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Title: Australia, its history and present condition - containing an account both of the bush and of the colonies, - with their respective inhabitants
Author: Pridden, W. (William), 1810-
Language: English
As this book started as an ASCII text book there are no pictures available.
*** Start of this LibraryBlog Digital Book "Australia, its history and present condition - containing an account both of the bush and of the colonies, - with their respective inhabitants" ***
Transcriber's Notes:
1) Morrumbidgee/Murrumbidgee each used on several occasions
and left as in the original. 'Morrumbidgee' is the aboriginal
name for the Murrumbidgee.
2) Used on numerous occasions, civilisation/civilization;
civilised/civilized; civilising/civilizing; uncivilised/uncivilized:
left as in the original.
3) Same with variations of colonisation/colonization, and a few other
"z" words that should be "s" words in their English form.
* * * * *
The
Englishman's Library.
XXVI.
AUSTRALIA,
ITS HISTORY AND PRESENT CONDITION;
CONTAINING
AN ACCOUNT BOTH OF THE BUSH AND OF THE COLONIES,
WITH THEIR RESPECTIVE INHABITANTS.
BY THE
REV. W. PRIDDEN, M.A.
VICAR OF BROXTED, ESSEX.
"_Truth_, in her native calmness and becoming moderation, shall
be the object of our homage and pursuit; and we will aim at the
attainment of knowledge for the improvement of our reason, and not
for the gratification of a passion for disputing."--_Address of
the Bp of Australia in 1841 to the Church of England Book Society._
LONDON:
JAMES BURNS, 17, PORTMAN STREET,
PORTMAN SQUARE.
1843.
LONDON:
PRINTED BY R. CLAY, BREAD STREET HILL.
* * * * *
[Illustration: Map of Australia]
PREFACE.
A few words by way of Preface are requisite, in order that the objects
of the present Work may be stated to the reader, and that he may also
be made acquainted with the sources whence the information here
communicated is derived, and from consulting which he may still
further inform himself concerning Australia. The aim of the writer of
the following pages has been,--while furnishing a description of some
of the most flourishing and interesting settlements belonging to the
British Crown, which, at the same time, exhibit in contrast to each
other the two extremes of savage and civilised life;--to call the
attention of his countrymen, both at home and in the colonies, to
the evils which have arisen from the absence of moral restraint and
religious instruction in colonies of civilised and (nominally)
christian men. And although it must in many ways be a disadvantage
that the person professing to describe a particular country should
have gained all his knowledge of it from the report of others, without
ever having himself set foot upon its shores; yet, in one respect at
least, this may operate advantageously. He is less likely to have
party prejudices or private interests to serve in his account of the
land to which he is a total stranger. In consequence, probably, of his
being an indifferent and impartial observer, not one of our Australian
colonies wears in his eye the appearance of a perfect paradise; but
then, on the other hand, there is not one of those fine settlements
which prejudice urges him to condemn, as though it were barren and
dreary as the Great Sahara itself. And the same circumstance--his
never having breathed the close unwholesome air of colonial
party-politics--will render it less likely that his judgment
respecting persons and disputed opinions should be unduly biassed.
There will be more probability of his judging upon right _principles_,
and although his facts may (in some instances, unavoidably) be less
minutely accurate than an inhabitant of the country would have given,
yet they may be less coloured and less partially stated. Instead of
giving his own observations as an eye-witness, fraught with his own
particular views, he can calmly weigh the opposite statements of men
of different opinions, and between the two he is more likely to arrive
at the truth. With regard to the present Work, however impartial the
author has endeavoured to be, however free he may be from colonial
passions and interests, he does not wish to deceive the reader by
professing a total freedom from all prejudice. If this were desirable,
it is impossible; it is a qualification which no writer, or reader
either, possesses. But thus much may be stated, that all his
prejudices are in favour of those institutions with which it has
pleased God to bless his native land. In a volume that is intended to
form part of a series called "The Englishman's Library," it may be
permitted, surely, to acknowledge a strong and influencing attachment
to the Sovereign, the Church, and the Constitution of England.
The object and principles of the present volume being thus plainly
set forth, it remains only to mention some of the sources whence the
information contained in it is derived. To the Travels of Captain Grey
on the western coast of New Holland, and to those of Major Mitchell in
the interior, the first portion of this Work is deeply indebted, and
every person interested in the state of the natives, or fond of
perusing travels in a wild and unknown region, may be referred to
these four volumes,[1] where they will find that the extracts here
given are but a specimen of the stores of amusement and information
which they contain. Captain Sturt's "Expeditions" and Mr. Oxley's
"Journal" are both interesting works, but they point rather to the
progress of discovery in New Holland than to the actual state of our
local knowledge of it. Dr. Lang's two volumes upon New South Wales are
full of information from one who has lived there many years, and his
faults are sufficiently obvious for any intelligent reader to guard
against. Mr. Montgomery Martin's little book is a very useful
compendium, and those that desire to know more particulars concerning
the origin of the first English colony in New Holland may be referred
to Collins's account of it. Various interesting particulars respecting
the religious state of the colonies in Australia have been derived
from the correspondence in the possession of the Society for the
Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts, free access to which was
allowed through the kind introduction of the Rev. C. B. Dalton. Many
other sources of information have been consulted, among which the
Reports of the Parliamentary Committee upon Transportation, in 1837
and 1838; and that of the Committee upon South Australia, in 1841,
must not be left unnoticed. Neither may the work of Judge Burton upon
Religion and Education in New South Wales be passed over in silence;
for, whatever imperfections may be found in his book,[2] the
facts there set forth are valuable, and, for the most part,
incontrovertible, and the principles it exhibits are excellent. From
the works just mentioned the reader may, should he feel inclined,
verify for himself the facts stated in the ensuing pages, or pursue
his inquiries further. In the meantime, he cannot do better than join
the author of the little book which he holds in his hand, in an humble
and earnest prayer to Almighty God, that, in this and in every other
instance, whatever may be the feebleness and imperfection of human
efforts, all things may be made to work together for good towards
promoting the glory of God, the extension of Christ's kingdom, and the
salvation of mankind.
[1] Published, all of them, by T. and W. Boone, London, to whom it is
only just to acknowledge their kindness in permitting the use that has
been made of these two publications in the first portion of the present
Work.
[2] See Dr. Ullathorne's Reply to Burton, especially at p. 5, where it
appears that the judge was not quite impartial in one of his statements.
Dr. Ullathorne himself has, in his 98 pages, contrived to crowd in at
least twice as many misrepresentations as Burton's 321 pages contain.
But that is no excuse. The Romish Church may need, or seem to need,
such support. The cause defended by Judge Burton needs it not.
#Contents.#
INTRODUCTION.
[Page 1.]
Subject of the Work--Discovery and Situation of New Holland--Its
Interior little known--Blue Mountains--Conjectures respecting the
Interior--Van Diemen's Land, or Tasmania.
CHAPTER I.
[Page 8.]
The Bush described--Remains of it near Sydney--North-western Coast
of New Holland--Sandy Columns and Fragments--Recollections of
Home--Gouty Stem Tree--Green Ants--Fine Volcanic District--Cure
for Cold--Travelling in the Rainy Season--Rich sequestered Valleys--
Plains near the Lachlan--Falls of the Apsley--Beauties of Nature
enjoyed by Explorers--Aid afforded by Religion--Trials of Travellers
in the Bush--Thirst--A Christian's Consolations--Plains of Kolaina,
or Deceit--Bernier Island--Frederic Smith--A Commander's Cares--Dried
Streams--Return from a Journey in the Bush--Outsettlers--Islands on
the Australian Coast--Kangaroo Island--Coral Reefs and Islets.
CHAPTER II.
[Page 42.]
Forbidding aspect of coast no argument against inland beauty and
fertility--River Darling--The Murray--Other Rivers of New Holland--
Contrasts in Australia--The Lachlan, Regent's Lake, &c.--Sturt's
Descent down the Murray--His Return--Woods--Difficulties and Dangers
of Bush travelling--Wellington Valley--Australia Felix--Conclusion.
CHAPTER III.
[Page 72.]
Comparative advantages of Europeans over Savages--Degraded condition
of Natives of New Holland--Total absence of Clothing--Love of
Ornaments--Peculiar Rites--Ceremony of knocking out a Tooth--Hardships
of Savage Life--Revengeful Spirit--Effect of Native Songs in exciting
Anger--Cruelty--Courage--Indifference to accounts of Civilized Life--
Contempt of its ways--Treatment of Women--Family Names, and Crests--
Language--Music.
CHAPTER IV.
[Page 97.]
Means of Subsistence--A Whale Feast--Hunting the Kangaroo--Australian
Cookery--Fish--Seal Catching--Turtles--Finding Opossums--Birds--
Pursuit of the Emu or Cassowary--Disgusting Food of the Natives--
Vegetables--_By-yu_ Nuts--Evils of European Settlements in cutting
off the native supply of Food--Native Property in Land--Inhabitants
of Van Diemen's Land--A word of Advice to Christian Colonists.
CHAPTER V.
[Page 120.]
First Shyness of Natives natural--Their perplexity between European
Customs and their own--Health and Longevity--Old Age--Funereal
Rites--Belief in Sorcery--The _Boyl-yas_--Various modes of
Interment--Tombs--Riches of a Native--Bodily Excellences--Secrecy--
Quickness of Sight, &c.--Kaiber and the Watch--The _Warran_ Ground--
Various Superstitions--Mischief of bad Example, for which the British
nation is responsible--The Church, the right Instrument, and the only
one that will be found successful, for civilising the Australian
Tribes, if they are ever to be civilised.
CHAPTER VI.
[Page 149.]
Bennillong--Barangaroo's Funeral--The Spitting Tribe--Mulligo's Death--
The Corrobory--Peerat and his Wives--Woga's Captivity--Ballooderry
and the Convicts--Native Hospitality and Philosophy--The Widow and
her Child--Miago.
CHAPTER VII.
[Page 186.]
Infancy of New South Wales an interesting subject to Englishmen--Arrival,
in 1788, of the Sirius, and the Supply at Botany Bay--Settlement
commenced in the Harbour of Port Jackson--Character of the
Convicts--Influence of Religion--Particulars respecting the Chaplain--
His peculiar situation and efforts--A Gold Mine pretended to be found--
Supply of Food precarious--Farming--Failure of Provisions--Erection
of a Flag-staff at the entrance of Port Jackson--Activity of
Governor Phillip--Emigration to Norfolk Island--Loss of the Sirius--
Departure of the Supply for Batavia--Arrivals from England--Cruel
treatment of Convicts on board--Paramatta founded--Arrival of the
Second Fleet--State of Agriculture--The Chaplain's bounty abused--
Attendance at Divine Service--A Church built--Its subsequent fate--
Scarcity of Provisions, and great Mortality--Profligacy of Convicts--
Harvest of 1792--Departure of Governor Phillip--Major Grose's
government--Captain Paterson's--Various occurrences--Drunkenness--Love
of Money--Spirit of Gambling.
CHAPTER VIII.
[Page 216.]
Arrival of Governor Hunter--His efforts for reformation--Advancement
of the Colony towards supplying its own wants--Wild Cattle found--Coal
discovered--Governor's regulations--Incendiarism--Natives
troublesome--Difficulties in governing New South Wales--Crimes
common--Laxity of public opinion--The gaols at Sydney and Paramatta
purposely set on fire--Departure of Governor Hunter--Captain
King succeeds him--Norfolk Island abandoned--Sketch of Norfolk
Island--Settlement of Van Diemen's Land--Free Settlers--Philip
Schoeffer--The Presbyterian Settlers at Portland Head--Resignation
of Governor King--Captain Bligh his successor--Great Flood of
the Hawkesbury--Unpopularity of the Governor--Seizure of his
person--Rebellion--Usurpation--Arrival of a new Governor, Colonel
Macquarie--Improvements in his time--Road-making--Passage across the
Blue Mountains--Public Buildings--Patronage of Emancipists--Discoveries
in the Interior, and Extension of the Colony--Continued neglect of the
spiritual need of the Colonists--Governor Macquarie's Departure--His
own statement of the progress of the Settlement under his
administration.
CHAPTER IX.
[Page 243.]
Subject stated--Day-dreams of Colonization--Local divisions of New
South Wales--Its Counties--Cumberland--Camden--Illawarra and the
Cow Pastures--Argyle--Bathurst--Northumberland--Coal Pits--Hunter's
River--Remaining Counties--Sydney--Port Jackson--Buildings,
&c. of Sydney--Commerce--Public Press--Paramatta--Windsor--Liverpool--
Conclusion.
CHAPTER X.
[Page 266.]
Description of Van Diemen's Land--Its local Divisions--Its general
Character and Aspect--Hobart Town--Launceston--Other Australian
Colonies--Port Phillip--South Australia--Adelaide--Western Australia--
Its Towns--North Australia.
CHAPTER XI.
[Page 286.]
Climate of Australia--Drought--Agriculture--Flocks and Herds--Government
of the Colonies--Discontent--Means of National Improvement--Bishopric
of Australia--Tribute of Thanks justly due to the Whig Government--
Effects of a Bishop being resident in New South Wales--Educational
provision made by George the Fourth--Dr. Lang's Account of it--Judge
Burton's--Church and School Corporation, established in 1826; suspended
in 1829; dissolved in 1833--Causes of this change of Policy--
Conclusion.
CHAPTER XII.
[Page 307.]
Inhabitants of Australian Colonies--What seed has been there sown--
Elements of Society in the Penal Colonies--Convicts--System of
Assignment--Public Gangs--Mr. Potter Macqueen's Establishment--Norfolk
Island and its horrors--These have been mitigated of late years--Means
of reforming Convicts--Prevalence of Vice among them--The class of
Convicts called _specials_ described.
CHAPTER XIII.
[Page 325.]
Emancipists--Their general Character--Their conduct in the Jurors' Box
no argument in favour of bestowing upon them a Representative
Government--Free Population--Ancient Nobility of Botany Bay--Prevailing
taste in New South Wales and Van Diemen's Land--Love of Gain--Land
Sharks--Squatters--Overlanders.
CHAPTER XIV.
[Page 338.]
Importance of Religion--The Lord's Day--Habits of duly observing it
nearly lost among many of the inhabitants of our Australian
Colonies--Opposition to Improvement--Religious strife prevails where
religious union is needed--Sir R. Bourke's novel system of religious
Establishments--Its practical working--Efforts of the Church coldly
seconded or else opposed, by Government--Petty Persecutions--Similar
opposition to National Religious Education as to National Church--
Blunders respecting the Irish System of Education in 1836--Attempt
in 1840 to banish the Creed and Catechism from Protestant Schools
having Government support--Schools of a higher rank in New South
Wales--King's School, Paramatta--Sydney College--The Australian
College--The Normal Institution--Proposed College at Liverpool--Other
Schools--Population of New South Wales in 1841--Emigration--Conclusion.
#Illustrations.#
PAGE
Map of Australia _Frontispiece_
Reduced Map of Van Diemen's Land 1
Travellers in the Bush 8
Explorers finding the Bed of a dried-up River 42
Opossum Hunting 97
Natives of the Murray Islands in Boats 120
Sydney in its Infancy--View from the South 186
North View of Sydney 243
Hobart Town 266
Cape Pillar, near the Entrance of the Derwent, Van Diemen's Land 286
Conveying Cattle over the Murray, near Lake Alexandria 325
* * * * *
[Illustration: VAN DIEMEN'S LAND.]
INTRODUCTION.
The vast tract of country which it is the object of the present volume
to describe in its leading features, both moral and natural, may be said
to consist of two islands, besides many small islets and coral reefs,
which lie scattered around the coasts of these principal divisions. The
larger island of the two, which from its size may well deserve the
appellation of a continent, is called New Holland, or Australia; and is
supposed to be not less than three-fourths of the extent of the whole of
Europe. The smaller island, so well known by the names of Van Diemen's
Land, or Tasmania, (from those of the discoverer, Tasman, and the Dutch
governor of Batavia, Van Diemen) is not to be compared in size to the
other, being about equal in magnitude to Ireland, and, like that island,
abounding in fine and excellent harbours. Although, strictly speaking,
the name of Australia is confined to the former of these two islands,
yet it may be understood to include the smaller island also; and under
this name it is proposed to make the reader familiar with the chief
objects of curiosity in the natural world, and likewise with the state
of human society, whether savage or civilised, in the two islands of New
Holland and Van Diemen's Land, so far as both of these have been
hitherto known and explored.
It is by no means certain what nation may justly lay claim to the honour
of the discovery of New Holland, the coasts of which were probably seen
by the Spaniards, Quiros or Torres, in 1606, and are by some supposed to
have been known to the Spanish and Portuguese yet earlier than this
date, but were not regularly discovered until the Dutch, between the
years 1616 and 1627, explored a considerable portion of the northern and
western shores of that vast island, to which they gave the name of their
own country, Holland. To the Spaniards this land was known by the names
of Terra Australis Incognita, (The Unknown Southern Land,) or Australia
del Espiritu Santo, (The Southern Land of the Holy Spirit,) the meaning
of which last name does not exactly appear, unless it arose from the
discovery of Quiros having been made a little before Whitsuntide. Since
that time the coasts of this immense island, extending, it is said, to
no less than 8000 miles, have been gradually explored, although they
still remain in some parts very imperfectly known. Indeed, it was only
in the year 1798 that Van Diemen's Land was discovered to be an island
separated from New Holland, of which before that time it had been
thought to form a large projection or promontory.
New Holland is situated in the vast ocean extending to the south and
east of the Spice Islands, and it lies about even with the lower part of
the continent of Africa, only at an immense distance due east of it. Its
extreme points of latitude are 39 degrees and 10½ degrees S., and of
longitude 112 degrees and 153 degrees 40 minutes E. from Greenwich,
so that it includes in its huge extent climates both tropical and
temperate, but none that are decidedly cold. It must be remembered,
indeed, that the countries south of the equator become colder at
the same latitude than those that extend towards the north; but,
nevertheless, the nearest point towards the South Pole, 39 degrees,
nearly answering to the situation of Naples in the northern hemisphere,
cannot be otherwise than a mild and warm climate. The shape of New
Holland is very irregular, its coast being much broken and indented by
various great bays and smaller inlets; but it has been estimated to have
a _width_ from E. to W. of 3000 miles, and a breadth from N. to S. of
2000, containing altogether not less than three millions of square
miles. Of course, it is impossible, in so large an extent of country,
that the interior parts of it should have been explored during the few
years in which any portion of it has been occupied by Europeans.
Accordingly, almost all the inland tracts are still a vast blank,
respecting which very little is known, and that little is far from
inviting. Indeed many hindrances oppose themselves to the perfect
discovery of these inland regions, besides those common obstacles, to
encounter and overcome which every traveller who desires to explore
new, wild, and savage countries, must have fully made up his mind.
First among the peculiar difficulties which have opposed the Australian
explorer is the height and ruggedness of that chain of mountains,
called, in the colony of New South Wales, the Blue Mountains, which form
a mighty barrier of more or less elevation along most parts of the
eastern coast of New Holland, sometimes approaching as nearly as 30
miles to the sea, and at other places falling back to a distance of 60
or nearly 100 miles. These mountains are not so very high, the loftiest
points appearing to exceed but little the height of Snowdon in Wales, or
Ben Nevis in Scotland; but their rugged and barren nature, and the great
width to which they frequently extend, render it no very easy matter to
cross them at all. Indeed, although the settlement of New South Wales
was founded in 1788, it was not before 1813 that a route was discovered
across those vast ranges which shut in the colony to the west.
Frequently had the passage over the Blue Mountains been attempted
before, but never with any success; and the farthest point which had
been reached, called Caley's Repulse, was a spot that almost seemed
to forbid man's footsteps to advance beyond it. Nothing was to be
seen there in every direction but immense masses of weather-beaten
sandstone-rock, towering over each other in all the sublimity of
desolation; while a deep chasm, intersecting a lofty ridge covered with
blasted trees, seemed to cut off every hope of farther progress. But all
these difficulties have now long since been got over, and stage-coaches
are able to run across what were a few years ago deemed impassable
hills. Yet, when this dreary barrier of barren mountains has been
crossed, another peculiar hindrance presents itself to the exploring
traveller. In many parts of the interior of New Holland, which have
been visited, the scarcity of water is such that the most distressing
privations have been endured, and the most disagreeable substitutes
employed. And yet, strange to say, the very same country, which
sometimes affords so few springs, and of which the streams become dried
up into chains of dirty pools, and at last into dry ravines and valleys,
is, occasionally, subject to extreme floods from the overflowing of its
rivers, and then offers a new obstacle to the traveller's progress in
the shape of extensive and impassable marshes! To these difficulties
must be added the usual trials of adventurous explorers, the dangers and
perplexities of a journey through pathless forests, the want of game
of any kind in the barren sandstone districts, the perils sometimes
threatened by a visit from the native inhabitants, and, altogether, we
shall have reason rather to feel surprise at what has been done in the
way of inland discovery in New Holland, than to wonder that so much
remains yet undone.
In consequence of the interior portions of the country remaining still
unknown, fancy has been busy in forming notions respecting them, and
one favourite supposition has been that there exists somewhere in the
central part of New Holland an immense lake or inland sea; but of this
no proof whatever can be produced, so that it can only be said that _it
may be so_. Certainly, unless some such means of communication by water,
or some very large navigable river, should exist, it is hardly possible
to imagine how the extensive tracts of inland country can ever become
civilized or inhabited by Europeans. And of that portion which has been
visited a considerable extent of country appears to be shut out by the
natural barrenness of its soil and sandstone-rocks from any prospect of
ever supplying food to the colonies of civilized man. So that, while
the whole of New Holland is an interesting country from its natural
peculiarities, and even the desolate portion of it adds, by its very
desolation, a deep interest to the adventures of those persons who have
had the courage to attempt to explore it; yet the chief prospects of
Australia's future importance seem to be confined to its line of
coast,--no narrow limits in an island so extensive. Hence the colonies
now flourishing on the eastern, southern, and western shores of New
Holland, especially on the first, will form a chief object of attention
in the present work; although, as will be seen by its contents, the
"bush," or wild country, and its savage inhabitants, will be by no
means overlooked.
Respecting Van Diemen's Land much need not be here said, although,
however small in comparative extent, its population was in 1836 above
half of that of the whole colony of New South Wales. It is, therefore,
and always will be, an important island, though, from its mountainous
character and confined limits, it cannot, of course, be expected to keep
pace with the increasing population of the sister colony. Van Diemen's
Land was discovered in 1642, by the Dutchman, Tasman, who first sailed
round its southern point, and ascertained that the great Southern Land,
or Australia, did not extend, as it had been supposed, to the South
Pole. The island was apparently overlooked, until, in 1804, a colony
was founded there by the English, and it was taken possession of in the
name of his Britannic majesty. Since that time, with the exception of
those early hardships to which all colonies seem liable, it has been
flourishing and increasing. To many Englishmen its colder climate,
(which is yet sufficiently mild,) and its supposed resemblance in
appearance and productions to their native land, have appeared
preferable to all the advantages which the larger island possesses.
Van Diemen's Land is divided from New Holland on the north by Bass's
Straits, its extreme points of latitude are 41° 20', and 43° 40' S., and
of longitude 144° 40', and 148° 20' E. Its shape is irregular, being
much broken by various inlets, but its greatest extent from N. to S. is
reckoned to be about 210 miles, and from E. to W. 150 miles, containing
a surface of about 24,000 square miles. The native inhabitants of this
smaller island have entirely disappeared before the superior weapons and
powers of _civilised_ man.
[Illustration: TRAVELLERS IN THE BUSH.]
CHAPTER I.
THE BUSH, ON OR NEAR THE COAST.
All that country, which remains in a state of nature uncultivated and
uninclosed, is known among the inhabitants of the Australian colonies
by the expressive name of _the Bush_.[3] It includes land and scenery
of every description, and, likewise, no small variety of climate, as
may be supposed from the great extent of the island of New Holland.
Accordingly, without indulging in surmises concerning the yet unknown
parts, it may be safely said, respecting those which have been more or
less frequently visited and accurately explored, that the extremes of
rural beauty and savage wildness of scenery,--smiling plains and barren
deserts, snowy mountains and marshy fens, crowded forests and bare
rocks, green pastures and sandy flats,--every possible variety, in
short, of country and of aspect may be found in that boundless region
which is all included under the general appellation of _the Bush_. To
enter into a particular or regular description of this is clearly no
less impossible than it would be tedious and unprofitable. And yet
there are many descriptions of different portions of it given by
eye-witnesses, many circumstances and natural curiosities belonging to
it, and related to us upon the best authority, which are likely to
please and interest the reader, who can see and adore God everywhere,
and is capable of taking delight in tracing out and following the
footsteps of Almighty Wisdom and Power, even in the wilderness and among
the mountain-tops. It is proposed, therefore, to select a few of the
pictures which have been drawn by the bold explorers of the Bush, so as
to give a general idea of the character, the scenery, the dangers, and
the privations of that portion of the Australian islands. And, having
first become familiar and acquainted with these, we shall be better able
to set a just value, when we turn to the state of the colonies and their
inhabitants, upon that moral courage, that British perseverance and
daring, which have, within the memory of man, changed so many square
miles of bush into fertile and enclosed farms; which have raised a
regular supply of food for many thousands of human beings out of what,
sixty years ago, was, comparatively speaking, a silent and uninhabited
waste. When the troops and convicts, who formed the first colony in New
South Wales, landed at Port Jackson, the inlet on which the town of
Sydney is now situated, "Every man stepped from the boat literally into
a wood. Parties of people were everywhere heard and seen variously
employed; some in clearing ground for the different encampments; others
in pitching tents, or bringing up such stores as were more immediately
wanted; and the spot, which had so lately been the abode of silence and
tranquillity, was now changed to that of noise, clamour, and
confusion."[4]
[3] It is supposed that the word "Sin," applied to the wilderness
mentioned in Exodus xvi. 1, and also to the mountain of "Sinai," has
the same meaning, so that the appellation of "Bush" is no new term.
[4] Collins' "Account of the Colony of New South Wales," p. 11.
And still, even near to the capital town of the colony, there are
portions of wild country left pretty much in their natural and original
state. Of one of these spots, in the direction of Petersham, the
following lively description from the pen of a gentleman only recently
arrived in the colony, may be acceptable. "To the right lies a large and
open glen, covered with cattle and enclosed with _bush_, (so we call the
forest,) consisting of brushwood and gigantic trees; and, above the
trees, the broad sea of Botany Bay, and the two headlands, Solander and
Banks, with a white stone church and steeple, St. Peter's New Town,
conveying an assurance that there are Englishmen of the right sort not
far from us. And now we plunge into the thicket, with scarcely a track
to guide our steps. I have by this time made acquaintance with the
principal giants of the grove. Some are standing, some are felled; the
unmolested monarchs stand full 200 feet high, and heave their white and
spectral limbs in all directions; the fallen monsters, crushed with
their overthrow, startle you with their strange appearances; whilst
underfoot a wild variety of new plants arrest your attention. The
bush-shrubs are exquisitely beautiful. Anon a charred and blackened
trunk stops your path: if you are in spirits, you jump over all; if you
are coming home serious, weary, and warm, you plod your way round.
Well,--in twenty minutes' time you reach a solitary hut,--the first
stage of the walk: you pass the fence, the path becomes narrow,--the
bush thickens round you,--it winds, it rises, it descends: all on a
sudden it opens with a bit of cleared ground full twenty yards in
extent, and a felled tree in the midst. Here let us pause, and,
kneeling on the turf, uncovered, pour forth the voice of health, of
cheerfulness, and gratitude to Him who guides and guards us on our way.
And now, onward again. The land falls suddenly, and we cross a brook,
which a child may stride, but whose waters are a blessing both to man
and beast. And now we rise again; the country is cleared; there is a
flock of sheep, and a man looking after them; to the left, a farmhouse,
offices, &c.; before us the spire of St. James's, Sydney, perhaps three
miles distant, the metropolitan church of the new empire, and, a little
to the right, the rival building of the Roman church. Beneath us lies
Sydney, the base-born mother of this New World, covering a large extent
of ground, and, at the extreme point of land, the signal station, with
the flags displayed, betokening the arrival of a ship from England. Till
now we have met with no living creature, but here, perhaps, the chaise
with Sydney tradesman and his wife, the single horseman, and a straggler
or two on foot, begin to appear."
The general appearance of the coast of New Holland is said to be very
barren and forbidding, much more so than the shores of Van Diemen's Land
are; and it thus often happens that strangers are agreeably disappointed
by finding extreme richness and fertility in many parts of a country,
which at their first landing afforded no such promises of excellence.
One of the most dreary and most curious descriptions of country is to
be met with on the north-western shores of New Holland, quite on the
opposite coast to that where the principal English colony is situated.
The daring explorer of this north-western coast, Captain Grey, has
given a fearful account of his dangers and adventures among the barren
sandstone hills of this district. Its appearance, upon his landing at
Hanover Bay, was that of a line of lofty cliffs, occasionally broken by
sandy beaches; on the summits of these cliffs, and behind the beaches,
rose rocky sandstone hills, very thinly wooded. Upon landing, the shore
was found to be exceedingly steep and broken; indeed the hills are
stated to have looked like the _ruins of hills_, being composed of huge
blocks of red sandstone, confusedly piled together in loose disorder,
and so overgrown with various creeping plants, that the holes between
them were completely hidden, and into these one or other of the party
was continually slipping and falling. The trees were so small and so
scantily covered with leaves that they gave no shelter from the heat of
the sun, which was reflected by the soil with intense force, so that it
was really painful to touch, or even to stand upon, the bare sandstone.
Excessive thirst soon began to be felt, and the party, unprepared for
this, had only two pints of water with them, a portion of which they
were forced to give to their dogs; all three of these, however, died of
exhaustion. After a vain search of some hours, at length the welcome cry
of "Water!" was heard from one of the party; but, alas! upon scrambling
down the deep and difficult ravine where the water ran, it was found to
be quite salty, and they were compelled to get up again as well as they
could, unrefreshed and disheartened. After following the course of the
deep valley upwards about half a mile, they looked down and saw some
birds ascending from the thick woods growing below, and, knowing these
white cockatoos to be a sure sign of water very near, the weary party
again descended, and found a pool of brackish water, which, in their
situation, appeared to afford the most delicious draughts, although they
shortly afterwards paid the penalty of yet more intolerable thirst,
arising from making too free with a beverage of such quality.
The nature of the country near Hanover Bay, where the party belonging
to Captain Grey was exploring, is most remarkable. The summits of the
ranges of sandstone hills were generally a level sort of table-land, but
this level was frequently broken and sometimes nearly covered with lofty
detached pillars of rock, forming the most curious shapes in their
various grouping. In one place they looked like the aisle of a church
unroofed, in another there stood, upon a huge base, what appeared to be
the legs of an ancient statue, from which the body had been knocked
away; and fancy might make out many more such resemblances. Some of
these time-worn sandy columns were covered with sweet-smelling creepers,
and their bases were hidden by various plants growing thickly around
them. The tops of all were nearly on a level, and the height of those
that were measured was upwards of forty feet. The cause of this singular
appearance of the country was at length discovered by the noise of water
running under the present surface, in the hollows of the sandstone, and
gradually carrying away the soil upon which the top surface rests.
Formerly, no doubt, the level of the whole country was even with the
tops of the broken pillars, and much higher; and hereafter what is now
at the surface will give way beneath the wasting of the streams that
flow below, and no traces of its present height will be left, except in
those places where the power of the water is less felt, which will rear
up their lofty heads, and bear witness by their presence of the ruin
that will have taken place.
In wandering through a country of this description, how natural does the
following little remark of Captain Grey appear! A plant was observed
here, which, in appearance and smell, exactly resembled the jasmine of
England; and it would be difficult to give an idea of the feeling of
pleasure derived from the sight of this simple emblem of home. But,
while the least plant or tree that could remind them of home was gladly
welcomed, there were many new and remarkable objects to engage the
attention of the travellers. Among these the large green ants, and the
gouty stem tree may be particularly noticed. The ants are, it would
seem, confined to the sandstone country, and are very troublesome. The
gouty stem tree is so named from the resemblance borne by its immense
trunk to the limb of a gouty person. It is an unsightly but very useful
tree, producing an agreeable and nourishing fruit, as well as a gum and
bark that may be prepared for food. Upon some of these trees were found
the first rude efforts of savages to gain the art of writing, being a
number of marks, supposed to denote the quantity of fruit gathered from
the tree each year, all but the last row being constantly scratched out,
thus:
[Illustration]
But, miserable as the general appearance of that part of the
north-western coast of New Holland undoubtedly is, yet are there many
rich and lovely spots to be found in its neighbourhood; and, further
inland, vast tracts of fertile country appear to want only civilised and
Christian men for their inhabitants. What is wanting in the ensuing
picture but civilisation and religion, in order to make it as perfect as
any earthly abode can be? "From the summit of the hills on which we
stood," (says Captain Grey) "an almost precipitous descent led into a
fertile plain below; and, from this part, away to the southward, for
thirty to forty miles, stretched a low, luxuriant country, broken by
conical peaks and rounded hills, which were richly clothed with grass
to their very summits. The plains and hills were both thinly wooded,
and curving lines of shady trees marked out the courses of numerous
streams." This beautiful prospect was over a volcanic district, and with
the sandstone which they were just leaving, they were bidding farewell
to barrenness and desolation. It was near this beautiful spot, and in a
country no less rich and delightful, that the party of adventurers was
overtaken by the violent rains, which occur in those hot climates, and
which struck the men with so great chill, that they were driven to make
trial of an odd way of getting warm. Some of them got into a stream, the
waters of which were comparatively warm, and thus saved themselves from
the painful feeling arising from the very cold rain falling on the pores
of the skin, which had previously been opened by continued perspiration.
The rains appear during the wet season to fall very heavily and
constantly in North-Western Australia, and though a good supply of these
is an advantage to an occupied country, well provided with roads, it is
a great cause of trouble to first explorers who have to find a ford over
every stream, and a passage across every swamp, and who often run the
risk of getting into a perfectly impassable region. Of this sort, alike
differing from the barren sandstone and the volcanic fertile country,
was a third track through which Captain Grey endeavoured to pass. A
vast extent of land lying low and level near the banks of the river
Glenelg,[5] and well fitted, if properly drained, for the abundant
growth of useful and valuable produce, was found, during the rainy
season, to be in the state of a foul marsh, overgrown with vegetation,
choking up the fresh water so as to cause a flood ankle-deep; and this
marshy ground, being divided by deep muddy ditches, and occasionally
overflown by the river, offered, as may be supposed, no small hindrances
to the progress of the travellers. In some places it was quite
impossible, from the thickly-timbered character of its banks, to
approach the main stream; in others they appeared to be almost entirely
surrounded by sluggish waters, of which they knew neither the depth nor
the nature of their banks. Elsewhere, unable to cross some deep stream,
the explorers were driven miles out of their way, and sometimes even in
their tents, the water stood to the depth of two or three inches. On one
occasion, when the party was almost surrounded by swamps, their loaded
ponies sank nearly up to the shoulders in a bog, whichever way they
attempted to move, and from this spot they had two miles to travel
before they could reach the nearest rising ground. The river Glenelg was
at this time overflowing its banks, and, to the natural alarm of men
wandering in its rich valley, drift-wood, reeds, grass, &c. were seen
lodged in the trees above their heads, fifteen feet beyond the present
level of the water, affording a proof of what floods in that country
_had been_, and, of course, _might be_ again. However, this very soil in
so warm a climate, only about sixteen degrees south of the equator,
would be admirably fitted for the cultivation of rice, which needs
abundance of moisture. But little do the peaceful inhabitants of a
cultivated country, well drained, and provided with bridges and good
roads, think of the risk and hardships undergone by the first explorers
of a new land, however great its capabilities, and whatever may be its
natural advantages.
[5] This river must not be confounded with another of the same name in
South Australia.
But it was not in the plain country alone, that Captain Grey found spots
of great richness and fertility, as the following description of the
happy vallies frequently found among the mountain-ranges may testify:
One may be chosen as a specimen of many. At its northern end it was
about four miles wide, being bounded on all sides by rocky, wooded
ranges, with dark gullies from which numerous petty streams run down
into the main one in the centre. The valley gradually grows narrow
towards the south, and is bounded by steep cliffs betwixt which the
waters find an outlet. Sometimes a valley of this kind, most beautiful,
most productive, will contain from four to five thousand acres of nearly
level land, shut out from the rest of the world by the boundary of hills
that enclose it. How great a contrast to these lovely vallies does the
description, given by another traveller in a different district,
present! Nothing, according to Mr. Oxley's account, can be more
monotonous and wearying, than the dull, unvarying aspect of the level
and desolate region through which the Lachlan winds its sluggish course.
One tree, one soil, one water, and one description of bird, fish, or
animal, prevails alike for ten miles, and for a hundred. And, if we turn
from this to a third picture of desolation mingled with sublimity, the
contrast appears yet more heightened. Among the hills behind Port
Macquarrie on the eastern coast, Mr. Oxley came suddenly upon the spot
where a river, (the Apsley,) leaves the gently-rising and fine country
through which it had been passing, and falls into a deep glen. At this
spot the country seems cleft in twain, and divided to its very
foundation, a ledge of rocks separates the waters, which, falling over
a perpendicular rock, 235 feet in height, form a grand cascade. At a
distance of 300 yards, and an elevation of as many feet, the travellers
were wetted with the spray. After winding through the cleft rocks about
400 yards, the river again falls, in one single sheet, upwards of 100
feet, and continues, in a succession of smaller falls, about a quarter
of a mile lower, where the cliffs are of a perpendicular height, on each
side exceeding 1,200 feet; the width of the edges being about 200 yards.
From thence it descends, as before described, until all sight of it is
lost from the vast elevation of the rocky hills, which it divides and
runs through. The different points of this deep glen, seem as if they
would fit into the opposite openings forming the smaller glens on either
side.[6]
[6] See Oxley's Journal, p. 299.
Amid scenery like that which has now been described, varying from
grandeur to tameness, from fertility to barrenness, from extreme beauty
to extreme ugliness, but always possessing, at least, the recommendation
of being _new_, the wanderers in the Bush are delighted to range. There
is a charm to enterprising spirits in the freedom, the stillness, and
even in the dangers and privations, of these vast wilds, which, to such
spirits, scenes of a more civilised character can never possess. If it
be true,--and who has never felt it to be so?--that
"God made the country and man made the town,"
much more distinctly is God's power visible in the lonely wastes of
Australia, much more deeply do men feel, while passing through those
regions, that it is His hand that has planted the wilderness with trees,
and peopled the desert with living things. Under these impressions men
learn to delight in exploring the bush, and when they meet, as they
often do, with sweet spots, on which Nature has secretly lavished her
choicest gifts, most thoroughly do they enjoy, most devotedly do they
admire, their beauty. In travelling some miles to the northward of
Perth, a town on the Swan River, Captain Grey fell in with a charming
scene, which he thus describes: "Our" station, "this night, had a beauty
about it, which would have made any one, possessed with the least
enthusiasm, fall in love with a bush life. We were sitting on a
gently-rising ground, which sloped away gradually to a picturesque lake,
surrounded by wooded hills,--while the moon shone so brightly on the
lake, that the distance was perfectly clear, and we could distinctly see
the large flocks of wild fowl, as they passed over our heads, and then
splashed into the water, darkening and agitating its silvery surface; in
front of us blazed a cheerful fire, round which were the dark forms of
the natives, busily engaged in roasting ducks for us; the foreground was
covered with graceful grass-trees, and, at the moment we commenced
supper, I made the natives set fire to the dried tops of two of these,
and by the light of these splendid chandeliers, which threw a red glare
over the whole forest in our vicinity, we ate our evening meal; then,
closing round the fire, rolled ourselves up in our blankets, and laid
down to sleep."
The very same feeling of religion, which heightens the pleasures and
gives a keener relish to the enjoyments of life in these lonely places,
can also afford comfort, and hope, and encouragement under those perils
and privations which first explorers must undergo. Religion is the sun
that brightens our summer hours, and gives us, even through the darkest
and most stormy day, light, and confidence, and certainty. And when a
small body of men are left alone, as it were, in the wilderness with
their God, whatever occurs to them, whether of a pleasing or of a trying
character, is likely to lift up their souls to their Maker, in whom
"they live and move, and have their being." When the patient traveller,
of whose adventures in Western Australia so much mention has been made,
had waited weather-bound on a lonely coast, never before trodden by the
foot of civilised man, until eight days had been consumed in watching to
no purpose the winds and the waves,--when, at a distance of thousands of
miles from their native country, and many hundreds of miles from the
nearest English colony, he and his little party were wasting strength
and provisions in a desert spot; from which their only means of escaping
was in one frail boat, which the fury of the sea forbade them to think
of launching upon the deep,--when the men, under these circumstances,
were becoming more and more gloomy and petulant, where was it that the
commander sought and found consolation? It was in religion. And the
witness of one who has successfully gone through trials of this kind, is
well deserving of the utmost attention. "I feel assured," says Captain
Grey, in his account of this trial of patience, "that, but for the
support I derived from prayer, and frequent perusal and meditation of
the Scriptures, I should never have been able to have borne myself in
such a manner as to have maintained discipline and confidence amongst
the rest of the party; nor in all my sufferings did I ever lose the
consolation derived from a firm reliance upon the goodness of
Providence. It is only those who go forth into perils and dangers,
amidst which human foresight and strength can but little avail, and who
find themselves, day after day, protected by an unseen influence, and
ever and again snatched from the very jaws of destruction, by a power
which is not of this world, who can at all estimate the knowledge of
one's own weakness and littleness, and the firm reliance and trust upon
the goodness of the Creator, which the human breast is capable of
feeling. Like all other lessons which are of great and lasting benefit
to man, this one must be learned amid much sorrowing and woe; but,
having learned it, it is but the sweeter from the pain and toil which
are undergone in the acquisition."
The mention of these trials to which travellers in the bush are
peculiarly liable, brings naturally to mind that worst of all
privations, a want of water, to which they are so frequently exposed.
