their advances. Later, in 1845, I had a black boy named Bill, from the Mount Rouse tribe, who remained with me for about eighteen months when the summer amusements of his relatives and companions proved an irresistible temptation for him, and he bolted. I could, however, place implicit confidence in him, and found him most obedient and docile, and a great deal more cleanly in his person than most of the white men with whom he lived. On one occasion I had taken him to Gilong to bring back some cattle. My stockkeeper was drowned at Fayon's Ford, and the cattle remained in the sole charge of Bill for a couple of days until assistance was sent to him. He watched them night and day and did not lose one. I have heard that he has since returned to the present proprietors of my station, and is still a useful member of society. In the summer of 1842 I returned with a stockkeeper to the Devil's River to collect the leavings of my herd. At Lake Repose, near Mount Sturgeon, I came upon Major Mitchell's tracks, and followed the marks left by his heavy boat carriage across the Hopkins Plains to the Fiery Creek, where I found my friends, Messers Stevens and Thompson, shearing their sheep under a tarpaulin, and passing through the runs of the Campbell's and Donald and Hamilton, slept in a shepherd's watchbox on Mr. Irvine's run at the Amphitheater. This was my first visit to the district for which I am now commissioner. The Waimera, at this time, was not occupied below Clark's. Mr. Lynot had taken up what was afterwards Decameron for Dr. Imley. Irvine had crept in above him on the river and between him and Messers Donald and Hamilton, disputing right and left. In 1842 Decameron was sold to Mr. James Allen Cameron, laid of the thirteenth Light Dragoons for £1,500, who lately sold it to Mr. Charles Williamson for £30,000. Below Clark's, which was managed by Messers Pettit and Francis, the latter was killed by one of his own men, with sheep from Dowling Forest, originally brought from Van Demon's land, there was no head station, though Blow, who originally occupied the Allen Vale country for Mr. Sinclair, of Van Demon's land, laid claim to what was subsequently sold to Dr. Blondell and Mrs. Green. The latter run was bought for £500 and sold lately to Mr. McMillan for £17,000. Briggs, from whom Briggs' bluff and the Grampians derives its name, came next on the river, having outstations near where the four posts in, or Glenorchee, now is. The lower part of the river was next taken up by Darlott in 1843, and after him, what he had passed through as valueless was occupied by Messers Taylor and McPherson, who have since divided two of the finest runs in the district. Back from the river, on the Mackenzie Creek, Messers Brody and Crookshank took up about this time the Onewanda Station, now Messers Splatt and Pinsense. Below Mr. Darlott, Major Firebrace took up the Vita station on the river, disputing part of it with the Messers Wilson, who ultimately squeezed in between him and Mr. Darlott about three miles below the present township of Horjum, and Messers Bailey and Hamilton took possession of Major Firebraces' leavings again lower down the river. Darlott came in about twenty miles below Firebrace, holding his present run for Darlott, and Stiglitz first took up the beautiful country at Lake Hindmarsh, which is now divided between the Belchers and Atkinsons, etc. The northern part of the Weimarra district, including the Malley runs, were not thought of till later. Grant, who took up the Mount Aeropiles country, was the first who found out their value in 1844 and disposed of his interest in the present Mount Elgin station to Major Firebrace. The Murray, Avoka, Avon, and Richardson runs were all of later discovery. In 1845 I exchanged the Engelfield run for one near Mount Rouse, to which we gave the name of the Green Hills. The country about me had been all along settled, accepting a small patch to the south-west of me, into which a Mr. Gibb managed to squeeze himself. But the days of the early settlement of the colony may be said to have been over before this period. Edward Bell, Weimarra, 15 September 1853. Devil's River. This country, lying to the north of the upper Goulburn River district, and extending to the head of the Broken River, was first occupied in September 1839 by Messers Watson and Hunter, who, in February 1840, formed their head station upon the Devil's River at a place called by the natives Wapang. The original discoverers of this country were Mr. John Hunter of the above firm, and Mr. Campbell of Otter, who entered it from the Big Hill, near which, at the head of the Seven Creeks, Templeton's Station, Mr. Hunter had a station called Bellora. They could see from the top of the Big Hill Range the open country of Mount Battery, backed by Mount Bueller and the line of Australian Alps. They eventually found the Devil's River, so-called from hearing a black's corroboree upon its banks the night that they first camped upon it. But their first station was at Mount Battery. The whole of the country occupied now by Messers Goodman and Locke and Malcolm and the head station at Wapang, which is now in the occupation of a working overseer named John Bond, who landed from an emigrant ship in 1841 without a wrap, were comprised within Messers Watson and Hunter's original station, besides their cattle station on the Broken River, which extended to and took in Mr. Moore's present station of Barjang. Afterwards the Arundel's Homestead. In 1841 I had a license for a small station upon the south side of the Devil's River, below Mr. Wau's Station, the author of Three Years Experience in Australia, a pamphlet which galled half England and Scotland in 1839 and 1840, called Mima Maluke, but I gave it up in the month of November of that year to Mr. Alec Hunter, who afterwards sold it to a Mr. Sargent-Sin. My first visit to this country was in January 1840, when the whole of this country was in Messers Watson and Hunter's hands. Edward Bell, Waimera, 12 August 1853. Engelfield Glenelg River. This station was formed by me and Mr. James Riley in November 1841 as a heifer station. There was at the time no settler higher up the Glenelg, and we laid claim to the country which now is divided between Mr. Lewis, late Caddon, Sterling and Fairbairn, formerly Mather, a carpenter from Melbourne who was killed in 1843 by a falling tree, and Macintosh. It had been previously temporarily occupied by a Mr. Norton, but the blacks had killed so many of his sheep he was glad to desert it. In 1842 I gave up my claim to Engelfield, and it was occupied by Dr. Barker, who sold it back to me for fifty pounds toward the end of that year. In 1843 Mr. Caddon came with sheep, and Mr. Commissioner Fiennes followed him to take a large portion on my country from me, which I disputed till 1844 when we settled the affair amicably. In the same year I allowed Messers Affleck, who had been old servants of Messers Watson and Hunters, to occupy the lower part of Mathers Creek, and in 1846 they tried to claim my whole run, but eventually sold the run I had lent them to Messers Sterling and Fairbairn for fifty pounds, having first tried to do me all the injury they could. The natives were very troublesome until 1844. My cattle were frequently found with spears in them, and once the blacks were chased by my stockkeeper when they were hunting the cattle through a swamp. I never, however, heard of any collision with the natives on that station. In February 1846 I exchanged this run with Mr. Robert Clerk for one called The Green Hills near Mount Rouse. It is now occupied by Mrs. Green of Woodlands. Edward Bell, by Mara, 12 August 1853. The Green Hills. The original station of Mumumbaric, of which the Green Hills formed a part, was taken up in 1840 