The effects of extreme thirst are stated to have been shown, not merely
in weakness and want, in a parched and burning mouth, but likewise in a
partial loss of the senses of seeing and hearing. Indeed, the powers of
the whole frame are affected, and, upon moving, after a short interval
of rest, the blood rushes up into the head with a fearful and painful
violence. A party of men reduced to this condition have very little
strength, either of mind or body, left them, and it is stated, that, in
cases of extreme privation, the worst characters have always least
control over their appetites.[7] Imagine men marching through a barren
and sandy country, a thirsty land where no water is, at the rate of
about two miles in an hour and a quarter, when, suddenly, they come upon
the edge of a dried-up swamp, and behold the footmark of a native,
imprinted on the sand,--the first beginning of hope, a sign of animal
life, which of course implies the means of supporting it. Many more
footsteps are soon seen, and some wells of the natives are next
discovered, but alas! all appear dry. Kaiber, a native companion of the
party, suddenly starts up from a bed of reeds, where he has been burying
his head in a hole of _soft mud_, with which he had completely swelled
himself out, and of which he had helped himself to pretty well half the
supply. It is so thick that it needs straining through a handkerchief,
yet so welcome, after three days and two nights of burning thirst,
under a fierce sun, that each man throws himself down beside the hole,
exclaiming "Thank God!" and then greedily swallows a few mouthfulls of
the liquid mud, declaring it to be the most delicious water, with a
peculiar flavour, better than any that had ever before been tasted by
him. Upon scraping the mud quite out of the hole, water begins slowly to
trickle in again.[8] As might be expected, game abounds here, driven by
the general dryness of the country to these springs. But the trembling
hand of a man worn down by fatigue and thirst is not equal to wield a
gun, or direct its fire to any purpose; so it seems as if thirst were
escaped for a time, in order that hunger might occupy its place. At
length, however, the native kills a cockatoo, which had been wounded
by a shot; and this bird, with a spoonful of flour to each man, and a
tolerable abundance of liquid mud, becomes the means of saving the lives
of the party.
[7] See Mitchell's Three Expeditions in Australia, vol. i. p. 38.
[8] An expedient used by the natives in Torres Strait, on the
northern coast of Australia, for getting water, may here be noticed,
both for its simplicity and cleverness. "Long slips of bark are tied
round the smooth stems of a tree called the _pandanus_, and the loose
ends are led into the shells of a huge sort of cockle, which are placed
beneath. By these slips the rain which runs down the branches and stem
of the tree is conducted into the shells, each of which will contain
two or three pints; thus, forty or fifty placed under different trees
will supply a good number of men."--FLINDERS' _Voyage to Terra
Australis_, vol. ii. p. 114.
A different plan for improving the water that is hot and muddy, is thus
detailed by Major Mitchell. To obtain a cool and clean draught the
blacks scratched a hole in the soft sand beside the pool, thus making a
filter, in which the water rose cooled, but muddy. Some tufts of long
grass were then thrown in, through which they sucked the cooler water,
purified from the sand or gravel. I was glad to follow their example,
and found the sweet fragrance of the grass an agreeable addition to the
luxury of drinking.
Such is the picture, taken from life, of some of the privations
undergone, during dry seasons, in certain portions of the bush, and we
must, at the risk of being tedious, repeat again the witness of a
military man, of one who has seen much of the world, respecting the best
source of comfort and support under these distressing trials. At such
times, upon halting, when the others of the party would lie wearily
down, and brood over their melancholy state, Captain Grey would keep his
journal, (a most useful repository of facts,) and this duty being done,
he would open a small New Testament, his companion through all his
wanderings, from which book he drank in such deep draughts of comfort,
that his spirits were always good. And on another occasion, he shared
the last remaining portion of provision with his native servant; after
which he actually felt glad that it was gone, and that he no longer had
to struggle with the pangs of hunger, and put off eating it to a future
hour. Having completed this last morsel, he occupied himself a little
with his journal, then read a few chapters in the New Testament, and,
after fulfilling these duties, he felt himself as contented and cheerful
as ever he had been in the most fortunate moments of his life.
As in life, those objects which we have not, but of which we think we
stand in need, are ever present to our fancy, so in these thirsty soils
the mere appearance of that water, of which the reality would be so
grateful, is frequently known to mock the sight of man. A remarkable
specimen of this was seen at the plains of Kolaina (Deceit), in
North-Western Australia. From a sand hill, not very far from the
coast, was seen a splendid view of a noble lake, dotted about with many
beautiful islands. The water had a glassy and fairy-like appearance, and
it was an imposing feeling to sit down alone on the lofty eminence, and
survey the great lake on which no European eye had ever before rested,
and which was cut off from the sea by a narrow and lofty ridge of sandy
hills. It was proposed at once to launch the boats upon this water, but
a little closer survey was thought prudent, and then it proved that the
lake was not so near as it had seemed to be, and that there were
extensive plains of mud and sand lying between it and the rising ground.
It appeared to be about a mile distant, and all were still certain that
it was water they saw, for the shadows of the low hills near it, as well
as those of the trees upon them, could be distinctly traced on the
unruffled surface.[9] As they advanced, the water retreated, and at
last surrounded them. The party now saw that they were deceived by
_mirage_,[10] or vapour, which changed the sandy mud of the plains they
were crossing into the resemblance, at a distance, of a noble piece of
water. In reading the history of mankind, how often may we apply this
disappointment to moral objects! how very frequently do the mistaken
eyes of mortals eagerly gaze upon the _mirage_ raised by falsehood, as
though they were beholding the living waters of truth itself! What
appearance, indeed, does the whole world present to one who rests upon
the everlasting hill of the gospel,--the rock upon which Christ's church
has been built,--except it be that of one vast plain of Kolaina, or
deceit? It was no long time after the explorers of the north-western
coast of New Holland had been mocked by the _mirage_ or vapour which has
just been spoken of, that they had a fearful lesson of the vain and
shadowy nature of human hopes and expectations. When they had first
arrived off the coast, on that expedition, they had chosen an island,
named Bernier Island, upon which to bury, for the sake of safety, their
stores and provisions, so that they might return to them whenever it
should be necessary. Bernier Island is a barren spot, formed of
limestone, shells, and sand, and without a single tree or blade of
grass upon it, but only wretched, scrubby bushes, amidst which the light
sand and shells are drifted by the winds. Such was the remote spot,
surrounded by the ocean's waves, yet not very far from the main shore,
upon which it was resolved to conceal their store of necessaries,
secure, as it was supposed, from every enemy. In little more than three
weeks, during which the adventurers had gone through many perils, and
much stormy weather, they returned again, not without some difficulty,
to their stores. But on approaching Bernier Island with their boat they
scarcely knew it again, so vast a difference had the recent storms made
in its outward appearance, so fearful were the pranks which the
hurricane had played upon a land which was, in fact, nothing but loose
sand, heaped upon a bed of limestone. The place where their stores had
been securely left was gone, the remains of the flour-casks, salt
provisions, &c. were scattered about in various directions; and the
whole spot so entirely altered that it could hardly be ascertained,
except by the fragments that were seen near it. How to get back again to
Swan River, the nearest British settlement, without provisions, without
water, without strength, was indeed a perplexing inquiry, and to answer
this the leader of the party, having left his companions for a while,
set himself seriously to work. Sitting down upon a rock on the shore,
he felt the gale blowing fiercely in his face, and the spray of the
breakers dashing over him; nothing could be more gloomy and dreary.
Inland, no objects were to be seen but a mere bed of rock covered with
drifting sand, on which were growing stunted, scrubby bushes; and former
experience taught him, that no fresh water was to be found in the
island. Several plans of escape, all apparently alike hopeless, offered
themselves to his mind, and, more fully to compose himself, he took
forth his constant companion in the wilderness, and read a few chapters
of Holy Writ. Contentment and resignation were thus in some degree
gained, and he soon joined the rest of the party, having resolved upon
that plan, which God's providence and mercy finally enabled him to carry
out, without losing, from a party of twelve, constantly exposed during a
very long journey to most dreadful toils, hunger, and thirst, more than
one man only, who died at no great distance from the English colony.
That one person was a youth of eighteen years of age, who had come out
from England, led solely by an enterprising spirit, and not with any
view of settling. On the return of the party under Captain Grey towards
Swan River, they were so sadly pinched by want of provisions, and by
thirst, that five of them were obliged to start with their leader, in
order to reach the British colony by forced marches, and Frederick
Smith, the youthful adventurer, was one of those that remained behind.
After undergoing extreme trials, which from his age he was less able to
bear than the others, he, at last, became quite worn out, and sat down,
one evening, on a bank, declaring that he could go no further. He was
behind the rest of the party, and the man who was with him went and told
his companions that he thought Smith was dying. The next morning that
man went back for him; but, being himself very weak, he did not go far
enough, at all events he did not find him. Probably, the poor sufferer
had crawled a little out of the track, for, afterwards, when a party was
sent from Swan River in search of him, they traced, with the help of a
native, his footsteps up a bare sand hill to the height of twelve or
fourteen feet, and there, turning about to the left, they found the
object of their search stretched lifeless upon his back, in the midst of
a thick bush, where he seemed to have laid down to sleep, being half
wrapped up in his blanket.[11] All his little articles of baggage were
very near him, and, from the posture in which he was found, it appeared
that the immediate cause of his death was a rush of blood to the head,
which would occasion no great suffering in his last moments. A grave was
scraped in the sand by the searching party, and Frederic Smith was
buried in the wilderness wherein he had died, and which he had been
among the first to explore, about seventy-six miles northward of the
Swan River. The grave was made smooth, and a piece of wood found upon
the neighbouring beach was placed at its head, and then the solitary
spot was forsaken for ever by the mourning companions of the departed
youth, who left
"Heaven's fresh gales, and the ocean's wave,
Alternate to sigh o'er the wanderer's grave."[12]
[9] "The most singular quality of this vapour or _mirage_, as it is
termed, is its power of reflection; objects are seen as from the
surface of a lake, and their figure is sometimes changed into the
most fantastic shapes."--CRICHTON'S _Arabia_, vol. i. p. 41.
[10] See two other curious accounts of the effects of _mirage_
and refraction in Sturt's Expeditions in Australia, vol. ii. pp.
56 and 171.
[11] The artless description of this sad discovery, given by one of
the natives who accompanied the party, may be not unworthy of the
reader's notice. "Away we go, away, away, along the shore away, away,
away, a long distance we go. I see Mr. Smith's footsteps ascending a
sand-hill, onwards I go regarding his footsteps. I see Mr. Smith dead.
We commence digging the earth. Two _sleeps_ had he been dead; greatly
did I weep, and much I grieved. In his blanket folding him, we scraped
away the earth. We scrape earth into the grave, we scrape the earth
into the grave, a little wood we place in it. Much earth we heap upon
it--much earth we throw up. No dogs can dig there, so much earth we
throw up. The sun had just inclined to the westward as we laid him in
the ground."--GREY'S _Travels in Western Australia_, vol. ii. p. 350.
[12] See a like melancholy history of the death of Mr. Cunningham, in
Mitchell's Three Expeditions, vol. i. p. 180, _et seq._ How thrilling
must have been the recollections of his fellow-travellers in the
wilderness at the simple incident thus related: "In the bed of the
river, where I went this evening to enjoy the sight of the famished
cattle drinking, I came accidentally on an old footstep of Mr.
Cunningham in the clay, now baked hard by the sun. Four months had
elapsed, and up to this time the clay bore the last records of our
late fellow-traveller."
It was only six weeks before this untimely end of the young explorer,
that he had set out, full of hope, on the long journey by the coast,
which the party made on their return, and had been a leading character
in such beautiful pictures of life in the Australian wilderness as this
which is given by his friend Captain Grey. "We soon found ourselves at
the foot of a lofty cascade, down which a little water was slowly
dropping; and, on climbing to its summit, it appeared to be so well
fitted for a halting-place for the night, that I determined to remain
there. The men made themselves comfortable near the water-holes, and
Mr. Smith and myself crept into a little cave, which occasionally served
as a resting-place for the natives, the remains of whose fires were
scattered about. A wild woodland and rocky scenery was around us; and
when the moon rose and shed her pale light over all, I sat with Mr.
Smith on the edge of the waterfall, gazing by turns into the dim woody
abyss below, and at the red fires and picturesque groups of the men,
than which fancy could scarcely imagine a wilder scene."
It is no uncommon mistake, with persons who ought to know better, to
magnify the toils and hardships endured by the body, while those labours
and anxieties that the mind undergoes are disregarded and forgotten.
Every man engaged in an exploring party in the bush, for instance, has
his severe trials to go through, but their trials are not to be compared
to those of the commander of the party. How often when the rest are
sleeping must he be watchful? How frequently, while others are gay, must
he feel thoughtful! These remarks may easily be applied to the following
description of the coast near Shark's Bay, in the N. W. of the island of
New Holland. There was great beauty in the scenery, both the sky and the
water had that peculiar brilliancy about them to be seen only in fine
weather, and in a very warm climate. To the west lay a boundless extent
of sea, to the eastward was a low shore fringed with trees, not only
down to the water's edge, but forming little green knots of foliage in
the ocean itself; behind these trees were low wooded hills, and in
front of them were numbers of pelicans and water-fowl. There was only
about three feet depth of clear transparent water, through which were
seen many beautiful and large shells, and various strange-looking fish,
at some of which last one or other of Captain Grey's men would sometimes
make an attack, while loud peals of laughter would rise from the rest,
when the pursuer, too anxious to gain his object, would miss his stroke
at the fish, or, stumbling, roll headlong in the water. The fineness of
the day, the novelty of the scenery, and the rapid way they were making,
made the poor fellows forget past dangers, as well as those they had yet
to undergo. But this was more than their commander was able to do.
"My own meditations," adds Captain Grey, "were of a more melancholy
character, for I feared that the days of some of the light-hearted group
were already numbered, and would soon be brought to a close. Amid such
scenes and thoughts we were swept along, while this unknown coast, which
so many had anxiously yet vainly wished to see, passed before our eyes
like a dream, and ere many more years have hurried by, it is possible
that the recollection of this day may be as such to me."
Among the wonders of Nature to be met with in the Australian bush, the
large rivers occasionally dried up to their very lowest depth by the
extreme drought, are very remarkable. Few natural objects can equal in
beauty and utility a river in its proper state,--
"Though deep, yet clear; though gentle, yet not dull;
Strong without rage, without o'erflowing full;"
but few can exceed in terror and destruction a large river in time of
flood; while nothing, surely, can surpass in horror and desolation the
same object when its stream is wasted, its waters disappeared, its
usefulness and beauty alike gone. This spectacle is, fortunately, but
rarely seen, except in Australia, and even there only after very dry
seasons. One river seen in this state consisted of several channels or
beds, divided from each other by long strips of land, which in times of
flood become islands; the main channel was about 270 yards in breadth,
and the height of its bank was about fifteen feet. After the exploring
party had passed the highest point in the channel to which the tide
flowed from the sea, this huge river bed was perfectly dry, and looked
the most mournful, deserted spot imaginable. Occasionally water-holes
were found eighteen or twenty feet in depth, and it is from these alone
that travellers have been enabled to satisfy their thirst in crossing
over the unexplored parts of the bush, where no water could elsewhere be
obtained. Still, notwithstanding the extreme drought by which they were
surrounded, the strangers could see by the remaining drift wood, which
had been washed high up into the neighbouring trees, what rapid and
overpowering currents sometimes swept along the now dry channel.
On another occasion the same singular object is powerfully described,
and the feelings of men, who had long been in need of water, at
beholding a sight like this can scarcely be imagined. Beneath them lay
the dry bed of a large river, its depth at this point being between
forty and fifty feet, and its breadth upwards of 300 yards; it was at
times subject to terrible floods, for along its banks lay the trunks of
immense trees, giants of the forest, which had been formerly washed down
from the interior of the country; yet nothing now met their craving eyes
but a vast sandy channel, which scorched their eyeballs, as the rays of
the sun were reflected back from its white, glistening bed. Above and
below this spot, however, large pools of water were found, and even
here, when a hole of a few inches depth was scraped in the dry channel,
it soon became filled with water which oozed into it from the sand. At
another stream, which the same exploring party afterwards fell in with,
they were less successful, and found all the pools entirely dry. The sun
was intensely hot, and the poor men grew faint for want of water, while
it heightened their sufferings, that they stood upon the brink of a
river, or wandered along its banks with eager, piercing eyes, and an air
of watchfulness peculiar to those who seek for that on which their lives
depend. One while they explored a shallow, stony part of the bed, which
was parched up and blackened by the fiery sun: their steps were slow and
listless, and it was plainly to be seen how faint, weak, and weary they
were; the next minute another pool would be seen ahead, the depth of
which the eye could not at a distance reach; now they hurried on towards
it with a dreadful look of eager anxiety--the pool was reached--the
bottom seen; but, alas! no water: then they paused, and looked one at
the other with an air of utter despair. The order to march from this
distressing spot was unwillingly and slowly obeyed. So fondly does the
human soul cling to the very faintest semblance of hope, that the
adventurers would rather have wandered up and down these barren and arid
banks, in vain search after water, than tear themselves away by one bold
effort from the deceitful expectations held out to them by the empty
channel.
It was on his return from a journey attended by perils and privations
like these, that Captain Grey relates the following simple occurrence,
which may help to make men value more highly, or rather prize more
justly, the many little comforts they may possess: The Captain had
left some of his men behind, and was hastening with all speed to the
settlement of Perth, in Western Australia, in order to get assistance
and necessaries for them. Starting an hour and a half before daylight,
he reached the hut of Williams, the farthest settler, north of Perth, in
time to find the wife and another woman at breakfast. He had known Mrs.
Williams, and, forgetting how strangely want and suffering had changed
his appearance for the worse, he expected her to remember him again. But
he was mistaken for a crazy Malay, nicknamed Magic, who used to visit
the houses of the out-settlers. Hurt at his reception, "I am not Magic,"
exclaimed he. "Well then, my good man, who are you?" inquired they,
laughing. "One who is almost starved," was his solemn reply. "Will you
take this, then?" said the hostess, handing him a cup of tea she was
raising to her lips. "With all my heart and soul, and God reward you for
it," was the answer; and he swallowed the delicious draught. Who can
fail of being reminded, upon reading this anecdote, of those gracious
and beautiful words of his Redeemer--"Whosoever shall give you a cup of
water to drink in my name, because ye belong to Christ, verily I say
unto you, he shall not lose his reward"? (Mark ix. 41.)
The mention of the out-settler's hut, in which Captain Grey met with
this small, but most acceptable, kindness, may serve to remind us of an
object, which, although not, strictly speaking, belonging to the bush,
is, nevertheless, very frequently seen in that part of the wild country
which is most visited,--the portions of it which are adjoining to the
British settlements. In these parts of the bush the small hut of the
humble out-settler may often be espied; and, while we speak of the toils
and privations frequently undergone by this class of people at first, we
must not forget that they are thus opening to themselves a way to future
wealth and comfort. Nor, be it recollected, is the condition of an
out-settler in the Australian bush any more a fair average specimen of
that of the inhabitants of the colonies than the owner of a mud-hovel
raised on some English heath would be of the inhabitants of the parish
in which he happens to dwell. One strong difference may be seen in the
two cases. In England the cottager must, in all likelihood, live and die
a cottager, as his fathers have done before him, and his children will
after him; whereas, in the Australian colonies, with prudence and the
Divine blessing, (without which a man can do well nowhere) the humble
out-settler may gradually, yet rapidly, grow up into the wealthy and
substantial farmer and landowner. Bearing in mind these facts, the
following sketch of the premises of an out-settler on the river
Williams, at the back of the Swan River settlement, in Western
Australia, may be at once instructive, and not unsuitable to the subject
of this chapter. The house was made of a few upright poles, to which, at
the top, cross poles were fastened, and a covering of rude thatch tied
upon the whole. It was open at both ends, and exposed to the wind,
which, as the situation was high, was very unpleasant. Here, however,
were the elements of future riches, a very large flock of sheep, in fair
condition, also a well-supplied stock-yard, and cattle in beautiful
order; while upwards of twenty dogs, for hunting the kangaroo, completed
the establishment. The settlers were four in number, and, except four
soldiers quartered about sixteen miles from them, there were no other
Europeans within fifty miles of the spot. All stores and necessaries
were sent from a distance of 120 miles, through a country without roads,
and exposed to the power of the native inhabitants. In this but might
be seen a lively picture of the trials occasionally endured by _first
settlers_; they had no flour, tea, sugar, meat, or any provision
whatever, except their live stock and the milk of their cattle, their
sole dependence for any other article of food being the kangaroo dogs,
and the only thing their visitors were able to do to better their
situation was to leave them some shot. All other circumstances were on
the same scale with them, and one, supposing them to have been faithful
members of the Church of their native land, must have been the most
grievous privation of all:--
"The sound of the church-going bell
Those valleys and rocks never heard;
Never sighed at the sound of a knell,
Nor smiled when a sabbath appear'd."
They had but one old clasp knife; there was but one small bed, for one
person, the others sleeping on the ground every night, with little or no
covering; they had no soap to wash themselves or their clothes, yet they
submitted cheerfully to all these privations, considering them to be
necessary consequences of their situation. Two of these out-settlers
were gentlemen, not only by birth, but also in thought and manner; nor
can it be doubted that they were really happier than many an idle young
man to be seen lounging about in England, a burden to himself and to his
friends. Idleness and vice have often in England been the means of
levelling with the dust the lordly mansion, whilst industry, in the
wilds of Australia, can rear a comfortable dwelling on the very spot
where once stood the hut of the out-settler.
Scattered round the shores of New Holland at various distances are many
small islands and rocks, the prevailing appearance of which is that of
extreme barrenness. On many of these it would seem that no human beings
had ever set their feet before the Europeans, and especially the
English, explored those coasts. In several parts the natives were
without any means of conveyance across even a narrow arm of the sea,
and thus the brute creation were left in a long and undisturbed
possession of many of the isles which lie near the main land. In the
more barren and miserable of these the bird called the _sooty petrel_,
and the seal, are the principal animals to be found, whilst in those
that are somewhat more fruitful, kangaroos, also, and emus are to be
found; the smaller breed of kangaroos being usually met with in the
smaller islands, and the larger species on the main land or in islands
of a greater extent. The following short account, by Captain Flinders,
may serve as a specimen of the lesser isles: Great flocks of petrels
had been noticed coming in from the sea to the island, and early next
morning, a boat was sent from the ship to collect a quantity of them for
food, and to kill seals, but the birds were already moving off, and no
more than four seals, of the hair kind, were procured. Upon the men
going on shore, the island was found to be a rock of granite, but this
was covered with a crust of limestone or chalk, in some places fifty
feet thick. The soil at the top was little better than sand, but was
overspread with shrubs, mostly of one kind, a whitish velvet-like
plant, amongst which the petrels, who make their nests underground,
had burrowed everywhere, and, from the extreme heat of the sun, the
reflection of it from the sand, and frequently being sunk half way up
the leg in these holes, the sailors, little used to difficulties in
land-travelling, were scarcely able to reach the highest hill near the
middle of the island. It was in the neighbourhood of scattered sandy
spots of this description that the sailors of Captain Flinders would
often endeavour successfully to improve their ordinary fare by catching
a few fish. On one occasion they were very much hindered by three
monstrous sharks, in whose presence no other fish dared to appear.
After some attempts, and with much difficulty, they took one of these
creatures, and got it on board the ship. In length it was no more than
twelve feet three inches, but the body measured eight feet round. Among
the vast quantity of things contained in the stomach was a tolerably
large seal, bitten in two, and swallowed with half of the spear sticking
in it, with which it had probably been killed by the natives. The stench
of this ravenous monster was great, even before it was dead; and, when
the stomach was opened, it became intolerable.
Quite contrary, in many respects, to these sandy islands, and yet but
little superior to them in fruitfulness, are some of those which were
visited by the same enterprising voyager on the eastern coast of
Australia. Their shores were very low, so much so, that frequently a
landing is impossible, and generally very difficult, on account of the
mud; and often a vast quantity of mangrove trees are found growing in
the swamps that surround the shores, and choking the soil with a rank
vegetation. On one of these islands when a landing had been effected
without a very great deal of trouble, and a rising ground was reached,
the sides of this little eminence were found to be so steep, and were so
thickly covered with trees and shrubs, bound together and interlaced
with strong plants, resembling vines in their growth, that all attempts
to reach the top of the hill were without success. It appeared to be
almost easier to have climbed up the trees, and have scrambled from one
to another upon the vines, than to have threaded a way through the
perplexing net-work formed by these plants, beneath which all was
darkness and uncertainty.
There are, however, some few islands, which promise to become, at a
future time, inhabited and cultivated spots, being neither so entirely
naked, nor yet so choked up by a poor and hungry vegetation concealing a
thin soil, as those already described. Of these more smiling spots the
large island, off the western coast, called Kangaroo Island, may serve
for a specimen. A thick wood covered almost all that part of the island
which was seen from the ship by Captain Flinders, but the trees that
were alive were not so large as those lying on the ground, nor as the
dead trees still standing upright. Those upon the ground were so
abundant, that, in ascending the higher land, a considerable part of the
walk was upon them. No inhabitants were seen in the island, but yet it
seemed, from the appearance of the trees, as though, at the distance of
some years, the woods had been destroyed by fire. The soil, so far as it
was seen, was thought very good, and the trees bore witness of this by
their size and growth; yet so frequently do travellers, like doctors,
disagree, that another explorer, Captain Sturt, pronounces this spot to
be not by any means fertile. The quantity of kangaroos found here was
remarkable enough to give a name to the island; and so entirely were
these harmless animals strangers to the power of man, that they suffered
themselves to be approached and killed without any efforts to escape.
Captain Flinders, on the first day of landing, killed ten, and the rest
of his party made up the number to thirty-one taken on board in the
course of the day, the least weighing 69 and the largest 125 lbs. The
whole ship's company were employed that afternoon in skinning and
cleaning the kangaroos, and a delightful feast they afforded to men
who for four months had scarcely tasted any fresh provisions. Never,
perhaps, had the dominion held here by these creatures been before
disturbed; the seals, indeed, shared it with the kangaroos on the
shores, but they seemed to dwell peacefully together, each animal
occasionally wandering into the haunts of the other, so that a gun fired
at a kangaroo upon the beach would sometimes bring forth two or three
bellowing seals from underneath bushes a good deal further from the
water-side. The seal, indeed, was the most knowing creature of the
two, for its actions bespoke that it distinguished the sailors from
kangaroos, whereas the latter not uncommonly appeared to mistake them
for seals. Indeed it is curious to trace the total absence of all
knowledge of man in these distant isles of Australia. In another island
a white eagle was seen making a motion to pounce down upon the British
sailors, whom it evidently took for kangaroos, never, probably, having
seen an upright animal, (except that, when moving upon its hind legs,)
and naturally, therefore, mistaking the men for its usual prey.
In another part of Kangaroo Island, which was afterwards visited, a
large piece of water was discovered at the head of a bay, and in this
water an immense number of pelicans were seen; upon some small islets
were found many young birds yet unable to fly, and upon the surrounding
beach a great number of old ones were seen, while the bones and
skeletons of many lay scattered about. So that it appeared to be at once
the breeding-place and death-bed of these birds, who, in the hidden
bosom of a quiet lake, in an uninhabited island, had long continued to
extend their race, generation after generation retiring to the same spot
where they were first brought to light, and there ending their days in
tranquillity. In this part of the island kangaroos were less plentiful
than in the other, but the soil appeared equally promising, and in all
likelihood, before many years have flown by, trees, seals, kangaroos,
and pelicans will all be forced to give up their old domains, and be
destroyed before the pressing wants and daring spirit of the British
emigrant. One important hindrance is noticed by Flinders,--the scarcity
of water,--but the presence of so many animals shows that there is an
abundance somewhere, though he could find but a scanty supply in one
single spot. In Kangaroo Island only one accident occurred which showed
any disposition or power on the part of its old inhabitants to wage war
with the intruders. One of the sailors having attacked a large seal
without proper caution, was so severely bitten in the leg, that he was
not merely laid up in consequence of this hurt, but was obliged to be
discharged, three months afterwards, when the ship was refitted at
Sydney.
In addition to the numerous barren rocks and the few tolerably large
wooded islands, which encircle the shores of Australia, there is a third
description of isles or rocks, which must not be passed over altogether
without notice. The substance called _coral_ is well known in Europe,
but with us the name connects itself with very different objects from
those to which it is related in Australia. _Here_ female ornaments and
toys for infants are almost the only objects to be seen that are formed
of coral; _there_ it forms the most stupendous rocks or reefs, which
serve frequently for a foundation to islands of no mean size; indeed, in
one part of the north-eastern coast of Australia, the coral reefs are
known to extend not less than 350 miles in a straight line, without a
single opening of any magnitude occurring in them.
Among these, surrounded by dangers, did Captain Flinders sail, during
fourteen days, for more than 500 miles before he could escape into less
perilous seas. Upon landing on one of these reefs, when the water was
clear, the view underneath, from the edge of the rocks, was extremely
beautiful. Quite a new creation, but still not unlike the old, was
offered to the view. There appeared wheat-sheaves, mushrooms, stags'
horns, cabbage-leaves, and a variety of other forms, glowing under
water with brilliant tints, of every shade betwixt green, purple, brown,
and white; equalling in beauty and surpassing in grandeur the most
favourite flower-bed of the curious florist. These appearances were, in
fact, different sorts of _coral_, and fungus, growing, as it were, out
of the solid rock, and each had its own peculiar form and shade of
colouring, but yet the spectators, who knew their ship to be hemmed in
by rocks of this material, while considering the richness of the scene,
could not long forget with what power of destruction it was gifted.
The cause of these coral rocks and islands, which are slowly, but
certainly, increasing, is a very small marine insect, by which the
substance called coral is formed. These work under water, generation
after generation contributing its share in the construction of what, in
the course of ages, becomes a solid rock, exalting its head above the
face of the surrounding waters, and rising sometimes from the depth of
200 fathoms, and perhaps even more. To be constantly covered with water
seems necessary to these minute animals, for they do not work, except
in holes upon the reef, beyond low-water-mark; but the coral and other
broken remains thrown up by the sea lodge upon the rock and form a solid
mass with it, as high as the common tides reach. The new bank is not
long left unvisited by sea-birds; salt-plants take root upon it, and a
kind of soil begins to be formed; a cocoa-nut,[13] or the seed of some
other tree, is thrown on shore; land-birds visit it, and deposit the
seeds of fresh shrubs or trees; every high tide, and still more every
gale, adds something to the bank; the form of an island is by degrees
assumed; and, last of all, comes man to take possession.
[13] "A cluster of these trees would be an excellent beacon to warn
mariners of their danger when near a coral reef, and at all events
their fruit would afford some wholesome nourishment to the ship-wrecked
seamen. The navigator who should distribute 10,000 cocoa-nuts amongst
the numerous sand banks of the great ocean and Indian Sea, would be
entitled to the gratitude of all maritime nations, and of every friend
of humanity."--FLINDERS' _Voyage to Terra Australis_, vol. ii. p. 332.
[Illustration: EXPLORERS FINDING THE BED OF A DRIED UP RIVER.]
CHAPTER II.
THE BUSH IN THE INTERIOR.
It needs only a single glance at the map of New Holland to see that,
like most other countries, and even more than most others, the coasts
are well known, while the interior parts are comparatively undiscovered,
and, to a great extent, totally so. And, although a much more minute
description of the shores of this immense island might easily be given,
although we might accompany Flinders or King in their navigation of its
intricate seas, and survey of its long line of coast, yet this part of
the subject must necessarily be passed over without detaining us any
further. A very considerable portion of the sea-coast of New Holland is
not much unlike that in the Gulph of Carpentaria, in the north part of
the island, where, when Captain Flinders had reached the highest spot he
could find in 175 leagues of coast,--this loftiest hill did not much
exceed the height of the ship's masthead! And where the shores are not
of this exceedingly level character, they are usually sterile, sandy,
and broken, so as to offer rather an uninviting aspect to the stranger.
It is obvious that, in either case, whether the coast be flat or barren,
there may be many beautiful and lovely districts within a day's journey
inland; and nothing is more absurd than to take exception against the
whole of a country merely because its borders and boundaries are
forbidding. In the case of New Holland, it is true, the same sort of
barrenness extends itself very much into the interior of the land; but,
if we pursue the patient footsteps and daring discoveries of those few
Europeans who have penetrated far into its inland parts, we shall find
many interesting scenes described, and much both of the sublime and
beautiful in nature brought before us.
One of the principal scenes on which have been displayed the
perseverance and courage of the explorers of the interior is the banks
of the river Darling. This stream, which has its source on the western
side of the long range of mountains running parallel with the coast, and
called in the colony the Blue Mountains, carries off the drainage of an
immense extent of country, to the westward and north-westward of New
South Wales. In fact, except in the southern parts of that colony, where
the Lachlan and Murrumbidgee carry off the waters which do not fall
eastwards to the coast, all the streams that rise upon or beyond the
Blue Mountains, and take a westerly direction, finally meet together in
the basin of the Darling.[14] It might be imagined that a river into
which is carried the drainage of so extensive a district would be always
well supplied with water, and so it would be in other countries, but the
streams of New Holland are altogether different from those in other
parts of the world. Comparatively, indeed, the Darling does assert its
superiority over most of the other water-courses of that country; for,
at a season when their channels were, in general, absolutely without
water, or dwindled down into mere chains of muddy ponds, the Darling
still continued to wind its slow current, carrying a supply of excellent
water through the heart of a desert district. Along the weary plains
by which its course is bounded, it proceeds for not less than 660
miles,[15] without receiving, so far as is known, a single tributary
stream; and, from its waters being occasionally salt, it is supposed to
owe its support, in its reduced state during very dry seasons, chiefly
to natural springs. Its bed is, on an average, about sixty feet below
the common surface of the country. There are no traces of water-courses
on the level plains, and it would appear that, whatever moisture
descends from the higher grounds, which (where there are any at all,)
are seldom less than twelve miles from the Darling, must be taken up by
the clayey soil, so as scarcely to find its way down to the river,
except it be by springs. The average breadth of the stream at the
surface, when low, is about fifty yards, but oftener less than this, and
seldom more. The fall of the country through which it passes, in that
part of its course through the interior, which was first explored by
Major Mitchell, is very trifling; and it is the opinion of that officer,
that the swiftness of its course never exceeds one mile per hour, but
that it is in general much less. At the time of the Major's expedition,
the water actually flowing, as seen at one or two shallow places, did
not exceed in quantity that which would be necessary to turn a mill.
But, with all this scantiness of supply during the dry season then
prevailing,[16] the marks of tremendous inundations were plain upon the
surface of the country, frequently extending two miles back from the
ordinary channel of the waters. And everywhere the banks of the river
displayed the effect of floods in parallel lines, marking on the smooth
sloping earth the various heights to which the waters had at different
periods arisen. The surface of the plains nearest the river is unlike
any part of the earth's face that the travellers had elsewhere seen. It
was clear of vegetation, like a fallow-field, but less level, and quite
full of holes, big enough to receive the whole leg, and sometimes the
body, of the unfortunate persons who might slip into them. Galloping or
trotting in such a country was out of the question, and as the surface
of this dry and cracked soil was soft and loose, it was very fatiguing
for draught. Six of the bullocks accompanying the expedition never
returned from the Darling. Yet, how much preferable was the country,
even in this state, to that in which a flood would have placed it; for,
had rainy weather, or any overflowing of the river, happened, travelling
upon the banks of the Darling would have become absolutely impossible.
[14] Although the basin of this river extends so far towards the east,
on its westerly bank, that is, _towards the interior_, a desert country
stretches itself to an unknown distance, from which it does not appear
to receive any increase of its waters at all deserving of notice. From
two hills, seventy miles apart, extensive views were gained of this
western desert, in which no smoke was seen, indicating the presence of
natives, nor even any appearance of trees; the whole country being
covered with a thick bush or scrub. For the four winter months spent
by Mitchell near the Darling, neither rain nor yet dew fell, and the
winds from the west and north-west, hot and parching, seemed to blow
over a region in which no humidity remained.
[15] So in Major Mitchell's work, vol. i. p. 298; but the same author
is quoted (more correctly it would seem from the map), by Montgomery
Martin, as stating that "The Darling does not, in a course of _three_
hundred miles, receive a single river."--See MARTIN'S _New South
Wales_, p. 82.
[16] By _dry season_, or _wet season_, in Australia, we are not to
understand, as in England, a _dry_ or _wet summer_, but a series of
_dry_ or _wet years_. At the very bottom of some of the dried-up lakes
were found sapling trees of ten years' growth, which had evidently been
killed by the return of the waters to their long-forsaken bed.
But the river Darling itself, though it appears as a principal and
independent stream during so long a course, is, we have little reason to
doubt, no more than an important tributary to the chief of Australian
rivers, the Murray. This last channel collects eventually all the waters
flowing in a westward direction upon the eastern side of New Holland,
between the latitudes of 28° S. and 36° S. The Darling, the Lachlan, and
the Murrumbidgee, without mentioning streams of minor importance, all
find their way southwards into the basin of the Murray, which is really
a noble river, and does not seem subject to the same deplorable
impoverishment, which most of the others suffer in very dry seasons. It
was very earnestly anticipated that the mouth of a stream like this
would probably form a good harbour, and thus afford a reasonable
prospect of its hereafter becoming a busy navigable river, the means of
furnishing inland communication to a considerable distance. This is, of
all things, what New Holland appears most to want, but the want is not
(as we shall shortly find) adequately supplied by the entrance to the
Murray. A like failure occurs at the entrance of other Australian
rivers, as in the instance of a much smaller but very beautiful stream,
the Glenelg, which falls into a shallow basin within the sandy hills of
the southern coast, the outlet being between two rocky heads, but choked
up with the sands of the beach. We cannot, while we read of the scanty
means of inland navigation, with which it has pleased Divine Providence
to favour an island so enormous as New Holland, but feel thankful for
the abundant advantages of this kind which our own native islands
possess; but at the same time there is no reason to despair, even yet,
of a navigable river being discovered in New Holland;[17] or, at the
worst, the modern invention of rail-roads may supersede, in a great
measure, the need of other communication.
[17] "I have myself no doubt that a large navigable river will yet be
discovered, communicating with the interior of Australia."--M. MARTIN'S
_New South Wales_, p. 99.
It would be impossible to compress into a moderate compass the various
interesting particulars, which have been related of the rivers of New
Holland and their neighbouring districts; but for this and much other
pleasing information the reader may be referred, once for all, to the
works of those travellers, whose names have been already so frequently
mentioned. It is a curious fact that almost every stream of the least
consequence in New Holland, appears to have its peculiar features, and a
character and scenery of its own, which continue throughout its course,
so that it could often be recognised by travellers coming upon it a
second time, and at a different part of its career towards the sea.
The beautifully-timbered plains, or the limestone cliffs of the noble
Murray--the naked plains that bound on either side the strip of
forest-trees of huge dimensions, by which the Lachlan is bordered,--the
constantly full stream, the water-worn and lightly-timbered banks, the
clear open space between the river and its distant margin of reeds,
which mark the character of the Murrumbidgee,--the low grassy banks or
limestone rocks, the cascades and caverns, the beautiful festoons of
creeping plants, the curious form of the duck-billed platypus,[18] which
are to be found on the Glenelg; the sandstone wastes of the Wollondilly,
the grassy surface of the pretty Yarrayne,[19] with its trees on its
brink instead of on its bank; the peculiar grandeur of the tremendous
ravine, 1,500 feet in depth, down which the Shoalhaven flows; these and
many more remarkable features of scenery in the Australian rivers, would
afford abundance of materials for description either in poetry or prose.
But we can now notice only one more peculiarity which most of these
streams exhibit; they have, at a greater or less distance from their
proper channels, secondary banks, beyond which floods rarely or never
are known to extend. In no part of the habitable world is the force of
contrast more to be observed than in Australia. A very able scientific
writer[20] has ingeniously represented three persons travelling in
certain directions across Great Britain, and finishing their journeys
with three totally different impressions of the soil, country, and
inhabitants; one having passed through a rocky and mining district, the
second through a coal country peopled by manufacturers, and a third
having crossed a chalky region devoted entirely to agriculture. An
observation of this kind is even still more true of New Holland. And,
consequently, when, instead of _pursuing_ the course of certain similar
lines of country, the traveller _crosses_ these, the changes that take
place in the appearance and productions of the various districts are
exceedingly striking and follow sometimes in very rapid succession. A
few examples of these contrasts, which arise in Australia from the
nature of the seasons, as well as from that of the soil or climate, may
here be noticed. How great a change did the exploring party under Major
Mitchell experience, when, after tracing for forty-nine days the dry bed
of the Lachlan, they suddenly saw a magnificent stream of clear and
running water before them, and came upon the Murrumbidgee. Its banks,
unlike those of the former channel, were clothed with excellent grass;
a pleasing sight for the cattle--and it was no slight satisfaction to
their possessors to see the jaded animals, after thirsting so long among
the muddy holes of the Lachlan, drinking at this full and flowing
stream. And yet, so different are the series of seasons, at intervals,
that, down the very river of which Mitchell speaks in 1836 as a deep,
dry ravine, containing only a scanty chain of small ponds, the boats of
its first explorer, Mr. Oxley, had, in 1817, floated during a space of
fifteen days, until they had reached a country almost entirely flooded,
and the river seemed completely to lose itself among the shallow waters!
During the winter of 1835, the whale-boats were drawn by the exploring
party 1,600 miles over land,[21] without finding a river, where they
could be used; whereas, in 1817 and 1818, Mr. Oxley had twice retired
by nearly the same routes, and in the same season of the year, from
supposed inland seas![22] So that, in fact, we rise from the perusal
of two accounts of travellers of credit, both exploring the very same
country, with the impression, from one statement, that there exists an
endless succession of swamps, or an immense shallow, inland lake; where,
from the other, we are taught to believe, there is nothing but a sandy
desert to be found, or dry and cracked plains of clay, baked hard by the
heat of the sun.
[18] This remarkable animal, called also the Ornithorynchus, is
peculiar to Australia, it has the body of a beast combined with the
mouth and feet of a duck, is to be seen frequently on the banks of the
Glenelg, and that unusually near the coast.
[19] Water is proverbially "unstable," but what occurred to Major
Mitchell's party on the Yarrayne, may serve for a specimen of the
peculiar uncertainty of the waters of Australia. In the evening a bridge
across that stream had been completed, and everything was prepared for
crossing it, but in the morning of the following day no bridge was to be
seen, the river having risen so much during the night, although no rain
had fallen, that the bridge was four feet under water, and at noon the
water had risen fourteen feet,--a change that could only be accounted
for by the supposed melting of the snow near the sources of the stream.
[20] See Professor Buckland's Bridgewater Treatise, vol. i.
Introduction, pp. 1, 2.
[21] See Mitchell's Three Expeditions in Australia, vol. ii. p. 13.
[22] See Oxley's Journal, pp. 103, 244.