by Mr. Matthew Gibb for Captain Swanson. It was afterwards about 1843 sold to Mr. Robert Clerk, with whom I made an exchange for Engelfield on the Glenelg River in 1846. Mr. John Cox, who occupied Mount Rouse, and Mr. Henry Best, who occupied Birchit's Run, and Messers Kemp, who occupied what was afterwards Chains Station on Muston's Creek, were the original neighbors to this run. Edward Bell, by Mara, 12 August 1853. End of Section 34. AF Mollison came to Port Phillip in a vessel from Hobart Town to view the land having gone from Sydney to Hobart Town, as there were no vessels sailing from Sydney to Port Phillip at that time. Major Mitchell had not returned from his journey through Australia Felix at this time. John Batman, McKillip, Faulkner, and others had been settled at Port Phillip two or three months when AF Mollison arrived. Sheep, breeding ewes, were being brought over from Van Demen's Land for the first settlers, price 20 shillings. Having seen the country, he returned to Sydney via Van Demen's Land, and started April 1837 from a station on the Moron Bidgie, which he had bought a year before, with 5,000 sheep collected from various quarters, price 25 shillings to 31 shillings, 6 pence, 600 cattle, 20 horses. End of 1837. After a long and harassing journey, wintering at Bon Therambo, by the way, he reached Coloban and formed that station. Ebden had reached Karlsruhe six weeks before with stock, and shortly afterwards, Yaldwin came down and took up what is now W. H. F. Mitchell's country. I joined AF Mollison in 1838. We lived in Reed, Mia, Mia's, and tents comfortably enough for some time. The winters were much drier. The Coloban, now a formidable stream when flooded, was crossed on a plank during the first winters. 1838. Pie along was occupied as a cattle station. W. Hamilton, Mundy, and Smythe, an F. A. Pallock, followed in this quarter. 1839 to 1840. The head of the Laudan, present Aboriginal station, was first occupied by AF Mollison. The country north of this river had been frequently explored before, but was called the Barron Plains, and supposed to be without water. Look at them now. 1840. Lyon Campbell followed, and then L. McKinnon and others. Early part of 1841. Parker occupied our station on Laudan as reserve for the Aborigines, and settling there attempted to carry out the Exeter Hall views for their civilization, with but slight success as was to be expected. The Aborigines in our neighborhood, afterwards known as the Jim Crow tribe, were from the first peaceable. They were a small, insignificant tribe, frequently spoiled, and oppressed by the more numerous and warlike tribes from the Goldburn, Murray River, and Westward, who used to carry off their women, etc. There is a tradition of one, if not two, bloody encounters between parties of these last tribes and Hutton's men. Hutton was then the farthest out to the Northwest, and it is pretty well known that several white men, getting lost in the bush, were cut off by the natives, as they were never heard of afterwards. At any rate, the shepherds felt, or pretended so much alarm, that at the request of the settlers about and beyond Mount Alexander, a small party of the 28th Regiment was stationed on the Composby during 1838 and 1839 to protect both whites and blacks. The squatters, or rather their men, should be in fairness freed from the imputation cast upon them by the protectors and missionaries of corrupting the native women. From the first, I know that the use of the women was offered by themselves and their husbands indifferently for a very trifling gratuity. It was always believed that they were cannibals, that is, that now and then, under particular circumstances, they ate portions of the human body, rather as a right, perhaps, than to make a meal. There are traditions of portions of the body, usually hands or fingers, being observed in the lubra's bags, but of doubtful authenticity, I think. Certainly in conversation they admitted the fact, but this does not prove it, because we know that they will at any time admit or say anything which they think will please their interlocutor. Witness the bunny-up and Mr. Pallet's great serpent of the interior, both of which have been accurately described in fifty different shapes, also the volcanic eruptions of Jim Crow, etc., etc. In short, if leading questions are put to them, as is usually done by enthusiastic inquires who are following up their own ideas, they, the natives, may, as I think, be made to say or to describe anything. 1839. Sheep were in this in the following year, taken hence to Adelaide, considerable numbers by sea. Price paid here in 1839 by McFarlane and others for the purpose of sending to Adelaide twenty-seven shilling six pence for breeding use. We've sold at the coloban at twenty shillings the bushel. January, 1840. The first shipment of cattle hence to New Zealand by Welsh and others. Cows ten pounds, steers twelve pounds. 1841. The first mill for grinding corn by water power was erected at the coloban about this time. 1842. Fat weathers this year from eight shillings to twelve shillings. 1842 to 45. In these years there was a great depression of the pastoral and agricultural interests, yet the colony continued to advance slowly in point of comfort and property, although there was but little money. Many squatters, who in their earlier operations had become indebted to the merchants, were obliged to surrender their stations and were left penniless. The new men who bought at this time have become rich, escaping the privations and anxieties of the first pioneers, their predecessors. They have been floated on to wealth by the tide of general prosperity, but of the older settlers who held on, many pressed down by the unfavorable terms on which assistance was granted to them, have only recently, after a struggle of years, found themselves freed from their difficulties. Now in the pride of wealth, consequent on the wonderful gold discoveries, the early squatters, their sufferings and their services to the colony, are alike forgotten, and men seem to regard them as the new heir regards the furniture and portraits of the distant relative to whom he has succeeded, as something to be at once quietly consigned to the lumber room or the auction marks. 1845 to 53. From this period there are printed records of the progress of the colony and its general statistics, which it will be at once more easy and more satisfactory to consult than somewhat loose memoranda. W. T. mollison, by along 22nd August, 1853. End of section 35. Section 36 of Letters from Victorian Pioneers. This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox.org. Recording by Betty B. Letters from Victorian Pioneers. Number 36. Memorandum. Netiala Station, Avoca. I went with Sheep to the river Avoca in February 1842 and occupied the country immediately north of Dutton, Simpson and Darlett, who arrived very early from New South Wales with sheep and cattle. There was no settler on the Avoca before me. Mr. Alex Irvine had an outstation hut on it. He was formerly in partnership with Dr. Imlay of Twofold Bay. Mr. Lanot, a cattle holder who purchased from Dr. Imlay, was my near neighbor. Mr. Hodgkinson was in the vicinity before me. A. McCallum was at Mount Greenock. The only settlers on the laden were Mollison, McKinnon, and Dutton, all from New South Wales. A few days after me, Mr. Collin McKinnon occupied the mountain creek between the Pyrenees Range and my station. In 1844, Mr. Ellis from Ireland occupied a station with sheep purchased from me 30 miles down the Avoca. There was then a general rush made to the plains lying to the north, which up to that time had been quite devoid of water. Mr. Alan Cameron, Scotch, Captain Harrison, Horsefall, English, Stewart, Scotch, K and K, Foley and Cameron, Coots, Rutherford, Donald and Hamilton, A. Thompson, and several others all took up runs together. On the laden, Cato, Brain and Williams, Thorpe and Bear, all English, took up stations while a large tract was taken on the lower laden and Murray by Curlewis and Campbell from Sydney. Subsequently, McCallum, Campbell and Rowan, all Scotch, occupied Mount Hope and the banks of the Murray. The Aborigines were reported to be very fierce and intractable when I first occupied, but I never had any trouble with them. They never were much use and seemed to me to improve very little, while by degrees they diminished in number. There was never any outrage of any moment committed by either the settlers or them in my time, but previous to that several had been killed on both sides. The country was quite wild when I first saw it. A herd of wild cattle escaped from Dr. Imley's herd were running wild for years and some horses apparently lost by a surveying party. The soil on my run and to the northward is generally very poor, very flat, a very retentive clay lying for the most part on a bed of quartz pebbles. Gold has been found on the Evoca and there are several hills of most metaliferous appearance. End of section 36. Section 37 of Letters from Victorian Pioneers. This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox.org. Recording by Betty B. Letters from Victorian Pioneers. Number 37, Tara Wingey, 30th August 1853. Sir, in reply to the letter dated 29th July, which I have had the honor to receive from your Excellency, I beg to state that I arrived at the ovens in March 1838 on the evening of the day on which Mr. Faithful's party were attacked by the blacks at Broken River. There were two temporary encampments previous to my arrival, these Mr. W. Bowman's and Colonel White's. In a few days Mr. G. Faithful selected the lands he now holds, Oxley Plains, and I occupied the lands immediately opposite. Mere he, now the station of J. W. Chisholm. A panic seized the servants and they deserted their employers. Bowman, Faithful and White, abandoned their cattle on the runs and I was left alone with three assigned servants, my free men having absconded. In a few days these assigned men told me that they would stay no longer but offer to assist me back to the settled districts with the stock. I was thus compelled to leave the ovens. I took my stock back to the Hume River, Nurungong. On my return to the ovens in about six months' time I found that Chisholm had taken possession of Mere he and I settled at Warule, which I still hold. Faithful had returned to Oxley Plains. Bowman was here, Tara Winge and Docker at Von Therambo. Soon after Reed occupied Kara Jarman Guy, and in a year or two the stations in this district were occupied pretty much as they are at present. I may mention as a specimen of the fatigue undergone by the earlier squatters that for six days and nights before I left the ovens I never lay down, being engaged all day in herding the cattle and all night in walking round them. I was alone, one of the men being similarly employed with my sheep, and the other two in removing and guarding the stores. As soon as the necessity for exertion ceased I was seized with automated swelling of the legs and eyelids. I could neither see nor walk and was carried back to the Hume on a drae. There was at that time no station occupied between Barnawartha on the Hume, now G.H. Barbers, and Sugarloaf Creek, Dubya Hamilton's. The blacks were not numerous but very hostile. They murdered a number of white men and destroyed a great many cattle and horses. In May 1840, 21 of them, all armed with guns, besides their native weapons, attacked my station in my absence. They murdered one of my servants and burned my huts and stores and all my wheat. Tea was worth at that time in Melbourne, 20 pounds per chest and flour 100 pounds per ton. Four horses each worth 100 pounds were killed and only seven head of cattle out of nearly 3,000 were left alive on the run. 180 head exclusive of those found dead were totally lost. The rest were recovered at such an expenditure of money and a personal energy as have left me an invalid for life and to this day comparatively a poor man. My demand for compensation was treated with contempt by the governor of New South Wales. He said I had voluntarily placed myself beyond the boundaries of police and must take the consequences, although I was then paying an assessment upon stock for the very purpose of securing police protection beyond the boundaries. Three special commissioners were sent one after another to examine into the matter Major Lettson of the 80th Regiment, Mr. Bingham, Commissioner of Crown Lands for the District and Chief Protector Robinson. The whole drift of their inquiry seemed to me to be an attempt to prove that the cause of the attack upon my station by the blacks was an improper treatment of the native women by my servants. This was shown to be totally without foundation for the natives had no women with them and it was their first visit to the station. It was also their last. I followed them for eighteen months and apprehended seventeen of them, and though they were discharged from Melbourne Jail almost as soon as they entered it, yet their capture had such a good effect that their depredations have since been confined to a few cattle for food. There have been none of their former wholesale slaughterings and no murders of white men since then. These, sir, are the salient points of my experience as a squatter. I have lost my capital, I have lost my health, I have lost fifteen years of the best period of my life. I have undergone many hardships, exposed myself to many dangers, and am now a poorer man than I was when I became a squatter. There is an apparent egotism in this letter, which would be offensive without the comment that from the tenor of your Excellency Circular I concluded that short narratives of individual experience and not general disquisitions were what your Excellency required. I have the honor to be, sir, your Excellency's most obedient servant, George Edward McKay, His Excellency C. J. Latrobe Esquire, Lieutenant Governor of the Colony of Victoria. End of Section 37. Section 38 of Letters from Victorian Pioneers. This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox.org. Recording by Betty B. Letters from Victorian Pioneers. Statement of the progress of the settlement of that portion of the Womera District around and beyond Mount Zero during 1843 to 1846. 1843. In July of this year, Mr. Darlett occupied his present station with about 300 head of cattle. In November, my partner, Mr. McPherson, started to look for new runs and followed the course of the Womera from Mrs. Green's present home station at that time an outstation of Mr. John Allen's. The Womera was at that period unoccupied from Allen's outstation to Mr. Darlett's. 1844. In February we started our sheep from the station on the Moorabool, 20 miles from Guilong, and occupied our present homestead on the Womera about the end of the same month. At that date, with the exception of Mr. Darlett's 300 cattle, 8 miles lower down the river, there was no stop north of Cameron's Heifer Station, Navarre, or west of the Evoca to the Glenleague that I was aware of. About this time, Mr. Hamilton, manager for B. Boyd Esquire, occupied the eastern branch of the Womera for 10 miles above and below where the township of Glenorkee is now fixed. Mr. Mills, manager for Messers Brody and Crookshank, passed our station about the 20th March with 3,000 sheep and occupied the station now held by Mr. Splatt, Juan Wanda, a few days afterwards. This was the second flock of sheep that passed into the country beyond Leadcourt, ours being the first. We saw no natives till we were on the station