Changes of this sort in the seasons, affecting so powerfully the
appearance of whole districts, cannot but have a proportionable effect
on particular spots. Regent's Lake, the "noble lake," as its first
discoverer, Oxley, called it, was, when Mitchell visited it, for the
most part, a plain covered with luxuriant grass;[23] some good water, it
is true, lodged on the most eastern extremity, but nowhere to a greater
depth than a foot. There ducks and swans, in vast numbers, had taken
refuge, and pelicans stood high upon their legs above the remains of
Regent's Lake. On its northern margin, and within the former boundary
of the lake, stood dead trees of a full-grown size, which had been
apparently killed by too much water, plainly showing to what long
periods the extremes of drought and moisture have extended, and may
again extend, in this singular country. And some of the changes in
scenery, within a short distance, and frequently arising from the same
causes, the presence or absence of water, are very remarkable. In Major
Mitchell's journal, at the date of April 10th, may be found the
following observations: "We had passed through valleys, on first
descending from the mountains, where the yellow oat-grass resembled a
ripe crop of grain. But this resemblance to the emblem of plenty, made
the desolation of these hopeless solitudes only the more apparent,
abandoned, as they then were, alike by man, beast, and bird. No living
thing remained in these valleys, for water, that element so essential to
life, was a want too obvious in the dismal silence, (for not an insect
hummed,) and the yellow hues of withering vegetation." On the next page
of the journal, under the events of the following day, what a contrast
appears:--"The evening was beautiful; the new grass springing in places
where it had been burnt, presented a shining verdure in the rays of the
descending sun; the songs of the birds accorded here with other joyous
sounds, the very air seemed alive with the music of animated nature, so
different was the scene in this well-watered valley, from that of the
parched and silent region from which we had just descended. The natives,
whom we met here, were fine-looking men, enjoying contentment and
happiness, within the precincts of their native woods." They were very
civil, and presented a burning stick to the strangers, at the moment
when they saw that they wanted fire, in a manner expressive of welcome
and of a wish to assist them. At a distance were the native fires, and
the squalling of children might be heard, until at night the beautiful
moon came forth, and the soft notes of a flute belonging to one of the
Englishmen fell agreeably on the ear, while the eye was gratified by the
moonbeams, as they gleamed from the trees, amid the curling smoke of the
temporary encampment. The cattle were refreshing themselves in green
pastures. It was Saturday night, and next day the party was to rest. How
sweet a spot to repose from their toils and sufferings, and to lift up
their hearts towards the mercy-seat of Him,--
"Who, in the busy crowded town,
Regards each suppliant's cry;--
Who, whether Nature smile or frown,
Man's wants can still supply."
[23] Another lake, called Walljeers, at no very great distance
from this, was found, with its whole expanse of about four miles in
circumference, entirely covered with a sweet and fragrant plant,
somewhat like clover, and eaten by the natives. Exactly resembling
new-made hay in the perfume which it gives out even when in the freshest
state of verdure, it was indeed "sweet to sense and lovely to the eye"
in the heart of a desert country.
One of the greatest victories over natural difficulties that was ever
gained by British courage and perseverance, was the exploring of the
course of the Morrumbidgee and Murray rivers by Captain Sturt and his
party, in the year 1830; and since their route was through a new
country, and their descent from the high lands south-westward of Sydney,
to the southern coast of New Holland was an amazing enterprise to
project, much more to accomplish, an abridged account of it may not be
unacceptable to the reader. And when it is remembered that the sight of
the gallant officer commanding this expedition, was sacrificed almost
entirely to "the effect of exposure and anxiety of mind in the
prosecution of geographical researches,"[24] this fact may add to the
interest which we feel in his adventures. The Murrumbidgee is a river
which runs westerly from the district called Yass Plains, situated very
nearly at the south-western extremity of New South Wales. It was for
the purpose of exploring the course of this fine stream, that Captain
Sturt was sent out at the latter end of 1829, and he had reached by
land-conveyance a swampy region exactly resembling those marshes in
which the Lachlan and Macquarie rivers had been supposed by Mr. Oxley to
lose themselves. To proceed further by land was impossible, and, since
they had brought with them a whale-boat, which had been drawn by oxen
for many a weary mile, it was resolved to launch this on the river, a
smaller boat was built in seven days only, and both boats being laden
with necessaries, and manned with six hands, arrangements were made for
forming a depôt, and the rest of the party were sent back; and when the
explorers thus parted company in the marshy plains of the Morrumbidgee,
it appeared doubtful even to themselves whether they were ever likely to
meet again in this world. Of the country, whither the stream would carry
the little crew of adventurers, literally nothing was known. There
might be a vast inland sea,--and then how could they hope with their
frail barks to navigate it in safety for the very first time? Or, even
if they did so, how were they to force their way back again to the
remote dwelling-places of civilised man? The river might gradually waste
itself among the morasses; and then, with their boats become useless for
want of depth of water, how were they to walk across those endless
levels of soft mud? or, supposing that to be practicable, how were their
provisions to be conveyed, or whence, then, except from their boats,
could they hope for a supply? Questions of this nature must have offered
themselves to the minds of the daring spirits, who accompanied Captain
Sturt; nor can due justice be rendered to their courage without a
careful consideration of the dangers which they deliberately braved.
[24] See Sturt's Expeditions in Australia, vol. i. Dedication, p. 4.
Two oars only were used in the whale-boat, to the stern of which the
skiff was fastened by a rope; but the progress of the party down the
river was rapid. Having passed, in the midst of the marshes, the mouth
of a considerable stream (supposed to be the Lachlan, here emptying its
waters out from the midst of those swamps wherein it appeared to Mr.
Oxley to be lost,) on the second day of their journey the voyagers met
with an accident that had nearly compelled them to return. The skiff
struck upon a sunken log, and, immediately filling, went down in about
twelve feet of water. Damage was done to some of the provisions, and
many tools were thrown overboard, though these were afterwards regained
by means of diving and great labour, and the skiff was got up again. In
the very same night a robbery was committed by the natives; and a
frying-pan, three cutlasses, and five tomahawks, with the pea of the
steelyards--altogether no small loss in the Australian desert--were
carried off. The country in this part is "a waving expanse of reeds,
and as flat as possible," and the river, instead of increasing in its
downward course, seemed rather to be diminishing. After some days,
however, the party had passed through this flooded region, and reached a
boundless flat, with no object for the eye to rest upon, beyond the dark
and gloomy woods by which it was occupied. Several rapids occurred in
the river; and, during great part of two days the channel was so narrow
and so much blocked up with huge trees, that, in spite of every effort,
the adventurers were expecting their boat every moment to strike. For
two hours in the afternoon of the second of these days of anxiety, the
little vessels were hurried rapidly along the winding reaches of the
Morrumbidgee, until suddenly they found themselves borne upon the bosom
of a broad and noble river, in comparison with which that which they had
just quitted bore the appearance of an insignificant opening! The width
of the large stream thus discovered was about 350 feet, and its depth
from 12 to 20 feet, whilst its banks, although averaging 18 feet in
height, were evidently subject to floods. The breadth of rich soil
between its outer and inner banks was very inconsiderable, and the upper
levels were poor and sandy. As the party descended, the adjoining
country became somewhat higher and a little undulating, and natives
were seen, while the Murray (for such was the name given to their new
discovery) improved upon them every mile they proceeded. Four natives
of a tribe with which they had met followed them, as guides, for some
distance, and, after having nearly lost their largest boat upon a rock
in the midst of a rapid, the British travellers continued their onward
course, and a sail was hoisted for the first time, in order to save, as
much as was possible, the strength of the men.
The country in this part of their voyage was again very low, and they
fell in with a large body of savages, with whom they were on the point
of being forced, in self-defence, to have a deadly encounter, when
suddenly the four natives who had accompanied them appeared running at
full speed, and, through their assistance, though not without some
difficulty, bloodshed was prevented. Very shortly after this adventure,
when the men had just pushed their boat off from a shoal, upon which it
had struck, they noticed a new and considerable stream coming from the
north, and uniting its waters with those of the Murray. Upon landing on
the right bank of the newly-discovered stream, the natives came swimming
over from motives of curiosity; and there were not less than 600 of
these, belonging to some of the most ferocious tribes in Australia,
surrounding eight Englishmen--Captain Sturt, his friend M'Leay, and the
crew--which last had been preserved by an almost miraculous intervention
of Providence in their favour. The boat was afterwards pulled a few
miles up the recently-discovered river, which is reasonably supposed to
have been the Darling, from whose banks, some hundreds of miles higher
up, Captain Sturt had twice been forced to retire in a former
expedition. Its sides were sloping and grassy, and overhung by
magnificent trees; in breadth it was about 100 yards, and in depth
rather more than twelve feet, and the men pleased themselves by
exclaiming, upon entering it, that they had got into an English river. A
net extending right across the stream at length checked their progress;
for they were unwilling to disappoint the numbers who were expecting
their food that day from this source. So the men rested on their oars in
the midst of the smooth current of the Darling, the Union-Jack was
hoisted, and, giving way to their feelings, all stood up in the boat,
and gave three distinct cheers. "The eye of every native along the
banks had been fixed upon that noble flag, at all times a beautiful
object," says Captain Sturt, "and to them a novel one, as it waved
over us in the heart of a desert. They had, until that moment, been
particularly loquacious, but the sight of that flag and the sound
of our voices hushed the tumult; and while they were still lost in
astonishment, the boat's head was speedily turned, the sail was sheeted
home, both wind and current were in our favour, and we vanished from
them with a rapidity that surprised even ourselves, and which precluded
every hope of the most adventurous among them to keep up with us."[25]
[25] Sturt's Expeditions in Australia, vol. ii. pp. 109, 110.
Cheered with the gratification of national feeling thus powerfully
described, the patient crew returned to their toils in descending the
Murray, whose banks continued unchanged for some distance; but its
channel was much encumbered with timber, some very large sand-banks
were seen, and several rapids were passed. The skiff being found more
troublesome than useful, was broken up and burned. On one occasion,
during a friendly interview with some of the savages, some clay was
piled up, as a means of inquiring whether there were any hills near; and
two or three of the blacks, catching the meaning, pointed to the N. W.,
in which direction two lofty ranges were seen from the top of a tree,
and were supposed to be not less than 40 miles distant, but the country
through which the Murray passed still continued low.
The heat was excessive and the weather very dry, while the banks of the
river appeared to be thickly peopled for Australia, and the British
strangers contrived to keep upon good terms with the natives. After
having passed one solitary cliff of some height, they met with stormy
weather for a few days, and several tributary streams of some size were
perceived mingling their waters with those of the Murray, the left bank
of which became extremely lofty, and, though formed almost wholly of
clay and sand, it bore the appearance of columns or battlements, the
sand having been washed away in many places, while the clay was left
hollowed out more like the work of art than of nature. After a continued
descent of 22 days, the party, who were pleased with the noble character
of the river upon which they were, though disappointed at the poverty of
the country through which it passed, began to grow somewhat weary; but
upon inquiries being made of the natives no tidings could be gained
respecting their approach towards the sea. The navigation of every
natural stream is rendered tedious, though beautiful, by its devious
course, but, "what with its regular turns, and its extensive sweeps, the
Murray covers treble the ground, at a moderate computation, that it
would occupy in a direct course." The current became weaker, and the
channel deeper, as they proceeded down the stream, and the cliffs of
clay and sand were succeeded by others of a very curious formation,
being composed of shells closely compacted together, but having the
softer parts so worn away, that the whole cliff bore in many places the
appearance of human skulls piled one upon the other. At first, this
remarkable formation did not rise more than a foot above the water, but
within ten miles from this spot it exceeded 150 feet in height, the
country in the vicinity became undulating, and the river itself was
confined in a glen whose extreme breadth did not exceed half a mile. An
old man, a native, was met with hereabouts, who appeared by his signs
to indicate that the explorers were at no great distance from some
remarkable change. The old man pointed to the N. W., and then placed
his hand on the side of his head, in token, it was supposed, of their
sleeping to the N. W. of the spot where they were. He then pointed due
south, describing by his action, the roaring of the sea, and the height
of the waves. A line of cliffs, from two to three hundred feet in
height, flanked the river upon alternate sides, but the rest of the
country was level, and the soil upon the table-land at the top of the
cliffs very poor and sterile. The next change of scenery brought them to
cliffs of a higher description, which continued on both sides of the
river, though not always close to it. The stream lost its sandy bed and
its current together, and became deep, still, and turbid, with a muddy
bottom; and the appearance of the water lashing against the base of the
cliffs reminded the anxious voyagers of the sea. The scenery became in
many places beautiful, and the river was never less than 400 yards in
breadth. Some sea-gulls were seen flying over the boat, and being hailed
as the messengers of good tidings, they were not permitted to be shot.
The adverse wind and the short, heavy waves rendered the labour at the
oar very laborious, but the hope of speedily gaining some noble inlet--a
harbour worthy to form the mouth of a stream like the Murray--encouraged
the crew to pull on manfully, and to disregard fatigue. The salt meat
was all spoiled, and had been given to the dogs; fish no one would eat,
and of wild fowl there was none to be seen; so that the provisions of
the party consisted of little else but flour. And already, though
hitherto they had been performing the easiest part of their task, having
had the stream in their favour, it was evident that the men were much
reduced, besides which they were complaining of sore eyes.
These circumstances all combined to increase the natural anxiety felt
by the little band of adventurers to reach the termination of the
Murray; and as its valley opened to two, three, and four miles of
breadth, while the width of the river increased to the third of a mile,
the expectations of the men toiling at the oar became proportionably
excited. The cliffs ceased, and gave place to undulating hills; no
pleasure-ground could have been more tastefully laid out than the
country to the right, and the various groups of trees, disposed upon the
sides of the elevations that bounded the western side of the valley,
were most ornamental. On the opposite side, the country was less
inviting, and the hills were bleak and bare. At length a clear horizon
appeared to the south, the direction in which the river was flowing;
Captain Sturt landed to survey the country, and beneath him was the
great object of his search, the termination of one of Australia's
longest and largest streams. Immediately below him was a beautiful lake,
of very large extent, and greatly agitated by the wind. Ranges of hills
were observed to the westward, stretching from north to south, and
distant forty miles. Between these hills and the place where the
traveller stood, the western bank of the Murray was continued in the
form of a beautiful promontory projecting into the lake, and between
this point and the base of the ranges the vast sheet of water before him
extended in the shape of a bay. The scene was altogether a very fine
one; but disappointment was a prevailing feeling in the mind of the
explorer, for it was most likely that there would be no practicable
communication for large ships between the lake and the ocean, and thus a
check was put upon the hopes that had been entertained of having at
length discovered a large and navigable river leading into the interior
of New Holland. The lake, called Lake Alexandrina, which was fifty
miles long and forty broad,[26] was crossed with the assistance of a
favourable wind; its waters were found to be generally very shallow, and
the long, narrow, and winding channel by which it communicates with the
ocean was found, as it had been feared, almost impracticable even for
the smallest vessels. This channel unites itself with the sea on the
south-western coast of New Holland, at the bottom of a bay named
Encounter Bay, one boundary of which is Cape Jervis, by which it is
separated from St. Vincent's Gulph,--the very part of the coast where a
ship was to be despatched by the Governor of New South Wales to afford
the party assistance, in case of their being successful in penetrating
to the sea-shore. Flour and tea were the only articles remaining of
their store of provisions, and neither of these were in sufficient
quantities to last them to the place where they expected to find fresh
supplies inland. But the first view of Encounter Bay convinced them that
no vessel could ever venture into it at a season when the S. W. winds
prevailed, and to the deep bight which it formed upon the coast (at the
bottom of which they then were), it was hopeless to expect any vessel to
approach so nearly as to be seen by them. To remain there was out of the
question; to cross the ranges towards the Gulph of St. Vincent, when the
men had no strength to walk, and the natives were numerous and not
peaceably disposed, was equally impossible. The passage from the lake
to the ocean was not without interruption, from the shallowness of the
sandy channel, otherwise Captain Sturt, in his little boat, would have
coasted round to Port Jackson, or steered for Launceston, in Van
Dieman's Land; and this he declares he would rather have done, could he
have foreseen future difficulties, than follow the course which he did.
Having walked across to the entrance of the channel, and found it quite
impracticable and useless, he resolved to return along the same route by
which he had come, only with these important additional difficulties to
encounter,--diminished strength, exhausted stores, and an adverse
current. The provisions were found sufficient only for the same number
of days upon their return as they had occupied in descending the river,
and speed was no less desirable in order to avoid encounters with the
natives than for the purpose of escaping the miseries of want; into
which, however, it was felt, a single untoward accident might in an
instant plunge them. With feelings of this description the party left
Lake Alexandrina and re-entered the channel of the Murray.
[26] The dimensions given in Captain Sturt's map. The South-Australian
Almanac states it to be sixty miles long, and varying in width from ten
to forty miles.
It will be needless to follow the explorers through all the particulars
of their journey upwards to the depôt on the Morrumbidgee. The boat
struck, the natives were troublesome, the rapids difficult to get over;
but the worst of all their toils and trials were their daily labours and
unsatisfied wants. One circumstance ought, in justice to the character
of the men, to be noticed. They positively refused to touch six pounds
of sugar that were still remaining in the cask, declaring that, if
divided, it would benefit nobody, whereas it would last during some time
for the use of Captain Sturt and Mr. M'Leay, who were less able to
submit to privations than they were. After having continued for no less
than fifty-five days upon the waters of the Murray, it was with great
joy that they quitted this stream, and turned their boat into the gloomy
and narrow channel of the Morrumbidgee. Having suffered much privation,
anxiety, and labour, and not without one or two unpleasant encounters
with the natives, at length the party reached their depôt, but they
found it deserted! During seventy-seven days they could not have
pulled, according to Captain Sturt's calculation, less than 2000 miles;
and now, worn out by fatigue and want, they were compelled to proceed
yet further, and to endure, for some time longer, the most severe
privations to which man can be exposed. But, under the guidance of
Divine Providence, the lives of all were preserved, and now the reward
of their deeds of heroism is willingly bestowed upon them. Among the
boldest exploits ever performed by man, the descent of Captain Sturt and
his companions down the Murray, and their return to the same spot again,
may deserve to be justly ranked.[27] Nor, however disappointing the
result of their examination of the mouth of the Murray may have been,
was their daring adventure without its useful consequences. The lake
Alexandrina is said to be navigable across for vessels drawing six feet
of water, and the entrance to the sea, though rather difficult in heavy
weather, is safe in moderate weather for vessels of the same size. The
Murray itself is navigable for steam-vessels for many hundred miles, and
probably it will not be very long before these modern inventions are
introduced upon its waters.
[27] For the account of this voyage, see Sturt's Expeditions in
Australia, vol. ii. pp. 72-221.
Whoever has seen any recent map of New Holland must have been struck
with the curious appearance of a vast semicircle of water, called Lake
Torrens, near the southern coast, and extending many miles inland from
the head of Spencer's Gulph. A range of hills, named Flinders' Range,
runs to a considerable distance inland, taking its rise near the head of
the gulph just mentioned, and Lake Torrens nearly surrounds the whole of
the low country extending from this mountainous ridge. This immense lake
is supposed to resemble in shape a horse-shoe, and to extend for full
400 miles, whilst its apparent breadth is from 20 to 30. The greater
part of the vast area contained in its bed is certainly dry on the
surface, and consists of a mixture of sand and mud, of so soft and
yielding a character as to render perfectly unavailing all attempts
either to cross it, or to reach the edge of the water, which appears to
exist at a distance of some miles from the outer margin. Once only was
Mr. Eyre, the enterprising discoverer of this singular lake, able to
taste of its waters, and then he found them as salt as the sea. The low,
miserable, desert country in the neighbourhood, and Lake Torrens itself,
act as a kind of barrier against the progress of inland discovery at
the back of the colony of South Australia, since it is impossible to
penetrate very far into the interior, without making a great circle
either to the east or to the west. The portion of the bed of the lake
which is exposed is thickly coated with particles of salt; there are few
trees or shrubs of any kind to be found near, nor are grass and fresh
water by any means abundant. Altogether, the neighbourhood of Lake
Torrens would seem a very miserable region, and forms a strong contrast
to the smiling and cultivated district of which it forms the back
country.[28]
[28] These particulars are taken from the South-Australian Almanac
for 1841, pp. 68-73.
Although Australia, in its natural and uncultivated state, abounds in
trees, like most other wild countries, nevertheless, there are vast and
extensive tracts where the plains are entirely bare, or covered only
with a low, thick, and often prickly, bush, or else are what is termed
"open forest," that is, are dotted about with fine trees, dispersed in
various groups, and resembling the scenery of an English park. The
greatest peculiarity of the native forests appears to be, that the
whole of their trees and shrubs are evergreen,[29] although European
trees will flourish in the land of the south without acquiring this
peculiarity, or losing their deciduous character. But it is rather a
subject of complaint against the woods of New Holland, that they have
very little picturesque effect in them, which may be partly owing to
the poverty of the foliage of the prevailing tree, the _eucalyptus_,
(commonly called the _iron-bark_, or _blue gum_, according to its
species,) which seldom has anything ornamental to landscape, either in
the trunk or branches. These sombre trees are, however, very useful for
timber, and they grow to an astonishing height, often rearing up their
lofty heads to 150 feet or upwards. The woods, in general, are very
brittle, partly, it may be, owing to the number of acacias which are to
be found among them; and no experienced bushman likes to sleep under
trees, especially during high winds. We must by no means form our ideas
of the appearance of an Australian forest from that of the neat and trim
woods of our own country, where every single branch or bough, and much
more every tree, bears a certain value. Except that portion which is
required for fuel or materials by an extremely scattered population in a
very mild climate, there is nothing carried off from the forests, and,
were it not for the frequent and destructive fires which the natives
kindle in many parts, no check worth mentioning would be placed upon the
natural increase and decay of the woods of New Holland. The consequence
of this is, that trees are to be seen there in every stage of growth or
ruin; and, occasionally, in very thickly-planted spots, the surface of
the ground is not a little encumbered by the fallen branches and trunks
of the ancient ornaments of the forest. Nor is it by the hand of Time
alone that these marks of destruction are scattered about in the vast
woodlands; the breath of a tremendous storm will occasionally
accomplish, perhaps, as much in a few hours as natural decay would in
many years.[30] Altogether, the forests of Australia may be said to be
in a purely natural state, and thus do they offer to the eye of the
inquiring traveller many objects less pleasing, it may be, but
nevertheless more sublime and solemn, than those with which the woods
of more cultivated countries commonly abound.
[29] See Wentworth's Australasia, vol. i. p. 3.
[30] See Account of the Effects of a Storm at Mount Macedon,
(Mitchell's "Three Expeditions," vol. ii. p. 283.)
To travel without any beaten track through a country clothed, in many
parts, very thickly, by forests like those just described, is in itself
no easy undertaking, and the operation of hewing a way for a mile or two
through the surrounding woods, during the very heat of the day, and
sometimes after a long march, is very trying. But when the exposure
to burning thirst, and to the uncertain disposition of the native
inhabitants is added, the patient endurance of successful explorers
is still more strongly displayed. Nor, although it be only a minor
annoyance, must the pain and inconvenience felt by wanderers in the
bush from the prickly grass, which is found abundantly in the sandy
districts, be forgotten. In those barren sands, where no grass grows,
there are frequently tufts of a prickly bush, which tortures the horses,
and tears to pieces the clothes of the men about their ankles, if they
are walking. This bush, called the prickly grass, and a dwarf tree, the
_Eucalyptus dumosa_, grows only where the soil appears too barren and
loose for anything else; indeed, were it not for these, the sand would
probably drift away, and cover the vegetation of neighbouring spots less
barren and miserable. Against this evil, nature seems to have provided
by the presence of two plants so singularly fitted for a soil of this
description. The root of the _Eucalyptus dumosa_ resembles that of a
large tree; but it has no trunk, and only a few branches rise above
the ground, forming an open kind of bush, often so low that a man on
horseback may look over it for miles. This dwarf tree, and the prickly
grass together, occupy the ground, and seem intended to bind down the
sands of Australia. The size of the roots prevents the bush from growing
very close together, and the stems being without leaves, except at the
top, this kind of _Eucalyptus_ is almost proof against the running fires
of the bush. The prickly grass resembles, at a distance, in colour and
form, an overgrown lavender plant, but the blades of it, consisting of
sharp spikes, occasion most cruel annoyance both to men and horses.
Another inconvenience and danger to which exploring parties are liable,
are those fires in the bush already alluded to; which, whether caused by
accident, or designedly by the natives, are not uncommon events.[31]
"The country seemed all on fire around us."--"All the country beyond the
river was in flames; one spark might have set the whole country on our
side in a blaze, and then no food would remain for the cattle, not to
mention the danger to our stores and ammunition." "Fires prevailed
extensively at great distances in the interior, and the sultry air
seemed heated by the general conflagration;" these expressions convey
rather alarming ideas of the dangers to which travellers are exposed in
the bush, and from which it is not always easy to make good an escape.
[31] On one occasion the progress of the fire was _against the wind_.
See this stated and explained by Major Mitchell, "Three Expeditions,"
vol. i. p. 19.
It may have been observed, possibly, in what has been related of the
country and scenery of New Holland in its natural state, that the
descriptions of very beautiful or fertile spots have been comparatively
few. Now, although it is true that a very large portion of the known
surface of that island is occupied by the sandstone rock, which is in
its very nature utterly barren, nevertheless, it is by no means to
be supposed that there is any scarcity of most rich and beautiful
land--some of it fit for immediate occupation--to be found in most
parts of Australia. In attempting to draw a picture of a distant and
remarkable region, we are almost sure to mark and bring distinctly out
its most peculiar and striking features; the scenes resembling those of
our own quiet and happy land are passed over as tame and familiar, while
the dreariness of the desert, the horrors of a "barren and dry land
where no water is,"--the boundless plains, or the bare mountain-tops,
the lonely shore or the rocky isle--scenes like these, are commonly
dwelt upon and described. In short, the very spots which are least
enticing, _in reality_, for the colonist to settle in, are often most
agreeable, _in description_, for the stranger to read of.
But, since the reader must not be left with the erroneous and unpleasant
impression that the country of which we have been treating is, for the
most part, a mere wilderness, if not a desert, we may select two
recently-discovered districts of it to serve for a favourable specimen
of the beauty and fertility of many others, which cannot now be noticed.
The following description of Wellington Valley (now recently included in
the limits of the colony,) is from the pen of its first discoverer, Mr.
Oxley, and other travellers bear witness that it is not overcharged: "A
mile and a half brought us into the valley which we had seen on our
first descending into the glen: imagination cannot fancy anything more
beautifully picturesque than the scene which burst upon us. The breadth
of the valley, to the base of the opposite gently-rising hills, was
between three and four miles, studded with fine trees, upon a soil which
for richness can nowhere be exceeded; its extent, north and south, we
could not see: to the west, it was bounded by the lofty rocky ranges by
which we had entered it; these were covered to the summit with cypresses
and acacias in full bloom, and a few trees in bright green foliage gave
additional beauty to the scene. In the centre of this charming valley
ran a strong and beautiful stream, its bright, transparent waters
dashing over a gravelly bottom, intermingled with large stones, forming
at short intervals considerable pools, in which the rays of the sun
were reflected with a brilliancy equal to that of the most polished
mirror. The banks were low and grassy, with a margin of gravel and
pebble-stones; there were marks of flood to the height of about twelve
feet, when the river would still be confined within its secondary banks,
and not overflow the rich lands that bordered it. Its usual width is 200
feet; in times of flood it would be from 600 to 800 feet."[32]
[32] See Oxley's Journals, pp. 184-7.
In Australia Felix, as it has been called by its discoverer, Major
Mitchell, which is a much larger district than that just described,
almost every earthly delight and advantage would likewise seem to have
combined to make it a perfect dwelling-place for man. The temperate and
mild climate; the neighbourhood of the sea; the variety and fertility of
its surface; the ranges of lofty and picturesque mountains by which it
is backed; the number of rivers, small and large, by which it is
watered; the comparatively open nature of the country, yet not without
an ample supply of timber close at hand; all these and other advantages
unite in rendering Australia Felix one of the most desirable spots upon
the face of the globe. And the beauties and blessings of a spot like
this, must have stood forth in bold contrast with the dreary, lifeless
plains of the Darling, or Lachlan, which the discoverers of Australia
Felix had so long been engaged in exploring. One of the first harbingers
of the better country, to which the travellers were drawing near, was a
very curious height, called Pyramid Hill, which is formed of granite,
and, being a triangular pyramid, standing quite alone, closely resembles
the monuments of ancient Egypt. It rises 300 feet above the surrounding
plain; its point consists of a single block of granite, and the view
over the neighbouring country was exceedingly beautiful. The scene was
different from anything the travellers had elsewhere witnessed. "A land
so inviting, and still without inhabitants![33] As I stood," continues
the explorer, warming with the thoughts of his discovery, "the first
European intruder on the sublime solitude of these verdant plains, as
yet untouched by flocks or herds, I felt conscious of being the
harbinger of mighty changes; and that our steps would soon be followed
by the men and animals for which it seemed to have been prepared."
Twelve days afterwards, the whole of which had been spent in traversing
a district rich and lovely in the extreme, the first view of a noble
range of mountains (the Grampians) was obtained; they rose in the south
to a stupendous height, and presented as bold and picturesque an outline
as ever painter imagined.[34] And, during a journey of many days, the
same rich and sublime scenery still appeared, mingled together in
beautiful and endless variety. Every day the party of travellers passed
over land which, for natural fertility and beauty, could scarcely be
surpassed; over streams of unfailing abundance, and plains covered with
the richest pasturage. Stately trees and majestic mountains adorned the
ever-varying landscape, the most southern region of all Australia, and
the best. On the river Glenelg, which was discovered about a month after
they had left Pyramid Hill, the land appeared everywhere alike good,
alike beautiful; whether on the finely-varied hills, or in the equally
romantic vales, which opened in endless succession on both banks of the
river. Further on in this lovely district, the British explorers came
upon fresh scenes of surpassing sweetness. A small party of them were
out upon an excursion, when they perceived before them a ridge in the
blue distance--rather an unusual object in that close country. They soon
after quitted the wood through which they had been passing, and found
that they were on a kind of table-land, approaching a deep ravine coming
from their right, which terminated on a very fine-looking open country
below, watered by a winding river. They descended by a bold projection
to the bottom of the ravine, and found there a foaming little river,
hurrying downwards over rocks. After fording this stream, they ascended
a very steep but grassy mountain-side, and, on reaching a brow of high
land, a noble prospect appeared; a river winding among meadows that were
fully a mile broad, and green as an emerald. Above them rose swelling
hills of fantastic shapes, but all smooth and thickly covered with rich
verdure. Behind these were higher hills, all having grass on their
sides, and trees on their summits, and extending east and west
throughout the landscaper as far as could be seen. After riding about
two miles along an entirely open, grassy ridge, the party again found
the Glenelg, flowing eastward towards an apparently much lower country.
The river was making for the coast, (turning southward some miles below
the hill on which they stood,) through a country far surpassing in
beauty and richness any part hitherto discovered.
[33] Not quite so; they soon fell in with a few of the scattered
wanderers of the bush.
[34] See the interesting account of Major Mitchell's ascent to Mount
William, the highest point of these hills.--MITCHELL'S _Three
Expeditions_, vol. ii. pp. 171-181.
What, in fact, is there wanting to the charming and extensive region
just described, or what to hundreds of other fruitful and lovely
districts under the power of the British crown, except _civilised
inhabitants_, and the establishment of _a branch of Christ's "one
Catholic and Apostolic Church_?" The population is ready, nay, even
redundant, in England; nor are the means deficient in a land abounding
beyond all others in wealthy capitalists. But the will, the wisdom, the
understanding heart, the united counsels, are, it is to be feared, and
are likely still to be, wanting with us. May that God who maketh men to
be of one mind in a house or nation, so dispose events, that in due time
the valleys and hills of Australia Felix may be dotted with churches,
and filled with faithful members of Christ! Then will it become a
_happy_ land indeed. Then may its inhabitants feel a lively interest,
both in the _social_ and _religious_ welfare of their country; and each
one may join, from the distant shores of the once unknown Southern Land,
in the holy aspirations of the Royal Prophet: "For my brethren and
companions' sakes I will wish thee prosperity. Yea, because of the house
of the Lord our God, I will seek to do thee good."[35]
[35] Psalm cxxii. 8,9.
CHAPTER III.
NATIVES OF THE BUSH.
In most instances in which a country is taken possession of, and its
original inhabitants are removed, enslaved, or exterminated, the party
thus violently seizing upon the rights of others is considered the
superior and more civilized nation of the two. The very means by which
this advantage is gained are, usually, boldness, and worldly talent,
without which a conquest or successful invasion is impossible; and
these, when prosperous, are qualities which awaken very powerfully the
admiration and attention of men. So that, while earthly prosperity and
excellence are combining to cast a splendour around the actions of the
successful nation, adversity and inferiority do usually join in
blackening the cloud which hangs over the character of that which is
unfortunate. It is not for us to defend these judgments of the world, as
though they were, in any case, altogether righteous judgments, but this
we may safely affirm, in the particular instance of Australia, that,
upon the whole, it is a gain to the cause of truth and virtue for
Christian England to possess those wilds, which lately were occupied by
miserable natives; and, while we own that it is wrong to do evil that
good may come, yet may we, likewise, confess with thankfulness the
Divine mercy and wisdom which have so often brought good out of the
evil committed by our countrymen in these distant lands. It must be
confessed, too, that, whatever may be the amount of iniquity wantonly
committed among the natives of the other portions of the globe, for
which Europe is responsible, still, the Europeans, upon the whole,
stand higher than the inhabitants of the remaining portions, and, of
course, in proportion, very much higher than the most degraded and
least-improved race of savages, the Australian natives. True, indeed,
these despised Australians may, hereafter, rise up in judgment against
Europeans to condemn them; and when that which has been given to each
race of men shall be again required of them, those that have received
the most may frequently be found to have profited the least by the gifts
of Divine Providence. Still, without pretending to pass judgment upon
any, whether nations or individual persons,--without affecting, either,
to close our eyes against the miserable vices by which the Christian
name has been disgraced, and our country's glory sullied, among distant
and barbarous nations, we may with safety speak of the inhabitants of
those heathen lands in terms that are suitable to their degraded state.
In describing their darkened and almost brutal condition, we are but
describing things as they really exist;[36] it changes not the actual
fact to prove that, in many more respects than would at first sight
appear, the behaviour of men of our own _enlightened_ nation is scarcely
less darkened or less brutal than theirs. Nay, the Australian savage, in
his natural state, may be a far higher and nobler character than the
British convict sometimes is in his degraded state; and, nevertheless,
it may be correct to class the nation of the former among barbarians,
and that of the latter among civilized people. But in forming our
judgment respecting the real character of the natives of the Bush we
must beware lest we try them by our own standard,--a standard by which
it is unjust to measure them, since they have never known it, nor ever
had the means of reaching it.[37] Every wise man will make all possible
allowance for the effect of many generations of ignorance and
degradation upon the human soul, and when this has been fairly done, the
truly wise man, the humble Christian, whilst he reads of the deplorable
condition to which the human soul may be reduced, (as it is shown in the
instance before us,) will feel disposed to ask himself, "Who made thee
to differ from others? And what hast thou that thou didst not receive?"
[36] One crime, in which the inhabitants of the neighbouring islands of
New Zealand notoriously indulge, has been charged also upon the people
of New Holland; but, since no mention of their _cannibalism_ is made by
those British travellers who have seen most of the habits of the
natives, it is hoped that the charge is an unfounded one. See, however,
M. Martin's New South Wales, pp. 151-2, and the instance of _Gome Boak_,
in Collins' History of New South Wales, p. 285; and Sturt's Expeditions
in Australia, vol. ii. p. 222.
[37] Nay, our fellow-countrymen in the Australian colonies, can, by no
means, endure a strict trial, even by their own rule of right. Take,
for instance, the following very common case:--The kangaroo disappears
from cattle-runs, and is also killed by stockmen, merely for the sake of
the skin; but no mercy is shown to the natives who may help themselves
to a bullock or a sheep. They do not, it is true, breed and feed the
kangaroos as our people rear and fatten cattle, but, at least, the wild
animals are bred and fed upon their land, and consequently belong to
them.
The native population of Australia is very peculiar in many respects,
not exactly resembling any other known race of human beings in the
world. They are more nearly akin to the Africans than to any others, and
they have, accordingly, been sometimes called _the Eastern Negroes_,
having the same thick lips, high cheek-bones, sunken eyes, and legs
without calves, which distinguish the native of Africa; but, with the
exception of Van Diemen's Land, and the adjoining coasts, the woolly
hair of the negro is not to be found among them, nor is the nose usually
so flat, or the forehead so low. They are seldom very tall, but
generally well made; and their bodily activity is most surprising; nor
is their courage at all to be despised. The Australian native has always
been pointed out as being the lowest specimen of human nature, and,
since, in every scale of degrees, one must be lowest, this is probably
correct enough; yet we are by no means to give too hasty credit to the
accounts of their condition, which have been given by those whose
interest it may have been to represent them in as unfavourable a light
as possible, or whose opportunities of judging have been few and scanty,
compared with their hasty willingness to pass judgment upon them. Men,
more or less busily engaged in killing and taking possession, are not
likely to make a very favourable report of those poor creatures into
whose inheritance they have come; mere self-defence would tempt them to
try to lessen the greatness of their crimes, by asserting the victims of
these to be scarcely deserving of a better fate, and, in the present
instance, the actual condition of the native population would be very
favourable to excuses of this kind. Or, even without this evil intention
of excusing wrong by slandering those that suffer it, many men, with but
few means of understanding their character, may have spoken decidedly
respecting the Australian natives, and that, too, in language even
harsher than their degraded state would justify. Disgusting and horrid
many of their habits and customs undoubtedly are, yet they appear even
more so at first sight, and to one only imperfectly acquainted with
them; especially when (which often happens) not the slightest allowance
is made for the peculiar situation of the savage, but he is taken at
once from the midst of his naked barbarity, and tried by the rules of
refinement and civilization. Recently, indeed, public attention and pity
have been more turned towards the unhappy race of natives, and many
traits have been discovered in their character which would not dishonour
more enlightened nations. The degraded position of those who are in the
midst of the white population affords no just criterion of their merits.
Their quickness of apprehension is often surprising, and nothing,
however new and strange, seems to puzzle or astonish them; so that they
follow closely the advice of the ancient poet:
"Wonder at nought:--the only rule I know
To make man happy, and to keep him so."
"They are never awkward," says Major Mitchell, who was well qualified
to speak from experience; "on the contrary, in manners, and general
intelligence, they appear superior to any class of white rustics that
I have seen. Their powers of mimicry seem extraordinary, and their
shrewdness shines even through the medium of imperfect language, and
renders them, in general, very agreeable companions." We may, therefore,
if our inquiry be accompanied by humility and justice, be able to form a
fair and impartial opinion respecting these people; and the result of an
inquiry of this sort must be, in every well-regulated soul, not merely a
feeling of thankfulness (still less of self-sufficiency,) that we are
far removed from the savage state, but, likewise, a sense of shame,
that, with many of our fellow-countrymen, their superior advantages
have been productive of little or no fruit.
One very remarkable distinction of the natives of the Bush is, the
entire absence of clothing, unless the cloak, made of opossum-skin, worn
by some tribes, can deserve to be thought an exception. Their climate
being, generally speaking, a dry one, and exposure to the air, even at
night, being much less hurtful than in most other countries, this habit
of going without clothing, after the fashion of a brute beast, is by no
means so dangerous in Australia as it would be elsewhere. But, while
they can dispense with _clothes_, like most other savages, they are
extremely fond of _ornaments_,--at least, of what they esteem to be
such: these are teeth of kangaroos, or men, jaw-bones of a fish,
feathers, tails of dogs, pieces of wood, &c., fastened on different
parts of the head, by a sort of gum; while scars, and marks of various
kinds, are made upon the breast, arms, and back; or, upon certain
occasions, as going to war, or mourning for a friend, the body is
streaked over with white and yellow paint, according to the taste of the
party concerned. In two very distant parts of Australia, namely, the
gulf of Carpentaria, and the eastern coast of St. Vincent's Gulf, the
natives practise the rite of circumcision--a remarkable agreement, when
we consider that they are about 1200 miles apart, and have no means of
communication with each other. It is no uncommon custom, either, for the
natives to pierce their noses, and to place a bone or reed through the
opening, which is reckoned a great ornament. But there is another
custom, almost peculiar to Australia, which, from its singularity,
may deserve to be noticed at some length. Among many of the native
tribes,[38] it is usual for the males to have a front tooth, or
sometimes _two_, struck out at the time of their arriving at manhood,
and this ceremony is performed in a most solemn and impressive manner.
The following account of it, from the pen of an eye-witness, may be not
unacceptable to the reader: Lieutenant Collins, the historian of the
infant colony of New South Wales, was present during the whole of this
curious operation, and thus describes the accompanying ceremonies
practised by the natives of that part of Australia:--For seven days
previous to the commencement of the solemnity, the people continued to
assemble, and the evenings were spent in dancing, for which they adorned
themselves in their best manner, namely, by painting themselves white,
and especially by drawing white circles round their eyes. When the field
was prepared, and the youths who were to be enrolled among men were all
placed together upon one side of it, the business began with a loud
shout, and a clattering of shields and spears, from the armed party,
whose office it was to seize the patients about to undergo the
extraordinary operation. This was done one by one, until the whole
number, fifteen, were brought forward, and placed in the midst of the
armed body of men; then each youth was made to sit down, holding his
head downwards, with his hands clasped, and his legs crossed under him,
in which painful posture it was said they were to remain all night,
without looking up or taking any refreshment whatever.[39] The
Carrahdis, or persons who were to perform the operation, now began some
of their strange mummeries. Each one of these, in his turn, appeared to
suffer most extreme agony, and put himself into every posture that pain
could occasion, until, at length, a bone was brought forward, which was
intended to be used in the ensuing ceremony; and the poor youths were
led to believe that the more pain these Carrahdis suffered in obtaining
the bone, the less would be theirs in losing a tooth. The following day
began with the ceremony of the fifteen operators running round upon
their hands and feet, in imitation of the dogs of that country, and
throwing upon the boys, as they passed, sand and dirt with their hands
and feet. The youths were perfectly still and silent, and it was
understood that this ceremony gave them power over the dog, and endowed
them with whatever good qualities that animal might possess.
[38] Speaking of a tribe which he found upon the banks of the Darling,
Mitchell says, "The men retained all their front teeth, and had no
scarifications on their bodies, two most unfashionable peculiarities
among the aborigines." (MITCHELL'S _Three Expeditions_, vol. i. p. 261.)
The same intelligent traveller accounts for the custom of knocking out
the teeth, by supposing it a typical sacrifice, probably derived from
early sacrificial rites. The cutting off the last joint of the little
finger of females, (he adds,) seems a custom of the same kind. It is a
curious observation, that the more ferocious among the natives on the
Darling were those tribes that had _not_ lost their front teeth.--Vol.
ii. p. 345, and vol. i. p. 304.
[39] This was not the fact, however, for Lieut. Collins found them in
a different place, when he went to the spot early in the next morning.