two months. Afterwards they came in very quickly till they numbered about 100 men, women, and children. At this time they were in the habit of stealing a sheep occasionally at night. In September about 40 natives attacked one of our shepherds through several spears at him and took his flock from him within a mile of the homestead. The overseer mustered the men and the sheep were regained within an hour. During the winter the natives were very troublesome. Mr. W. J. T. Clark at the Pyrenees lost 1,000 sheep. He had a shepherd badly speared. After this Captain Dana and the native police arrived at the Pyrenees, followed the natives and overtook them near Aray and Nichols' present homestead at that time unoccupied country. At Boyd Station, Leadcourt, the natives stole during the winter about 800 sheep. The station was constantly annoyed by their stealing sheep which they generally drove towards the Richardson and occasionally behind Mount Zero. Messers Brody and Crookshank had 200 sheep stolen. Messers Darlett, Ellerman, Mills, and McPherson tracked them for two days and found them near Mr. Bailey's present station, Polkament, in a gum scrub. They had killed 10 and carried the carcasses away, breaking the legs of those left behind alive. This was their usual plan to prevent the sheep's straying and at the same time annoy the settlers. Brody and Crookshank's loss that winter was in all about 900 sheep. In November of this year Messers Cresswick occupied the Avon Station. During December Messers Wilson occupied a station on the Richardson near Rutherford's present station, but afterwards in December moved down the Womera east of Mount Aropolis where Mr. Fire Brace's station now is. 1845 During January Major Fire Brace brought up 6,000 sheep and claimed the run occupied by Messers Wilson. In having no license Messers Wilson were compelled to move lower down the river where Mr. Bailey now is, but left during the winter being afraid of the natives and sat down where their present station is, three miles below Horsham with 2,000 sheep. Messers Bailey and Hamilton claimed the portion of this run adjoining Leadcourt in February but were removed by the Crown Lands Commissioner. About 10th February they occupied the ground vacated by Messers Wilson below Major Fire Braces with 3,000 sheep. About the end of February Rutherford and Robinson took possession of the run on the Richardson, now an occupation of Messers Rutherford, Dennis and Array and Nickel with 3,000 sheep. About 10th March Joseph Thier occupied the run on the Avon, now Loves. About this time we occupied the lakes north of Mount Zero and the Yaryambiac Creek for 12 miles. Messers Wilson immediately afterwards built two stations lower down the same creek, Keywell and Muckbilly. About the 20th March Messers Donald and McCready came to Lingeranong looking for runs. On questioning the natives we found there was good water to the northeast, a day's journey distant. Two days afterwards my late partner, Mr. McPherson, started with them, taking a native as a guide and the same evening struck the Avon below the station of Horsfall who had been there about a week previous. Next day they followed the Avon to Ban Yeong, the water they started for. Mr. J. Donald immediately left for Melbourne to get a license and bring up stock. Mr. W. Patterson occupied his station on the Waimira in April with 3,000 sheep. Mr. George Urquhart occupied Maryvale in July with 4,000 sheep. Mr. Glen Dinning, the salt lakes in October and November with 2,000 sheep. In November Messers Scott occupied their run on the Yerriam-Biac Creek. In April of this year Mr. Robinson, the protector of Aborigines, first visited the Waimira and penetrated as far as Lake Hindmarsh. Mr. H. Darlett and other settlers accompanied him. They saw very few of the natives. The losses of the settlers in sheep by the natives were again considerable this winter. Messers Bailey and Hamilton suffered most severely. In all they lost 1,000 sheep, besides lambs and were continually harassed, being near the scrub where the natives had plenty of cover. Major Fire Brace and Mr. Patterson also lost several hundred sheep. The old system of breaking the legs was still carried on. The stations higher up the river escaped this year. The country on the Richardson and Avon being settled, the blacks had no place to take the sheep to. On the Glen Elg also the settlers were comparatively unmolested as the Waimira and the country about Mount Aeropilus was a great resort of the natives with stolen sheep. In August Mr. Horsefall on the Avon had a hutkeeper murdered by the natives with a spade that was in his hut. The murderers were never taken. After the first year's occupation the demeanor of the natives was generally friendly to the settlers. On many of the stations their services were of great value in looking for strayed horses and especially sheep. Several of them have shepherded for eight and ten months at a time and were the best shepherds in the district. Not being afraid of losing their flock they allowed them to spread over a large tract of country. They were also useful in pointing out the permanent water holes. 1846. This year in January Mr. Stieglitz occupied the country around Lake Hindmarsh with sheep, Messers Shaw and Ellerman, the Antwerp station in February. This year Mr. McGinnis occupied the lake that the Yere Ambiac flows into. In May of this year Captain Fiennes, commissioner of Crown Lands, first visited this part of the district and we occupied Munarp towards Binyong. In June Dr. Thompson brought sheep up and laid claim to 150,000 acres, a great extent of which had been already occupied by others. I believe that your excellency is aware that the country in the Womera district, at least this part of it, was when occupied poor and thinly grasped. Since it has been stocked with sheep the grasses improved so much that I am sure it will now fatten more than double the number it could have done at first. William Taylor. End of Section 38. Section 39 of Letters from Victorian Pioneers. This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more information or to volunteer please visit LibriVox.org. Recording by Kay Hand. Letters from Victorian Pioneers. Number 39 from Charles J. Tyres, Albertan. Commissioner of Crown Lands Office, Gippsland, Albertan, 15th July, 1844. Sir, reverting to your honors instructions, number 43 slash 1354 of September 18th, 1843. And to my reply thereto, number 11 slash 44 of 22nd January. Reporting the state of this district on my arrival. I have the honor to state that, as at that time, my residence in Gippsland had been limited to 8 or 10 days, and consequently my opportunities of obtaining correct information relative to the district few. I consider it my duty, now that I have been resident here six months, collected some information and gained a little knowledge of the country, to follow up that report by a second, in which I shall endeavor to convey to your honor an account of the state of the district up to the 30th June last, a description of the country, rivers, and lakes, and such other information as may appear essential to a knowledge of this part of the colony. Area of Gippsland. The district of Gippsland, by his Excellency's proclamation published in the government gazette, is bounded, quote, on the south and east by the sea, on the north by a line running in a westerly direction from Cape Howe to the source of the nearest tributary of the Murray River and the Australian Alps, again on the west by the Alps, and a line south to Anderson's Inlet, end quote, being about 250 miles in length and 56 miles average breadth and containing, consequently, about 14,000 square miles, of which the ranges comprise perhaps about 10,000 miles, forest, scrub, and