The next part that was performed, was the offering of a sham kangaroo,
made of grass, to the fifteen lads, who were still seated as before. One
man brought the kangaroo, and a second carried some brushwood, besides
having one or two flowering shrubs stuck through his nose, and both
seemed to stagger under the weight of their burdens. Stalking and
limping, they at last reached the feet of the youthful hunters, and
placed before them the prize of the chase, after which they went away,
as though entirely wearied out. By this rite was given the power of
killing the kangaroo, and the brushwood, most likely, was meant to
represent its common haunt. In about an hour's space, the chief actors
returned from a valley to which they had retired, bringing with them
long tails of grass, which were fitted to the girdle. By the help of
this addition, they imitated a herd of kangaroos, one man beating time
to them with a club on a shield, and two others, armed, followed them
and affected to steal unnoticed upon them to spear them. As soon as
these pretended kangaroos had passed the objects of their visit, they
instantly got rid of their artificial tails, each man caught up a lad,
and, placing him upon his shoulders, carried him off in triumph to the
last scene of this strange exhibition.
After walking a short distance, the men put down their burdens, placing
them in a cluster, each boy with his head upon his breast, and his hands
clasped together. In a few minutes, after a greater degree of mystery
and preparation than had been before observed, the youthful band was
brought forward to a place where a number of human beings were seen
lying with their faces to the ground, as if they were dead, and in front
of these was a man seated on a stump of a tree, bearing another man upon
his shoulders, both having their arms extended, while two men, in a like
attitude, were seen also behind the group of prostrate figures. These
first two men made most hideous faces for a few minutes, and then the
lads were led over the bodies lying on the ground, which moved and
writhed, as though in great agony; after which the same strange grimaces
were repeated by the two men who were placed on the further side of the
apparently dead bodies. All the information that could be gained of the
meaning of this, was, that it would make them brave men; that they would
see well and fight well. Then followed a sort of martial exercise with
spear and shield, in the presence of the future warriors, to signify to
them what was to be one great business of their lives--the use of the
spear; and, when this was finished, the preparations for striking out
the tooth commenced. The first subject of this barbarous operation was
chosen, and seated upon the shoulders of a native, who himself sat down
upon the grass; and then the bone was produced, which had cost so much
apparent pain to procure the evening before, and which was made very
sharp and fine at one end, for the purpose of lancing the gum. But for
some such precaution, it would have been impossible to have knocked out
the tooth, without breaking the jaw-bone. A stick was then cut with much
ceremony out of some hard wood, and when the gum of the patient was
properly prepared, the smallest end of the stick was applied to the top
of the tooth, while the operator stood ready with a large stone, as
though about to drive the tooth down the throat of the youth. Here a
certain attention to the number three, which had been before shown, was
again noticed, for no stroke was actually made, until three attempts to
hit the stick had taken place; and, notwithstanding repeated blows, so
firmly was the tooth of the first boy fixed in his gum, that it was full
ten minutes before it was forced out. The sufferer was then removed, his
gum was closed, and he was dressed out in a new style, with a girdle, in
which was stuck a wooden sword, and with a bandage round his head, while
his left hand was placed over his mouth, and he was not allowed to
speak, nor, during that day, to eat. In this manner were all the others
treated, except one only, who could not endure the pain of more than one
blow with the stone, and, breaking away from his tormentors, he managed
to make his escape. During the whole operation a hideous noise was kept
up around the patients, with whom, generally, it seemed to be a point of
honour to endure this pain without a single murmur. Having once gone
through this strange ceremony, they were henceforth admitted into the
company and privileges of the class of men.
And as the commencement of manhood in this way, requires no small
exercise of courage and endurance of pain, so the remainder of the life
of an Australian savage is usually abundant in trials calling for the
like qualities, and demanding both bravery and patience. Whatever may
be the particular evils of civilized society, and however some wild
imaginations may be tempted by these to regard with regret or envy the
enjoyments of savage life, after all it must be confessed, these
enjoyments are, at best, very scanty and very uncertain, whilst the
miseries attendant upon such a state are of a nature continually to try
the patience and weary the spirit of him who has to endure them. Without
dwelling just at present upon the natural wants and sufferings to which
savage men are perpetually exposed in the wilderness of Australia, it is
deplorable to think of how many evils these thinly-scattered tribes are
the cause to each other; enormous and sad is the amount of suffering,
which, even in those lonely and unfrequented regions, human beings are
constantly bringing upon their brethren or neighbours. War, which seems
almost a necessary evil, an unavoidable scourge to man's fallen race, in
all ages and in every country, wears its most deadly aspect, and shows
its fiercest spirit among the petty tribes, and in the personal
encounters of savages like those of whom we are treating. Various causes
of misunderstanding will, of course, arise among them from time to time,
and every trifling quarrel is continued and inflamed by their amazing
and persevering efforts to revenge themselves, which appears to be with
them considered a matter of duty. The shedding of blood is always
followed by punishment, and only those who are _jee-dyte_, or
unconnected with the family of the guilty person, can consider
themselves in safety from this evil spirit of revenge. Little children
of seven or eight years old, if, while playing, they hear that some
murder has taken place, can in a moment tell whether or not they
are _jee-dyte_, and even at this tender age, take their measures
accordingly. An example of this unsparing visitation of offences
occurred not long after the settlement of New South Wales had commenced.
A native had been murdered, and his widow, being obliged to revenge his
death, chanced to meet with a little girl distantly related to the
murderer, upon whom she instantly poured forth her fury, beating her
cruelly about the head with a club and pointed stone, until at length
she caused the child's death. When this was mentioned before the other
natives, they appeared to look upon it as a right and necessary act, nor
was the woman punished by the child's relatives, possibly because it was
looked upon as a just requital.
When a native has received any injury, whether real or fancied, he is
very apt to work himself up into a tremendous passion, and for this
purpose certain war-songs, especially if they are chanted by women, seem
amazingly powerful. Indeed, it is stated, on good authority, that four
or five mischievously-inclined old women can soon stir up forty or
fifty men to any deed of blood, by means of their chants, which are
accompanied by tears and groans, until the men are excited into a
perfect state of frenzy. The men also have their war-songs, which they
sing as they walk rapidly backwards and forwards, quivering their
spears, in order to work themselves up into a passion. The following
very common one may serve for a specimen, both of the manner and matter
of this rude, yet, to them, soul-stirring poetry:--
Yu-do dauna, Spear his forehead,
Nan-do dauna, Spear his breast,
Myeree dauna, Spear his liver,
Goor-doo dauna, Spear his heart,
Boon-gal-la dauna, Spear his loins,
Gonog-o dauna, Spear his shoulder,
Dow-al dauna, Spear his thigh,
Nar-ra dauna, Spear his ribs,
&c. &c. &c. &c. &c. &c.
And thus it is that a native, when he feels afraid, sings himself into
courage, or, if he is already in a bold mood, he heaps fuel upon the
flame of his anger, and adds strength to his fury. The deadly feeling of
hatred and revenge extends itself to their public, as well as to their
private, quarrels, and sometimes shows itself in a very fierce and
unexpected manner. In the valley of the Wollombi, between Sydney and
Hunter's River, some years ago, three boys of a certain tribe had been
persuaded to reside in the families of three of the British settlers
there. These were marked out for vengeance by the natives belonging to
a tribe in a state of warfare with them, about 100 of whom travelled
between 20 and 30 miles during one night--a thing almost unheard of
among the natives--and reached the neighbourhood of the settlers on the
Wollombi very early on the ensuing morning. Two or three of them were
sent to each of the houses to entice the boys out, but these, it
appeared, somewhat suspected the intentions of their enemies. However,
they were at length persuaded to join the native dance, when suddenly a
circle was formed round them, and they were speedily beaten to death
with _waddies_ or clubs. Immediately after which deed, the troop of
natives returned back again to their own neighbourhood. A European
happened to pass by, just as the boys were dying, but being alone and
unarmed, his interference might have been dangerous to himself, without
proving of any the slightest advantage to the unfortunate sufferers.
Another instance of that cowardly cruelty, which will take every
possible advantage of a helpless age and sex occurred many years before
this, when the colony of New South Wales was quite in its infancy. The
father and mother of a little native girl, aged about seven years, had
belonged to a party by whom many robberies had been committed on the
banks of the river Hawkesbury, but an armed troop of Europeans was sent
in pursuit of these robbers, and when a meeting took place, the child's
parents were among those that fell, while she accompanied the victorious
party to the British settlement. Here she behaved herself with
propriety, being a well-disposed child, she was a favourite at
Government-house, where she resided under the protection of the
governor. This circumstance, and the fact of her belonging to a
different tribe from their own, awakened the jealousy of some of the
natives, who belonged to the neighbourhood of Sydney, and she was
consequently put to death in the most cruel manner. Her body was found
in the woods, speared in several places, and with both the arms cut off.
The murderers of the poor child escaped.
But, while we justly condemn and pity the cruel and cowardly acts of
this description, which, unhappily, too often figure among the deeds of
the natives of the Australian Bush, we are by no means to suppose them
wanting in all feeling of kindness and humanity, still less would it be
correct to consider them deficient in true courage. Every allowance
ought to be made for the disadvantages of savage life, for the complete
ignorance of these people, for the difficulty which they frequently have
in procuring necessary food, and for the consequent cheapness in which
life is held among them; and when these and other like arguments are
duly weighed, we may learn not to abominate less the crimes of savages,
but to pity more the unhappy beings who commit them. Indeed, if we go
somewhat further, we may take shame to ourselves and to all civilized
nations, in many of whose practices a counterpart may be found for the
worst sins of the uncultivated, uncivilized heathens.
Within the last few years many crimes have been recorded in our
newspapers, which, though committed in those large English towns,
by some conceived to be centres of civilization, refinement, and
enlightenment, might rival in horror and atrocity the very darkest
deeds of savages.
Many proofs that the disposition of the native Australians is naturally
brave and courageous (however cowardly some of their barbarities may
appear,) could easily be brought forward; but none can be a stronger
proof of this than the coolness and self-possession which they have so
frequently exhibited upon meeting with Europeans, and encountering their
fire-arms for the first time. An example of this occurred in Western
Australia, when Captain Grey's party were on their return home towards
the British settlement of Perth. They were winding their way along on
the summit of a limestone hill not very far from the coast, which formed
a terrace about half a mile in width, with rich grass and beautiful
clumps of trees to adorn it; and while, on the side towards the land,
another terrace arose exactly like it, on the opposite side they
overlooked a bay surrounded by verdant and extensive flats. Their
enjoyment of the lovely scenery of this spot was soon disturbed by the
appearance of a large body of the natives on the high ground to the east
of them; and, although these strangers boldly advanced to within 200
yards of them, all endeavours to bring about an amicable meeting proved
in vain, for the savages shouted to their companions, and these again to
others yet more remote, until the calls were lost in the distance, while
fresh parties of natives came trooping in from all directions. The
question was, how to get rid of these people without bloodshed; and
when an attempt to move quietly forward had been disappointed, by the
Australians hastening on to occupy a thick piece of bush, through which
the English party must pass, at last, Captain Grey, advancing towards
them with his gun cocked and pointed, drove them a little before him,
after which, to complete their dispersion, he intended to fire over
their heads. But, to his mortification and their delight, the gun missed
fire, upon which the natives, taking fresh courage, turned round to make
faces at him and to imitate the snapping of the gun. The second barrel
was then fired over their heads, at which they were alarmed, and made a
rapid retreat, halting, however, upon a rising ground about 300 yards
off, and preparing in earnest for action, when they perceived that they
had suffered no loss. But since they had thus learned to despise the
weapons of European warfare, prompt action was needful to prevent fatal
consequences on both sides. The captain, accordingly, took his rifle
from the man who was carrying it, and directing it at a heap of
closely-matted dead bushes, about two or three yards from the main body
of the enemy, he drove the ball right through it; the dry rotten boughs
crackled and flew in all directions, and the poor savages, confounded at
this new and unfair mode of fighting, hastily dispersed, without any
loss of life having been sustained by either party.[40]
[40] A less serious but even more effectual method of dispersing the
natives, when they became troublesome, and would not quit the settlers'
camp at night, is mentioned by Mitchell. At a given signal, one of the
Englishmen suddenly sallied forth wearing a gilt mask, and holding in
his hand a blue light with which he fired a rocket. Two men concealed
bellowed hideously through speaking-trumpets, while all the others
shouted and discharged their fire-arms into the air. The man in the
mask marched solemnly towards the astonished natives, who were seen
through the gloom but for an instant, as they made their escape and
disappeared for ever.--MITCHELL'S _Expeditions_, vol. ii. p. 290.
On another occasion, not long after this encounter, and in the same
neighbourhood, the party of English explorers fell in with a native
carrying his spear and a handful of fish; he was lost in thought, and
they were close to him before he saw them, but, when he did so, he took
no notice of them. Without even quickening his pace, he continued in his
own course, which crossed their path, and, as he evidently wished to
avoid all communication, the men were ordered to take no notice of him,
and so they passed one another. He must have been a very brave fellow,
observes the captain, to act thus coolly, when an array so strange to
him met his eye. In like manner, when Major Mitchell was riding upon the
banks of the Gwydir, he fell in with a tall native, covered with
pipe-clay, who, although he could never have seen a horse before,
nevertheless, put himself in a posture of defiance, and did not retreat,
until the traveller galloped at him to prevent his attack.
In a different part of New Holland, on the eastern coast, when Flinders
was exploring Pumice-stone River, near Moreton Bay, he was by no means
successful in striking the natives with awe and astonishment. A hawk
having presented itself to view, he thought this afforded a good
opportunity of showing his new friends, the inhabitants of the Bush, a
specimen of the effect and certainty of his fire-arms. He made them
understand what he intended, and they were so far alarmed as to seem to
be on the point of running into the woods, but a plan of detaining them
was discovered, for the seamen placed themselves in front of the
savages, forming a kind of defence; in which situation they anxiously
watched the British officer, while he fired at the bird. What must have
been his feelings at the moment!--the hawk, uninjured, flew away![41]
[41] On a similar occasion, near the Darling, where the inhabitants are
remarkable for their thievish habits, when a crow was shot, in order to
scare them by its sudden death, the only result was, that, before the
bird had reached the ground, one of them rushed forward at the top of
his speed to seize it!--See MITCHELL'S _Expeditions_, vol. i. p. 265.
It is, certainly, no easy task to awaken in the soul of the completely
savage man any great interest or concern in the ways and habits of
civilized life. The fallen nature, of which all mankind are common
partakers, renders it, unfortunately, easy to copy what is evil;
and, accordingly, the drunkenness, the deceitfulness, and general
licentiousness of depraved Europeans find many admirers and imitators
among the simple children of the Australian wilderness; but when
anything good, or decent, or even merely useful, is to be taught them,
then do they appear dull and inapt scholars indeed. Living, as they do,
in a peculiar world, as it were, of their own, they feel little or no
pleasure at hearing of what is going on elsewhere, and it has been
observed by one who had mixed very much with their various tribes, and
had gained considerable knowledge of their language, that, while they
cared not for stories respecting man in his civilized state, anything at
all bearing upon savage life was eagerly listened to and well received.
Once, having described to them some circumstances respecting England and
its inhabitants, the traveller took occasion, from the mention of the
length of days there in summer, to speak of those lands near the North
Pole, where, in summer, the sun never sets, while it never rises for
some weeks during the winter. The natives agreed that this must be
another sun, and not the one seen by them; but, when the conversation
turned upon the people of those northern regions, and the small
Laplander, clothed in skins of the seal, instead of the kangaroo, was
described to them, they were exceedingly delighted; and this picture of
half-savage life, so different from their own, threw quite into the
shade all the other stories they had heard. It is, indeed, really
laughable to find with what cool contempt some of these natives, who
have never had any intercourse with Europeans, treat our comforts, our
tastes, and pursuits. We may contemn and pity them, but they seem to
have very much the same feelings for us. We are horrified at the
greediness with which they devour grubs, and many of them are shocked at
our oyster-eating propensities! A remarkable instance of this occurred
to Captain Flinders in 1798, when he was exploring the eastern coast of
New Holland, and surveying Two-fold Bay. While measuring a base line
upon the beach, the English sailors heard the screams of three native
women, who took up their children and ran off in great alarm. Soon after
this a man made his appearance, armed only with a _waddie_, or wooden
scimetar, but approaching them apparently with careless confidence. The
explorers made much of him, and gave him some biscuit; in return for
which he presented them with a piece of gristly fat, probably of whale.
This was tasted by Captain Flinders, but he was forced to watch for an
opportunity of getting rid of it while the eyes of the donor were not
upon him. But the savage himself was, curiously enough, doing precisely
the same thing with the biscuit, the taste of which was, perhaps, no
more agreeable to him than that of the whale to the Englishman. The
commencement of the trigonometrical operations necessary for surveying
the bay was beheld by the Australian with indifference, if not with
contempt; and he quitted the strangers, apparently satisfied that from
people who could thus seriously occupy themselves there was no great
danger to be feared.
But, whatever may be urged respecting the variety of tastes and the
want of a settled and uniform standard of appeal respecting them;
however it may be argued the rich and luscious fat of a noble whale may
intrinsically surpass the lean and mouldy flavour of dry sea-biscuit;
nevertheless, in many other matters of greater importance, it must be
confessed that the manners and habits of the natives of the Bush are
extremely wretched and evil. And the Christian European, while he dares
not _despise_ them, cannot do otherwise than _pity_ them. The fact has
been already noticed, that these miserable children of nature scarcely
ever wear anything deserving of the name of clothing; and, in many parts
of New Holland, their huts, usually constructed by the women, and
composed of little better materials than bark, or wood, and boughs,[42]
reeds, or clay, scarcely merit the title of human habitations. But it is
not so much in their outward state, as in their moral and social habits,
that this race of men are most pitiable and degraded. One subject which
has been frequently observed to mark the difference not so much between
civilized and uncivilized men, as that between Christians and heathens,
must especially be noticed. Cruel as is _the treatment of women_ in many
other parts of the globe, the inhabitants of Australia seem to go beyond
all other barbarians in this respect. From the best and wisest people of
christian Europe down to the vilest and most degraded tribes of heathen
Australia, a regular scale might be formed of the general mode of
behaviour to the weaker sex among these various nations; and, mostly, it
would be found that the general superiority or inferiority of each
nation is not untruly indicated by the kindness or cruelty with which
their females are usually treated.
[42] See Nehemiah viii. 14, 15.
From their earliest infancy the female children are engaged or betrothed
to a future husband, and in case of his death, they belong to his heir.
But this arrangement is frequently prevented by the horrid practice,
common among these barbarians, of stealing their wives, and taking them
away by main force. Indeed, it seems a rule for the women to follow the
conquering party, as a matter of course; so that on the return of an
expedition into the interior of New Holland, the friendly and
neighbouring natives, being informed that some of the distant and
hostile people had been shot, only observed, "Stupid white fellows! why
did you not bring away the gins?"
Polygamy is not uncommonly practised; and an old man, especially, among
other privileges, may have as many _gins_, or wives, as he can keep, or
maintain. Indeed, the maintenance of a wife is not expensive, since they
are expected to work; and all the most laborious tasks, including that
of supplying a great part of the necessary food for the family, are
performed by them.[43] Hence, they are watched with very jealous care,
being valuable possessions; but, in spite of all precautions, they are
frequently carried off, and that in the most inhuman manner. The _lover_
steals upon the encampment by night, and, discovering where the object
of his affection is, he frequently beats her on the head till she
becomes senseless, and then drags her off through the bushes, as a tiger
would its prey![44] This, of course, is an undertaking attended with
considerable danger; for if the intruder is caught, he will be speared
through the leg, or even killed, by the angry husband or relatives. Thus
many quarrels arise, in which brothers or friends are generally ready
enough to bear a part. But--unlike the courteous and christian customs
of our own country--the poor female, whether innocent or guilty, it
matters not, has no one to take her part; the established rule with
regard to women among these brutal creatures being, "If I beat your
mother, then you beat mine; if I beat your wife, then you beat mine,"
&c. &c. The consequence of these ferocious habits is evident enough in
the appearance of most of the young women, who have any good looks or
personal comeliness to boast of. The number of violent blows upon the
head, or of rude wounds inflicted by the spear, form so many miserable
trophies of victories dearly won by these Australian beauties, and the
early life of one of these unhappy beings is generally a continued
series of captivities to different masters, of wanderings in strange
families, of rapid flights, of bad treatment from other females, amongst
whom she is brought a stranger by her captor; and rarely is a form of
unusual grace and elegance seen, but it is marked and scarred by the
furrows of old wounds; while many females thus wander several hundreds
of miles from the home of their infancy, without any corresponding ties
of affection being formed to recompense them for those so rudely torn
asunder. As may be well imagined, a marriage thus roughly commenced
is not very smooth in its continuance; and the most cruel
punishments--violent beating, throwing spears or burning brands,
&c.--are frequently inflicted upon the weaker party, without any
sufficient provocation having been given. It is evident, that treatment
of this kind, together with the immensely long journeys which they are
compelled to take, always accompanying their husbands on every
excursion, must be very injurious to the constitution and healthiness of
the weaker sex. And to these trials must be added the constant carrying
of those children that are yet unable to travel, the perpetual search
for food, and preparation of it when it is obtained, besides many other
laborious offices performed by the women, all which being reckoned up
together, will form a life of toil and misery, which we may hope is
endured by no other human beings beside the females of Australia. Nor is
such treatment without its ill effect upon the tempers and dispositions
of the female sex. The ferocity of the women, when it is excited,
exceeds that of the men; they deal dreadful blows at one another with
their long sticks, and, if ever the husband is about to spear in the
leg, or beat, one of his wives, the others are certain to set on her,
and treat her with great inhumanity.
[43] The men frequently indulge a great degree of indolence at the
expense of the women, who are compelled to sit in their canoe, exposed
to the fervour of a mid-day sun, hour after hour, chanting their little
song, and inviting the fish beneath them to take their bait; for without
a sufficient quantity to make a meal for their tyrants, who are lying
asleep at their ease, they would meet but a rude reception on their
landing.--COLLINS' _Account of Colony of New South Wales_, p. 387.
[44] Playing at "stealing a wife" is a common game with the Australian
children.
One custom, which to Europeans seems extremely remarkable, is that of
the family name of the _mother_, and not of the _father_, becoming the
surname of the children of either sex. And another, connected with this,
forbids a man from marrying with a woman of his own family name. Each
family has for its crest or sign, or _kobong_, as they call it, some
animal or vegetable; and a certain mysterious connexion is supposed to
exist between a family and its _kobong_; so that a member of the family
will never kill an animal of the same species with his _kobong_, should
he find it asleep; indeed, he always kills it reluctantly, and never
without affording it a chance of escape.[45] This arises from the family
belief that some one individual of the species is their nearest friend,
to kill whom would be a great crime, and is to be carefully avoided.
And, in like manner, a native having a vegetable for a _kobong_ may not
gather it under certain circumstances, and at a particular period of
the year. It is said that they occasionally exchange surnames with
their friends, a custom which is supposed to have prevailed among the
Jews; and they have another practice resembling the same people, which
is, that when a husband dies, his brother takes the wife.[46] Among
beings who hold life so cheaply, it cannot be a matter of surprise that
the destruction of infants should be occasionally practised, more
especially in cases where the child is born with any natural deformity:
nor is it an excuse for these barbarians that the polished nations of
ancient Greece and Italy habitually committed the like atrocities, or
even greater,--considering it in their own choice to rear up their
offspring or not, exactly as it suited their convenience. In fact,
we may learn from this and many other instances, that it is not
_civilisation_ alone, but yet more than that, _Christianity_, by which
the difference between the European and the Australian is produced:--
"In vain are arts pursued, or taste refin'd,
Unless Religion purifies the mind."
[45] These facts may account for the statement mentioned by Collins, of
a native throwing himself in the way of a man who was about to shoot a
crow, whence it was supposed that the bird was an object of worship,
which notion is, however, contradicted by the common practice of eating
crows, of which birds the natives are very fond.--See COLLINS' _Account
of the Colony of New South Wales_, p. 355.
Two young natives, to whom Mr. Oxley had given a tomahawk, discovered
the _broad arrow_, with which it was marked on both sides, and
which exactly resembles the print made by the foot of an emu. Probably
the youths thought it a _kobong_, for they frequently pointed to
it and to the emu skins which the party had with them.--See OXLEY'S
_Journal_, p. 172.
[46] The command in Deut. xxv. only extended to the case of eldest sons
dying without children.
Respecting the languages spoken in different parts of New Holland, it is
doubtful whether they have all a common root or not, but the opinion of
Captain Grey, who was not unqualified to judge, is in favour of their
kindred origin. In so vast an extent of country, among wandering tribes,
that hold little or no communication with each other, great differences
in language were to be expected, and are found to exist. If three men
from the east, the west, and the north of England meet together, they
occasionally puzzle one another by their various dialects; what, then,
must be expected by way of variety in a country between two and three
thousand miles across, without much communication, and totally
differing, at its extreme points, in climate and in animal and vegetable
productions? For new objects new names were, of necessity, invented; but
the resemblance between words signifying objects common everywhere, as,
for instance, the parts of the human body, is said to be remarkable. The
Australian languages are stated to be soft and melodious in their sound,
and their songs, though rude and wild, have amazing power over the
feelings of the soul. _Noise_ would appear to have great charms in
savage ears, and, sometimes, from the high key in which our English
songs are occasionally pitched, it would seem to have charms also for
"ears polite." But an elegant and refined European song would only be
laughed at and mimicked by the musical blacks, some few of whom are not,
however, quite insensible to the sweets of civilised melody. Warrup, a
native servant, was once present when "God save the Queen" was sung in
chorus, and it so affected him, that he burst into tears. He certainly
could not have understood the words, much less could he have entered
into the noble and loyal spirit, of our National Anthem: it must,
therefore, have been the music, and, perhaps, the excitement prevailing
around him, which affected him.
[Illustration: OPOSSUM HUNTING.]
CHAPTER IV.
MEANS OF SUBSISTENCE IN THE BUSH.
One of the most important occupations of every man in this present state
of things, is the pursuit of food and necessary sustenance for himself
and those belonging to him. But this occupation, being in some respects
more difficult, or at least, more uncertain and engrossing, stands more
forward in savage life, and appears more important than ever; while, at
the same time, the contrast upon this subject between the rude child of
nature and the civilized inhabitants of the earth, becomes even stronger
than usual. In glancing over the condition of the native of the Bush in
Australia, with respect to his supply of needful support, and his means
of obtaining it, several truths are to be borne in remembrance, obvious
indeed when pointed out, and yet not unlikely to escape a casual
observer. First, the vast extent of country, compared with the thin and
scattered population it maintains; next, the very different sort of food
required by a savage and a European; and lastly, the various kinds of
food which are used by the inhabitants of the wilderness--are all
matters which must be recollected, if we would form a fair judgment upon
the subject, and do justice to the humble, and apparently scanty, bill
of fare which Nature has provided for those that dwell among her wildest
scenes and in her most secret, recesses. In these spots it is but
rarely, of course, from the mere absence of sufficient provisions, that
any large body of natives can assemble together; but, occasionally, a
feast is prepared for a considerable number, either when some particular
article of food abounds at a certain place and is in full season, or,
especially, when a whale (a fish very common on the coasts of New
Holland) is thrown ashore. In the latter case, it is impossible for us
entirely to enter into the feelings of the savage, for we have never,
unexpectedly, had so large a quantity of what is considered the greatest
delicacy placed at once before us. Hence, when the Australian finds a
whale thrown ashore in his own district, his heart warms and opens with
kind feelings of hospitality; he longs to see all his friends about him,
and large fires are immediately kindled to announce the fortunate and
joyful event. Notice of the feast having been thus given, and a due
invitation forwarded, he rubs himself all over with the blubber, and his
favourite wives are served in the same manner, after which, he begins to
cut his way into the flesh of the whale, the grain of which is about the
firmness of a goose-quill; of this he chooses the nicest morsels, and
either broils them on the fire, or cooks them by cutting them into small
pieces, and spitting them on a pointed stick.
Other natives, attracted by the flaming signal of revelry, soon assemble
in gay companies from all quarters: by night they dance and sing, and by
day they eat and sleep, and the feast continues unchecked until they at
last fairly eat their way into the whale, and may be seen climbing in
and about the carcase choosing their favourite pieces. The fish, in a
few days, becomes more disagreeable than ever, but still they will not
leave it, until they have been completely gorged with it,--out of temper
from indigestion, and therefore engaged in frequent quarrels. And, even
when they are, at length, obliged to quit the feast, they carry off with
them as much as they can stagger under, to eat upon the way, and to take
as a rarity to their distant friends. Such is a true picture of a native
Australian feast, and the polished sons and daughters of Europe will
turn away from it with feelings of unmingled disgust. But, with how many
of these is life itself a perpetual series of feasting, less gross and
disgusting indeed, but not less really sensual than this! How many
inhabitants of civilised countries live continually as though the
saying, "Let us eat and drink, for to-morrow we die" were the whole sum
and substance of practical wisdom! Yet if it were so, who would be more
happy, who more blessed in his situation, than the savage devouring, day
after day, the food his heart delights in?
But a whale-feast is an event of no ordinary kind in the life of an
inhabitant of the Bush, and, if we would know how the common sustenance
of life is procured by him, we must follow him through a variety of
scenes and pursuits, of which, by no means the least important or
interesting, is the chase of the kangaroo.[47] This singular and
harmless creature is now so well known to Europeans, from specimens that
have been brought over and placed in our public collections of animals,
and also from numberless pictures, that it would be waste of time to
stop to describe it. In truth, being one of the productions peculiar to
Australia, it may be said, from the figures of it to be seen upon the
back of every book relating to that country, to have become almost the
_kobong_ or crest of that southern region. In many portions of New
Holland, particularly where the country is wooded and the soil tolerably
fertile, kangaroos are very abundant; but so great havoc is made among
these defenceless creatures by their various enemies, especially by man,
that their numbers appear to be upon the decrease.[48]
[47] The wild dog is also an object of chase, and its puppies are
considered great dainties; but they are sometimes saved, in order to
bring them up in a tame state, in which case they are taken by one of
the elder females of the family, and actually reared up by her in all
respects like one of her own children!
[48] It is a saying among the natives, "Where white man sit down,
kangaroo go away."
A day's hunting is often the cause of no small excitement, even in
England, among men who care nothing for the object of their chase, and
are certain of a good dinner at the end of their day's sport; but we may
suppose this to be a matter of more serious interest to the Australian,
who depends upon his skill and patience in hunting for his daily food.
His whole manner and appearance, accordingly, are changed on these
occasions; his eyes brighten up, his motion becomes quick though silent,
and every token of his eagerness and anxiety is discoverable in his
behaviour. Earth, water, trees, sky, are all in turn the subjects of his
keenest search, and his whole soul appears to be engaged in his two
senses of sight and hearing. His wives, and even his children, become
perfectly silent, until, perhaps, a suppressed whistle is given by one
of the women, denoting that she sees a kangaroo near her husband, after
which all is again quiet, and an unpractised stranger might ride within
a few yards of the group, and not perceive a living thing. The devoted
animal, meanwhile, after listening two or three times without being able
to perceive any further cause of alarm, returns to its food or other
occupation in complete security, while the watchful savage poises his
spear, and lifts up his arm ready for throwing it, and then advances
slowly and with stealth towards his prey, no part moving but his legs.
Whenever the kangaroo looks round, its enemy stands still in the same
position he is in when it first raises its head, until the animal, again
assured of safety, gives a skip or two, and goes on feeding: again the
native advances, and the same scene occurs, until the whizzing spear
penetrates the unfortunate creature, upon which the whole wood rings
with sudden shouts; women and children all join in the chase, and, at
last, the kangaroo, weakened from loss of blood and encumbered by the
spear, places its back against a tree, and appears to attack its pursuer
with the fury of despair. Though naturally a timid animal, it will,
when it is hard pressed for life, make a bold stand; and, if hunted by
Europeans, will sometimes wait for the dogs and tear them with its hind
claws, or squeeze them with its fore arms, until the blood gushes out of
the hound's nostrils; and sometimes the poor creature will take to the
water, and drown every dog that comes near it.[49] But by the natives
the poor beast is generally soon dispatched with spears thrown from a
distance, and its body is carried off by its conqueror and his wives to
some convenient resting-place where they may enjoy their meal.
[49] Martin's New South Wales, p. 131.
There is likewise another mode of hunting the same animal, in which many
persons join together, and which, though more lively and noisy, is not
so characteristical as the first. A herd of kangaroos are surprised
either in a thick bushy place, to which they have retired during the
heat of the day, or else in an open plain. In the first case, they are
encircled by a party, each native giving a low whistle, as he takes up
his place, and when the blockade is finished, the bushes are set on
fire, and the frightened animals fly from the flames towards the open
plains; but no sooner do they approach the outskirts of the wood, than
the bushes are fired in the direction in which they are running, while
they are driven back by loud calls and tremendous cries, which increase
their terror, and they run wildly about, until, at length, maddened by
fear, they make a rush through their enemies, who allow but few of them
to escape. When the kangaroos are surrounded upon a plain, the point
generally chosen is an open bottom encircled by wood; each native has
his place given him by some of the elder ones, and all possible means
that art, or experience, or the nature of the ground, can furnish, are
employed to ensure success in approaching as nearly as may be towards
the animals without disturbing them. Thus the circle narrows round the
unwary herd, till at last one of them becomes alarmed, and bounds away;
but its flight is speedily stopped by a savage with fearful yells; and
before the first moments of terror and surprise have passed by, the
armed natives come running upon them from every side, brandishing their
spears, and raising loud cries; nor does the slaughter, thus commenced,
commonly finish before the greater number of them have fallen. These
public hunts are conducted under certain rules; for example, the
supposed owner of the land must be present, and must have invited the
party, or a deadly fight between human beings is pretty sure to take
place. The first spear that strikes a kangaroo settles whose property
the dead animal is to be; however slight the wound, and even though
inflicted by a boy only, this rule holds good; and if the creature
killed is one which the boy may not yet lawfully eat,[50] then his right
passes on to his father, or nearest male relative. The cries of the
hunters are said to be very beautiful and expressive, and they vary at
different periods of the chase, being readily understood and answered by
all, so that they can thus explain their meaning to one another at a
very great distance.
[50] See page 79.
But, since the kangaroo is one of the principal articles of food in the
wilds of New Holland, there are yet other modes of taking it, which are
commonly practised.
Sometimes they use the ordinary methods of catching it in nets or
pitfalls. Occasionally, also, in a dry district, where many animals
assemble together from a great distance to drink at some solitary piece
of water, the huntsman builds for himself a rude place of shelter, in
which for hours he remains concealed and motionless, until the thirsty
animals approach in sufficient numbers. Then kangaroos, cockatoos,
pigeons, &c. are attacked and destroyed without mercy, and the patience
of the hunter is commonly richly rewarded by the booty he obtains.
But the mode of tracking a kangaroo until it is wearied out, is the one
which, beyond all others, commands the admiration of the Australians,
for it calls forth the exercise of every quality most highly prized
among savages, skill in following traces, endurance of hunger and
thirst, unwearied bodily exertion, and lasting perseverance. To perform
this task the hunter starts upon the track of the kangaroo, which he
follows until he catches sight of the animal, as it flies timidly before
him; again he pursues the track, and again the object of his pursuit
bounds away from him; and this is repeated until nightfall, when the
pursuer lights his fire and sleeps upon the track. With the first light
of day the hunt is renewed, and, towards the close of the second day, or
in the course of the third, the kangaroo, wearied and exhausted by the
chase, will allow the hunter to approach near enough to spear it. None
but a skilful hunter, in the pride of youth and strength can perform
this feat, and one who has frequently practised it always enjoys great
fame amongst his companions.
When the kangaroo has been obtained in some one or other of these
various methods, the first operation is to take off the skin of the
tail, the sinews of which are carefully preserved to sew cloaks or bags,
or to make spears. The next thing to be thought of is the cooking of the
flesh; and two modes of doing this are common. One of these is to make
an oven by digging a hole in the sand, and lighting a fire in it; when
the sand is well heated, and a large heap of ashes is collected, the
hole is scraped out, and the kangaroo is placed in it, skin and all;
it is then covered over with ashes, and a slow fire is kept up above
it; when baked enough, it is taken out and laid upon its back, the
intestines are then removed, and the whole of the gravy is left in the
body of the animal, which is carefully taken out of the skin, and then
cut up and eaten. Travellers in the Bush speak very highly of the
delicious flavour of the meat thus curiously cooked. The other mode of
dressing is merely to broil different portions of the kangaroo upon the
fire, and it may be noticed that certain parts, as the blood, the
entrails, and the marrow, are reckoned great dainties. Of these the
young men are forbidden to partake. Of the blood a sort of long sausage
is made, and this is afterwards eaten by the person of most consequence
in the company.
Another abundant source of food is supplied to the native population
of New Holland at certain seasons, in particular situations, by the
various sorts of fish which abound on its coasts, and in its bays and
inlets. From this, most probably, arises the fact observed by Captain
Flinders, that the borders of bays, and entrances of rivers, are in New
Holland always most thickly peopled. And Collins mentions a sort of
fancied superiority, which these people pretend to, above those that
dwell in the more inland parts. "The natives of the coast," he says,
"when speaking of those in the interior, constantly expressed themselves
with contempt and marks of disapprobation." So very similar are the airs
and vanity of a savage, to those in which civilised man indulges. The
three most common modes of catching fish are, by spearing them, taking
them by means of a weir constructed across places which are left nearly
dry at low water, or after a flood, and enclosing them in a net,
prepared by the women out of grassy fibres, and one of their greatest
efforts of ingenuity.[51] Nothing very remarkable is to be noticed in
these modes of fishing, except it be the speed with which they run along
the shore, and the certainty with which they aim their spears at the
inhabitants of the shallow bays and open lakes. As surely as the natives
disappear under the surface of the water, so surely will they reappear
with a fish writhing upon the point of their short spears; and even
under water their aim is always correct. One traveller, Sturt, is of
opinion that they seldom eat the finny tribes when they can get anything
else, but this idea seems scarcely to agree with the report of others.
At all events, whether from choice or not, a large proportion of their
subsistence is derived from the waters. With regard to the cookery of
their fish, the Australian barbarians are said to have a most admirable
method of dressing them, not unworthy of being copied by other nations.
If the fish are not simply broiled upon the fire, they are laid in a
piece of paper bark, which is wrapt round them, as paper is folded round
a cutlet; strings of grass are then wound tightly about the bark and
fish, which is slowly baked in heated sand, covered with hot ashes; when
it is sufficiently cooked, the bark is opened, and answers the purpose
of a dish; it is, of course, full of juice and gravy, not a drop of
which has escaped. The flavour of many sorts of fish thus dressed is
said to be delicious, and sometimes pieces of kangaroo and other meats
are cooked in the same manner.
[51] "Among the few specimens of art manufactured by the primitive
inhabitants of these wilds, none come so near our own as the net, which,
even in its quality, as well as in the mode of knotting, can scarcely
be distinguished from those made in Europe."--MITCHELL'S _Three
Expeditions_, vol. ii. p. 153.
The seal is exceedingly abundant on many parts of the Australian coast,
and is also useful to the natives for purposes of food, while the
pursuit of this creature is an exciting sport for the inhabitants of the
southern and western shores of New Holland. The animal must be surprised
upon the beach, or in the surf, or among the rocks that lie at no great
distance from the shore; and the natives delight in the pursuit,
clambering about the wild crags that encircle their own land; sometimes
leaping from one rock to another, spearing the fish that lie in the
quiet pools between, in the next moment dashing into the surf to fight
with a seal or turn a turtle; these are to them agreeable and joyous
occupations. And when we remember that their steps are followed by a
wife and children, as dear to them, probably, as ours are to us, who are
witnesses of their skill and activity; and who, when the game is killed,
will help to light the fire with which it is to be cooked, and to drag
it to the resting-place, where the father romps with his little ones
until the meal is made ready; when we recollect, likewise, that all
this takes place in a climate so mild and genial, that a house is not
necessary, we shall feel less surprise at the difficulty of persuading
an inhabitant of the Bush to fall into European customs, and submit to
the trammels of civilised life.
The turtle, must by no means be forgotten, in an account of the
different articles of provision upon which an Australian has to depend
for his supply. These useful creatures are to be found chiefly on the
coast in the warmer portions of New Holland, and are in high season
about December and January, the height of summer in Australia. The green
turtles are surprised upon the beach when they come to lay their eggs;
but the fresh-water turtle is found (as its name implies,) in fresh
lakes and ponds, at the season when these are most dried up, and their
margin is overgrown with reeds and rushes. Among these the natives wade
with stealthy pace, so quietly indeed, that they even creep upon wild
fowl and spear them. The turtles swim lazily along the surface of the
water, biting and smelling the various aquatic plants they meet with,
but as soon as they are alarmed, they sink to the bottom instantly. The
pursuer puts out his foot, (the toes of which he uses to seize anything,
almost as we use our fingers,) and gropes about with it among the weeds
at the bottom of the water until he feels the turtle; and then, holding
it to the ground, he plunges his hands and arms in and seizes his prey.
In this manner two or three men have been known to take fourteen turtles
in a very short time; but these are small, weighing from one to two
or three pounds each. The fresh-water turtle is cooked, after the
Australian fashion, by being baked, shell and all, in hot ashes; and
when it is sufficiently dressed, the bottom shell is removed with ease,
and the whole animal remains in the upper shell, which serves for a
dish. They are generally very fat and delicious, so that the New
Hollanders are extremely fond of them, and the turtle season, being an
important part of the year, is looked forward to with pleasure. The
green turtles, which are a much larger animal, found only by the
sea-side, are taken when crawling on the beach. If they by accident
get upon their backs, they are unable to right themselves, and perish
miserably, so that nothing more is necessary to secure them, than to
place them in that posture, and they may be taken away and devoured
at leisure. Among Wellesley Islands, at the bottom of the Gulph of
Carpentaria, in the north of New Holland, Captain Flinders obtained in
one day, in this manner, no less than forty-six turtles, the least of
them weighing 250lbs, and the average being about 300lbs; besides which,
many that were not wanted, because there was no room to stow them away,
were turned again, and suffered to make their escape.