generally unavailable land, 3,000 square miles, and the good available land, 1,000 square miles. Ranges. High, broken country extends from the dividing range, or watershed, towards the sea coast, about 40 miles, a great part of which is covered with snow from June to October, and as the average distance from the main range to the sea coast is not above 70 miles, the low and occupied country does not extend much above 30 miles from the coast. With the exception of three or four, the settlers are confined within a belt of this width, 89 miles in length, extending from Port Albert to the river Thompson or Tambo. To the eastward of the Thompson for some little distance, the country is so precipitous and broken that there has hitherto been no communication between this part of the district and the Snowy River, which is said to be distant 20 or 30 miles from the Thompson, but by way of Omeo. I believe an attempt was made by a party upwards of a year ago to reach Manoroo in a northeasterly direction from Bruthen, but failed in consequence of their horses being too jaded to proceed. The distance to be saved by this route to Manoroo, where it found practicable, would be nearly 100 miles, and the high ranges about Omeo would be thus avoided. Rivers. The rivers that water the before mentioned belt of occupied country are seven in number, namely the Latrobe, Mankanochi, Barney, Dunlap, MacArthur, Riley or Nicholson, and Thompson or Tambo of the Omeo natives. The Parry described by Count Strizilecki between the Dunlap and the MacArthur cannot be classed with these it being merely a small chain of ponds. There are, besides these rivers, several minor streams falling into the sea between Corner Inlet and the Latrobe. Minor Streams. The Albert and Tara rivulets rise in a small range 17 or 18 miles from Port Albert and empty themselves into that port. Bruthen Creek, Merrimans Creek, and two others, rising in the same range, fall into the sea north northeast of the port. The River Latrobe, which is the western most and largest river in Gippsland, derives its waters by various tributaries from the dividing range, opposite the sources of the Goldburn. The chief source is perhaps in latitude 37 degrees 40 minutes south and longitude 146 degrees east, from which to its junction with Lake Wellington in latitude 38 degrees 8 minutes and longitude 147 degrees 22 minutes nearly, is about 100 miles. The course for the last 70 miles is due east to the lower part for 42 miles, being occupied by settlers. For the respective positions of the stations, etc., I beg to refer your honor to the accompanying map. River Mekanochi. The next river to the Latrobe is the Mekanochi. It appears to rise near the base of the hilly country in latitude 38 degrees and longitude 146 degrees 45 minutes, and following an east southeast direction for 19 miles, joins the Barney. Although running throughout the year, it is a small river, sometimes admitting a person to cross almost without wetting his feet. This river is also occupied, with the exception of a few miles of indifferent country near its source. The Barney, I have every reason to believe, rises about 30 miles southwest of Mount Buller, and, after flowing southeast for about 45 miles, enters the low country. Its course is then east for seven miles and southeast and by south for 16 miles, when, after receiving the waters of the Mekanochi, it flows into the Latrobe at the distance of 10 miles from Lake Wellington. Near the head of this river, between the Dividing Range and the Gippsland Range, a large extent a fine, open, and well-watered country is said to exist, having been discovered by an exploring party from the Devil's River two or three years ago. Its existence has been corroborated by some natives from the Doro country, and its supposed position was known to several settlers in Gippsland, yet no attempt has hitherto been made by any party in the district to reach it, although an extensive valley called Glenmaggy, stretching in that direction, seems to invite the attempt. A stockman named Andrew Ewing, in the employment of Messers Watson and Hunter of Devil's River, informed me he had seen it, and even applied for a license, so far back as November last, to occupy a station there. Not having heard of his arrival, I may presume he has not succeeded in finding a road over the ranges practicable for sheep. Dunlop River. The next river, in succession, the Dunlop, the Avon of Mr. McAllister, apparently taking its rise near Mount Gisborne or Wellington, and running in a southeast direction for 20 miles through a broken and scrubby country, is met at the head of the low country by a minor branch from the westward, passing under a moderately elevated hill called Ben-Kruichan. At the distance of 20 miles southeast from the junction, the Dunlop falls into Lake Wellington, and is navigable for eight miles from its mouth for vessels of considerable berthin, the depth being four and a half fathoms, and width varying from 100 to 200 yards. It is deep close to its margin. Heart of Gipseland. The country between this river and the Barney, from the foot of the ranges to Lake Wellington, containing 160 square miles, may be truly called the Heart of Gipseland. It consists of fine open plains and forest land, and, from its superior herbage is, I am of opinion, capable of depasturing 50,000 sheep, or at the rate of two acres to each sheep. A part of this country is in the occupation of the discoverer of Gipseland, Mr. McAllister, whom I am informed at the enormous expense of between 2,000 pounds and 3,000 pounds, opened a road over the ranges to this beautiful district through the Omeo Country, prior to Count Streslecky's journey. MacArthur River. The MacArthur, next in size to the Latrobe, apparently comes from the Snowy Mountains, and a minor branch of it from the Gipseland Range, near Mount Valentina. The country, as far as is known of it, through which it flows, is broken and scrubby to within 23 miles of Lake King, which Lake receives its waters. The land on either side of the lower part of the MacArthur is occupied. River Riley. The Riley, or Nicholson, a small stream, occasionally dry in places, rising in a minor range, waters an unavailable, scrubby country. It falls into Lake King about a mile to the northward of the mouth of the MacArthur. Thompson, or Tambo River. The Thompson, or Tambo, rises about 10 or 12 miles to the east of Omeo. It flows into Lake King, five miles east of the Riley, after a southerly course of 60 miles. The country between the Thompson and the Snowy River, a distance of about 30 miles, is unexplored, but a river of some magnitude is said to flow through it. Eastern portion of the district not visited. The eastern portion of the district I have not yet visited, nor will a visit to it be practicable until the spring, owing to the ranges being covered with snow. A description of that part of the country will therefore form the subject of a future communication to your honor. Lakes. The whole of the drainage of the ranges and country above described forms an extensive chain of lengths, 49 miles in length, running near to and parallel with the seacoast. The first or westernmost of these, called Lake Wellington by the discoverer, Mr. McMillan, receives the waters of the La Trobe, Macanachi, Barney, and Dunlap, and is fresh throughout the year. It is in length 12 miles, in width from six to eight and a half, and in depth varying from one to three fathoms. The country between it and the sea has not been explored. That to the westward and northward is generally good and all that is available occupied. McLennons Straits. The outlet of this lake is through a narrow channel six miles long and from 100 to 200 yards wide and four or five fathoms deep, called McLennons Straits, so named after one of the party who first explored it in a boat into Lake Victoria. Lake Victoria. Lake Victoria also owes its name to the discoverer, Mr. McMillan. It is in length 32 miles and in breadth averaging only about one mile and a half, and is generally between four and five fathoms deep. The outlet to the sea at its eastern extremity is too narrow and shoddy to be rendered available except for small boats. Lake King. Lake King of Count Streslecki is the northern portion of Lake Victoria, 11 miles long and seven broad, having an average depth of about four fathoms. It receives the waters of the MacArthur, Riley, and Thompson, the former of which carries four and a half fathoms water for upwards of 10 miles, although it is only one fathom deep at the entrance. Lake Reeve. Communicating with Lake Victoria by means of a very shallow channel between that lake and the seacoast is another lake of some extent called Lake Reeve after the discoverer John Reeve, JP, proprietor of a special survey at Port Albert. While exploring the lakes a short time since, with a view to discover if any outlet from the lakes to the sea existed that could be rendered available for shipping, I made an ineffectual attempt to get a boat into Lake Reeve, an outlet to the sea about a mile wide having been seen by Mr. Reeve from a hill between the two lakes. From a view I also obtained of that lake from a different hill, I am of opinion that should there be an outlet to the sea, it is too shallow to admit of its being used as a harbor. If, therefore, this proved the case, Albert and the special surveys, although badly situated with reference to the heart of Gippsland, must continue to command the country. Gippsland likely to become a valuable portion of the colony. From the solubility of the climate, the absence of hot winds and summer frosts, the copious supply of summer rains, the fertility of the soil, notwithstanding that the lakes should not be available for external navigation, Gippsland will no doubt at some future period become the granary of New South Wales and form a valuable portion of the colony. The number of stations in the district on the 30th of June was 40, and of people employed on them 327, of whom 227 were free males, 51 free females, 47 male prisoners of the crown and two female prisoners. The stock depasturizing on crown lands was 410 horses, 20,157 cattle, and 62,455 sheep, besides a few hundred head of cattle and some horses belonging to persons whom I have deemed it necessary to defer recommending for licenses until I shall have received testimonials of their characters from the commissioner of the district they left prior to coming here. Residents at Victoria, at the shipping point, and at Tarraville. Besides the number of persons given above, there are 120 living on purchased land, Vis, at Victoria, Mr. Orr's special survey, 17 males, 6 females, and 13 children. On Major Davidson's survey, shipping place, 18 males, 7 females, and 3 children. At Tarraville, Mr. Reeve's special survey, 29 males, 14 females, and 13 children. Alberton Desserted. Alberton is now quite deserted in consequence of Messer's turnbull and or having moved their stores and counting house to the shipping point where most of the mercantile business of the district is carried on. Those persons given in my last half year's return, then residing at Alberton, most of whom were bad characters, have either left the district or have sought refuge on the special surveys. The runaway convicts and other bad characters with which this district was infested a few months ago, have, I believe, been dearly all driven out of the district by the system of surveillance pursued by the border police acting under my instructions. The system will be explained on reference to the annexed copy of a letter addressed by me to the respective settlers. More Police Required I regret, however, to observe that the depredations of the Aborigines continue and that the small police force at my disposal is inadequate to put a stop to them. The most effectual method that suggests itself to me to check these attacks is by establishing two police stations in different parts of the occupied country, each consisting of five troopers of the border police and two of the native police attached as trackers. One of these stations I should propose fixing in the midst of the settlers on the Latrobe or Mekinachi, under the orders of the sergeant of the border police, the other at the present headquarters on the MacArthur, near which the natives have been very troublesome, killing ninety head of cattle belonging to Mr. Sparks at various times and many belonging to Mr. Jones. In this quarter Mr. Tom has also been a sufferer by their repeated attacks. The Aborigines of Gippsland are supposed to exceed in number those of any other known part of the colony of equal extent and this supposition is favored by the circumstance of their isolated position being such as, in a great measure, to prevent their being destroyed by wars made upon them by other tribes, as well as of their having had no intercourse with Europeans. Those inhabiting the country about the lakes, judging from the numerous fires and the different large parties of them I saw while on the lakes, cannot be less than a thousand. Van Demen's land a good market for Gippsland stock. To turn however from the loss sustained by the settlers by the depredations of the Aborigines, it is gratifying to remark the comparatively remunerating prices obtained by the stockholders for their stock in the Van Demen's land market, for which market Albertan is so conveniently situated. The subjoined returns kindly furnished me by Mr. Turnbull and the collector of customs at Port Albert show a monthly average of eight vessels for the last half year, employed chiefly in this trade, and an increase of shipping over that of the half year ending December 1843 reported in my former communication to your honor of 1,172 tons. Exports exceed imports as two and two thirds to one. It also shows the value of exports to have been 8,238 pounds eight shillings for the half year, while that of the imports furnished by Mr. Moore of the customs was, for the last four months only, 2,037 pounds 15 shillings 14 pence being at the rate annually of 16,476 pounds 16 shillings exports and 6,113 pounds six shillings imports. The exports exceeding the imports by 10,363 pounds 10 shillings or nearly as two and two thirds to one. Revenue. The revenue collected by Mr. Moore for the last four months was 157 pounds zero shillings 11 pence or at the rate of 471 pounds two shilling nine pence per annum. But from the recent addition to the district of several settlers with stock and from the circumstance of the sly grog sellers having been driven from their unlawful occupation and succeeded by two licensed publicans added to the permission recently promulgated by the governor to the merchants of alberton for the sale of wine and beer in quantities not less than two gallons. It may be fairly presumed that the revenue for the ensuing year will exceed that some particulars of port albert shipping from the first of january to the 30th of june 1844 inclusive furnished by messers turnball and company merchants arrivals 48 departures 43 briggs 8 brigantines 11 schooners 17 cutters 12 exports 886 cattle at 80 shillings 3544 pounds 21 calves at 20 shillings 21 pounds 2137 sheep at four shillings 427 pounds eight shillings 39 tons bark at 30 shillings 58 pounds 10 shillings 335 bales wool weighing 83 750 pounds at one shilling per pound 4187 pounds 10 shillings for a total of 8238 pounds eight shillings amount of tonnage from 1st july to 31st december 1843 3339 first january to 30th june 1844 4511 increase 1172 statement of the value of all