Opossum hunting offers another means of supplying food to the
Australians, and as these quadrupeds usually dwell in the hollows of
decayed trees, and ascend the trees when they are at all alarmed, the
mode of pursuing them is of a new and different character. The first
thing to be done is to ascertain that the opossum has really concealed
itself somewhere in the tree. To discover this the holes made by the
nails of the animal in the bark as it climbed up, are sufficient; only,
one of these footmarks having a little sand in it is anxiously sought
for, and if this sand sticks together, when the hunter blows gently upon
it, it is a proof, since it is not dry enough yet to blow away, that the
opossum has gone up into the tree that very morning. The dextrous savage
then pulls out his hatchet,[52] a rude _stone hatchet_--unless he has
been fortunate enough to get a better one from some European, and cuts a
notch in the bark of the tree sufficiently large and deep to receive the
ball of his great toe. The first notch being thus made, about four feet
from the ground, he places the toe of his right foot in it, throws his
right arm round the tree, and with his left hand sticks the point of the
handle of his hatchet into the bark, as high up as he can reach, and
thus forms a stay to drag himself up with. This first step being made
good, he cuts another for his left foot, and so on, always clinging with
the left hand and cutting with the right, resting the whole weight of
the body upon the toe of either foot, until the hole is reached where
the opossum lies hidden, which is then compelled by smoke, or by being
poked out, to quit its hiding place; when the conqueror, catching hold
of his victim's tail, dashes it down on the ground, and quietly descends
after it. As the bite of the opossum is very painful and severe, due
care is taken, in laying hold of it, to keep clear of all danger from
its teeth. Occasionally trees of 130 feet in height have been observed,
which had been _notched_ by the natives up to at least eighty feet! and
the old notches are never again used, but new ones are cut every time.
Strange to tell, this very difficult operation of following the opossum
is not uncommonly performed by moonlight, some persons moving onwards to
detect the animal feeding, while others follow, creeping after them with
fire-sticks; and it is curious to watch the dark body of the savage,
climbing the tree, contrasted with the pale moonlight. The Australians
are fond of these expeditions, the end of which is the same as of the
others conducted in broad daylight--the poor opossum is reached, and
knocked down with a stick, or shaken off the branch to which he had fled
as a last retreat.
[52] "Their only cutting implements are made of stone, sometimes of
jasper, fastened between a cleft stick with a hard gum."--MARTIN'S
_New South Wales_, p. 147. "The use of the 'mogo,' or stone-hatchet,
distinguishes the barbarous from the 'civil' black fellows, who all
use iron tomahawks."--MITCHELL'S _Three Expeditions in Eastern
Australia_, vol. i. p. 4.
Birds form a considerable article of food in the wilds of New Holland,
and there are many various sorts of them, as well as many different
modes of killing and ensnaring them, which it would be tedious to dwell
upon; but the emu, or cassowary, is too important and remarkable to be
passed over. This bird is very large, and its covering resembles hair
more than feathers; it is not able to fly, but it can run more swiftly
than the fleetest dogs, and its kick is violent enough to break a man's
leg: it is however easily tamed. The instinctive dread which these
animals in their wild state have of man is very remarkable. It was
observed by Major Mitchell, on various occasions during his journeys,
that the first appearance of large quadrupeds--bullocks and horses, did
not scare the emu or kangaroo; but that, on the contrary, when they
would have fled from the first approach of their enemy man, advancing
singly, they would allow him to draw near when mounted, and even to
dismount, fire from behind a horse, and load again, without attempting
to run off. In hunting the emu, it matters not how much noise is made,
for the natives say that bird is quite deaf, although its sight is keen
in proportion. The kangaroo must be pursued as silently as possible.
Emus are killed in the same manner as kangaroos, but they are more
prized by the natives, and the death of one of these birds awakens a
greater excitement in the spectators; shout succeeds shout, and the
distant sojourners take up the cry, until it is sometimes reechoed for
miles; yet the feast which follows is very exclusive, the flesh of the
emu, which, except in one part which tastes like beef, is very oily,
being thought by far too delicious to be made a common article of food.
Young men and unprivileged persons are forbidden to touch it, on pain of
severe penalties, which are strictly enforced. The emus are generally
found, like the kangaroos, in tolerably fertile spots, and like them,
also, are fast disappearing from the neighbourhood of the haunts of
Europeans. The destruction of cockatoos with the weapon, or throwing
stick, called a _kiley_,[53] the hunting and snaring of different sorts
of wild fowl, afford ample room for a display of that cunning, skill,
and amazing patience, which distinguish the character of uncivilized
man. One curious way of catching birds in Australia is certainly
original, if it be but correctly reported. It is said that a native
will, in the heat of the sun, lay down as if asleep, holding a bit of
fish in his hand; the bird seeing the bait, seizes on the fish, and the
native then catches it! But enough has now been stated respecting the
various ways in which game is taken in the bush. And although, perhaps,
enough has been said concerning Australian cookery, yet the mode in
which they cook the birds in that country, similar indeed to the methods
already mentioned, may briefly be noted. When the natives wish to dress
a bird very nicely, the entrails are taken out and cooked separately,
(being considered a great delicacy,) after the example of the admirers
of woodcocks in England. A triangle is then formed round the bird by
three red hot pieces of stick, against which ashes are placed, hot coals
are also stuffed into the inside of the bird, and it is thus quickly
cooked, and kept full of gravy. In the opinion of Captain Grey, wild
fowl dressed in this manner, on a clean piece of bark, was as good a
dish as he had ever eaten.
[53] The kiley, or boomerang, is a thin curved missile, which can be
thrown by a skilful hand so as to rise upon the air, and its crooked
course may be, nevertheless, under control. It is about two feet four
inches in length, and nine and a half ounces in weight. One side, the
uppermost in throwing, is slightly convex, the lower side is flat. It
is amazing to witness the feats a native will perform with this weapon,
sometimes hurling it to astonishing heights and distances, from which,
however, it returns to fall beside him; and sometimes allowing it to
fall upon the earth, but so as to rebound, and leap, perhaps, over a
tree, or strike some object behind.
But there are many other kinds of food which custom, and perhaps
necessity, have rendered palatable to the people of New Holland, but
which we can regard only with disgust and aversion. Among these it may
be scarcely just to reckon _frogs_, since they are an article of food in
one of the most polished nations of Europe, and those who have tasted
them properly dressed have usually no fault to find with their flavour.
The season in Australia for catching frogs and fresh-water shell-fish,
is when the swamps are nearly dried up by the heat; these animals then
bury themselves in holes in the mud, and the native women, with their
long sticks, and taper arms, which they plunge up to the shoulder in the
slime, manage to drag them out. In summer a whole troop of females may
be seen paddling about in a swamp, slapping themselves to kill the
mosquitoes and sandflies, and every now and then plunging their arms
down into the mud, and dragging forth their prey. Sometimes one of these
women may be seen with ten or twelve pounds' weight of frogs in her bag.
Frogs are cooked on a slow fire of wood-ashes, and being held in one
hand by the hind legs, a dexterous pinch with the finger and thumb of
the other at once removes the lower portion of the intestines, and the
remainder of the little animal is then taken at a mouthful. Muscles are
also abundant in the rivers, and in the north-western parts of New
Holland they form a principal article of food; but in the south-western
districts the inhabitants will not touch them, for there is a tradition
that some persons long ago ate them and died by means of sorcerers,
who considered that fish to be their peculiar property. Grubs are a
favourite food with some of the Australian natives, and, in order to
procure them, they are at the pains of breaking off the top of the trees
frequented by these grubs, since, until its top is dead, the trees do
not afford a proper abode for them. Grubs are eaten either raw, or
else roasted in much the same manner as the fish are. But taste is
proverbially a subject concerning which there is no accounting by
reason, as we must confess when we find _snakes_, _lizards_, _rats_,
_mice_, and _weasels_ among Australian dainties. The smaller quadrupeds
are not skinned before they are cooked, but are dressed with the skin,
the fur being only singed off; and hunger renders these not only
palatable but digestible. Salt is rarely or never used by the natives,
until they have been taught its use by Europeans; and even then they do
not relish it at first, any more than other sauces or condiments;
indeed, it is quite laughable to see their grimaces the first time that
they taste _mustard_ upon a piece of meat.
Among vegetable productions there are many roots, which are eaten by the
natives. It is commonly the office of the women to dig for roots, for
which purpose they carry a long pointed stick to loosen the earth, and
that is afterwards scooped up by the fingers of the left hand. Their
withered arms and hands, covered with earth by digging and scraping
after food, resemble, as they advance in years, the limbs and claws of
a quadruped more than those of a human being. In stiff soils, this
operation of digging can only be performed when the earth is moist, but
in loose sandy soils it may be always done, and, on this account, the
visits of the natives to different spots are regulated by the season of
the year; as, for example, the roots that grow in the clay are not in
season, because not to be got at, in the parching and dry months of
summer. No plant bearing seeds is allowed to be dug up after it has
flowered, and the natives are very careful in observing this rule. A
considerable portion of the time of the women and children is occupied
in getting up the various eatable roots, which are either roasted, or
else devoured in a raw state; some resembling onions and others potatoes
in their flavour. One root, called the _mene_, has rather an acid taste,
and when eaten alone, it is said to disorder the bowels; but the natives
in the southern parts pound it between two stones, and sprinkle over it
a few pinches of a kind of _earth_, which forms, together with the
bruised root, a sort of paste, that is thought exceedingly good, and
quite free from all injurious properties. A kind of paste, which is
sometimes baked into a cake, is also formed of many other roots. All
these grow wild, and are used exactly in their natural state, unless
burning the leaves of one plant in dry seasons to improve the root, or
similar trifling pains respecting their growth, can deserve the name of
cultivation. The fungus is also greedily devoured by the unfastidious
natives of Australia, and a kind of gum, resembling what is in England
called _gum-tragacanth_, is very abundant and popular among them. One
traveller, Captain Sturt, who was among the first to notice the use of
this peculiar food, imagined that it was eaten only from dire necessity.
Indeed, it is an amusing proof of the occasional errors into which hasty
impressions will lead intelligent men, that he pities as "unfortunate
creatures reduced to the last extremity" those who were, in reality,
regaling themselves upon a favourite luxury. During summer the acacias,
growing in swampy plains, are positively loaded with this gum, and the
natives assemble in great numbers to feast upon it. On such occasions a
sort of fair is held among those that frequent these yearly meetings,
and fun, frolic, and quarrelling of every description prevail, as in
similar meetings of our own countrymen.
The pulp of the nut of a species of palm is called _by-yu_, and it is a
curious fact, that, although in its natural state this is a rank poison,
the natives have, nevertheless, a method of depriving it of its
mischievous qualities, and it becomes an agreeable and nourishing
article of food. Europeans, ignorant of the mode of preparing this nut,
are sure to pay for their rashness, if they venture to eat it in its
unprepared state. The women collect these nuts from the palms in the
month of March, (the beginning of autumn,) and leave them to soak for
several days in some shallow pool; after the _by-yu_ has been
sufficiently soaked, they dig, in a dry sandy place, holes about one
foot across and nearly two feet in depth: these holes are lined with
rushes, and filled with nuts, over which last a little sand is
sprinkled, and then all is covered nicely up with the tops of the
grass-tree. And thus, in about a fortnight, the pulp which encloses the
nut becomes quite dry, and it is then fit for use: but if eaten before,
it produces the bad effects already mentioned. The pulp is eaten both
raw and roasted; in the latter state, the taste is said to be equal to
that of a chestnut; but this process has no effect whatever upon the
kernels, which act still as a strong emetic and purgative. This subject
of the sources whence the Australians derive their daily food from God,
who, whether in the north or the south, in the east or the west, is
still found "opening his hand," and "filling all things living with
plenteousness," might easily be extended even yet more; for in so vast a
tract of country as New Holland, the varieties of animal and vegetable
food, and the different modes of obtaining it, must evidently be very
numerous. Enough, however, has been stated to enable the reader to judge
respecting the means of subsistence possessed by the inhabitants of the
Bush; and it will be easily seen that this mode of living appears, at
the first view, more precarious and less laborious than it really is. It
is not so precarious a life as it seems to be, because the articles
needful for support, of one kind or another, are perpetually at hand to
those who can find them and use them, whilst Europeans, or even natives
from a distant part, are often, for want of this power, in danger of
starving in the midst of plenty.[54] At the same time, the savage, free
from servile toil and daily labour though he may appear to be, does in
truth earn his living quite as laboriously as others do; nor is he, of
all men, the most exempt from the general curse which sin has brought
down upon us: "In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread." Enough,
likewise, has been stated respecting the supplies provided in the
wilderness for its inhabitants to qualify us to perceive how very
serious an injury is inflicted upon the original people of a district in
Australia, when Europeans _sit down_, as they term it, (i.e. _settle_,)
upon their lands. We might imagine (however Utopian may be the fancy) a
body of able agriculturists settling in a country but poorly cultivated,
and while they occupied a portion of the land belonging to the first
inhabitants, rendering what remained to these more valuable by proper
cultivation, than the whole had originally been. But nothing of the kind
is possible with people accustomed from their infancy to habits of life
and means of subsistence like those of the Australians. Occupy their
land, and the wild animals must be destroyed or driven away; the wild
plants and roots ploughed up or burnt; or, at all events, the wild
owners of that land must (however rightful, however ancient, their claim
of possession) be warned off from their own soil, and, as trespassers,
made liable to punishment according to law,--to European law.
[54] For instance, the natives on the river Bogan used the new
tomahawks, given them by Major Mitchell, in getting wild honey--a food
very commonly eaten in Australia--from the hollow branches of the trees.
It seemed as though, in the proper season, they could find it almost
everywhere. "To such inexpert clowns as they probably thought us,"
continues the Major, "the honey and the bees were inaccessible, and
indeed, invisible, save only when the natives cut the former out, and
brought it to us in little sheets of bark; thus displaying a degree of
ingenuity and skill in supplying wants, which we, with all our science,
could not hope to attain." They caught a bee, and stuck to it, with gum
or resin, some light down of a swan or owl: thus laden, the bee would
make for its nest in some lofty tree, and betray its store of
sweets.--MITCHELL'S _Three Expeditions_, vol. i. p. 173.
We are not to suppose from the wandering character of the life usually
led by them, that these human beings have no notion of property in land.
On the contrary, it is an opinion held by men best able to judge, and
supported by sufficient proof, that, not only have the various tribes
their fixed boundaries of hunting-ground, which they cannot cross
without the risk of a quarrel with their neighbours, but that even
individual persons possess property of this nature, which is handed
down, according to certain laws, from father to son. A curious example
of this strictness about property, exceeding even the ideas of Europeans
upon the subject, was found upon the banks of the river Darling, where
different tribes occupy different portions of the stream whence all
equally derive the chief part of their subsistence. One of these tribes
desired Major Mitchell's men to pour out the water which they had taken,
as if it had belonged to them, and at the same time they dug a hole in
the ground to receive it, when poured out. Nay, so strongly are the
river chiefs possessed with a notion of the water being their own, that
they have been seen, on receiving a tomahawk, to point to the stream,
signifying that the strangers were at liberty to take water from it.
Indeed, the main difference between the property of the native and
that of the colonist, consists in the very dissimilar uses to which
the parties apply their possessions. The one holds his lands for a
cattle-run or a farm, the other employs his in feeding kangaroos or in
growing wild roots. But both agree in punishing intruders, both profess
alike to esteem the rights of property to be sacred; and yet how
questionable, how opposite to these professions must the conduct of
Europeans seem, when they fix themselves upon certain spots, without
taking any notice of the vested rights of the former inhabitants, and
then threaten, or even shoot them, if they are found lingering among
their old haunts, upon their own estates! Or, if no open violence is
offered, "the sheep and cattle," to borrow the words of a kind-hearted
traveller, "fill the green pastures, where the kangaroo was accustomed
to range until the stranger came from distant lands, and claimed the
soil." The first inhabitants, unless they remove beyond the limits of
the colony, are hemmed in by the power of the white population, and
deprived of the liberty of wandering at will through their native wilds,
and compelled to seek shelter in close thickets and rocky fastnesses;
where, however, if they can find a home, they have great difficulty in
finding a subsistence, for their chief support, the kangaroo, is either
destroyed or banished. In 1772, when the French discoverer, Monsieur
Marion, was exploring Van Dieman's Land, he found the coast well
inhabited, as the fires by day and night bore witness, and on anchoring
in Frederic Hendrick's Bay, about thirty men assembled upon the shore.
And now, only seventy years later, what has become of the grandchildren
and descendants of those unfortunate natives? Let the reply to this
inquiry be made in the very words given in evidence before a Committee
of the House of Commons, in 1838.[55]--"_There is not a native in Van
Dieman's Land._ The last portion that was secured was sent to a small
island called Gun Carriage Island, where they are maintained at the
expense of government, and I believe some attempts at civilisation have
been made.--There has been a lingering desire to come back again; but
they have no means of getting back; the island is some distance from Van
Dieman's Land; they are pining away and dying very fast.--I believe more
than one half of them have died, not from any positive disease, but from
a disease which we know in medicine under the name of _home-sickness_, a
disease which is very common to some Europeans, particularly the Swiss
soldiers and the Swiss peasantry: they are known to die from a disease
of the stomach, which comes on entirely from a desire to return to their
country."
[55] See Evidence of J. Barnes, Esq., in minutes of evidence taken before
the Select Committee on Transportation, Quest. 417-422, pp. 48, 49.
It may be difficult for the christian moralist to condemn altogether the
system of colonisation which has been practised; it cannot be denied
that the occupation of these vast and favoured regions by civilised and
christian nations is, in itself, a highly desirable object; yet the man
of right principles will surely hesitate before he approves, for the
sake of the good that is to follow, of the evil which has been done. In
this instance, as in many other evils to be seen under the sun, it is
more easy to perceive the mischief, than to point out the means of
avoiding or of remedying it. But, at least, it may be said, let those
who now hold the beautiful and frequently fertile lands, which once
belonged to the poor and helpless native, beware of having their hearts
lifted up with pride,--of forgetting themselves or their God. Past evils
are not to be prevented, but future events are still in their power. The
warning and reasoning of the great Apostle of the Gentiles, (Rom. xi.
17-24,) although upon quite another subject, are still not without
application here. Nor should the British colonist ever forget, while he
surveys the fruitful fields which he may now call his own, the emphatic
words of St. Paul: "If God spared not the natural branches, take heed
lest He also spare not thee."
[Illustration: NATIVES OF THE MURRAY ISLANDS IN BOATS.]
CHAPTER V.
MANNERS AND HABITS OF THE NATIVES.
The shyness which the savages of Australia frequently exhibit in their
first intercourse with Europeans is not at all surprising; indeed, it is
rather remarkable how soon they get over this feeling, if they are not
interfered with, and no unpleasant occurrences take place. As Captain
Flinders has very justly observed, "were we living in a state of nature,
frequently at war with our neighbours, and ignorant of the existence of
any other nation, on the first arrival of strangers, so different in
complexion and appearance to ourselves, having power to transport
themselves over, and even living upon an element which to us was
impassable,[56] the first sensation would probably be terror, and the
first movement flight." We should watch these extraordinary people from
our retreats, and if we found ourselves sought out or pursued by them,
their designs would be suspected; otherwise, upon seeing them quietly
engaged in their own occupations, curiosity would get the better of
fear, and, after observing them more closely, we should ourselves seek
to open a communication. This is precisely what takes place with the
native tribes in New Holland, when the discoverers conduct themselves
prudently, and no particular cause of offence or dislike occurs. But
where all appears equally strange and suspicious to them, it cannot be
wondered if they often mistake the meaning of European customs and
actions. For example, when Major Mitchell was desirous of taking the
portrait of a native in Eastern Australia, the terror and suspicion of
the poor creature, at being required to stand steadily before the artist
were such, that, notwithstanding the power of disguising fear, so
remarkable in the savage race, the stout heart of Cambo was overcome,
and beat visibly; the perspiration streamed from his breast, and he was
about to sink to the ground, when he at length suddenly darted away; but
he speedily returned, bearing in one hand his club, and in the other his
_boomerang_ or _kiley_, with which he seemed to gain just fortitude
enough to be able to stand on his legs until the sketch was finished.
[56] This remark, which is here applied to the people on the south
coast of New Holland, does not hold good of all the natives of that
vast island. On the authority of the same able navigator, Flinders,
we learn that, in the northern part of the country, about Torres Strait,
some of the tribes are very skilful in managing their long canoes. See
an interesting account of the natives of the Murray Islands, in
Flinders' Voyage, vol. ii. pp. 108-110.
To the observer of human nature it is, indeed, a curious spectacle to
watch the several contrary feelings and impulses by which the Australian
savage is actuated in his intercourse with the more civilised portions
of our race. Attachment, very strong attachment to his own customs, and
wild roving mode of life,--admiration of the evident superiority, the
luxury, abundance and comfort, enjoyed by Europeans,--doubt and alarm
respecting the final issue of the changes which he sees taking place
before his eyes,--an increasing taste for many of the useful or
agreeable articles which are to be procured only from the hands of the
strangers,--these and other similar feelings alternately sway the mind,
and prompt the actions, of the native of the bush in Australia, so as to
give an appearance of inconsistency, not merely to the varying conduct
of different persons, but frequently to the behaviour of the very same
person at different times. Sometimes the perplexed savage decidedly
prefers his piece of whale to all the luxuries of English fare;[57] at
another time he despises the common food of the bush--kangaroo flesh,
or fish,--and presuming upon his usefulness as a guide, nothing but
_wheaten flour_, at the rate of two pounds and a half a day, will
satisfy his desires.[58] One day, fired with a wish to emulate his
betters, the black man assumes the costume of an European, likes to be
close-shaved, wears a white neck-cloth, and means to become entirely "a
white fellow." Another day, wearied with the heat and thraldom of dress,
and tempted by the cool appearance, or stung by the severe taunts of his
brethren in the bush, off he flings his encumbrances and civilisation,
and gladly returns to a state of nature again.
[57] See p. 99.
[58] See Mitchell's Three Expeditions, vol. i. p. 39.
The barber's art appears, in several cases, to have caught the attention
of these savages. The following ridiculous account of an operation of
this kind, performed upon some natives of the country a little southward
of Port Jackson, is given by Flinders. "A new employment arose up on our
hands. We had clipped the hair and beards of the two Botany Bay natives,
at Red Point; and they were showing themselves to the others, and
persuading them to follow their example. While, therefore, the powder
was drying, I began with a large pair of scissors to execute my new
office upon the eldest of four or five chins presented to me; and as
great nicety was not required, the shearing of a dozen of them did not
occupy me long. Some of the more timid were alarmed at a formidable
instrument coming so near to their noses, and would scarcely be
persuaded by their shaven friends to allow the operation to be finished.
But when their chins were held up a second time, their fear of the
instrument, the wild stare of their eyes, and the smile which they
_forced_, formed a compound upon the rough savage countenance, not
unworthy the pencil of a Hogarth. I was almost tempted to try what
effect a little snip would produce, but our situation was too critical
to admit of such experiments."[59]
[59] Flinders' Voyage, vol. i. Introd. pp. 99, 100.
It has been repeatedly stated, upon good authority, that the health of
the natives of the bush has suffered greatly, and that their lives have
been frequently shortened, by the habits and indulgences which they have
learned from their more civilized neighbours. In their original state,
although beyond question the average duration of life was considerably
below that of European nations, yet an advanced age was not uncommonly
attained among them. Numbers die during the period of infancy, for none
except very strong children can possibly undergo the hardships, the
privations, and the perpetual travelling, which most of the infants born
in the bush must brave and endure. Besides which, there is the chance of
a violent death in some of the frequent quarrels which arise and include
in their consequences all the relatives of the contending parties. But,
due allowance having been made for these causes by which the average
duration of life in those wild regions is shortened, it does not appear
that their inhabitants are a particularly short-lived race, although by
some persons this has been thought to be the case. It is impossible
exactly to ascertain the age of the Australian savages, who have no mode
of keeping account of this themselves; but from instances of youths,
their father, grandfather, and great uncle being alive, and in the
enjoyment of tolerably good health, or from similar cases, it may be
safely concluded that they frequently reach, or even pass beyond, the
boundary term of life, three score years and ten. To one horrible mode
of departing from life, which is strangely common in more polished
nations, these barbarians are, happily, strangers. Captain Grey says, "I
believe they have no idea that such a thing as a man's putting an end to
his own life could ever occur; whenever I have questioned them on this
point, they have invariably laughed at me, and treated my question as a
joke." The period of old age must be as happy as any other time in the
life of a savage, if not more so, since aged men are always treated with
much respect, and rarely take an active part in any fray. They are
allowed to marry young wives, and to watch them as jealously, and treat
them as cruelly, as they please; and they appear to suffer less from
weakness and disease than the aged amongst us usually endure. The old,
too, are privileged to eat certain kinds of meat forbidden to the young.
Thus Piper, a native, who accompanied Major Mitchell, would not eat the
flesh of emu, even when food was scarce; but when he had undergone the
ceremony of being rubbed over with the fat of that bird by an old man,
he had thenceforth no objection to it. The threatened penalty was, that
young men, after eating it, would be afflicted with sores all over the
body; but the fact is, that it is too rich and oily for the old men to
allow any but themselves to partake of it. So that, upon the whole, in
New Holland, as in most other uncivilised countries, old age is a
period of much dignity, and of considerable enjoyment of life.
But, whatever may be the troubles, or whatever the enjoyments, of old
age, they are, in their very nature, even above our other troubles or
enjoyments, brief and transitory. The aged warrior of Australia can
plead no exemption from the common lot of mortality, and death draws
a veil over the chequered existence,--the faults and follies, the
talents and virtues, of every child of Adam. The various customs and
superstitions, connected with the death and burial of their friends,
are very numerous among the tribes of Australia, and some of them are
curious and peculiar. It would be impossible to give a full account of
them, but a few of the most remarkable may be selected. Throughout
all the funeral solemnities of savage and heathen nations the same
distinguishing mark is to be observed,--they are the vain devices, the
miserable inventions of men who sorrow for their departed friends as
those that have no hope. Nothing, it is asserted, can awake in the
breast more melancholy feelings than the funeral chants of the
Australians. They are sung by a whole chorus of females of all ages, and
the effect produced upon the bystanders by this wild music surpasses
belief. The following is a chant, which has been heard upon several such
occasions, and which, simple though it be, fully expresses the feelings
of a benighted heathen mourning over the grave of a friend whom he has
lost (as he thinks) for ever:--
_The young women sing_ My young brother, }
_The old women_ My young son, } again,
In future shall I
never see.
My young brother, }
My young son, } again,
In future shall I
never see.
But previously to our entering upon the subject of the funeral
rites practised in New Holland, it will be necessary to notice the
superstitions respecting sorcerers, which in that country are so
intimately connected with the very idea of death. When an individual
life is taken away by open violence, then, as we have seen, it is
avenged upon the supposed murderer, or his relatives. But when death
occurs from accidental or natural causes, it is usually attributed to
the influence of sorcery, and not unfrequently is it revenged upon some
connexion of the parties believed to have practised that art. So that,
generally speaking, the death of one human being involves that of
another, which is no small check to population. In truth, it would
almost seem that the natives have no idea of death occurring, except by
violence or sorcery;[60] and these strange notions must not be dealt
with too severely, in a country like England, where (within the last 200
years, and in no uncivilised state of society) persons have been burnt
for witchcraft; and in which, even in the present day, every vile
imposture and godless pretence of supernatural power is sure of finding
eager listeners and astonished admirers. The _Boyl-yas_, or native
sorcerers, are objects of mysterious dread, and are thought to have the
power of becoming invisible to all eyes but those of their brethren in
the same evil craft. As our northern witches were supposed to have the
power of riding upon a broom-stick, so these southern sorcerers are said
to be able to transport themselves at pleasure through the air. If they
have a dislike to any one they can kill him, it is said, by stealing on
him at night and consuming his flesh, into which they enter like pieces
of quartz-stone, and the pain they occasion is always felt. Another
sorcerer, however, can draw them out, and the pieces of stone pretended
to be thus obtained are kept as great curiosities. Perhaps the clearest
ideas of the imaginary powers of these sorcerers, and of the dread in
which they are held, will be found from the following account, obtained
from a native with the utmost difficulty, (for the subject is never
willingly mentioned,) and reported _verbatim_ by Captain Grey.
[60] "The natives do not allow that there is such a thing as a death
from natural causes; they believe that were it not for murderers, or the
malignity of sorcerers, they might live for ever."--GREY'S _Travels in
Western Australia_, vol. ii. p. 238.
"'The _Boyl-yas_,' said the trembling Kaiber, 'are natives who have the
power of _boyl-ya_; they sit down to the northward, the eastward, and
southward; the _Boyl-yas_ are very bad, they walk away there' (pointing
to the east). 'I shall be very ill presently. The _Boyl-yas_ eat up a
great many natives,--they eat them up as fire would; you and I will be
very ill directly. The _Boyl-yas_ have ears: by and by they will be
greatly enraged. I'll tell you no more.'
"'The _Boyl-yas_ move stealthily,--you sleep and they steal on
you,--very stealthily the _Boyl-yas_ move. These _Boyl-yas_ are
dreadfully revengeful; by and by we shall be very ill. I'll not talk
about them. They come moving along in the sky,--cannot you let them
alone? I've already a terrible headache; by and by you and I will be two
dead men.'
"'The natives cannot see them. The _Boyl-yas_ do not bite, they feed
stealthily; they do not eat the bones, but consume the flesh. Just give
me what you intend to give, and I'll walk off.'
What secrets can the human breast contain,
When tempted by thy charms, curst love of gain!
"'The _Boyl-yas_ sit at the graves of natives in great numbers. If
natives are ill, the _Boyl-yas_ charm, charm, charm, charm, and charm,
and, by and by, the natives recover.'"
Nothing further could be learned from this terrified and unwilling
witness. The custom spoken of in the last part of his evidence, that of
sitting at the graves of the dead, is found in nearly all the known
portions of Australia, and the object of this practice is to discover by
what person the death of the deceased individual has been caused, which
is supposed to be declared by dreams or visions. A similar custom among
the Jews is reproved by the prophet Isaiah, chap. lxv. 4, 5.
Once, when Major Mitchell had been harassed, and two of his party killed
by the hostile natives, he reached a spot of security, where, while
admiring the calm repose of the wild landscape, and the beauteous beams
of the setting sun, he was anticipating a night free from disturbance.
He was alone, waiting the arrival of his party, but his reveries were
dissipated in the most soothing manner, by the soft sounds of a female
voice, singing in a very different tone from that generally prevailing
among the Australians. It sounded like the song of despair, and, indeed,
it was the strain of a female mourning over some deceased relative; nor
could the loud "hurra" of the men, when they came up, angry at the
recent pillage and murder of some of the party, put to flight the
melancholy songstress of the woods. On these occasions it is usual for
the relatives of the deceased to continue their lamentations, appearing
insensible of what people may be doing around them.
The rude verses, given below, and forming the substance of a chant, sung
by an old woman to incite the men to avenge the death of a young person,
may serve at once for a specimen of the poetry and superstition of the
Australian wilderness:--
"The blear-eyed sorcerers of the north
Their vile enchantments sung and wove,
And in the night they sallied forth,
A fearful, man-devouring drove.
"Feasting on our own lov'd one
With sanguinary jaws and tongue,
The wretches sat, and gnaw'd, and kept
Devouring, while their victim slept.
Yho, yang, yho yang, yang yho.
"Yes, unconsciously he rested
In a slumber too profound;
While vile Boyl-yas sat and feasted
On the victim they had bound
In sleep:--Mooligo, dear young brother,
Where shall we find the like of thee?
Favourite of thy tender mother,
We again shall never see
Mooligo, our dear young brother.
Yho, yang yho, ho, ho.
"Men, who ever bold have been,
Are your long spears sharpened well?
Fix anew the quartz-stone keen,
Let each shaft upon them tell.
Poise your _meer-ros_, long and sure,
Let the _kileys_ whiz and whirl
Strangely through the air so pure;
Heavy _dow-uks_ at them hurl;
Shout the yell they dread to hear.
Let the young men leap on high,
To avoid the quivering spear;
Light of limb and quick of eye,
Who sees well has nought to fear.
Let them shift, and let them leap,
While the quick spear whistling flies,
Woe to him who cannot leap!
Woe to him who has bad eyes!"
When an old woman has commenced a chant of this kind, she will continue
it until she becomes positively exhausted; and upon her ceasing, another
takes up the song. The effect some of them have upon the assembled men
is very great; indeed, it is said that these addresses of the old women
are the cause of most of the disturbances which take place. Thus, even
amid the forests of New Holland, the _influence of woman_ will, in one
way or another, make itself felt.
The ceremonies observed at the funeral of a native vary, as might be
expected, in so great a space, but they are wild and impressive in every
part of New Holland. According to Collins, the natives of the colony
called New South Wales were in the habit of burning the bodies of those
who had passed the middle age of life, but burial seems the more
universal method of disposing of their dead among the Australians. Some
very curious drawings and figures cut in the rock were discovered by
Captain Grey, in North-Western Australia, but whether these were
burying-places does not appear. For the account of these works of rude
art, which is extremely interesting, but too long to transcribe, the
reader is referred to the delightful work of the traveller just
mentioned.
The shrieks and piercing cries uttered by the women over their dead
relatives, are said to be truly fearful, and agreeably to the ancient
custom of idolatrous eastern nations mentioned in 1 Kings xviii. 28,
and in Jer. xlviii. 37,[61] they tear and lacerate themselves most
frightfully, occasionally cutting off portions of their beards, and,
having singed them, throwing them upon the dead body. With respect to
their tombs, these are of various sorts in different districts. In the
gulph of Carpentaria, on the Northern coast, Flinders found several
skeletons of natives, standing upright in the hollow trunks of trees;
the skulls and bones, being smeared or painted partly red and partly
white, made a very strange appearance. On the banks of the river
Darling, in the interior of Eastern Australia, Major Mitchell fell in
with a tribe, which had evidently suffered greatly from small-pox,[62]
or some similar disease, and in the same neighbourhood he met with some
remarkable mounds or tombs, supposed to cover the remains of that
portion of the tribe which had been swept off by the same disease that
had left its marks upon the survivors. On a small hill, overlooking
the river, were three large tombs, of an oval shape, and about twelve
feet across in the longest diameter. Each stood in the centre of an
artificial hollow, the mound in the middle being about five feet high;
and on each of them were piled numerous withered branches and limbs of
trees, forming no unsuitable emblems of mortality. There were no trees
on this hill, save one quite dead, which seemed to point with its hoary
arms, like a spectre, to the tombs. A melancholy waste, where a level
country and boundless woods extended beyond the reach of vision, was in
perfect harmony with the dreary foreground of the scene.
[61] See Deut. xiv. 1, where the very spot is mentioned,--"between
the eyes,"--which is always torn and scratched by the Australian female
mourners.
[62] This disease made dreadful ravages among the natives about the same
time as the colony in New South Wales was settled. "The recollection of
this scourge will long survive in the traditionary songs of these simple
people. The consternation which it excited is yet as fresh in their
minds, as if it had been an occurrence of but yesterday, although the
generation that witnessed its horrors has almost passed away. The moment
one of them was seized with it, was the signal for abandoning him to his
fate. Brothers deserted their brothers, husbands their wives, wives
their husbands, children their parents, and parents their children; and
in some of the caves of the coast, heaps of decayed bones still indicate
the spots where these ignorant and helpless children of nature were left
to expire, not so much, probably, from the virulence of the disease
itself, as from the want of sustenance."--WENTWORTH'S _Australia_,
vol. i. p. 311. Third edition. See also COLLINS' _New South Wales_,
p. 383.
Indeed, to those who have been from infancy accustomed to the quiet
consecrated burying places of our own land,--spots which, in rural
districts, are usually retired, yet not quite removed from the reach of
"the busy hum of men;" to those who have always looked upon a Christian
temple,
"Whose taper spire points, finger-like, to heaven,"
as the almost necessary accompaniment of a burial-place, the appearance
of the native tombs in the desolate wilds of a savage and uncultivated
country, must be dreary in the extreme. Scenes of this character must
appear to the eye of a Christian almost emblematical of the spiritual
blank--the absence of any sure and certain hope--in the midst of which
the natives, whose remains are there reposing, must have lived and died.
How striking is Captain Grey's description of another tomb, which was
found in a totally different part of New Holland, near the western
coast, and at no great distance from the Swan River settlement! The
scenery, not, indeed, in the immediate vicinity, but very near to the
newly-made grave, is thus described. Even at mid-day, the forest wore a
sombre aspect, and a stillness and solitude reigned throughout it that
were very striking. Occasionally, a timid kangaroo might be seen
stealing off in the distance, or a kangaroo-rat might dart out from a
tuft beneath your feet, but these were rare circumstances. The most
usual disturbers of these wooded solitudes were the black cockatoos;
"but I have never, in any part of the world," adds the enterprising
traveller, "seen so great a want of animal life as in these mountains."
It was not far from this lonely district, in a country nearly resembling
it, only less wooded and more broken into deep valleys, that a recent
grave was found, carefully constructed, with a hut built over it, to
protect the now senseless slumberer beneath from the rains of winter.
All that friendship could do to render his future state happy had been
done. His throwing-stick was stuck in the ground at his head; his broken
spears rested against the entrance of the hut; the grave was thickly
strewed with _wilgey_, or red earth; and three trees in front of the
hut, chopped with a variety of notches and uncouth figures, bore
testimony that his death had been bloodily avenged. The native Kaiber,
who acted as guide to the travellers, gazed upon this scene with concern
and uneasiness. Being asked why the spears were broken, the trees
notched, and the red earth strewed upon the grave, his reply was,
"Neither you nor I know: our people have always done so, and we do so
now,"--quite as good a reason as many who think themselves far more
enlightened are able to give for their actions. When a proposal was
made to stop for the night at this solitary spot, poor Kaiber resisted
it; "I cannot rest here," said he, "for there are many spirits in this
place."[63]
[63] See, however, a more pleasing picture of a native burying-place,
in Mitchell's Three Expeditions, vol. i. p. 321.
When Mr. Montgomery Martin was in Australia, he obtained with some
difficulty the dead body of an old woman, who had long been known
about Sydney. Hearing of her death and burial in the forest, about
twenty-five miles from his residence, he went thither, and aided by some
stock-keepers, found the grave,--a slightly elevated and nearly circular
mound. The body was buried six feet deep, wrapped in several sheets of
bark, the inner one being of a fine silvery texture. Several things
which the deceased possessed in life, together with her favourite dog,
were buried with her,--all apparently for use in another world. The
skull of this poor creature was full of indentations, as if a tin vessel
had been struck by a hammer; light might be seen through these hollows,
which had been caused by blows of _whaddies_ (hard sticks) when she was
young, and some bold youths among the natives courted her after this
strange fashion. It seemed scarcely possible that marks so extraordinary
could have been made in the human skull without fracturing it.[64]
[64] Martin's New South Wales, p. 143.
In a society of men so simple and so little advanced in refinement or
civilisation as the inhabitants of New Holland, it is evident that their
wants must be few and easily satisfied, their stock of earthly riches
very small and humble. Indeed, these people nearly always carry the
whole of their worldly property about with them, and the Australian
hunter is thus equipped: round his middle is wound a belt spun from the
fur of the opossum, in which are stuck his hatchet, his _kiley_ or
_boomerang_, and a short heavy stick to throw at the smaller animals.
In his hand he carries his throwing-stick, and several spears, headed in
two or three different manners, so that they are equally suitable to war
or the chase. In the southern parts, a warm kangaroo-skin cloak, thrown
over his shoulders, completes the hunter's outfit; but this is seldom or
never seen northwards of 29° south latitude. These, however, are not
quite all the riches of the barbarian, a portion of which is carried by
his wife, or wives, as the case may be; and each of these has a long
thick stick, with its point hardened in the fire, a child or two fixed
upon their shoulders, and in their bags, in which also they keep sundry
other articles, reckoned valuable and important for the comfort of
savage life. For example; a flat stone to pound roots with, and earth to
mix with the pounded roots;[65] quartz, for making spears and knives;
stones, for hatchets; gum, for making and mending weapons and tools;
kangaroo sinews for thread, and the shin-bones of the same animal for
needles;--these and many similar articles, together with whatever roots,
&c. they may have collected during the day, form the total of the burden
of a female Australian; and this, together with the husband's goods,
forms the sum and substance of the wealth of an inhabitant of the
southern land. In Wellesley's Islands, on the north coast of New
Holland, the catalogue of a native's riches appears somewhat different,
from his maritime position.[66] A raft, made of several straight
branches of mangrove lashed together, broader at one end than at the
other;--a bunch of grass at the broad end where the man sits to
paddle,--a short net to catch turtle, or probably a young shark,--and
their spears and paddles seem to form the whole earthly riches of these
rude fishermen.[67] But one essential thing must not be overlooked in
the enumeration of a native's possessions. Fire, of procuring which they
have not very easy means, is usually carried about with them; and the
women commonly have the charge of the lighted stick, in addition to
their other cares.
[65] See p. 114.
[66] "In many places a log of wood, or a wide slip of bark, tied at
either end, and stuffed with clay, is the only mode invented for
crossing a river or arm of the sea, while in other parts a large tree,
roughly hollowed by fire, forms the canoe."--M. MARTIN'S _New South
Wales_, p. 147.
[67] Flinders' Voyage, vol. ii. p. 138.
It is no very easy matter for civilized man to realise the perfectly
free and unencumbered way in which these natives roam from place to
place, accordingly as seasons or provisions may serve, constantly
carrying with them a home wherever they go; and (what is far more
difficult in civilised society) leaving no cares of home behind them in
the spot from which they may have recently removed. Certainly there must
be something very delightful in this wild sort of life to every one, who
has from his early infancy been accustomed to its pleasure and inured to
its hardships, neither of which are by any means to be measured by the
standard of the cold and changeable climate of England. The grand
objects of the savage, in almost every part of the globe, are to baffle
his human enemies, and to assert his dominion over the lower races of
animals. For these purposes, the activity, secrecy, acuteness, and
sagacity of man in an uncivilised state are almost incredible; nor could
we have supposed, were not the truth shown in numberless instances, that
the senses of human beings were capable of so great perfection, their
bodies and limbs of such exertion and agility, as they gain by continual
practice and early training in the forests of America or Australia. In
these bodily excellencies, the inhabitants of the last-named continent
might safely challenge the whole world to surpass them. The natives
once approached Major Mitchell's camp by night; and though nine
fire-sticks were seen in motion, no noise was heard. At length when the
lights had approached within 150 yards, every one suddenly disappeared;
the bearers preserving, all the while, the most perfect silence. It was
then thought advisable to scare these noiseless visitors away, and a
rocket was sent up, at which signal the English party rushed forward
with a shout; and this had the desired effect. It is said that the
natives regard, as an important matter, the falling of a star, which
would account for their alarm at the rocket. On another occasion, when
an English exploring party had discovered a few traces of natives near
their place of encampment, an active search after them immediately took
place; and it appeared that they had crept up within about one hundred
yards of the camp, after which they had been disturbed, and had made
off. Their mode of approach was by a stream of water, so as to conceal
their trail; after which they had turned out of the stream up its right
bank, and had carefully trod in one another's footmarks, so as to
conceal their number, although traces of six or seven different men
could be perceived as far as the spot where they had been disturbed.