articles imported and exported from 6th march to 5th april 1844 with the amount of duty and other revenue collected during that period furnished by mr. Moore imports 224 pounds 10 shillings zero pence exports 1055 pounds 10 shillings zero pence amount of revenue collected from duties nil from fees six pounds total revenues collected six pounds statement of the value of all articles imports and exports during the quarter ending 5th july 1844 with the amount of duty and other revenue collected during that period furnished by mr. Moore imports 1813 pounds five shillings four pence exports 4070 pounds 10 shillings six pence amount of revenue collected from duties 122 pounds 10 shillings two pence amount of revenue collected from fees 34 pounds 10 shillings nine pence total amount of revenue collected 157 pounds zero shillings 11 pence exports from 6th march to 5th april furnished by mr. Moore wool 12600 pounds 630 pounds zero shillings zero pence cattle 93 head 366 pounds zero shillings zero pence sheep 85 head 42 pounds 10 shillings zero pence sundries 17 pounds zero shillings zero pence total 1055 pounds 10 shillings zero pence exports for quarter ending 5th july furnished by mr. Moore wool 10440 pounds 522 pounds zero shillings zero pence cattle 6540 head 2476 pounds zero shillings zero pence sheep 2408 909 pounds 14 shillings zero pence sundries 162 pounds 16 shillings six pence for a total of 4070 pounds 10 shillings six pence having now endeavored to convey to your honor a succinct account of the district of gipseland generally as proposed at the commencement of this letter i may now be permitted to make a few brief remarks on the state of that part of it more immediately connected with port albert alberton the government township of alberton as before stated is entirely abandoned owing chiefly perhaps to its possessing no commercial advantages being out of the line of road from the interior to the shipping point victoria the victoria township on mr. oar's special survey cannot for the same reason be other than a small village major davidson's survey containing i believe 180 acres commands the anchorage there are however only about 10 acres of scrub available for any purpose whatever the remainder being a saltwater swamp besides the present few inhabitants have either to cart water a distance of five miles or to beg it from the ship masters two wells have been sunk but the water in both cases proved salt a township evidently cannot be established at this point terraville on the contrary the township of terraville mr. reeves survey has the advantage of being so situated as to command the nearest line of road to the interior and at the same time of being within a convenient distance about three and a half miles of the shipping point it has also the advantage of water communication to the shipping for vessels of small berthin such as lighters reserve recommended under these circumstances i feel it my duty to recommend that portion of land on the terra creek to the southward of mr. reeves survey be reserved until it shall be finally decided on what site the government township would be most advantageously situated a courthouse and lock up are about to be built at the expense of the settlers as soon as a convenient site can be ascertained and sanctioned by the government in informing your honor of these circumstances i cannot refrain from expressing my opinion that the erection of these buildings and the appointing alberton a place to hold petty sessions will be attended with no advantage whatever unless a constable and a lockkeeper be allowed hither to the duty has been performed by the border police but it is evident that the services of the few men of that core attached to this district are equally required to protect the settlers against the incursions of the aborigines and for other police purposes in the interior in conclusion i beg to express my expectation of being unable to complete this report in the spring when the disappearance of the snow from the ranges will admit of my visiting the eastern portion of the district i have the honor to be sir your honors most obedient servant charles j tires commissioner crowned lands his honor cj letrobe esquire melbourne end of section 39 section 40 of letters from victorian pioneers this is a libra vox recording all libra vox recordings are in the public domain for more information or to volunteer please visit libra vox dot org recording by k hand letters from victorian pioneers number 40 from c hutton melbourne melbourne august 19th 1853 sir i have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your excellency's letter of the 29th july last requesting information regarding the first occupation of the compaspi and king parrot creeks my party was one of the numerous ones which drove sheep overland from the sydney to the port philip district in 1838 unfortunately katar broke out in some of the flocks between the murray and the ovens and rapidly spreading to others compelled the proprietors to seek for not only new runs but new districts where no sheep were already de-pasturing mr peace nod grass dr dixon far quare mckenzie and others followed up the golburn and found suitable runs on that river and its tributaries i crossed the golburn in june following sir thomas mitchell's line of road till i reach the compaspi planes subsequently occupied by munroe and then known as munrose planes where i kept the stock for upwards of a month while i examined the surrounding country and i then moved lower down the creek to the run which i disposed of in 1842 messers jennings and plain and which has now passed into the hands of jh paterson at that time there were no runs taken up to the north of mitchell's line accepting mr bowman's on the coloban at the foot of mount alexander which shortly after came into the possession of mr or who is i believe still the occupier it will be in your excellency's recollection that 1838 was the year of the great drought and it was only by having my marching establishment complete and thus constantly shifting my ground that i was enabled to keep the stock alive when i came into that district in july the ground was exceedingly dry the grass apparently dead although after the first rain it grew again most luxuriously the waterholes very low and for nine months there was not even a moderate shower to freshen the urbage consequently there was no attraction for settlers and i had no neighbor except those i have mentioned during my stay there i am informed that there are now between 200,000 and 300,000 sheep depasturing on the lower capacity planes where in 1838 and 39 there was not grass enough to feed half a dozen goats i only knew of two tribes of natives in that part of the country one called the golburn blacks who chiefly stopped on that river but occasionally came as far as my station a distance of about 55 miles and were tolerably well behaved only pilfering and sometimes frightening the shepherds and the other tribe more particularly belonging to the compaspi who from the first appeared to have a dislike to the whites i can hardly tell the numbers of these tribes but think the compaspi blacks might muster about 40 able-bodied men in all they were rather fine men but very mischievous and did much damage not only to myself but to the settlers as far as ebden's run at mount mastodon no doubt there was blame on both sides and had the whites not been over familiar with them for the sole purpose of getting their women many of the outrages then perpetrated might have been avoided the greater part of these men suddenly disappeared and i know it was and perhaps is still thought that they were slaughtered by the whites and especially by myself but my belief is that they died from influenza which was prevalent in a very