From this point these children of the Bush had disappeared, as it were,
by magic: not a twig was broken, not a stone was turned, nor could it be
observed that the heavy drops of rain had been shaken from a single
blade of grass. All efforts to hit upon the direction in which they had
fled were to no purpose, except to put the explorers more constantly on
the watch against beings who were often near them when they least
dreamed of their presence. Human wisdom would enforce this lesson from
such circumstances; but how often does heavenly wisdom lift up its voice
to us in vain, teaching us by what is passing around us to be upon our
watch constantly over our own conduct, since we are never very far from
the Almighty presence of God himself!
To the quick-sighted natives, the surface of the earth is, in fact, as
legible as a newspaper, so accustomed are they to read in any traces
left upon it the events of the day.[68] For once, Major Mitchell informs
us, he was able to hide so that these people could not find; but then
his buried treasure was only a collection of specimens of stones and
minerals, of the use of which they could know nothing, and concerning
which they were little likely to have any suspicions. The notes written
by the traveller, and concealed in trees, seldom escaped notice;[69] nor
did provisions, nor, in short, any article which they could either use
or suspect pass unobserved.
[68] See a most remarkable instance of this in M. Martin's New South
Wales, pp. 156-158.
[69] Latterly, however, experience suggested to him what seems
to have been a successful mode of concealment. See Mitchell's Three
Expeditions, vol. ii. p. 271.
In Western Australia, Captain Grey, having galloped after some wild
cattle which he had met in his journey, found, upon wishing to ascertain
the hour, that his watch had fallen from his pocket during the chase. He
waited until the rest of his party came up, and then requested Kaiber,
their native guide, to walk back and find the watch. This, Kaiber
assured the traveller, was utterly impossible, nor could his assertion
be gainsaid; nevertheless, the watch was too valuable to be given up
without an effort for its recovery. "Well, Kaiber," said the captain,
"your people had told me you could see tracks well, but I find they
are mistaken; you have but one eye,--something is the matter with the
other," (this was really the case)--"no young woman will have you, for
if you cannot follow my tracks, and find a watch, how can you kill game
for her?" This speech had the desired effect, and the promise of a
shilling heightened his diligence, so they went back together in
search of the lost article. The ground that had been passed over was
badly suited for the purpose of tracking, and the scrub was thick;
nevertheless, to his delight and surprise, the captain had his watch
restored to his pocket in less than half an hour.
Even in the simple arts and rude habits of the people of New Holland
there are different degrees of advancement and progress to be observed.
On the west coast, a few degrees to the north of the British settlement
at Swan River, a great difference was noticed by Captain Grey in the
arrangements of the native population. The country near the Hutt River
is exceedingly beautiful and fertile, and it supports a very numerous
population, comparatively with other districts. The exploring party
found a native path or road, wider, more used, and altogether better
than any before seen in that region. Along the side of this path were
seen frequent wells, some of them ten or twelve feet in depth, which
were made in a superior manner. Across the dry bed of a stream they then
came upon a light fruitful soil, which served the inhabitants as a
_warran_ ground. _Warran_ is a sort of _yam_ like the sweet potato, and
its root is a favourite article of food with some of the native tribes.
For three miles and a half the travellers passed over a fertile tract of
land full of the holes made by the natives in digging this root; indeed,
so thick were they, that it was not easy to walk, and this tract
extended east and west, as far as they could see. The district must have
been inhabited a great many years, for more had been done in it to
secure a provision from the ground by hard manual labour than it would
have appeared to be in the power of uncivilised man to accomplish.
It can be no subject of surprise that the various tribes of Australia,
living in a wild country, and blessed with no clear nor adequate ideas
of their Maker, should be exceedingly superstitious, as well as ignorant
and simple. The strange aversion felt by some of them to a sort of
muscle or oyster, found in fresh water, has already been mentioned; and
the horror of the native population at the supposed effects of sorcery
has also been detailed. Kaiber, Captain Grey's guide, was bidden to
gather a few of these muscles to make a meal for the party of hungry
travellers in the Bush, but at first he would not move, declaring that
if he touched these shell-fish, the _Boyl-yas_ would be the death of
him. Unable to bring any instance of mischief arising from them, he
shrewdly answered, that this was because nobody had been "wooden-headed"
enough to meddle with them, and that he intended to have nothing
whatever to do with them. At last, with much difficulty he was prevailed
to go, but whilst occupied in his task, he was heard most bitterly
deploring his fate. It was his courage and strong sinews, he said, that
had hitherto kept him from dying either of hunger or thirst, but what
would these avail him against the power of sorcery? However, the muscles
were brought, and Kaiber's master made his meal upon them, but no
persuasions could prevail upon him to partake of them. The same evening,
the half-starved, half-clothed party of travellers were overtaken by a
tremendous storm, which put out their fires, and they continued during
the night in a most pitiable state from exposure to the cold and
weather. All these misfortunes were set down by the sagacious native to
the account of the muscles, nor was it till his master threatened him
with a good beating, that Kaiber left off chattering to himself, while
his mouth moved with the effect of the extreme cold:--
"Oh, wherefore did he eat the muscles?
Now the _Boyl-yas_ storms and thunder make;
Oh, wherefore would he eat the muscles?"
Among the superstitions of Australia, that feeling of awe which revolts
from mentioning even the name of a deceased person is very remarkable;
and the custom of silence upon this subject is so strictly enforced,
that it renders inquiry respecting the family or ancestors of a native
extremely difficult.[70] The only circumstance enabling the inquirer to
overcome this hindrance is the fact, that, the longer a person has been
dead, the less unwilling do they appear to name him. Thus did Captain
Grey obtain some curious information respecting their pedigrees and
family customs; for he began with endeavouring to discover only the
oldest names on record, and then, as opportunity served, he would
contrive to fill up the blanks, sometimes, when they were assembled
round their fires at night, encouraging little disputes among them
concerning their forefathers, by means of which he was able to gain
much of the information he wanted.
[70] It is even said, that persons bearing the same name with
the deceased take other names, in order to avoid the necessity of
pronouncing it at all. _See_ COLLINS' _Acc. of Col. of N. S. Wales_,
p. 392.
One very singular notion prevailing among the native population of
Australia, and proving that the belief in a spiritual world and in a
future state, is not quite extinct even among them, is the idea which
they entertain of white people being the souls of departed blacks. This
supposition may serve to explain the reason of the disagreeable process
complained of by Sturt, who says, that every new tribe examined them,
pulling them about, measuring the hands and feet of the strangers with
their own, counting their fingers, feeling their faces, and besmearing
them all over with dirt and grease. A more powerful feeling than
curiosity even may have prompted this conduct, and they may have
sought, impelled by superstition, to recognise in the foreigners
their own kindred. But however that may have been, most travellers in
Australia mention the peculiar idea alluded to. Captain Grey was once
vehemently attacked by the caresses of an old, ugly, and dirty black
woman, who recognised him as her son's ghost, and was obliged to endure
them. His real mother, the captain says, could scarcely have expressed
more delight at his return, while his sable-coloured brothers and sister
paid their respects to him, when the vehemence of a mother's affection
had somewhat subsided. He was convinced that the old woman really
believed him to be her son, whose first thought, upon his return to
earth, had been to revisit his old mother, and bring her a present!
The natives believe that the _night-mare_--a subject likely enough to
give birth to superstition--is caused by some evil spirit, in order to
get rid of which they jump up, seize a lighted brand from the fire, and,
after whirling it round the head with a variety of imprecations, they
throw the stick away in the direction where they suppose the evil spirit
to be. They say the demon wants a light, and that when he gets it, he
will go away. However, besides supplying this his need, they likewise
take the precautions of changing their position, and of getting as near
as they can into the middle of the group of their companions who are
sleeping round the fire. If obliged to move away from the fire after
dark, either to get water or for any other purpose, they carry a light
with them, and set fire to dry bushes as they go along.
A profound respect, almost amounting to veneration, is paid in many
districts of Australia to shining stones or pieces of crystal, which
they call "_Teyl_." These are carried in the girdles of men, especially
of the sorcerers or _corad-jes_, and no woman is allowed to see the
contents of the round balls made of woollen cord from the fur of the
opossum in which these crystals are enclosed. They are employed as
charms in sickness, and are sometimes sent from tribe to tribe for
hundreds of miles on the sea-coast or in the interior. One of these
stones, which was examined by an Englishman, to whom it was shown
privately by a black, was of a substance like quartz, about the size
of a pigeon's egg, and transparent, like white sugar-candy. The small
particles of crystal which crumble off are swallowed in order to prevent
illness. Many other instances of the like superstitious folly might very
easily be gathered from the writings of those who have had the best
opportunities of becoming acquainted with the manners of the Australian
tribes.
The following is from the pen of the Rev. G. King, a missionary of the
Society for Propagating the Gospel, who speaks thus of the natives near
Fremantle, in Western Australia: "The native children are intelligent
and apt to learn, but the advanced men are so far removed from
civilisation, and so thoroughly confirmed in roving habits, that all the
exertions made in their behalf have found them totally inaccessible; but
we have no reason to conclude that they have not a vague idea of a
future state. They are exceedingly superstitious; they never venture out
of their huts from sunset till sunrise, for fear of encountering goblins
and evil spirits. When any of their tribe dies they say, 'He'll soon
jump up, white man, and come back again in big ship;' and when a
stranger arrives, they examine his countenance minutely, to trace the
lineaments of some deceased friend; and when they think they have
discovered him they sometimes request him to expose his breast, that
they may see where the spear entered which caused the life to fly away
so long."[71] Altogether, experience bears witness, in their case, of
the same fact which is to be perceived in other parts of the globe,
namely, that where there is little religion, there is often a great deal
of superstition, and that those who do not "believe the truth," almost
always fall into the snares of falsehood, so as to "believe a lie."
[71] S. P. G. Report, 1842, p. 59.
With all the disadvantages of having two races of men (one of which is
thought inferior to the other) occupying the same territory; with the
evils, likewise, unavoidably arising from the ease with which what is
_bad_ in Europeans may be learned and copied, and the difficulty of
understanding or imitating what is _good_ in us, the natives are placed
in a very peculiar and unhappy situation. Their intercourse with the
white men has hitherto, certainly, been productive of more injury, both
moral and temporal, than benefit to them. Into the sad and disgusting
details, affording a proof of this truth, which may be found in the
evidence before the committees of the House of Commons upon the subject
of transportation it will neither be suitable nor possible to enter. The
fact is, indeed, acknowledged by men of all parties and opinions, while,
by all right-minded men, it is deeply deplored.
Drunkenness and its attendant vices prevail to a fearful extent among
the Europeans in New Holland, the lower orders especially; and what sins
are more enticing than these to the ignorant, sensual savage? Tobacco
and spirits, which the poor natives call "_tumbledown_," are articles in
constant request; and to purchase these of Europeans, the blacks will
give almost anything they possess, even their wives.[72] Thus, a
regular traffic in what is evil is carried on, and almost all that
the heathen people of Australia learn from the so-called Christians
with whom they associate, is to practise, with tenfold aggravation,
sins which God abhors, and will not allow to go unpunished. Like
children that have been always brought up in a family of foul-tongued
transgressors, the very first words of English which the natives learn
are words of wickedness and blasphemy; the only introduction to the name
of their God and Saviour is in order that they may insult that holy
Name, and blaspheme the Divine Majesty. And these lessons are taught
them, let us remember, by men calling themselves, and perhaps even
thinking themselves, civilised, enlightened, and Christian persons;--by
men, certainly, belonging to a nation, which justly lays claim to these
honourable epithets! But enough has been stated on this painful subject
to fill every thoughtful mind with humiliation and fear, when it
contemplates the "much" that "has been given" to civilised nations, and
recalls the fixed rule of truth and justice, that so much the "more"
will be required of them. Nor is this a matter concerning the British
inhabitants of the colonies alone, and with which the nation at large
has little or no concern. For if we inquire, who corrupt the natives?
the answer is, our vile and worthless population, the very scum of
mankind, whom we have cast out as evil from the bosom of their native
land. But a further question naturally offers itself. Who were, in many
instances, the passive, if not the active, corrupters of these very
corrupters themselves? Who have neglected to provide means for their
christian instruction, and so let them grow up to be worse than
heathens, until they could be endured no longer in the land? What
nation had within a single century more than doubled its population
without having built or endowed a score of new churches? To whose
neglect is it, partly, though not entirely, owing, that when heathens
meet, in far distant countries, with our lower classes, or when their
homes are visited in our great towns and cities, the very heathens are
sometimes forced to yield the palm to them in wickedness and in sin?
Such questions very nearly concern every Englishman, and they are, even
now, only beginning to command the attention they deserve. High and low,
rich and poor, clergy and laity, we are all alike implicated in those
evils, which have arisen from national neglect and forgetfulness of God,
and which are not unlikely to lead to national confusion and ruin. But
we are still, thank God, blessed with a pure and apostolical Church in
our native country, and this is a mighty instrument for good, if we will
but support it, and render it as efficient as it ought to be. The
children of our little sea-girt isle may almost be called the salt of
the earth, so extensively is our naval and our moral power spread. If
we can bring those children up in the right way, as dutiful children of
God and faithful members of the Church of England, then, indeed, the
blessings resulting from our efforts may make themselves felt in the
very ends of the earth--in the solitary wilds of New Holland. But
otherwise, if we continue to neglect our own people, and disgrace our
profession of Christianity by encouraging tacitly the growth of
heathenism around us, then we may judge by the moral and social evils
which have already resulted from this course what the final consequences
are likely to be. "If the salt have lost its savour wherewith shall it
be salted: it is therefore good for nothing, but to be cast out and
trodden under foot of men." (Matt. v. 13.)
[72] The half-caste children are generally put to death by the black
husband, under the idea, it is said, that if permitted to grow up,
they would be wiser than the people among whom they would live. These
helpless innocents are destroyed, as though they were no better than a
cat or dog: one farm servant of Mr. Mudie was in a great rage at the
birth of a small infant of this description, and without any ceremony,
only exclaiming, "Narang fellow," which means, "Small fellow," he took
it up at once, and dashed it against the wall, as you would any animal.
See Evidence before Transport. Com. 1837, p. 43.
With savages resembling those that dwell in the Australian forests,
having no means of religious instruction among themselves, the only
hope of producing an improvement in their moral and social character,
must arise from their intercourse with christian people. But it must
be repeated, unhappily, the great majority of _christian_ people
(especially in that country and among those classes where the native is
most likely to have intercourse) are by no means adorning by their lives
the faith and doctrine of that Master whose name they bear. Hence arises
the deplorable condition of the natives, who are brought into contact
chiefly with the lowest and worst of the Europeans, and who, beside many
other hindrances, have the great stumbling-block of bad examples, and
evil lives, constantly before them in their intercourse with the
Christians. And, as though that were not enough, as though fresh
obstacles to the conversion of these nations to God's truth were needed
and required, our holy religion is presented to them, not as it came
from the hands of its Founder and his Apostles, inculcating "one
Lord, one faith, and one baptism," but such as man's weakness and
wickedness delight in representing it,--a strange jumble of various
"denominations." And this unworthy course has been followed by
government itself. Without any pleas arising from _conscience_, or the
principle of _toleration_ to excuse this, the British government, in
what little they have done for converting to Christianity some of the
natives, have afforded their help to bodies of Christians bearing
different names. Nor can it be said that the Church of England and
Ireland was without any zealous ministers ready to undertake this most
difficult task, trusting in God's strength for help to accomplish it, at
least in some degree. It is the confession of Dr. Lang himself, who is
no friend to the Church of England, that the only two missions[73] to
the natives existing in 1837 were, as all ought to be, episcopalian; but
one of these was stated, on the best authority, in 1841 to be "not in an
encouraging state,"[74] although a third mission, to belong to the
Presbyterians, was about to be commenced _under the auspices of
Government_, among the natives in another station. It is fearlessly
asserted that _all_ missions to the heathen supported by Government
ought to be subject to episcopal control; and the reasons for this may
be briefly added. First, there is no tenderness of conscience, nor claim
to toleration, which can stand in the way of an English government
spreading among its native subjects the doctrine and discipline of the
English Church; supposing these willing to become Christians at all,
they cannot have a prior claim upon us to be brought up as _dissenters_
from the Church. Secondly, since the Scotch discipline, though it
prevails over a very small part of our population, is yet established by
law in one portion of the island, it may put in (as it has done) its
claim for help from Government; but, without entering into argument
respecting this, might we not safely put it to every wise and rightly
judging Presbyterian, whether it is not better to waive this claim of
theirs, than to perplex the progress of Christianity, by offering to
the heathen Australians, at the same time, and by the same temporal
authority, the Bible, which speaks of _one_ Church, and the choice
between _two_ churches? And lastly, whatever unhappy scruples and
divisions among Christians have arisen respecting episcopacy, surely,
if men had a truly christian spirit within them, they would quietly
consent to the instruction of the natives being placed in the hands of
a Church which they cannot deny to be scriptural, and of a ministry,
which for 1500 years from Christ's birth no sect of men ever thought of
denying to be the only apostolical ministry. It is indeed a strange
spectacle which our Christianity must offer to the eyes of those that
are really desirous of becoming converts. Either we "bite and devour one
another," or else we quietly set aside our Lord's commands and prayers
for our union, and contentedly agree to divide ourselves into as many
parties, sects, or denominations, as we please; and having done so, we
go and inoculate our heathen converts with our own love of separation.
St. Paul was shocked at hearing of divisions in the Church of Corinth,
but enlightened statesmen of the nineteenth century appear to be shocked
at the idea of allowing Christianity to be offered to the heathens
without its unhappy divisions! What, it may be asked with all reverence,
would have been the success of the Apostles in evangelizing the Gentile
world, if the gospel of Christ had been offered to the heathens of that
age, under the same disadvantages with which men of the present age
prefer to clog and impede their missionary efforts? Can we wonder, under
these circumstances, at the slow progress of the gospel? Is it not
rather wonderful that it should make any progress at all? If the world
is reluctant to believe in Christ's mission, would not His own words,
(John xvii. 21,) suggest to us our miserable divisions as a chief cause
of this?
[73] Against one of these missions Dr. Lang gives a sneer, and
it may be a deserved one, though certainly expressed in unbecoming
language; but the attentive reader of Dr. Lang's amusing work on New
South Wales will soon learn not to place too much stress upon _all_ he
says. See Lang's New South Wales, vol. ii. chap. 7, p. 313.
[74] See Bishop of Australia's Letter in S. P. G. Report for 1842,
p. 53.
CHAPTER VI.
SKETCHES OF NATIVE CHARACTER.
BENNILLONG.--The first native who could be persuaded to live upon
friendly terms of confidence with the British settlers in New South
Wales was called Bennillong, and it was after no very long period,
(within two years after the commencement of the colony,) that this
intercourse with them began in the following manner:--In the spring of
the second year the bodies of many of the natives were found in a
lifeless or dying state upon different parts of the coast near Sydney,
in consequence of the small-pox, which had been raging among them; and
some of these having been brought up to the settlement, from motives of
pity, the disease was taken by a native who had been captured shortly
before, in hopes of opening through him a means of communication with
the others. The intended interpreter died, but the governor, Captain
Philip, still retained in his care two native children, whose lives had
been saved from the small-pox, and succeeded, within a few months, in
securing two other natives, both of them well known to the children,
through whom they were assured of perfect safety. However, instead of
remaining until they could become familiar with the English manners and
language, so as to carry on an intercourse between the colonists and
their own countrymen, these natives both made their escape, one of them
very soon after he had been taken; the other, Bennillong, in about six
months afterwards, when he had been treated with every kindness and
indulgence, and had grown somewhat accustomed to the society of the
English settlers. Bennillong made his escape in May 1790, and in the
September following he saw some of the colonists, by whom he sent a
present to the governor, namely, a piece of the whale which was then
lying on the beach, and around which the natives were assembled at a
feast. Wishing to see him again, the governor went immediately to the
spot, where he found a number of natives, and both Bennillong, and the
other one, Cole-be, who had first escaped. All went on amicably at
first, and some wearing apparel, belonging to the men in the boat, was
given to the savages, while Bennillong obtained a promise from his
excellency that more should be brought in two days, and likewise some
hatchets. The governor and his friends were retiring by degrees to their
boat, having imprudently allowed the natives very nearly to surround
them, when Bennillong, after presenting several of his friends by name,
pointed out one, whom Captain Philip stepped forward to meet, holding
out both his hands to him. The savage, not understanding this civility,
and possibly thinking that he was going to seize him, threw his spear,
and wounded the governor rather badly, but not mortally. Several other
spears were thrown, and one musket fired, but no injury was done on
either side. A few days after the accident Bennillong came with his wife
and some companions very near to the settlement, and an interview
between these and the British officers took place, in which it was
agreed that the governor, as soon as he was able, should visit the
same spot; Bennillong, meanwhile, assuring them that the man who had
inflicted the wound had been severely beaten. On the tenth day his
Excellency was so far recovered as to go to the place of the whale
feast, together with several officers, all armed. Bennillong here
repeated his assurances to the governor in person, that the offending
party had been well beaten by him and Cole-be, and added that his
throwing the spear was entirely the effect of his fears, and arose from
an impulse of self-preservation. The day before this visit nearly 4000
fish had been taken by the colonists, and between 30 and 40 of these,
weighing on an average about 5 lbs. each, were sent to Bennillong and
his party on the north shore of Port Jackson. After this, tolerably
friendly feelings continued, with some few interruptions, between the
two nations, and Bennillong himself became very much attached to the
governor, insomuch that he and another native resolved to accompany
Captain Philip to England, when, towards the close of 1792, that
excellent officer resigned his appointment, and embarked on board of
the Atlantic transport-ship. The two Australians, fully bent upon
the voyage, which they knew would be a very distant one, withstood
resolutely, at the moment of their departure, the united distress of
their wives and the dismal lamentations of their friends. No more was
heard respecting these absentees until March 1794, when a message was
brought from them in England, requesting that their wives might be told
to expect them in the course of that year, since, though well, they had
not so completely lost their love of liberty and of their native
country, to prefer London, with its pleasures and abundance, to the
woods of New South Wales. It was not, however, until August, 1795, that
Bennillong reached his native shores, having become accustomed to the
manners of civilized life, by his long sojourn among the English people.
He declared to his old acquaintance, with an air and tone that seemed to
expect compliance, that he should no longer suffer them to fight and cut
each other's throats, but should introduce peace among them, and make
them love one another. When they visited him at Government House, he
wished they would contrive to be somewhat more cleanly in their persons
and less coarse in their manners; and he was quite offended at his
sister, who came in such haste to see him, that she positively forgot to
bring anything else upon her back, except a little nephew! Bennillong
had been an attentive observer of manners, which he was not unsuccessful
in copying; his dress was an object of no small concern to him, and
every one was of opinion that he had cast off all love for savage life.
Upon his arrival, Bennillong made inquiries after his wife,[75] but
having heard no very good account of her conduct, he at length tempted
her by some rose-coloured clothes and a gipsy bonnet to leave her new
lover and return to her former husband. Bennillong's presents, however
pretty, were of very little practical use, and he was soon afterwards
missing, having gone into the Bush to give his rival a good beating with
_fists_ after the English method. However, all his valour was lost upon
his wife, who deserted him,--an event which did not appear to give him
great uneasiness, nor was it much to be wondered at, since she had been
stolen by him. His absence from the governor's house became now
frequent, and when he went out, his clothes were usually left behind
him, although he carefully resumed them on his return before he made his
visit to the governor.
[75] Like most of his countrymen, Bennillong had two wives, but one of
them, Barangaroo, had died, as it appears, before his departure for
England. See page 154.
Within a year of his arrival from England this poor creature had a
quarrel with his bosom-friend Cole-be, whose wife he had coveted, and
from whom he received some severe wounds, together with the cutting
inquiry, "Whether he meant that kind of conduct to be a specimen of
English manners?" Thus Bennillong by degrees returned again to all the
habits of savage life,--habits rendered rather worse than better by the
experience he had gained respecting those of civilized men. He could
not, however, keep on terms with his countrymen, and in 1796 he was
obliged to call in the help of the governor's soldiers to protect him
from his own people. In the following year he was accused of having been
the cause of a woman's death, who had dreamed, when dying, that he had
killed her; and by some it was said, that he actually had wounded her,
so that it was demanded of him that he should undergo the ordeal of
having some spears thrown at him. Although he denied the charge, yet it
was not thought unlikely to be true, for he was now become so fond of
drinking that he lost no opportunity of being intoxicated, and in that
state was savage and violent enough to be capable of any mischief. On
these occasions he amused himself with annoying and insulting all his
acquaintance, who were afraid to punish him lest they should offend his
white friends. But, however, his interest with the latter was fast
declining, for in an affray between the natives, Bennillong chose to
throw a spear among the soldiers, who interfered to prevent further
mischief; and one of these was dreadfully wounded by him. He was,
notwithstanding, set at liberty, but being offended at the blame his
behaviour had brought down upon him he would sometimes walk about armed,
and declare that he did so for the purpose of spearing the governor
whenever he might see him! After repeated affrays and quarrels with his
wife's lover and other natives, Bennillong, who had almost entirely
quitted the comforts and quiet of civilized life, was dangerously
wounded twice within two or three months. And although no more is
related concerning him, and it is true that he had recently recovered of
several very severe wounds, yet the probability is, that this weak and
violent savage was not long afterwards cut off in the midst of life by
an untimely and cruel death.
_Barangaroo's Funeral._--When Barangaroo Daringha, Bennillong's elder
wife, who was above fifty at the time of her death, was to have the
funeral rites performed over her body, it was resolved by her husband
that she should be burned, and the governor, the judge-advocate, and the
surgeon of the colony were invited to the ceremony, besides whom there
were present Bennillong's relatives and a few others, mostly females.
The spot for the pile was prepared by digging out the ground with a
stick, to the depth of a few inches, and in this a heap of wood was
raised to the height of about three feet, the ends and sides being
formed of dry pieces, and the middle of it consisting of small twigs and
branches, broken off for the purpose, and thrown together. Some grass
was then spread over the pile, and the corpse covered with an old
blanket was placed upon it, with the head towards the north. A basket
with sundry articles belonging to the deceased was placed by her side,
and some large logs being laid over the body by Bennillong, the pile
was lighted by one of the party, and was quickly all in a flame.
Bennillong himself pointed out to his friends that the fire had reached
the corpse, and the spot was left long before the pile was consumed,
while the husband seemed more cheerful than had been expected, and
spoke about finding a nurse among the white women for his infant and
motherless child, Dil-boong.[76] The next day he invited the same party
of Europeans to see him rake the ashes together, and none of his own
people were present at this ceremony. He went before his companions in a
sort of solemn silence, speaking to no one until he had paid the last
duties to Barangaroo. In his hand was the spear, with which he meant to
punish the _car-rah-dy_, or conjurer, for whom he had sent to attend her
in her illness, but who either could not or would not obey the summons;
and with the end of this spear he collected the funereal ashes into a
heap. Over these he made, with a piece of bark, which served for a
spade, a small mound of earth, on each side of which was placed a log of
wood, and on the top the bark with which he had constructed it. All was
done with the utmost care and neatness, and he seemed pleased, when, in
reply to his inquiries, he was told by his friends that it was "good."
His behaviour throughout was solemn and manly, and he was perfectly
silent during the whole of the ceremony, from which nothing was suffered
to withdraw his attention. Nor did he seem desirous to get quickly
through it, but paid these last rites of affection with a care that
did honour to his feelings towards one, for whom, notwithstanding his
barbarism, he appeared to feel a sincere and strong attachment. When his
melancholy task was ended, he stood for a few moments, with his hands
folded over his bosom, and his eye fixed upon his labours, in the
attitude of a man in profound thought. What were his thoughts then it is
impossible certainly to declare, but they may have been more nearly akin
to those of the mere civilized worldling than we might at first imagine.
Death brings all men to an equality, and throws down every distinction
but one. That distinction, indeed, so far from overthrowing, death
renders more marked and conspicuous than before, clearly making manifest
the difference between the believer and the unbeliever, "between him
that serveth God, and him that serveth him not."
[76] On a similar occasion, Cole-be placed the living child in the grave
with its mother, and having laid the child down, he threw upon it a
large stone, after which the grave was instantly filled up by the other
natives. Upon remonstrating with Cole-be, he, so far from thinking it
inhuman, justified this extraordinary act by saying, that, as no woman
could be found to nurse the child, it must have died a worse death than
that to which he put it.--COLLINS' _Account of the Colony of New South
Wales_, p. 393.
_The Spitting Tribe._--This was the name given by Major Mitchell to one
of the most troublesome and ferocious of the native tribes, the place of
whose habitation is on the lonely banks of the Darling, in the interior
of Eastern Australia. When these disagreeable people were first met
with, the man who was taking care of the sheep belonging to the
exploring party held out a green bough; but the savage, who had before
pointed a spear at the Englishman, replied to his emblem of peace by
taking a bough, spitting upon it, and then thrusting it into the fire.
Upon Major Mitchell hastening to the spot, similar expressions of ill
will were manifested, evidently with the purpose of telling the
strangers that they must go back. The native and a boy who was with him
then threw up dust at their enemies, in a clever way, _with their toes_.
Their feelings of hostility and defiance were too plainly expressed to
be mistaken. Every effort at conciliation was useless, until, at length,
the enraged native of the Bush retired slowly along the river bank,
singing a war-song as he went, and showing by his actions that he was
going for his tribe. This happened in the morning; and during the
afternoon of the same day, a party of the tribe made their appearance,
holding out boughs indeed, but with a very different ceremonial from
what had hitherto been observed.[77] Their violent and expressive
gestures evidently were intended to drive back the intruders; and
as these last could not but feel that they were not upon their own
ground, they used every endeavour to conciliate the opposing party. The
blacksmith belonging to the expedition was at work with his bellows and
anvil near the river bank, and his labours seemed to awaken very much
the curiosity of the natives, who, however, still refused to sit down,
and continued to wave their branches in the faces of the white people,
and to spit at them repeatedly, all which conduct was patiently endured
in the hope of establishing afterwards a more agreeable and friendly
intercourse. As a peace-offering, a tomahawk was presented to the
leader, who, guessing immediately its use, turned round to a log, and
chopped it. Two other stout fellows then rudely demanded the British
officer's pistols from his belt, whereupon he drew one, and, curious to
see the effect, fired it at a tree. Immediately, as though they had
previously suspected the intruders to be evil demons, and had at length
a clear proof of it, they repeated their actions of defiance with
tenfold fury, accompanying these with demoniac looks, hideous shouts,
and a war-song,--crouching, jumping, spitting, springing with the spear,
and throwing dust at them, as they slowly retired. In short, their
hideous crouching postures, measured gestures, and low jumps, to the
tune of a wild song, with the fiendish glare of their countenances, at
times all black, but now all eyes and teeth, seemed a fitter spectacle
for Pandemonium than for the light of the bounteous sun. Thus they
retired, dancing in a circle, and leaving the strangers in expectation
of their return, and perhaps an attack in the morning. Whatever was the
cause of their hostility, any further attempt to quiet them appeared out
of the question, and it was too likely that ere long the English party
would be forced to prove their superiority by arms.[78]
[77] The custom of holding out green boughs, which is usually a sign of
friendship among the Australians and other savage tribes, formed part of
the ceremony of suppliants among the ancient Greeks. See Potter's
Antiquities of Greece, b. ii. c. 5.
[78] The difference in disposition between tribes not very remote from
each other was often striking. Only three days' journey behind, the
travellers had left natives as kind and civil as any whom they had seen,
and hitherto all the people on the Darling had met them with the branch
of peace.
These troublesome visitors did not, however, make their appearance again
before the following afternoon, when their curiosity and desire to get
more presents brought them forth from their hiding-places in the woods.
By degrees, they seemed to gain a little more confidence; but signs of
defiance were still made; and as their fears diminished, their love of
pilfering appeared to increase. The blacksmith was at work this day
also; and they moved towards him, commencing at the same time a kind of
chant, and slowly waving their green boughs. There was evidently some
superstition in the ceremony, and one of the parties concerned in it
was a _coradje_, or priest, who occasionally turned his back upon the
Europeans, and touched his eye-brows, nose, and breast; then pointing
his arm to the sky, and with his hand afterwards laid upon his breast,
pouring forth a most solemn chant. The blacksmith, with whose honest
occupation all this formed a strange contrast, had been ordered not
to laugh nor stop working, which orders he obeyed as long as it was
practicable. But, gradually, the black visitors gathered round the
forge, and began to pilfer whatever they could lay hand or foot upon,
until the persecuted smith could no longer proceed with his work. The
best part of this scene was, that they did not mind being observed by
any one, except the blacksmith, supposing that they were robbing him
only. His patience, however, being severely tried, he was at last
tempted to give one of them a push, when a scene of chanting, spitting,
and throwing dust commenced on the part of the thief, who was a stout
fellow and carried a spear, which he seemed inclined to use. One or two
articles were lost in spite of all efforts, but the explorers were glad
to feel at peace with these people upon any terms, and both parties
separated that night in a tolerably civil way.
On the following day, the travellers began to move onwards, but they did
not leave behind (as they had hoped) their troublesome neighbours. The
natives rushed forth from the woods in greater numbers than ever, _being
painted white_, and many of them carrying spears, and shouting. A horse
belonging to one of the party was so startled at this, that he galloped
away, and was with some little difficulty recovered. The threats and
defiance of the savages were again repeated; and when the party of
explorers began to proceed onwards, the whole of the woods appeared to
be in flames. Various annoyances and hindrances were experienced from
these disagreeable inhabitants of the Bush, during the next ten or
twelve days; after which an event happened, which, though sad and
unfortunate in itself, was yet calculated to fill the minds of these
impudent savages with some respect and awe for the power of the
Europeans. Joseph Jones,--the man who attended the flock of sheep, which
accompanied Major Mitchell's party in their wanderings in the interior
of New Holland,--had been sent for some water; and the tea-kettle he
carried with him was the sole cause of the quarrel that ensued. As he
was getting up the river bank with the water, another man being
stationed (as usual) at the top to protect him with his pistol, one of
the natives, with others in his company, met him half way up, and with
a smile took hold of the pot which he was carrying, together with the
kettle. This was done under pretence of helping Jones, but, on reaching
the top of the bank, the savage, in the same jocose way, held it fast,
until a woman said something to him; and then, letting the pot go, he
seized the kettle with his left hand, and at the same time struck Jones
senseless to the ground by a violent blow on the forehead, inflicted
with a club which he held in his right. On seeing this the other man,
who was stationed by way of protection, fired, and wounded the savage,
who swam across the river, and made off as well as he could; but the
rest of the tribe were now advancing. The Englishman fired twice at
them, and the second time, unfortunately, he shot the woman already
mentioned, who, with her child fastened to her back, slid down the bank,
and lay, apparently dying, in the water. At this moment three other
Englishmen arrived, who had been sent off from the camp when the noise
of fire-arms was heard, and one man among the natives was shot in the
breast, but little more mischief was done, for the tribe speedily
dispersed, having dragged away the dead body of the woman; while Joseph
Jones returned, wounded and bleeding, to the camp of the explorers. When
night arrived, "a death-like silence," says Major Mitchell, "prevailed
along the banks of the river; no far-heard voices of natives at their
fires broke, as before, the stillness of the night, while a painful
sympathy for the child bereft of its parent, and anticipations of the
probable consequences to us, cast a melancholy gloom over the scene. The
waning moon at length arose, and I was anxiously occupied with the
observations, which were most important at this point of my journey,
when a mournful song, strongly expressive of the wailing of women, came
from beyond the Darling, on the fitful breeze which still blew from the
north-west." The feelings of a brave but humane British officer,
surrounded by difficulties, with very few except convicts under his
command, annoyed by natives, yet anxious not to injure them, and just
about to turn back from the journey of discovery which he had hitherto
successfully pursued; the feelings of Major Mitchell under the
circumstances so touchingly described by him can scarcely be imagined.
The thoughts of a veteran who had served his country during many long
years of war and strife, must have wandered back to past scenes and
by-gone days, while he stood in that solitary wilderness; and when the
wild shrill cry of savage grief came floating upon his ears, he must
have felt most deeply those strange sensations which we experience
"When, musing o'er companions gone,
We doubly feel ourselves alone."
These savages of the Darling have the power of doing with their toes
many things most surprising to men who wear shoes, and have never been
accustomed from infancy to climb trees after the Australian fashion.
With their toes they gather the fresh-water muscles from the muddy
bottoms of rivers or lakes, and these are one of their principal
articles of food in the neighbourhood of the Darling. In the attempts of
the Spitting Tribe to steal from the English party, their feet were much
employed, and they would tread softly on any article, seize it with the
toes, pass it up the back, or between the arm and side, and so conceal
it in the arm-pit, or between the beard and throat. The hoary old priest
of the Spitting Tribe, while intent upon tricks of this kind, chanted
an extraordinary hymn to some deity or devil; the act was evidently
superstitious and connected with no good principle. Arrangements were
probably being made, and some of these strange ceremonies observed by
them, for the purpose of destroying the strangers, _intruders_ they
might be called. "And no man," observes Major Mitchell, "can witness the
quickness and intelligence of the aborigines, as displayed in their
instant comprehension of our numerous appliances, without feelings of
sympathy. They cannot be so obtuse, as not to anticipate in the advance
of such a powerful race as ours, the extirpation of their own, in a
country which barely affords to them the means of subsistence." Yet,
melancholy though the reflection may appear, it is but too true, that
scarcely any hope of improving and civilizing these barbarous people can
be at present reasonably indulged. What a picture does the same humane
traveller already quoted draw of the tribes about the lower part of the
Darling, of whose character the Spitting Tribe may serve for a specimen.
"It seldom happened," he says, "that I was particularly engaged with a
map, a drawing, or a calculation, but I was interrupted by them or
respecting them. Our gifts seemed only to awaken on their part a desire
to destroy us, and to take all we had. While sitting in the dust with
them, according to their custom, often have they examined my cap,
evidently with no other view than to ascertain whether it would
resist the blow of a _waddy_, or short stick. Then they would feel the
thickness of my dress, and whisper together, their eyes occasionally
glancing at their spears and clubs. The expression of their countenances
was sometimes so hideous, that, after such interviews, I have found
comfort in contemplating the honest faces of the horses and sheep; and
even in the scowl of 'the patient ox,' I have imagined an expression of
dignity, when he may have pricked up his ears, and turned his horns
towards these wild specimens of the 'lords of the creation.' Travellers
in Australian deserts will find that such savages cannot remain at rest
when near, but are ever anxious to strip them by all means in their
power of every thing. It was not until we proceeded as conquerors, that
we knew any thing like tranquillity on the Darling; and I am now of
opinion, that to discourage at once the approach of such natives, would
tend more to the safety of an exploring party than presenting them with
gifts."
_Mulligo's Death._--The following curious account of the death of a
certain native of Western Australia is given by Captain Grey. Mulligo,
for such was the name of the unfortunate man, had severely hurt his
spine by a fall from a tree, and having lost the use of his lower limbs,
he gradually wasted away, until, in about two months' time, he became a
perfect skeleton, and was evidently dying. Soon after day-break, Captain
Grey came to the hut of Mulligo, and found him alive indeed, but
breathing so slightly that it was scarcely to be perceived. His head
rested on his aged mother's knees, who leaned over him in tears, while
other women were seated around, their heads all verging to a common
centre, over the wasted frame of the dying man; they were crying
bitterly, and scratching their cheeks, foreheads, and noses, with
their nails, until the blood trickled slowly from the wounds. The men,
meanwhile, were preparing their spears for the fight, which was expected
to take place respecting the two wives of Mulligo, the title of his heir
being disputed. Other native females soon began to arrive in small
parties, each one carrying her long stick in her hand, and each party
marching slowly after the eldest woman belonging to it. When they came
within about thirty or forty yards of the hut of the dying man, they
raised the most piteous cries, and hurrying their pace, moved rapidly to
the place where the other women were seated, recalling to the mind of
one acquainted with the Bible, that custom alluded to by Jeremiah (chap.
ix. 17, 18). As they came up to the bark hut, many of them struck it
violently with their sticks, producing by the blow a dull hollow sound,
and then, after joining the assembled circle, chanting mournfully the
usual songs on these occasions. Then, suddenly, one of the women in a
frenzy would start up, and standing in front of the hut, while she waved
her stick violently in the air, would chant forth curses against the
sorcerers, who, as she believed, had been the cause of Mulligo's
sufferings. It was strange to watch the effect of these wild chants upon
the savage countenances of the men; one while they sat in mournful
silence; again they grasped firmly and quivered their spears; and by and
by a general "Ee-Ee," pronounced in their throat, with the lips closed,
burst forth in token of approbation at some affecting part of the
speech.
Time wore on; each withered beldame by turns addressed the party,
while the poor creature, whose dying moments were thus disturbed, was
gradually sinking. At last he ceased to live, and at that moment an old
woman started up, and with grief and rage, poured forth her curses upon
the _Boyl-yas_, and tore the hut in which Mulligo had been lying to
pieces, saying, "This is now no good." Her proceedings excited the
feelings of the men, and at last Moon-dee, the most violent of them, was
on the point of spearing one of the wives of the deceased, but he was
withheld by some of the women. The cause of Moon-dee's anger was
afterwards thus explained. About two or three months before this time,
a cloak belonging to Mulligo's brother had been stolen, and, it was
supposed, given to one of the sorcerers, who gained thereby some
mysterious power over either of the two brothers, which he had exercised
on Mulligo, when he caused him to fall and injure his back. Another
sorcerer was called in, who applied fire to the injured part, but
without any success; and since the poor fellow was daily wasting away,
it was imagined that the unfriendly sorcerers came every night to feast
upon the invalid during his hours of sleep. But Moon-dee chose to fancy
that if his wife had been more watchful, the _Boyl-yas_ might have been
detected, and therefore he intended to spear her in the leg, in order to
punish her supposed neglect. This outrage was, however, prevented; and
the two trembling partners of the deceased, neither of whom was above
fifteen years old, fled into Perth, to find among Europeans a refuge
from the violence of their own countrymen. After vowing vengeance
against a great many of the sorcerers, though they had no proof whatever
against any of these in particular, the men followed the widows to
Perth, to see that no one stole them away; and a few only were left with
the women to superintend the funeral.
In about an hour's time, the body was removed to a distance of nearly
half a mile from the spot where the death had taken place, and the women
were still leaning over it, uttering the words, _yang, yang, yang_, and
occasionally chanting a few sentences. The grave was then dug, as usual,
due east and west, with no better instruments than sticks and hands; but
afterwards, when many Europeans had assembled at the spot, to the great
annoyance of the natives, these last occasionally employed a spade,
although, from the extreme narrowness of the grave, it was no easy
matter to make use of this implement. During the digging an insect had
been thrown up, whose motions were watched with the deepest interest,
and since the animal crawled off in the direction of Guildford, this was
thought an additional proof of the guilt of the sorcerers of that place,
who had before been suspected, because the cloak had been stolen by a
man living near this settlement.
When the grave was completed, they set fire to some dried leaves and
twigs which they threw in, and old Weeban, the friendly sorcerer, knelt
at the foot of the grave, with his back to the east, and his head bowed
down to the earth in a posture of the deepest attention; his office
being a very important one, namely, to discover in what direction the
hostile _Boyl-yas_ would take their flight, when drawn out of the earth
by the heat. The fire roared for some time in the grave; and the hollow
sound of the flames arising from the narrow opening evidently aroused
the superstitious fears of the bystanders, until the old conjuror
signified by his actions that the authors of the mischief were gone off
in the direction of Guildford. The relatives of the deceased appeared
satisfied at knowing upon whom to avenge the foul witchcraft, and at
being assured of the cause of their friend's death. The body of Mulligo
was then taken from the females, his mother having, for the last time,
fervently kissed its cold lips; and the corpse was lowered into the
grave, and placed upon a bed of leaves, which had been laid there
directly the fire was extinguished; the face being, according to custom,
turned towards the east. The women continued their mournful songs, and
the grave was filled up with small green boughs and earth, until the
tomb was completed, presenting the appearance, owing to the heaps placed
at the head and foot, of three graves nearly alike in size and form,
lying in a due east and west direction. On the same evening, the old
mother was found sitting at the place where her son's remains were
interred, and crying bitterly. She had caught the _Boyl-yas_, she said,
in the very act of sitting round Mulligo's grave, for the purpose of
preying upon his miserable body, and she pointed out their tracks at the
spot from which they sprung into the air, in the direction of Guildford,
but European eyes were not keen enough to detect these mysterious traces
of mischief.
_The Corrobory._--The natives have a dance, called corrobory, of a very
original character, and almost universally prevalent on the shores of
Australia. The dance always takes place at night; and not only in this
respect, but likewise in the preparation and excitement occasioned by
it, a resemblance may be traced between the _corrobory_ and the dances
of more civilized nations. The curious evolutions and figures performed
in these assemblies of savages, are regulated by time beaten upon
stretched skins or drums,--the only musical instrument that is commonly
seen among them; and while the light of blazing boughs is thrown upon
the scene of festivity, the rude music is accompanied by a song.
Darkness seems essential to the effect of the whole; and the painted
figures coming forward from the obscurity of the background, while the
singers and beaters of time are invisible, have a highly theatrical
effect. Each dance appears most tastefully progressive; the movement
being first slow, and introduced by two persons, displaying graceful
motions, both of arms and legs; others, one by one, join in, each
gradually warming into the truly savage attitude of the "_corrobory_"
jump; the legs then stride to the utmost, the head is turned over one
shoulder, the eyes glare, and are fixed with savage energy all in one
direction; the arms also are raised, and inclined towards the head, the
hands usually grasping some warlike weapons. The jump now keeps time
with each beat; the dancers at every movement taking six inches to one
side, all being in a connected line, led by the first, which line,
however, is sometimes _doubled_ or _tripled_, according to numbers; and
thus great effect is added; for when the front line jumps to the left,
the second jumps to the right; the third to the left again, and so on,
until the action gains due intensity, when all suddenly stop at the same
moment. The excitement which this dance produces in the savage is very
remarkable. However listless the individual may be, lying perhaps, as
usual, half asleep, set him to this, and he is fired with sudden energy,
every nerve is strung to such a degree, that he is hardly to be known as
the same person, while the _corrobory_ continues.
_Peerat and his Wives._--A garden belonging to a soldier at King
George's Sound had been robbed by the natives of nearly a hundred weight
of potatoes. This was the first act of theft that had been committed
during the five months of Governor Grey's residence there, although
there had often been as many as two hundred natives in the settlement,
who had no means of subsistence beyond the natural productions of the
country, and what little they derived from being occasionally employed
by the colonists. And even in this theft of the potatoes, they had
purposely left the large roots, and had taken away only the smaller
ones, in the hope that by so doing they would lessen the crime. However,
the governor resolved to act promptly and vigorously upon this first
offence, and to avoid the common fault of Europeans, in confounding the
guilty and the innocent together. By the help of an intelligent native,
the tracks of three persons were found in the garden that had been
robbed, and the footsteps were pronounced to be those of Peerat's two
wives, and his son Dal-bean. These had all walked off into the Bush,
meaning, probably, to avoid suspicion, and to wait till the affair had
passed quietly over. The governor determined to pursue them, but this
required great secrecy, for Australians are no easy creatures to catch
hold of; and it was not meant to adopt the popular system of shooting
them when they ran away. Accompanied by four natives only, the governor
pressed forward, following Peerat's tracks for about nine miles in a
direction where the Bush had been set on fire by the natives, until he
met with some of these, who were solemnly informed of the theft and of
the names of the criminals, whom he had come to take prisoners; if these
were given up, it was promised that they should undergo only the regular
punishment for petty robbery; otherwise, the usual allowance of flour,
which was issued to all the natives every two months, was to be stopped;
and it was threatened that a party of soldiers should be brought out to
fire upon Peerat and his party wherever they might be found. These
threats, uttered in a very decided tone, gave occasion to a consultation
among the natives, by whom it was unanimously agreed:--
Imprimis. That stealing potatoes was a very heinous offence, more
particularly in women.
Secondly. That women were notorious thieves, and altogether worse
characters than men.
Thirdly. That beating women was an every day occurrence.
Fourthly. That losing flour was a great bore; and,
Fifthly. Upon these considerations, Peerat, his wives, and son, were to
be given up.
These resolutions having been passed, the whole assembly came to the
governor to inquire whether he told the truth, when he said that he was
not personally angry with Peerat's family, and that they should not be
killed; and being satisfied upon this point, they all proceeded together
in search of the offending parties.
Peerat waited quietly to receive them, indeed, he was not aware of the
cause of his being honoured by a visit from the governor; when, however,
he heard of this, he abused his wives, and promised to thrash them
soundly, but absolutely refused to give either them or his son up as
prisoners. The first man who might lay a finger upon him was threatened
with a spear through the heart, and the governor was obliged to proclaim
the sacredness of his own person, and to cock both barrels of his gun,
with an assurance that he would shoot poor Peerat in case of resistance.
All savage strife is noisy in the extreme; even the strife of
_civilized_ men in their _public meetings_ and _vestries_ is often
tolerably boisterous,--and a great deal of running and leaping about,
and quivering of spears accompanies the former kind of altercation.
While things were in this confusion the governor went alone to Peerat's
fire, and seized his little boy, Dal-bean, but could see nothing of the
wives, who were, most likely, busy digging roots for the family. The boy
was told that if he moved he would be shot, a threat which kept him very
quiet; but Peerat soon found out what had happened, and came running
after them. These natives are always greatly attached to their children,
and strong proofs of this were now given by the father, who first
declared that the boy had been with him, and that it was the mother only
that had stolen, producing about a dozen witnesses to prove this to be
the truth. However, the reply to this was by asking the question, How
came the child's footmarks in the garden? It was answered that Peerat's
second wife had, indeed, been there, and that she was just the size of
the boy; but that plea would not hold good, since her footsteps had been
observed likewise.
The father now urged the tender years of the lad, and that he was under
the influence of his mother; and then fairly wept upon his child's neck,
who was calling upon his parent and the other natives by name to save
him. The governor's own feelings and those of his followers urged him
to let the little fellow go, but he wisely resolved to act with
determination, and held fast by the prisoner. Spears were now given to
Peerat--a sign of his quarrel being espoused by those who gave them, and
that he was expected to use them; and, matters having taken a serious
turn, the governor hastened away with his prisoner and two of his native
companions, but not before he had explained to the others the advantage
of an impartial inquiry and proper punishment of offenders, in
preference to their being exposed to the indiscriminating fire of
Europeans. Peerat was then threatened with a shot if he did not take
himself off, and bring his wives into the settlement to be punished; and
the matter ended, for the present, in the lodgment of the youthful
Dal-bean safe in the British gaol. In a day or two afterwards, during
which no tidings had been heard of Peerat and his wives, the little
Dal-bean made an attempt to break out of his place of confinement, by
taking up a loose stone from the floor, with which he had battered a
hole in the door. This, however, he stoutly denied, asserting that,
whilst he was asleep, sorcerers from the north, having a spite against
him, had entered through some air-holes in the wall and done this; and,
on his persisting in the story, he was told that, in future, he would
be well whipped for neglect, if he did not give the alarm when these
strange visitors came. Meanwhile, the governor was half inclined to whip
him for telling a story, but he satisfied himself with giving him a
lecture upon the crime of lying, to which the cunning little rogue
replied, by arguing upon the general usefulness and prevalence of that
vice in the world, entirely setting aside its evil nature and
sinfulness.
The very same day Peerat made his appearance with a very pitiful
tale. He had two wives, and to govern them both was no easy task, but,
although they had been soundly beaten, they could not be induced to come
into the settlement, until he had threatened to spear them. This threat
had, at last, succeeded, and in recompense for his sufferings from the
loss of his son, and from the obstinacy and bad temper of his wives, he
begged to be allowed to beat the latter himself. They were ordered to
the spot where the robbery was committed, and there the native women
soon appeared, dreadfully cut and mangled from the beating they had
already received. One was a nice looking girl, about fourteen, but an
incorrigible thief. Peerat was going to hit her a tremendous blow upon
the head, which must have laid it open. She stood with her back to her
husband, trembling and crying bitterly. The governor caught Peerat's
arm, picked up a little switch from the ground, and told him to beat her
on the shoulders with that, instead of with his _meero_. Two slight
blows, or rather taps, were given her, in order to know where it was
that the governor meant her to be struck, but the poor girl cried so
bitterly from fear, that she was pardoned, and so likewise was the other
woman, who had already been severely beaten, and had at that moment a
little child sitting upon her shoulder, and crying piteously at the
sight of its mother's tears. Before the crowd dispersed a lecture was
given them, and they were warned not to presume upon the governor's
clemency in the present instance.
In the afternoon, the governor, attended by Peerat, his wives, and a
crowd of natives, walked up to the gaol to release little Dal-bean. The
father and the governor alone entered the prison, and when the gaoler
was told to hand Peerat the whip, the latter took it, and said, "Yes,
yes, I will strike him; let not another beat him." The door of the cell
was then opened, and the little boy was led out: his father ran up to
him, caught him in his arms, and began kissing him; having done this, he
told him he was going to beat him. The little fellow did not answer a
word, but standing as firm and erect as possible, presented his back
to him. The father gave him one blow, and it was ended--justice was
satisfied. The criminals had surrendered to salutary laws, of which they
had but a vague and undefined knowledge; it was their first offence; the
nature of the laws they had broken was explained to them; they were
warned to be careful in their future conduct, and they were set free.
Little Dal-bean, directly they got outside the gaol, walked up to the
governor, took his hand, and squeezed it; then turning to his mother,
he just looked at her; she cried, but did not dare to kiss him, or to
show any other mark of emotion. The whole party then moved off, after
showering many thanks upon the governor, and saying, "What a good
fellow, what a good fellow," or, to give a literal translation, "one
good man, one good man!"
_Woga's Captivity._--In Caledon Bay, upon the northern coast of New
Holland, the natives had behaved very well to the party under Captain
Flinders, which had landed on their shores, until one of those who had
been most kindly treated ran away with an axe, and from the thickness of
the forest could not be overtaken. It was indeed here, as in other parts
of Australia, no easy matter to hinder the people from stealing whatever
came within their reach; and in order to check this, two men were seized
by command of Captain Flinders, and after a little time one of these was
set free, upon his promising by signs to restore the axe, and being
made to understand that the other would be kept as a pledge of this
engagement being fulfilled. Much confusion was noticed among the
natives, and preparations were made for firing upon them in case of
necessity, but after one of the prisoners had been released, they
appeared to have less anxiety, and still no axe was forthcoming. The
prisoner, a youth of about fourteen, whose name was Woga, was taken in a
boat to a place much frequented by the savages, many of whom were seen
behind the bushes, endeavouring to entice a native who accompanied
the expedition on shore, no doubt intending to seize him by way of
retaliation. The restoration of the axe was demanded, and the prisoner
seemed to use all his powers to enforce it, but the constant answer was
that the thief, Ye-han-ge-ree, had been beaten and was gone away; and
since no axe was likely to be brought, Woga was carried on board the
ship, after a great deal of crying, entreating, threatening, and
struggling on his part. He there ate heartily, laughed, sometimes cried,
and noticed every thing; frequently expressing admiration at what he
saw, and especially at the sheep, hogs, and cats. The next morning he
was taken ashore, and attempted to make a spring out of the boat, so
that it was needful to bind him, notwithstanding his struggles; but
after a while he became quiet, and enjoyed his meal of rice and fish,
although he was made fast to a tree. A sort of attack was then made by
the other natives upon a party of gentlemen who had landed to botanize,
and who had been almost surrounded by the savages; but, however, a
couple of shots dispersed their enemies, and two of the Australians were
supposed to have been wounded. Since the prisoner was thus a cause of
mischief to his fellow-countrymen, and his being carried off would be an
act of injustice, as well as injurious to future visitors of that coast,
at length Captain Flinders, who would otherwise willingly have taken
Woga with him, resolved to release him. On that day, the third of his
captivity, Woga appeared to be a little melancholy in his bondage, but
upon the whole had not fared amiss, having been eating the greater part
of the morning and afternoon. He begged hard to be released; promising,
with tears in his eyes, to bring back the axe; and after having received
some clothing and presents he was suffered to depart. As far as two
hundred yards he walked away leisurely; but then, looking first behind
him, took to his heels with all his might, leaving his British friends
very reasonably doubtful of the fulfilment of his pathetic promises!
_Bal-loo-der-ry and the Convicts._--In 1791, when the town of Paramatta,
about fifteen miles from Sydney, was first settled, the natives soon
began to bring in their fish and barter it for bread or salted meat; and
this proving a great convenience to the settlers, the traffic was very
much encouraged by them. There were, however, some among the convicts so
unthinking or so depraved, as wantonly to destroy a canoe belonging to a
fine young man, a native, who had left it at a little distance from the
settlement, as he thought, out of the way of observation, while he went
with some fish he had to sell. His rage at finding his canoe destroyed
was very great: he threatened to take his revenge, and in his own way,
upon all white people. Three of the offenders, however, having been seen
and described, were taken and punished, and so were the remainder of
them not very long afterwards. The instant effect of this outrage
was, that the natives discontinued the bringing up of fish; and
Bal-loo-der-ry, whose canoe had been destroyed, although he had been
taught to believe[79] that one of the six convicts had been hanged for
the offence, meeting a few days afterwards with an European who had
strayed to some distance from Paramatta, he wounded him in two places
with a spear. This act of Bal-loo-der-ry was followed by the governor's
strictly forbidding him to appear again in any of the settlements; and
the other natives, his friends, being alarmed, Paramatta was seldom
visited by any of them, and all commerce with them was (for the time)
at an end. However, in about two months afterwards, before the person
wounded by him had recovered, Bal-loo-der-ry ventured into the town with
some of his friends, and one or two armed parties were sent to seize
him. A spear having been thrown, it was said, by him, two muskets were
fired, by which one of his companions was wounded in the leg, but
Bal-loo-der-ry was not taken. On the following day it was ordered that
he was to be seized whenever an opportunity should offer, and that any
native attempting to throw a spear in his defence, (since they well knew
why he was denounced,) was, if possible, to be prevented from escaping.
Those who knew this savage regretted that it had been necessary to treat
him thus harshly, for among his countrymen they had never seen a finer
young man. We cannot finish this melancholy history with a more true
reflection than that of Lieutenant Collins: "How much greater claim to
the appellation of _savages_ had the wretches (the convicts) who were
the cause of this, than the natives who were termed so!"
[79] Such are the words of Lieutenant Collins, from whose account of New
South Wales the narrative is taken. When will Christians learn, in their
intercourse with heathens and savages, to abstain from such falsehood
and deceitful dealing?
_Native Hospitality and Philosophy._--After a most distressing journey
in Western Australia, Captain Grey and his party fell in with a number
of natives, at no great distance from the settlement of Perth. So great
had been the trials of the explorers that a disinclination to move
pervaded the whole party, and their courageous leader had felt much the
same desire to sink into the sleep of death, that one feels to take a
second slumber in the morning after great fatigue. However they had
aroused themselves, and had managed to walk about eight miles at the
slow rate of a mile and a quarter an hour, when they came suddenly upon
the tracks of the natives. Kaiber, their guide, announced that they were
wild natives; and, after a second survey, he declared that they had
"great bush fury" on them, _i.e._ were subject to wild untutored rage.
It was proposed, however, to fire a gun as a signal, for since the
distance from Perth was thought to be very trifling, it was hoped that
these natives would understand its meaning. Kaiber threatened to run
away, but the coward was, in fact, afraid to move five yards from the
party, so, sitting down on his haunches under cover, he kept muttering
to himself various terms of Australian scorn,--"The swan--the
big-head--the stone forehead!"--while the Captain advanced towards the
strangers, who no sooner heard the gun, and saw him approaching, than
they came running to him. Presently, Kaiber accosted one of them by
name, and at the sound of this name, Imbat, the strongest feeling was
awakened; it was well known to the travellers, and they knew that their
lives were safe, and the end of their journey at hand. Captain Grey was
in good favour with most of the natives of those parts, to whom he had
frequently made presents of _flour_, and hence his common appellation
among them was "Wokeley brudder," or Oakley's brother, that being the
name of a _baker_ residing in Perth.
The women were soon called up, bark-baskets of frogs opened for the
exhausted travellers, _by-yu_ nuts roasted, and, for a special delicacy,
the Captain obtained a small fresh-water tortoise. He was bidden to
sleep while Imbat cooked, and though the delay which the willing
native's skill in cookery occasioned was a little trying to the
patience of hungry men, yet it was not very long before they were
all regaling on the welcome feast. In reply to the questions of the
Englishmen, the natives all told them that they would see Perth the next
morning, "while the sun was still small;" and upon finding that there
was a kangaroo hunter with a hut, and a supply of provisions only seven
miles off, Imbat and the Captain went thither together, to prepare for
the comfortable reception of the rest of the party. However, they found
the hut deserted, its owner having returned to Perth. A fire was
lighted, notwithstanding, and the Englishman laid down to rest his weary
limbs, while the Australian again began to cook, and in his chattering
mood to philosophize also. "What for do you, who have plenty to eat, and
much money, walk so far away in the Bush?" was his first inquiry. The
Captain, fatigued and rather out of humour, made no reply. "You are
thin," continued the philosopher, "your shanks are long, your belly is
small,--you had plenty to eat at home, why did you not stop there?"
"Imbat, you comprehend nothing,--you know nothing," was the traveller's
brief reply. "I know nothing!" answered the wise man of the woods, "I
know how to keep myself fat; the young women look at me and say, Imbat
is very handsome, he is fat;--they will look at you and say, He not
good,--long legs;--what do you know? where is your fat? what for do you
know so much, if you can't keep fat? I know how to stay at home, and not
walk too far in the Bush: where is your fat?" "You know how to talk,
long tongue," answered the Captain;--"And I know how to make you fat!"
rejoined Imbat, forgetting his anger, and bursting into a roar of
laughter, as he began stuffing his guest with frogs, _by-yu_ nuts, &c.
The rest of the party arrived just before nightfall, and, searching the
hut, they found a paper of tea, and an old tin pot, in which they
prepared the welcome beverage, after which, having had a good supper,
they all laid down to sleep; and in the silence of the night, fervent
thanks went up from that lonely hut in the wilderness to the Maker of
all things, whose merciful guidance had again brought them so near "the
haven where they would be."
_The Widow and her Child._--During the journey of Major Mitchell's
party, exploring the course of the river Lachlan down to its junction
with the Murray, they had to cross several branches of the former
stream, which gave them some trouble from the steepness of their banks,
until they at length reached the main channel of the Lachlan, which
stream, together with all its tributaries, was at that time perfectly
dry. The welcome news was then heard that some ponds of water were near,
but at the same time it was reported that natives were there; so the
party approached cautiously, and having found two pools encamped beside
them. The black people had all fled, except one child, about seven or
eight years old, quite blind, who sat near a fire, and a poor little
girl still younger, who, notwithstanding the strange appearance of the
new visitors, and the terror exhibited in the flight of her own people,
still lingered about the bushes, and at length took her seat beside the
blind boy. A large supply of the _balyan_ root lay near them, and a dog
so lean that he was scarcely able to stand, drew his feeble body close
up beside the two children, as though desirous of defending them.
Afterwards an old man came up to the fire, and he directed the
travellers to some of the water-holes in their proposed route, but could
not be prevailed upon to become their guide. However, he persuaded a
widow, with the little girl just mentioned, who might be about four
years old, to accompany the party and act as guide.
The strangers soon began to learn the value of their new guide,
Turàndurey; for within a fortnight they met with a number of the
natives, approaching in a silent and submissive manner, each having a
green bough twined round his waist or in his hand; and a parley was
opened with them by means of the widow, as she was sitting on the
opposite bank of a river to that on which they made their appearance.
Some form or ceremony, it seems, always prevents the male natives,
when strangers to each other, from speaking at first sight; no such
restraint, however, is placed upon their wives or _gins_, as they are
called. These, with the privilege of their sex, are ever ready to speak;
and the strangers as readily replied to Turàndurey; so conversation was
thus held across the river. This female guide, who had before scarcely
ventured to look up, now stood boldly forward to address the strange
tribe; and when her countenance was lighted up, displaying fine teeth,
and great earnestness of manner, it was gratifying to the travellers
to see what spirit their guide possessed. Being invited to swim over
the stream, the children of the woods complied but on condition that
the wild animals (the sheep and horses) should be driven away,--a
stipulation at which the widow and other natives in the British party
laughed heartily; nor was their laughter stopped when they watched the
awkward attempts of these heroes to show off before the females, while
they were unable entirely to conceal their fears of the silly sheep!
It was no very long time afterwards that an unfortunate accident
happened to the little native child, Ballandella, who fell from a cart,
and one of the wheels passing over, broke her thigh. On riding up to the
spot, Major Mitchell found the widow, her mother, in great distress,
lying in the dust, with her head under the limb of her unfortunate
child. The doctor was ordered to set it immediately; but, from its being
broken very near the socket, it was found difficult to bandage the limb
so as to keep the bone in its place. Every possible care was taken of
the child, and she bore the pain with admirable patience, though only
four years old; while she gave a curious proof of her good sense at so
early an age, by calling for "Majy" (the Major), as soon as she had met
with the accident. Little Ballandella did very well, and was, after
about two months' time, fast recovering from her misfortune, when the
widow, having been travelling all that time, and being now far distant
from her own country, felt inclined to return; and was prepared to make
nothing of swimming the broad waters of the Murray, the largest known
river in New Holland, pushing the child before her floating upon a piece
of bark, nor of any other difficulties which might oppose her in her
journey homewards. No objections were offered to the woman's departure,
who appeared extremely attached to her daughter, and half afraid of
being deprived of her. Indeed, it was a tempting opportunity of trying
an experiment of the effect of education upon one of that race; for the
little savage, who at first would prefer a snake or lizard to a piece of
bread, had become so far civilised at length, as to prefer bread; and it
began to cry bitterly on leaving its European friends. However, its
absence from them was not to be a long one; for, on the third day,
the widow returned again, carrying her child on her back, after the
Australian fashion. She had seen, she stated, another tribe on the
opposite side of the river, and they had inquired very angrily, who made
the fires upon her side; after which, receiving no reply, (for she was
afraid and had hid herself,) they danced a _corrobory_ in a furious
style, during which she and the child crept away, and had passed two
nights without fire and in the rain.[80] The mother and her daughter
received a kindly welcome, and were as well treated as before,
notwithstanding the petty jealousy of some other natives, who, it was
thought, had persuaded Turàndurey to go, hoping thus to get a greater
share of food for themselves. After this, the widow and Ballandella
continued with the exploring party during almost the whole of the
remainder of their expedition, making themselves serviceable in various
ways. Sometimes they would give notice of the approach of the Major,
upon his return from an excursion, long before he had reached the camp;
their quick ears seemed sensible of the sound of horses' feet at an
astonishing distance, for so only could it be accounted for that the
widow and her infant daughter, seated at the fire, were always the first
to give notice of the Major's approach. Sometimes Turàndurey would
employ herself in a less serious, though not less useful manner; for on
such exploring expeditions the amusement of the men is a matter of the
first importance. She would exercise her skill in mimicry or imitation,
powers which the natives of New Holland possess to an amazing degree;
and she thus occasionally amused the men by acting the part of their
leader, taking angles, drawing from nature, and copying other
occupations in which Major Mitchell was frequently engaged.
[80] This generally appears to be rather a suspicious act;--to dance
a _corrobory_ is "a proposal these savage tribes often make, and
which the traveller who knows them well will think it better to
discourage."--MITCHELL'S _Three Expeditions_, vol. ii. p. 269.
On the return of the expedition, it was found needful, from a scarcity
of provisions, to divide into two parties, one of which was to proceed,
under the leader, by forced marches home to Sydney, while the other was
to remain behind until necessary supplies should be forwarded. The
widow was among the party to be left; but on the morning of separation
she was marked with white round the eyes,--the Australian token of
mourning,--and the face of Ballandella was whitened also. This poor
woman, who had cheerfully carried the child upon her back, when it was
offered that both might be carried in the carts, and was as careful and
affectionate as any mother could be, had at length determined to entrust
to the Major the care of her daughter. He was pleased with this proof of
confidence, and less unwilling to take the charge from the knowledge of
the wretched state of slavery to which the native females are doomed.
Besides, the poor child had suffered considerably by the accident that
befel her while with the party of Englishmen, and she seemed to prefer
their mode of living so much, that her mother at length despaired of
being ever able to instruct her thoroughly in the mysteries of killing
and eating snakes, lizards, rats, and similar food. The widow had been
long enough with Europeans to learn how much more her sex was respected
by civilised men than by savages; and it was with feelings of this
nature, probably, that she entrusted her child to them, under the
immediate care, however, of a native woman, the wife of Piper, the
guide who had accompanied them through all the journey. A match was
subsequently made between Turàndurey and king Joey, one of the native
chiefs, by which the good woman gained a handsome and comfortable
settlement for an Australian. The child Ballandella was a welcome
stranger to the Major's own children, among whom she remained,
conforming most willingly to the habits of domestic life, and showing a
very promising aptness of understanding, until she was transferred, at
the removal of the family to England, to the care of a friend; and the
last mention made of Ballandella is, that she was able to read as well
as any white child of the same age.
_Miago._--This last sketch of native character may serve to place in a
striking, yet fair light, the perplexing situation of the half-civilised
blacks, the strong inducements for them to relapse into barbarism again,
and, consequently, the difficulty that stands in the way of their being
thoroughly reclaimed. It is impossible to do this better than in the
very words of Captain Grey.[81] "The officers of the _Beagle_ took away
with them a native of the name of Miago, who remained absent with them
for several months. I saw him on the north-west coast, on board the
_Beagle_, apparently perfectly civilised; he waited at the gun-room
mess, was temperate, (never tasting spirits,) attentive, cheerful, and
remarkably clean in his person. The next time I saw him was at Swan
River, where he had been left on the return of the _Beagle_. He was then
again a savage, almost naked, painted all over, and had been concerned
in several murders. Several persons here told me,--'You see the taste
for a savage life was strong in him, and he took to the bush again
directly.' Let us pause for a moment and consider.
[81] Grey's Western Australia, vol. ii. p. 370.
"Miago, when he was landed, had amongst the white people none who would
be truly friends of his;--they would give him scraps from their table,
but the very outcasts of the whites would not have treated him as an
equal,--they had no sympathy with him,--he could not have married a
white woman,--he had no certain means of subsistence open to him,--he
never could have been either a husband or a father, if he had lived
apart from his own people;--where, amongst the whites, was he to find
one who would have filled for him the place of his black mother, whom he
is much attached to? What white man would have been his brother? What
white woman his sister? He had two courses left open to him,--he could
either have renounced all natural ties, and have led a hopeless, joyless
life among the whites, ever a servant, ever an inferior being; or he
could renounce civilisation, and return to the friends of his childhood,
and to the habits of his youth. He chose the latter course, and I think
that I should have done the same."
[Illustration: SYDNEY IN ITS INFANCY--VIEW FROM THE SOUTH.]
CHAPTER VII.
FIRST YEARS OF THE COLONY OF NEW SOUTH WALES.
One of the greatest efforts to which the industry and powers of man
can be directed is to change a lonely uncultivated wilderness into an
enclosed and fruitful country,--to occupy with civilised human beings
and comfortable dwellings those wilds which have hitherto been nearly
deserted, or at best but scantily and occasionally inhabited by savage
barbarians. The colonisation of New South Wales by the English has been
one of the most successful of these efforts; and certainly never before
did the change effected by industry so rapidly make itself visible in
the face of the new country. But, although the settlement of this colony
may now be most certainly pronounced to have been a very successful
experiment, it was by no means without hazard, and disappointment, and
suffering, to those who were first engaged in it. Indeed it would appear
to be the lot of infant colonies to cope with difficulties known only
to first settlers in uncultivated lands; and while the enterprising
colonist has to endure and struggle against these early trials, his
children or grandchildren, or often the stranger who has made a
favourable bargain of his property, are the persons who reap the reward
of his toils. It must assuredly be a subject of interest to every
inquiring mind to trace the feeble beginnings of an infant colony,
accompanying it through all its variations of hope and despondency, of
good or ill success, until it is at length conducted to a state of
greatness and prosperity quite unexampled, when the shortness of its
duration is considered. And since that colony is our own, since Britain
is, for several reasons, unusually concerned, both morally and
politically, in the welfare of New South Wales, it cannot but be useful
as well as interesting to inquire somewhat concerning the past history,
previously to our entering upon the present state, of that settlement.
In the year 1770, Captain Cooke, in his first voyage, had touched upon
the eastern coast of New Holland, at a bay which, from the number of
curious flowers that were there found growing wild, received the name
of Botany Bay. About sixteen years afterwards, when the American war
had closed up the great outlet by which the mother country had been
accustomed to get rid of the worst of its population, it was resolved
to form a colony for this purpose elsewhere. The coast of Africa was
thought of, but wisely abandoned; and at length Botany Bay was the spot
selected by the English government, which despatched, in 1787, the
_Sirius_ and the _Supply_, with six transports and three store-ships,
having on board 565 men and 192 women, convicts, besides 160 marines,
with their officers, some of their wives, and the necessary crews for
working the ships. Provisions for two years were taken out, tools,
agricultural implements, and other articles deemed necessary were also
furnished, and the little fleet was placed under the command of Captain
Phillip, the future governor of the intended colony. Some live stock was
obtained at the Cape of Good Hope, and plants and seeds likely to be
useful were procured likewise at that place, (then under the Dutch
government,) and at Rio Janeiro. In eight months and a week the voyage
was, with the Divine blessing, completed; and after having sailed 5021
leagues, and touched at both the American and African continents, they
came to an anchor on January 20th, 1788, within a few days' sail of the
antipodes of their native country, having had, upon the whole, a very
healthy and prosperous voyage. Botany Bay did not offer much that was
promising for a settlement, since it was mostly surrounded by very poor
land, and water was scarce.[82] The governor, accordingly, went in
person to examine the two neighbouring harbours of Port Jackson and
Broken Bay, and upon drawing near to the entrance of the former the
coast looked as unpromising as elsewhere, and the natives on shore
continued shouting, "Warra, warra,"--Go away, go away. Captain Cooke,
passing by the heads of Port Jackson, thought there might be found
shelter within for a boat but Captain Phillip was agreeably surprised at
finding there one of the finest harbours in the world; and since the
goodness of the soil and the supply of water appeared to be sufficient,
it was resolved to fix the new settlement in one of the coves of this
large and beautiful inlet. The spot chosen was near a run of fresh
water, which stole silently through a very thick wood, the stillness of
which was then for the first time interrupted by the rude sound of the
labourer's axe; and fifty years afterwards so great a change had taken
place here, that the lowest price of crown land was then 1,000_l._ an
acre, and in eligible situations sometimes a great deal more.[83]
[82] It happened that the two French ships of discovery under the
unfortunate La Perouse came into the harbour of Botany Bay just as
the English were finally quitting it. The French stayed there nearly
two months, and after they left that harbour they were never again seen
by any Europeans, both vessels having been lost.
[83] See Lang's New South Wales, vol. i. p. 23.
The royal commission appointing the governor was read, together with the
letters patent establishing courts of justice; and the behaviour of the
convicts soon rendered it needful to act upon these, for, within a month
of their landing, three of them were tried, found guilty, and severely
punished. The ground was begun to be gradually cleared, a sort of farm
was prepared to receive the live stock, and a garden for the plants and
seeds; and, in obedience to the orders of the government at home, the
_Supply_, commanded by Lieutenant King, was sent to Norfolk Island, some
few days' sail to the northeast of Port Jackson, for the purpose of
forming a colony there in which the flax of New Zealand might be
cultivated. With respect to the first progress of the colony at Sydney,
it was very slow, in consequence both of the idleness and ignorance
of the great majority of the colonists, to say nothing of their
wickedness. In spite of all the efforts of the governor to prevent it,
misunderstanding soon began to arise between the convicts and the
natives, and it seemed impossible in an infant colony to put a
sufficient check upon some of the unruly spirits belonging to the former
class, while, at the same time, the thievish temper of the natives began
very early to show itself, and to provoke injuries from men possessed of
fire-arms. It must be owned, however, that proper regard was not always
paid to the rights of the poor savages; and even so late as in the year
1810, a person charged with shooting at a native and wounding him, was
tried simply for an assault; whilst another, who had committed a similar
offence against a European was tried on the same day for his life![84]
In the beginning of May, not four months after the arrival of the
British ships at Port Jackson, and at a time when death and disease were
making sad havoc among the settlers, it was found needful to cut short
the life of one very juvenile offender by the hand of justice. James
Bennett, a youth of only seventeen years of age, was executed for
burglary, and died confessing that the love of idleness and bad
connexions had been his ruin. Soon after this, three convicts were
killed, and a fourth dangerously wounded, by the natives; and upon
inquiry it was found that two of them had robbed these people of a
canoe, an act of injustice which was, no doubt, the cause of their
death. The celebration of King George III.'s birthday, on June the 4th,
gave an opportunity to the evil-disposed to commit several robberies,
and two of these afterwards suffered death for their offences, while
another, who had gone into the woods, was proclaimed an outlaw. For want
of any overseers or police, except those taken from their own class, the
convicts were getting beyond all discipline; and so utterly reckless and
improvident were some of them, that they would consume their weekly
allowance of provisions by the end of the third or fourth day, and trust
for their supply during the rest of the week to the chance of being able
to steal from others that were more provident.[85] One of these degraded
creatures is stated to have made up his week's allowance of flour (eight
pounds) into cakes, which having devoured at one meal, he was soon after
taken up, speechless and senseless, and died the following day. Among
a population like that of which we are treating, while crimes were
lamentably common, conviction was comparatively rare. There was so much
tenderness to each other's guilt, such an acquaintance with vice and the
different degrees of it, that, unless detected in the fact, it was next
to impossible to bring an offence home to the transgressors. And with
respect to their intercourse with the natives, though the convicts who
suffered from them generally contrived to make out themselves to be
in the right; yet, even upon their own showing, every accident that
happened was occasioned by a breach of positive orders repeatedly given.
In New South Wales, no less than in every other country, obedience to
lawful authority was proved to be the safest and best way, after all;
nor could that way be forsaken with impunity.
[84] See Barrington's History of New South Wales, p. 171. See, too,
another instance at p. 385.
[85] This conduct was so common, that, when provisions became scarce,
the supply was issued _twice_ in the week, on Wednesdays and Saturdays.
Amid the mass of moral corruption, which the British ships had thus
imported into the coasts of New Holland, the only hope of infusing
health and purity was from religion. But, unhappily, the age in which
that expedition left the English shores, was certainly not a religious
age; if there was less _hypocrisy_ then than there now is, certainly
there was less _real piety_. In the great towns of the mother country,
population and wealth were allowed to make rapid strides, without a
single thought being entertained of applying a portion of the increasing
wealth of the nation to the spiritual instruction of its increasing
population. If there was no room for the poorer classes of society at
the parish church, it was thought they might go to the meeting-house;
and if there was no room for them there, they might stay at home on
the Lord's day and be idle; it was doing no worse than many of their
betters, in a worldly sense, were constantly in the habit of doing.[86]
While notions and practices of this nature prevailed at home, it was
not to be expected that any very extraordinary attention would be paid
to the religious instruction of the convicts and other settlers in New
South Wales. Yet since, even then, it would have been thought shocking
to have left a large gaol, with 757 prisoners in it, altogether
destitute of the offices of religion, so it could not have been expected
that the same number of convicts would ever have been cast forth as evil
from their native land, and their souls left to perish on the other side
of the globe, without a single chance, humanly speaking, of receiving
those blessings of forgiveness and grace, which Christ died to procure
for all men. But, whatever might have been thought before hand, or
whatever may have been the immediate cause of such neglect, it
positively appears, that, "when the fleet was on the point of sailing,
in the year 1787, no clergyman had been thought of," nor was it without
a strong appeal to those in authority from one whose conduct in this
instance is worthy of all praise, WILBERFORCE, aided by the interest of
Bishop Porteus with Sir Joseph Banks, that the Rev. William Johnson was
appointed chaplain.[87] From whatever cause this oversight may have
arisen, whether it was intentional, or (what is more likely) merely the
consequence of forgetfulness and carelessness, it speaks pretty plainly
for the religious indifference of the government. However, the colony
was, happily, not permitted to be founded without any one present to
administer the sacraments and ordinances, and enforce the duties of our
holy religion among the first settlers and convicts.[88] By Divine
Providence, acting through the instrumentality of man, the British
nation was spared the sin and shame, which it had well nigh incurred,
of casting forth from its own shores a vile mass of uncleanness and
corruption, and forgetting at the same time to place amongst it the
smallest portion of that good leaven by which alone its evil might be
corrected. Accordingly, one chaplain[89] was sent out to officiate among
about 1000 souls, who were at first dispersed in eleven ships, and more
than two-thirds of them were in a state of extreme spiritual need,
inasmuch as they had been guilty of gross and flagrant offences. And
thus, thanks to the zeal and good feeling which had gained a victory
over the supineness of government, the discharge of religious duties on
the Sunday was never omitted at Sydney, Divine service being performed
in the open air whenever the state of the weather would permit. All
seems to have been done by the chaplain which could be effected under
circumstances of great discouragement.[90] When our blessed Redeemer
sent forth his disciples, he sent them by two and two, and how
encouraging, in the midst of an evil world, is the conversation or
counsel of a christian friend that is dearer than a brother! But the
chaplain of New South Wales had no such assistance to fall back upon; he
was left alone and single-handed--yet not alone, for Christ is ever with
his authorised ministers, to fight against the mighty power of evils by
which he was surrounded. He visited the sick and the convicts, going
from settlement to settlement, and from hut to hut; travelling to the
more distant stations, that were afterwards formed, as far as he could
reach, and assembling as many as he could for divine service. With what
success these efforts were attended we shall be better able to judge
hereafter; but one truth must be borne in mind, which is, that, in the
very nature of things, evil will make itself more prominent and noticed
in the world than good; so that, whilst it may almost appear from the
history of the colony, as though there was not one godly man left in it,
we shall do well to remember that there may have been, nevertheless,
many a one who was profited by the ministry of Christ's Church among
them, many a Naaman who had been taught to forsake the evil thing which
he once delighted in worshipping, many a knee which had not bowed to
Baal, and many a mouth which had not kissed his image.[91]
[86] The blame of these lax and unworthy notions must not fall on the
laity alone; many of the clergy in those days deserve to have a full
share of it; but while we see and lament the faults of that generation,
we must not forget to look after those of our own, and to correct them.
[87] See Judge Burton on Religion and Education in New South Wales,
p. 1.
[88] Certainly some of the means employed for the moral improvement of
the convicts were very strange ones. For example, we are told, on one
occasion, that some of them were "ordered to _work every Sunday_ on the
highway as a punishment!" See Barrington's History of New South Wales,
p. 184. See likewise, p. 246.
[89] In 1792, a chaplain came out with the New South Wales Corps; and
in 1794, Mr. Marsden, a second chaplain, arrived in the colony. If any
person is desirous of seeing how easily the faults and failings of
individuals may be turned into arguments against a church, he has only
to refer to Ullathorne's Reply to Burton, chap i. "The Dark Age."
[90] See the authorities quoted by Burton on Religion and Education in
New South Wales, p. 6. According to this author, the chaplain's name was
_Johnston_, not _Johnson_, as Collins spells it.
[91] See 2 Kings v. and 1 Kings xix. 18. See likewise, in proof of the
good conduct of some convicts, Collins' Account of New South Wales,
p. 42.
However, it cannot be denied that the greater number of the settlers
of every description were but little disposed to listen to the words
of eternal truth, although they were ready enough to listen to any
falsehood which promised well for their worldly interests. Thus, before
the first year of the colony had expired, it was pretended and believed
that a _gold mine_ had been discovered. The specimens of this which the
impostor produced, were manufactured out of a guinea and a brass buckle;
and his object in deceiving was, that he might get clothes and other
articles in exchange for his promised gold dust, from the people
belonging to the store ships. But his cheat was soon discovered, and all
that his gold dust finally procured him, was a severe flogging, and
before the end of the year he was executed for another offence. Yet it
would not be far from the truth to state, that the British had indeed
discovered a gold mine in Sydney, by working which with industry,
ability, and perseverance, enormous riches have been obtained. When
the story of the mine was invented, the land around Port Jackson was
unproductive, and the hills wild or barren, but in little more than
fifty years from that time the imports into the Port of Sydney amounted
in 1840 to £2,462,858, while the amount of goods exported from the same
place during that year was valued at £1,951,544.[92] Where was there
ever a gold mine that was known to make a return so profitable as this
to those that worked it?
[92] See the Australian and New Zealand Magazine, No. 2, p. 107.
The great object, and generally the most difficult to be obtained,
in forming altogether a new colony, is to make it begin to produce a
sufficiency to supply its own necessary wants. But, although this object
was kept steadily in view from the very first in New South Wales, yet
were there many hindrances to be overcome, and much suffering to be
endured, before it was finally gained. The land near the new settlement
is none of the best for farming operations, and persons at all
acquainted with agriculture appear to have been very scarce among
the settlers and convicts; besides which, the prevailing idleness was
so great, that it seemed almost impossible to make the men exert
themselves; and, perhaps, nothing less than the want and privations,
which they subsequently endured, could have had this effect. A regular
supply of provisions had constantly been issued from the government
stores, and the convicts, with that short-sighted imprudence by which
the vicious are generally distinguished, had never given themselves the
trouble of looking forwards to the necessity of raising a supply of food
for themselves. Meanwhile, although farming operations were going on but
slowly, and not very successfully, the stores were being lessened at a
rapid rate, not only by the ordinary issue of provisions, but likewise
by rats and pilferers. Six soldiers, and an accomplice who turned king's
evidence, were discovered, after eight months of impunity, by means of a
key which was left by one of them in the lock, upon his being disturbed
by the patrol; and these men, having betrayed their trust as sentinels,
and carried on a regular system of plunder for the purpose of indulging
themselves in vice and drunkenness, were all executed. In April 1789 the
_Sirius_ returned, bringing the first cargo of provisions received by
the colony, which was, however, only equal to four months' supply at
full rations. But full rations were not to continue much longer in the
infant settlement. In November, 1789, very nearly two years after the
arrival of the colonists, it was found needful to reduce the allowance
to two-thirds of every sort of provisions, spirits alone excepted. No
alteration was made in the allowance of the women, who were already
upon two-thirds of the full ratio of a man; and it was eagerly and
confidently expected that, after having waited so long, it would be but
a short period more before an ample supply of all that was necessary
would be received from the mother country.