severe form at that time and to my own knowledge more than one died of it and as your excellency is about to leave the colony and i may not have another opportunity it is a satisfaction to myself to solemnly assure you that i never shot or otherwise destroyed one of them i never even fired at one and only once when some troopers came up to apprehend them for killing two of my shepherds am i aware of any being killed by the whites my run on the king parrot creek was taken up by my overseer and i never resided on the station it was adjoining farquhar mckenzie's and indeed at one time was claimed by him i can give your excellency no current information or the first occupation of that part of the country i have the honor to be sir your excellency's obedient servant c hutton his excellency cj letrobe squire etc end of section 40 section 41 of letters from victorian pioneers this is a libravox recording all libravox recordings are in the public domain for more information or to volunteer please visit libravox.org recording by k hand letters from victorian pioneers number 41 from john eightkin mount eightkin mount eightkin 26th august 1853 sir i have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of the 27th of july asking information regarding the first settlement of victoria i beg leave to inform you that mr batman who arrived in may 1835 was the first person who visited port philip from van demon's land messers jackson evans and myself arrived in hobson's bay in september of the same year for the purpose of exploring the country preparatory to bringing stock over from van demon's land the country appeared to us so well adapted for grazing purposes both as regarded pastureage and climate that we lost no time and going back to van demon's land for our stock in march 1836 i landed with my sheep etc at arthur's seat owing to the ship getting around in the bay and traveled with them to this place called by his excellency sir richard burke mount eightkin where i have continued to reside ever since mr batman and mr arthur brought sheep over from van demon's land about the end of 1835 or the beginning of 1836 the above mentioned gentlemen were the only parties who brought stock prior to my arrival various other parties arrived soon after me with stock v's messers jackson evans brock brody sam's wedge frank's malcolm smith sutherland white clark and faulkner the latter gentleman was the cane or the first killer of the soil in this province unfortunately he made a poor selection opposite the present city of melbourne in the swamp and consequently it turned out a failure owing to this circumstance the impression became general that however well adapted the country was for the grazing of sheep and cattle it was altogether unsuited for agricultural purposes the consequence of this false impression was that van demon's land farmers immediately raised the price of wheat to one pound per bushel as they imagined this country would be entirely dependent upon them for supplies of breadstuffs in june and july 1837 settlers from the sydney side commenced to arrive amongst the earliest were messers howie ebden mollison hamilton cog hill and hepburn a great number of others immediately following them with reference to the natives on landing at arthur's seat they were mostly friendly assisting me to land my sheep etc about 80 was the number i then saw being the western port tribe some of whom accompanied me in my journey round the bay to melbourne the mount massadon tribe of natives came to my tent soon after my arrival at mount eightkin i did all in my power to conciliate them by giving them rations of rice sugar flour etc while they remained about the place the number of the tribe as near as i could guess was about 100 men women and children i consider that this tribe was more savage than the western port tribe a neighbor of mine mr frank's and his servant being murdered while serving out food to them two of mr gallibrand's men were killed soon after by the same tribe i had great reason to be thankful that i succeeded in saving myself and shepherds from sharing a similar fate i have the honor to be sir your excellency's most obedient servant john eightkin his excellency cj latrobe esquire lieutenant governor of victoria etc etc end of section 41 section 42 of letters from victorian pioneers this is a libra vox recording all libra vox recordings are in the public domain for more information or to volunteer please visit libra vox dot org recording by k hand letters from victorian pioneers letter number 42 from peter snodgrass saint kilda saint kilda september 15th 1853 sir in reply to your letter of the 29th july last requesting information respecting the first occupation of the golburn river and the general line of the sydney road or any other portion of the colony of which i am personally cognizant i beg to state that i arrived in port philip with stock from the sydney district in may 1837 in company with messers hughes farquhar mckenzie murdoch and kernel white i took up a station on the muddy creek and golburn river mr hughes located himself on a creek known as hughes mr mckenzie took up a station on the king parrot creek mr murdoch occupied the country immediately below me on the golburn and kernel white formed his station on the sunday creek at that time the only person living on the river was mr john clark who was resident at that part known as the old crossing place he had arrived there the previous february there were no residents to the north of the golburn with the exception of two houses of accommodation at the murray and ovens rivers about two years subsequently messers colburn and fletcher took possession of the country above me on the golburn atcheron and rubicon rivers dr patrick first occupied the station now known as kathken in the occupation of mr maxwell and messers watson and hunter occupied the devil's river the first occupants of the golburn below seamore were kernel anderson who took the country immediately adjoining messers mantons who occupied both sides of the river including almost the hole from thence to the murray and mr matt greger who located himself near the junction of the broken river and seven creeks with the golburn mr gideon stewart occupied the country on the sunday creek contiguous to that part now known as the township of broadford dr hamlin the land around kilmore mr archibald tom beverages flat and mr malcolm can lock you it is beyond my power to state precisely at what time each station was taken up but the whole of the above parties were an occupation of them in the year eighteen forty the number of the aborigines on the golburn and its tributaries at the time of my first settling there was probably about five or six hundred they were generally scattered about in small tribes in various parts of the rivers and creeks but occasionally collected in large numbers at first they killed several of the men in the employment of the settlers and some of their sheep and cattle but by using conciliatory measures they gradually became well disposed toward the white inhabitants from the statement of the natives themselves they seem to have been much more numerous some few years before our arrival amongst them but they suffered severely from the smallpox of which disease many of them bore evident marks in fact individuals may be seen to this day who have plainly suffered from that malady from their first acquaintance with the white population their numbers have diminished from disease and other causes until there are perhaps scarcely one fifth of the number above stated and it seems probable that in a few years they will become extinct i have the honor to be your excellency's most obedient servant peter snodgrass to his excellency cj letrobe esquire end of section 42