In November, which is one of the summer months of the Australian
calendar, the little harvest of the colony was got in. At Rose Hill,
(or Paramatta, as it is now called,) where the best land had been found,
upwards of two hundred bushels of wheat, about thirty-five bushels of
barley, besides a small quantity of oats and Indian corn, were
harvested; and the whole of this produce was intended to be kept for
seed. At Sydney, the spot of cleared ground called the Governor's Farm
had produced about twenty-five bushels of barley. But the evil spirit of
thieving was still as rife as ever among the convicts, and the young
crops of wheat were the objects of plunder (especially after the
reduction of the allowance,) notwithstanding the immense importance of
preserving seed sufficient to crop a larger breadth of land for the
following year. In the very beginning of 1790 the provisions brought
from England wholly failed, having just about lasted during the two
years for which they had been calculated; and the colonists then became
totally dependent upon the slender stock brought for them by the
_Sirius_ from the Cape of Good Hope. Great anxiety began to be felt for
an arrival from England, and a flagstaff[93] was erected on the south
head of the entrance to the harbour of Port Jackson, so that a signal
might be there made upon the first appearance of the expected vessel. In
hope of this welcome event the eyes of the colonists were often directed
thither, and often must their hearts have grown sick from the tedious
delay of the hope in which they indulged. Certainly, it is a remarkable
instance of the hard-heartedness and corruption of man's nature, that,
even under these circumstances, with the horrors of famine daily in
view, left alone on a remote and desolate coast, and, as it appeared,
forsaken by the rest of the world, they did not profit by the lessons
thus forcibly brought before them, nor listen with any good effect to
the warnings taught them by sorrow and trouble, those great and
awakening preachers of righteousness.
[93] The signal-colours were stolen within a year afterwards by some
of the natives, who divided them among the canoes, and used them as
coverings.
During the anxious interval that succeeded, everything that was
possible to be done for the public advantage was done by the governor.
Occasionally, a fair supply of fish had been brought in, and accordingly
a boat was employed to fish three times in the week, and the whole
quantity that was taken was issued out in addition to the rations, which
were equally distributed to every person, no distinction being made in
favour of the governor himself, who, when he had a party at Government
House, always requested his guests to bring their bread with them, for
there was none to spare;--in February, 1790, there were not four months'
provisions in the colony, even at half allowance. These circumstances
required thoughtful and vigorous measures to be promptly taken, and
since Norfolk Island was a more fertile spot, and much better supplied
with provisions at that time, it was resolved to send some of the
convicts thither, unless the expected supplies from England should
arrive before March 3d, the day fixed for their departure. 116 male and
68 female convicts, with 27 children, were thus sent away, and the
colony wore quite a deserted appearance. Every effort was made to
prevent the destruction of live stock, which was very rapidly taking
place, and towards the end of March a yet further reduction was
necessary in the allowances, which were then to be given out daily; an
alteration at the same time was made in the hours of public labour, and
the afternoons of each day were given up to the people to work for
themselves in their own gardens. The fish that was caught was also
issued out as part of the allowance, but at a more liberal rate,--ten
pounds of fish being deemed equal to two and a half pounds of pork. In
the midst of this necessity it is gratifying to find that the witness of
the Church, though, as usual, too little heeded, was yet not silent;
"attention to religious duties," _i.e._ to Divine worship on Sundays,
"was never omitted, and service was performed on Good Friday."[94]
[94] According to Captain Tench, who is quoted by the Roman Catholic,
Dr. Ullathorne, "Divine service was performed at Sydney only one Sunday
in the month," and "the Rev. Mr. Johnson was the best farmer in the
country." What truth there may be in these insinuations, or in the
charge against Judge Burton of enlarging upon a Romish priest's being
a convict, while he disguises the same truth when it applied to an
English clergyman, must be left to others better acquainted with the
facts to determine. See Ullathorne's Reply to Burton, p. 5.
But the early settlers of New South Wales were taught by sad experience
the truth of that common saying that bids us to "welcome the sorrow that
comes alone." It had been arranged that the _Sirius_ should return
immediately from Norfolk Island, and then should sail direct for China
to procure a supply of provisions immediately. But Providence never
permitted the _Sirius_ again to float upon the quiet waters of Sydney
Cove. The vessel was lost upon a reef at Norfolk Island, after having
landed most of those on board, and the others escaped with their lives,
but the ship was totally destroyed. Disgraceful to relate, it was set on
fire by two convicts who had been allowed to go on board on the second
day after the wreck, in the hope of saving the live hogs, but these men
got drunk with the liquor they found, and set the ship on fire in two
places, nor was it without great difficulty that they were themselves
rescued. This sorrowful intelligence was brought by the _Supply_,--the
only remaining hope of procuring relief for the wants of the colony.
After various precautionary measures had been taken, the _Supply_ was
despatched to Batavia, under orders to procure, not only a quantity of
provisions, but also to hire a vessel, which should accompany the
English ship on its return, and should bring to New South Wales a second
cargo of necessaries. Meanwhile, the allowances were yet further
reduced, and the governor, having reserved 300 bushels of wheat for
seed, gave up 300 lbs. weight of flour, which was his own private
property, for the public use; besides which, the expedients of fishing
and shooting wild animals were tried, but with no great success. Crime
appeared rather to increase than to diminish with the increase of
temptation and opportunities; and at this awful period of trial for the
whole population, it was judged necessary to execute one criminal. A
female convict was at this time robbed of her week's provisions, and
she was left to subsist upon the bounty of others, since it was
impossible to replace them from the public store; and if it was a cruel
offence of _one_ to rob the poor woman, it reflected credit upon _many_,
that, under such circumstances, she was preserved from starvation.
At length, after six months of indescribable anxiety and privation,
the expected signal was made, and a boat was sent off (in very rough
weather) to direct the ship how to get safely into the harbour. It was
the transport-ship, the _Lady Juliana_, which had been no less than ten
months upon the voyage, and which brought news of the almost total
destruction of another ship, the _Guardian_, which had been sent out
previously, and well supplied with every thing necessary for a rising
colony. _The Lady Juliana_ brought very little addition to the supplies,
compared with the additional number of consumers, above 200 female
convicts, which she had with her; these had been sent upon the reckoning
of the _Guardian's_ stores arriving beforehand; and if this had been
permitted, probably the colony would never more have experienced want.
It was unfortunate, at a time when a cargo of any thing but of convicts
would have been serviceable, that scarcely any thing else should arrive.
Before the end of June, however, another ship laden with provisions
arrived, after having very narrowly escaped a wreck off the heads at the
entrance of Port Jackson; and upon the welcome arrival of this supply
the immediate scarcity ceased. Three other vessels shortly followed,
and things were thus for a time restored to their former course; but
repeated trials, arising from want of provisions, were afterwards, at
intervals, the lot of the colony. In 1794, on the very day when the
doors of the provision-store were closed, and the convicts had received
their last allowance which remained, the signal for a sail was made;
and it was the third day before the two vessels then in sight could be
got into the harbour, but their arrival brought comparative abundance to
the starving population of 3,000 people, who were beginning seriously to
reckon up how far their live stock would go towards the supply of their
necessities. Several other similar seasons of famine have been recorded,
and it is curious and instructive to look back upon the day of small
things in a country abundant as New South Wales at present is in the
necessaries, comforts, and even luxuries, of life.
The state of health in which many of the convicts reached their place
of exile, and the numbers of them which never reached it at all, were
deplorable facts, proving too truly that men may be found capable of
doing any thing for the hope of profit. A certain sum per head was paid
by the government for each convict, and thus the dead became more
profitable to the contractors than the living were; for the expenses of
the former were less, while the stipulated payments were the same in
both cases. Out of three ships 274 convicts died on the voyage,[95]
and when they had landed, there were no less than 488 persons in the
hospital. Neglect like this of the miserable creatures who had broken
their country's laws, most justly awakens our feelings of indignation;
and these are righteous feelings, but let them not be confined to the
_bodily_ neglect to which, in a comparatively few instances at first,
the convicts were exposed. Let us recollect, with sorrow rather than
indignation, how many thousands of these unhappy creatures have, down to
the present time, been left to perish, in a spiritual sense, and that,
likewise, from motives of profit, for fear of the outcry of want of
economy being excited in a wealthy nation, if sufficient means of
spiritual instruction were provided for our banished fellow-countrymen!
[95] Things are now, happily, better ordered. "There are frequent
instances of vessels arriving from England without having had a
single death during the voyage" to Sydney.--LANG'S _New South Wales_,
vol. i. p. 58.
Soon after the arrival of the three transports, those of the convicts
that were in tolerable health were settled at Rose Hill, and the town
now called Paramatta was laid out; and the commencement of a system of
free settlers was provided for, although the retired soldiers, those
parties for whom it was originally intended, were not usually very
persevering or successful in their attempts at farming. In September,
1790, Governor Phillip received that wound of which mention has been
made elsewhere;[96] and this season the dry weather was so excessive,
that the gardens and fields of corn were parched up for want of
moisture. Five convicts left Paramatta in a boat, and got out of the
harbour without being discovered, having provisions for a week with
them, and purposing to steer for Otaheite![97] A search was made for
them, but in vain, and beyond doubt they must have perished miserably.
At various times, the convicts, especially some of the Irish, set off
to the northwards, meaning to travel by the interior of New Holland
_overland to China_; and many were either starved to death or else
killed by the natives, while pursuing this vain hope of escape from
thraldom.
[96] See "Bennillong," in chap. vi. p. 151.
[97] Another instance of like folly is mentioned by Collins, Account
of New South Wales, p. 129.
The next event of importance to the infant colony was the arrival,
towards the close of 1791, of what is called the _second_ fleet,
consisting of no less than ten ships, and having on board upwards of
2,000 convicts, with provisions and other necessaries. These ships came
dropping into the harbour at short intervals after each other, and their
arrival, together with the needful preparations for the additional
numbers brought by them, gave an air of bustle and life to the little
town of Sydney. Various public works and buildings had been carried on,
especially some tanks were cut in the rocks to serve as reservoirs in
dry seasons, and at Paramatta between forty and fifty fresh acres were
expected to be got ready for Indian corn this year. By his Majesty's
ship _Gorgon_, certain needful instruments and powers for carrying on
the government of the colony were sent, and amongst others the public
seal of New South Wales. Two or three of the vessels which had arrived
from England, were employed, after discharging their cargoes, in the
whale-fishery, and not altogether without success; so early did British
enterprise turn itself to that occupation, which has latterly become
most profitable in those regions. During this year, the governor for the
first time exercised a power which had only recently been given him, and
several convicts were, on account of their good behaviour, released from
their state of bondage, on condition of their not returning to England
before the term of their sentences had expired. Various allotments of
land were also given to those whose terms had already expired, and who
signified their willingness to become settlers in this new country. At
the close of the year 1791, nearly four years from the first landing of
the British in Port Jackson, the public live stock consisted of one aged
stallion, one mare, two young stallions, two colts, sixteen cows, two
calves, one ram, fifty ewes, six lambs, one boar, fourteen sows, and
twenty-two pigs. The cultivated ground at Paramatta amounted to three
hundred acres in maize, forty-four in wheat, six in barley, one in oats,
four in vines, eighty-six in garden-ground, and seventeen in cultivation
by the soldiers of the New South Wales Corps. Thus humble were the
beginnings, even after some time, of that wealth in flocks and herds
for which our Australian colonies are now so justly celebrated.
Very little, meanwhile, is recorded of the chaplain, Mr. Johnson, or his
doings, but that little is to his credit. He was, it appears, in the
habit of relieving from his own private bounty the convicts who were
most in need; and some of them spread abroad a report that this was done
from funds raised by subscription in the mother country; and upon the
strength of this notion, in the spirit which the poorer classes in
England too often exhibit, they chose to claim relief as though it were
their _just right_. This false notion was publicly contradicted, and Mr.
Johnson thought it necessary that the convicts should know that it was
to his bounty alone that they were indebted for these gifts, and that,
consequently, the partakers of them were to be of his own selection.
Another instance of the kindness of Mr. Johnson, and of the evil return
it met with, has also been recorded, and though it occurred some years
afterwards, in 1797, it may be noticed here. It happened that among the
convicts there was found one who had been this gentleman's schoolfellow,
and the chaplain, feeling compassion for his fallen condition, had taken
him into his service, and treated him with the utmost confidence and
indulgence. Soon afterwards, it was rumoured that this man had taken
an impression of the key of the store-room in clay, from which he had
procured another key to fit the lock. Mr. Johnson scarcely credited the
story, but at length he consented that a constable should be concealed
in the house on a Sunday, when all the family, except this person, would
be engaged in Divine service. The plan succeeded too well. Supposing
that all was secure, the ungrateful wretch applied his key to the door
of the store-room, and began to plunder it of all the articles he chose
to take, until the constable, leaving his hiding-place, put an end to
the robbery by making the thief his prisoner.
The attention of Mr. Johnson to his ministerial and public duties
appears to have continued in a quiet and regular way, but its fruits
were by no means so manifest as could have been wished. In 1790 he
complained to the authorities of the want of attendance at divine
service, which, it must be observed, was generally performed in the open
air, exposed alike to the wind and rain, or burning sun; and then it was
ordered that a certain portion of provisions should be taken off from
the allowance of each person who might absent himself from prayers
without giving a reasonable excuse. And thus, we may suppose, a better
congregation was secured; but, alas! from what a motive were they
induced to draw near their God. And how many are there, it is to be
feared, in our country parishes in England, whose great inducement to
attend their church is the fact that the clergyman generally has certain
gifts to distribute: how common a fault, in short, has it been in all
ages and in all countries for men to seek Christ from no higher motive
than that they may "eat of the loaves and be filled!"[98] In proof of
the single voice that was raised in the wilderness of New South Wales
being not altogether an empty and ineffectual sound, we are told that
in 1790, when the female convicts who arrived by the _Lady Juliana_
attended divine service for the first time, Mr. Johnson, with much
propriety, in his discourse, touched upon their situation so forcibly as
to draw tears from many of them, who were not yet hardened enough to be
altogether insensible to truth. Another instance of very praiseworthy
zeal was afforded by the voluntary visit of the chaplain of New South
Wales in 1791 to Norfolk Island, which small colony had never yet been
favoured even with the temporary presence of a minister of the Church of
Christ.
[98] Religion, of course, concerns all equally, only the guilty and the
wretched seem to be the last persons who can afford to reject its
consolations, even in this world. However, the conduct of those in
authority was pretty much on a par with that of the convicts, and it
was only when one of the earlier governors was told of but five or six
persons attending divine service, that "he determined to go to church
himself, and stated that he expected his example would be followed by
the people." See Burton on Education and Religion in New South Wales,
p. 7.
But a yet better proof of the chaplain's earnestness was given,
after the colony had been settled for six years, in his building a
church,--the first that was raised in New Holland for the purposes of
christian worship. Even now, we often may hear and lament the ignorance
which chooses to reckon the _clergy_ as the _Church_, and which looks
upon the efforts recently made in favour of church extension, as lying
quite beyond the province of the laity; and this deplorable ignorance
was much more common in Mr. Johnson's days.[99] Accordingly, to the
disgrace of the colony and of the government at home, no church
was raised during six years, and when at last that object was
accomplished, it was by the private purse and the single efforts of
an individual,--the chaplain of the colony. The building was in a very
humble style, made of wood and thatched, and it is said to have cost Mr.
Johnson only 40_l._; but all this merely serves to show how easily the
good work might have been before done, how inexcusable it was to leave
its accomplishment to one individual. A few months before this necessary
work was undertaken the colony had been visited by two Spanish ships,
and it is possible that an observation made by the Romish priest
belonging to one of these ships may have had some effect towards raising
the first church built at Sydney. At the time when the Spanish ships
were in the harbour, the English chaplain performed divine service
wherever he could find a shady spot; and the Spanish priest observing
that, during so many years no church had been built, lifted up his eyes
with astonishment, declaring (truly), that, had the place been settled
by his nation, a house of God would have been erected before any house
for man. How disgraceful to the English nation, how injurious to our
Reformed Church, that an observation like this, coming from the lips of
one who belonged to a corrupt and idolatrous church, should be so true,
so incapable of contradiction! However, if the remark had any effect in
exciting the efforts of the Protestant chaplain, and in thus supplying
at length a want so palpable as that of a house of God in the colony, it
was by no means uttered in vain; and supposing it to be so, this is not
a solitary instance of our Church and her members having been aroused
into activity by the taunts and attacks of those that are opposed to
her.
[99] It would appear almost as though some men _will_ not see that
churches are not built for clergymen to preach in, and live (or starve)
upon the pew-rents, but for laymen to hear God's word and join in His
solemn worship.
Upon the opening of the humble building, which had thus tardily been
raised for the purposes of divine worship, and to consecrate which
according to the beautiful forms of our English church there was no
bishop in the colony, the chaplain preached a suitable sermon, we are
informed; but, if it may be judged from the scanty record that is
preserved of it, this discourse partook of the cold and worldly spirit
of the age in which it was delivered. Mr. Johnson began well with
impressing upon his hearers the necessity of holiness in every place,
and then lamented the urgency of public works having prevented the
erection of a church sooner. As though a building for the public worship
of Almighty God were not the most urgent of all public works in every
christian community! He next went on to declare, that his _only_ motive
in coming forward in the business was that of establishing a place
sheltered from bad weather, and from the summer-heats, where public
worship might be performed. The uncertainty of a place where they might
attend had prevented many from coming, but he hoped that now the
attendance would be regular.[100] Surely, the worthy chaplain might have
had and avowed a higher motive for building a house of God, than that of
keeping men from the wind, and the rain, and the sun; and, undoubtedly,
as the inconvenience of the former system was no good excuse for absence
from divine service, so neither could the comparative convenience of the
new arrangement be at all a proper motive for attendance upon it.
[100] See Collins' Account of New South Wales, pp. 223-4.
However, many allowances are to be made for Mr. Johnson, and it becomes
us, while we condemn the faults, to spare the persons, of the men of
that and of other past generations; especially when we look at our own
age, and see, notwithstanding the improvement that has unquestionably
taken place, how many conspicuous faults there are prevailing among us,
which those of future generations will justly pity and condemn. It may
be well, before the subject of the church raised by Mr. Johnson is
finally quitted, to acquaint the reader with its fate. In 1798, after
having stood only five years, it was discovered one evening to be on
fire, and, all efforts to save it proving useless, from the combustible
nature of the materials, it was consumed in an hour. "This was a great
loss," observes the historian of the colony, "for during the working
days of the week the building was used as a school, in which from 150
to 200 children were educated, under the immediate inspection of Mr.
Johnson. As this building stood alone, and no person was suffered to
remain in it after the school hours, there was not a doubt but the
atrocious act was the effect of design, and in consequence of an order
enforcing attendance on divine service." The governor, however, with
praiseworthy zeal, would not suffer a single Sunday to be lost, but
ordered a new store-house, which was just finished, to be fitted up
for a church. One brief observation may here be added. How powerful a
witness do the enemies of Christ's Church, and of our English branch of
it, bear to the usefulness and effect of its doctrine, even in its most
helpless and lowest condition, by the ceaseless and unscrupulous pains
which they take in trying to silence its testimony!
No apology is necessary for detaining the reader so long upon these
little details, since if the religious state and progress of an infant
colony be not an interesting feature in its history, what can we hope
to find in it that is deserving of the attention of a thoughtful and
well-regulated mind? But we return now to the temporal affairs of New
South Wales. The year 1792, which began with reduced rations of
provisions, was a time of great suffering and scarcity in the colony,
nor was it until the latter part of the year that any relief for the
wants of the settlers arrived. Meanwhile the mortality that took place
was very alarming, and notwithstanding the sickness that prevailed,
there was no abatement in wickedness and crime. At one time during this
year no less than fifty-three persons were missing, many of whom never
returned, having perished, no doubt, miserably in the woods, while
seeking for a new settlement, or endeavouring to find their way to
China! An execution for theft took place in January, and the unhappy man
declared that hunger had tempted him to commit the crime for which he
suffered. Many instances of profligacy among the convicts occurred, but
one stands forth distinguished by especial wickedness. A woman had been
trusted to carry to the bakehouse the allowance of flour belonging to
two others; and after having run in debt for flour taken up on their
account, she mixed a quantity of pounded stone, in the proportion of
two-thirds of grit to one of flour, with the meal belonging to the other
women.[101] Fortunately, the deceit was found out before the flour was
mixed with other meal at the bakehouse, and the culprit was sentenced to
wear an iron collar for six months. In April, a convict was killed by a
blow from the limb of a tree, which fell on his head as he passed under
it, and fractured his skull. He died on the spot, having earned from
those who knew him the character of being so great a reprobate, that he
was scarcely ever known to speak without an oath, or without calling on
his Maker to witness the truth of the lie he was about to utter. Are
these poor creatures, if may be again asked, to be cast out from their
own country, and left (as they too often have been,) to their own evil
devices and to Satan's temptations, without involving the nation that
has thus treated them in a load of guilt too fearful to contemplate?
[101] A similar scheme was to have been practised by some Irish
convict women, who were to have taken their part in a proposed mutiny
on board the _Marquis Cornwallis_ during the passage out, by mixing
pulverized glass with the flour of which the seamen made their puddings!
See Collins, p. 324.
Towards the end of the year 1792 the harvest was gathered in from
the 1540 acres of cleared ground, which were sown in the preceding
seed-time. The produce was tolerably good, and since no less than 3470
acres of land had already been granted to settlers, it was hoped that
before very long the colony might cease to be almost entirely dependent
for its support upon the precarious supply which it received from ships.
The colonists then learned by sad experience what many Englishmen in the
present day seem unwilling to believe, that _it is one of the worst
evils to be dependent upon other countries for daily bread_. In
December, the governor, Captain Phillip, left the colony from ill
health, having acted with much prudence and vigour during his
administration, and leaving behind him a respectable character; he
returned to England, where his services were rewarded by a pension of
400_l._ a-year, and he retired to Bath, at which city he died. His
activity in exploring the neighbouring country and discovering its
capabilities, his courage and firmness on many very trying occasions,
his steady opposition to every proposal of abandoning the settlement,
together with his general character, sufficiently entitle his memory to
regard and respect from those who are now living in New South Wales, and
reaping in comparative ease the fruit of that harvest which it cost him
and others great pains and many trials to sow.
Before the first Governor of New South Wales left that country, he had
the satisfaction of seeing its prospects of a future sufficiency of
provisions very greatly improved; and a work of charity, the hospital at
Paramatta, was completed in the month before that in which he sailed.
With the year 1793 began a new government, for as no successor had been
appointed at home to Captain Phillip, the chief power now came,
according to what had been previously provided, into the hands of
Major Grose, of the New South Wales Corps, who assumed the style of
Lieutenant-Governor. During nearly three years things continued in
this state; only Major Grose left the settlement, and was succeeded by
Captain Paterson; nor was it until 1795 that a regular successor to
the first governor arrived in the colony. In this period many things
occurred which were, no doubt, of the highest interest to the settlers
at the time, but few events which deserve our particular notice now.
A fire, which destroyed a house worth 15_l._, and thirty bushels of
new wheat;--the alternate scarcity and comparative abundance of
provisions;--the arrival or departure of ships from the harbour;--the
commission of the first murder in the colony, and other sad accounts
of human depravity and its punishment;--the gradual improvement and
extension of the colony;--the first sale by auction of a farm of
twenty-five acres for the sum of 13_l._:--these and similar subjects
occupy the history of New South Wales, not merely during the three years
that elapsed between Governor Phillip's departure and the arrival of his
successor, but also during the long period of gradual but increasing
improvement which followed the last event.
Yet, while the improvement of the little colony was evidently steady and
increasing, when its affairs are regarded in a temporal point of view,
in morals its progress appeared to be directly contrary; and, painful
though it be to dwell upon the sins and follies of men, whose bodies
have long since passed away to their parent dust, and their souls
returned to God who gave them, nevertheless, there are many wholesome
lessons of instruction and humiliation to be gathered from the history
of human depravity in New South Wales. One of the crying sins of the
mother country,--a sin now very much confined to the lower classes of
society, but fifty years ago equally common among all classes,--is that
of _drunkenness_; and it could scarcely be expected that the outcast
daughter in Australia would be less blamable in this respect than the
mother from which she sprang.[102] Accordingly, we find that as soon as
it was possible to procure spirits, at however great a sacrifice, they
were obtained, and intoxication was indulged in,--if such brutality
deserves the name of indulgence,--to an awful extent. Whether all that a
writer very intimately acquainted with New South Wales urges against the
officers of the New South Wales Corps be true or not, so far as their
dealings in spirituous liquors are concerned, there can be no question
that these mischievous articles became almost entirely the current coin
of the settlement, and were the source of worldly gain to a few, while
they proved the moral ruin of almost all, in the colony. But, without
giving entire credit to all the assertions of Dr. Lang, who deals very
much in hasty notions and exaggerated opinions,[103] we may sorrowfully
acknowledge that, if the convicts in New South Wales gave way in a
horrible manner to drunkenness and its attendant sins, the upper
classes, in general, either set them a bad example, or made a plunder of
them by pandering to their favourite vice. The passion for liquor, it is
stated by Collins,[104] operated like a mania, there being nothing which
the people would not risk to obtain it: and while spirits were to be
had, those who did any extra labour refused to be paid in money, or in
any other article than spirits, which were then so scarce as to be sold
at six shillings a bottle. So eagerly were fermented liquors sought
after, and so little was the value of money in a place where neither the
comforts nor luxuries of life could be bought, that the purchaser has
been often known, in the early days of the colony, to name himself a
price for the article he wanted, fixing it as high again as would
otherwise have been required of him. When the few boat-builders and
shipwrights in the colony had leisure, they employed themselves in
building boats for those that would pay them their price, namely, five
or six gallons of spirits. It could be no matter of surprise that boats
made by workmen so paid should be badly put together, and scarcely
seaworthy.
[102] Whatever may be the improvement of the middling and upper classes,
_nationally speaking_ the passion for strong liquor continues to bear
sway in the British islands to a deplorable extent. Lord Ashley has
stated in the House of Commons during the present session, 1843, that
there is good authority for estimating our annual consumption of
spirituous liquors at twenty-five millions sterling! Compare the _gross_
amount of the revenues of the English Church, about four millions, and
those of the _poor_ Kirk of Scotland, the _plundered_ Church of Ireland,
and the "voluntary" efforts of the hundred and one sects of Dissenters,
together with those of the Romish Church:--and what is the result?
Probably, nearly three times as much is spent in these islands upon
spirituous liquors as the whole cost of religious instruction of every
kind amounts to!
[103] Dr. Lang's opinion here is, however, confirmed by Judge Burton;
see p. 7 of his work on Education and Religion in New South Wales.
[104] Account of Colony of New South Wales, p. 235.
But, however commonly the standard of value might be measured by
spirituous liquors, yet it is evident that these, being themselves
procurable for money, could not altogether supersede the desire of money
itself. Hence arose those numerous acts of theft and depredation, that
improvident thirst after present gain, that total disregard of future
consequences by which many of the first inhabitants of the colony were
disgraced and ruined. The contagion of evil example forced its way into
Government House, and the steward of Governor Hunter became an awful
instance of the mischief of bad society. Against this he had been often
cautioned by his master, but to no purpose, until at length he was
discovered abusing the unlimited confidence which had been placed in
him, and making use of the governor's name in a most iniquitous manner.
At this discovery the wretched victim of evil communication retired to a
shrubbery in his master's garden, and shot himself through the head.
From the love of money, which no mean authority has pronounced to be
"the root of all evil,"[105] arose likewise that spirit of gambling,
which ended in murder on one occasion before the settlement had existed
more than six years; and which on many occasions was the manifest cause
of misery and ruin to those in whom this evil spirit had taken up its
abode. To such excess was the pursuit of gambling carried among the
convicts, that some had been known, after losing provisions, money, and
all their spare clothing, to have staked and lost the very clothes on
their wretched backs, standing in the midst of their associates as
degraded, and as careless of their degradation, as the natives of the
country which these gamblers disgraced. Money was their principal
object, for with money they could purchase spirits, or whatever else
their passions made them covet, or the colony could furnish. These
unhappy men have been seen to play at their favourite games for six,
eight, and ten dollars each game; and those who were not expert at
these, instead of pence, tossed up for dollars![106]
[105] 1 Tim. vi. 10.
[106] Collins' Account of New South Wales, pp. 243, 244.
CHAPTER VIII.
FURTHER PROGRESS OF THE COLONY TO 1821.
The month of August, 1795, was marked in the annals of New South Wales
by the arrival of the second governor of the colony, Captain Hunter, who
continued five years in power, and returned to England in the year 1800,
after having seen the colony over which he was placed prospering and
thriving enough in worldly matters, though in other more important
points it continued poor and naked indeed. It was a great object with
the new governor to check and restrain that love of liquor, which he saw
working so much mischief among his people; and several private stills
were found and destroyed, to the great regret of their owners, who made
twice as large a profit from the spirit distilled by them out of wheat,
as they would have been able to have gained, had they sold their grain
for the purpose of making bread. So common was the abuse of paying
wages in liquor,[107] that it was pretended that the produce of these
stills was only to be paid away in labour, whereas it was sold for a
means of intoxication to any person who would bring ready money for it.
At the commencement of harvest, in the November immediately following
the arrival of Governor Hunter, a regulation was made by that gentleman,
which showed that the infant colony was now making rapid strides
towards that point of advancement and independence, from which
ignorant and designing men are at present labouring to thrust down the
mother country. New South Wales was, in 1795, just beginning to supply
its inhabitants with corn, and Governor Hunter wisely thought that the
increasing abundance of the produce would now bear some little decrease
in the high prices hitherto paid for new grain at the public store.
England, in 1843, is able to supply its inhabitants with food, (except
in scarce years, when corn is let in at prices varying with the degree
of scarcity,) and many Englishmen unwisely think that this advantage and
independence may be safely bartered away--for what?--for _very low
prices_, and, their constant companions, _very low wages_, and _very
great and universal distress_![108]
[107] The crops of the first settlers were paid for by the Government
in spirits, but Captain Hunter endeavoured to put an end to this
practice, for it was not possible that a farmer who should be idle
enough to throw away the labour of twelve months, for the purchase of a
few gallons of injurious liquors, could expect to thrive, or enjoy those
comforts which sobriety and industry can alone procure.
[108] It may not be out of place to quote in support of this opinion the
sensible words of an Australian writer. "I confess I like to hear of
high wages, and of good prices of provisions--of the productions of the
country,--for where they prevail for any length of time, the country
must be prosperous. Paradoxical as it may seem, it is no less true, that
the poorest country is always that where provisions are sold at the
cheapest rate. To the same purpose is the testimony of Sir G. Gipps, the
present Governor of New South Wales, appointed by Lord Melbourne in 1837,
who says:--'The total amount of the grain' (imported) 'even at these
prices, amounted to the fearful sum of 246,000_l._; but that, it must be
remembered, was only the prime cost in the countries where the wheat was
grown, and to that must be added the charges for freight, insurance, and
commission, probably as much more, so that in two years the colony would
expend upwards of half a million of money for foreign bread. _The
distress of the colony was owing to these immense importations._"--See
Speech of Governor Gipps in Council. Australian and New Zealand Magazine,
No. iii. p. 163. See also ROSS'S _Van Diemen's Land Almanac and Annual_,
1836, p. 177.
Another addition to the means, which the country was beginning to
possess of maintaining its inhabitants, was made by the regular,
though far from rapid, increase of live stock, which, in spite of all
obstacles, and notwithstanding great carelessness and ignorance on
the part of many of those that kept it, continued to thrive and
multiply.[109] But, besides the cattle to be seen upon the various farms
and allotments in the settlement, a considerable herd of wild cattle
were found, soon after Governor Hunter's arrival, on the banks of the
Nepean River, about thirty miles from Sydney, in a district still
bearing the name of the Cow Pastures. These animals were clearly
ascertained to have sprung from a few tame cattle which had strayed away
from the colony at its first foundation; and the governor, pleased at
this discovery, himself paid a visit to the Cow Pastures, where he found
a very fine herd, upwards of forty in number, grazing in a pleasant
and rich pasturage. The whole number of them was upwards of sixty,
but the governor's party were attacked by a furious bull, which, in
self-defence, they were obliged to kill. The country where these animals
were seen was remarkably pleasant to the eye; every where was thick and
luxuriant grass growing; the trees were thinly scattered, and free from
underwood, except in particular spots; in several beautiful flats large
ponds were found, covered with ducks and black swans, the margins of
which were fringed with beautiful shrubs, and the ground rose from these
levels into hills of easy ascent. The advantages of having an increasing
number of wild cattle within so short a distance of the settlement were
obvious enough, and the government resolved to protect them to the
utmost of its power. Accordingly, it was ordered that no part of the
fertile tract of which these animals were in possession should be
granted out to settlers; and at length the herds became too numerous
even for the 60,000 acres, which the district was supposed to contain.
But, in 1813 and the two following years, so severe a drought prevailed,
that vast numbers of them died; and afterwards the government consented
to grant away the land, and the remainder of the herds betook themselves
to the mountainous ranges beyond.
[109] About the time of Captain Hunter's taking the reins of government
a cow was sold for 80_l._, a horse cost 90_l._, and a Cape sheep 7_l._
10_s._ Other prices were in proportion; fresh meat was very scarce, and
the various attempts to import live stock had been far from successful.
Still a _beginning_ had been made, and it is astonishing how rapidly
rural wealth began to multiply in New South Wales, after the difficulties
of the first eight or ten years had been overcome.
Captain Hunter was rather fond of exploring the unknown country which
extended behind, or to the northward or southward of, the narrow limits
of the British colony: and during his administration its boundaries were
considerably enlarged, and some valuable discoveries were made. One of
the most important of these was a discovery which served to prove the
claim of the colony to be called New South Wales, from its resemblance
to the country whence its name was taken, in one production at least. In
1796, some persons returned from fishing in a bay considerably to the
northward of Port Jackson, and brought with them several large pieces of
_coal_, which they said that they had found at some little distance from
the beach, lying in quantities on the surface of the ground. This was
the first knowledge obtained by the settlers of the value of the
productions of the coast at the mouth of the river Hunter, and at the
place where coals were found so abundantly there now exists a township,
furnishing the whole colony with a supply of that useful article,
besides having a large trade in lime, which is made from the
oyster-shells that are found there in immense quantities. The
appropriate name of this township is Newcastle.
Many needful and praiseworthy regulations were made by Captain Hunter,
who endeavoured to enforce attendance on Divine service, and the proper
observance of the Sunday; and who took great pains also to discover and
punish those encroachments upon the public stores which had been
continually made. The convicts whose time of punishment had expired,
but who were unable to get a passage to England, were frequently more
troublesome and ill-disposed, being less under authority than the others
were. These emancipists, as they were called, would occasionally indeed
withdraw from receiving the ration allowed by Government; but then it
was only in the hope of avoiding labour, and living by pillage. Or else
these men, together with others not less ill-disposed than themselves,
would play every possible trick to obtain their allowance from the
public stores, when they were not entitled, or to get more than their
allowances, when they had a certain claim. To put a check upon such
practices, the governor, in 1796, had a general muster of all
descriptions of people in every part of the colony at the same hour,
so that it would be no longer possible, as on former occasions, for
one person to manage to answer to his name in two different places,
and to draw provisions from both stores. Very shortly after this
general muster, the governor made a journey to the banks of the River
Hawkesbury, where there is some of the richest land in the colony, but
on his return, he had the mortification of seeing a stack of wheat
belonging to Government burnt, containing 800 bushels, and it was not
certain whether this fire was accidental, since the destruction thus
caused made room for as many bushels as were destroyed, which must be
purchased from the settlers who had wheat to sell. In reading of these
atrocious acts--for if _this_ fire was not intentional, _others_
undoubtedly were--the inhabitants of England must not plume themselves
upon their superiority to the outcasts of their country in New South
Wales. Unhappily, the word _incendiarism_ has become familiar to English
ears, and, ever since the evil spirits of agitation and rebellion have
been dallied with, they have made their deeds of darkness visible, from
time to time, by the awful midnight fires which they have kindled in the
land.
But it was not only in checking the outrages of the British inhabitants
of New South Wales, that the governor was actively employed; the natives
were also exceedingly troublesome, especially at the valuable farms on
the Hawkesbury. Vigorous efforts were made to prevent that disorder, and
disregard of private property, which seemed so prevailing; and certainly
Governor Hunter appears to have been an active and energetic, but, as
might be expected in a colony like that over which he was placed, not
altogether a _popular_ ruler. The vices of the lower classes were, in
too many instances, found profitable, more or less directly, to those
who are termed the upper classes in the settlement; and since both
classes became to a fearful degree sensual and covetous, the evil was
doubly aggravated by example and contagion. And when we consider, that,
at that time, the population of the colony might almost have been
divided into those who _drank_ rum, and those who _sold_ it;[110] when
we recollect the covetousness of all classes, the hardened wickedness of
many of the convicts, the idleness of the settlers or soldiers, the
peculiar character of the natives, and the infant state of the British
colony, it must be confessed, that the requisites of every good
governor,--a wise head, a stout heart, and a steady hand,--were
preeminently needful in the governor of New South Wales.
[110] Promissory notes were given, payable in rum instead of
money.--JUDGE BURTON _on Education and Religion in New South Wales_,
p. 7, note.
The list of crimes, which were continually occurring during the five
years of Captain Hunter's being governor, was a fearful and appalling
one; nor can we wonder at the wish expressed by the historian of the
early days of the colony, that future annalists may find a pleasanter
field to travel in, without having their steps beset every moment with
murderers, robbers, and incendiaries. Twice during Governor Hunter's
administration was a public gaol purposely destroyed by fire; once the
gaol at Sydney suffered, although there were twenty prisoners confined
there, who being mostly in irons were with difficulty saved; and the
second time, the Paramatta gaol was destroyed, and one of the prisoners
was scorched to death. Several of the settlers declined to pay anything
towards the building of a new gaol, and it was not long a matter of
doubt which article would be most likely to bear a productive tax; so a
duty of one shilling per gallon was imposed upon spirits, sixpence on
wine, and threepence upon porter or strong beer, to be applied to the
above purpose. Building gaols is, beyond question, a necessary thing,
especially in a colony chiefly formed of convicts: and perhaps a tax
upon intoxicating liquors is no bad mode of procuring the means of
erecting them, for thus the sober and industrious are not heavily taxed
to provide for the support and punishment of the profligate and wicked.
Nevertheless, if Christ's religion be true, there is a surer and better
way of checking crime, than by trusting to gaols and police alone; but,
unhappily, this more excellent way of reforming the morals of mankind,
has, in modern times, found little favour with the great ones of the
world.[111] Certainly the power of the Gospel and Church of Christ had
no scope allowed it for its blessed effects, when to a population,
consisting in 1803 of 7097 souls, and constantly on the increase,
besides being scattered over an immense tract of country, _one clergyman
only_ was allowed during seven years to wage, single-handed and alone,
the war against evil. There were, indeed, many Irish Roman Catholics
among the convicts, and one of these, named Harrold, was a Romish
priest, but his character was too little to be trusted for him to be
of any great spiritual advantage even to those of his own communion.
[111] Thus writes the Bishop of Australia in 1840.--"Neither can I
comprehend or approve the policy which thus leaves multitudes without
moral or religious guidance, under every inducement to commit acts of
violence and rapine, which are not only the sources of infinite misery
to the unhappy perpetrators, and to their wretched victims, but
_actually bring_ upon the government itself ten times the pecuniary
charge which would be incurred by the erection of as many churches, and
providing for the support of as many clergymen, as the necessities of
every such district require."
In the year 1800, Governor Hunter left the settlement for England,
and was succeeded in his office by Captain King, who had been
Lieutenant-governor of Norfolk Island, and had conducted with great care
and success the establishment of that smaller colony. However, Norfolk
Island was abandoned altogether during the government of Captain King
and his successor; and it is said this step was taken in compliance with
the advice of the former gentleman. It was a saying attributed to him,
that "he could not make farmers of pickpockets;"[112] and whatever truth
there might be in this maxim, certainly it appears that the progress of
agriculture was unfavourable, and that the colony continued still
subject to seasons of scarcity, approaching to famine, and obliged to
put up with coarse loaves, which were feelingly called _scrubbing
brushes_;[113] and was always in a state of dependence upon foreign
supplies for daily bread. But if there were no _corn laws_, there was
abundance of discontent and misery in the colony of New South Wales; and
during the time of Captain King's government, a rebellion broke out
among the convicts, who had been induced by some of their number, rebels
from Ireland, to _strike for their liberty_. The revolt was soon crushed
by the military, but not without the loss of life to some of the unhappy
men who had been partakers in it.
[112] "More labour would have been performed by one hundred free people
from any part of England or Scotland, than had at any time been derived
from three hundred of these (convicts), with all the attention that
could be paid to them."--COLLINS' _Account of the Colony of New South
Wales_, p. 415.
[113] BARRINGTON'S _History of New South Wales_, p. 376.
The six years during which Captain King held the office of governor
of New South Wales, under the crown of Great Britain and Ireland,
were rendered remarkable, as has been already stated, by the partial
abandonment of the colony of Norfolk Island; and, it may be added, yet
more remarkable by the commencement of another settlement, the first
ever attempted in Van Diemen's Land.
Norfolk Island, which is situated about 1000 miles from the eastern
shore of New Holland, was settled almost immediately after the first
foundations of Sydney had been laid; and although but a speck in the
ocean, and without any safe or convenient landing-place, the first-named
colony was altogether more flourishing in its early days than the other.
The natural fertility of the land, the abundance of food supplied by the
birds of providence,[114] the number of free settlers, and the wise
arrangements of Lieutenant-governor King, may all be recollected among
the reasons of the superior prosperity of Norfolk Island. However, its
career of prosperity was doomed to be but a very short one. Partly upon
the plea of its having no convenient harbour, and partly because of its
very limited extent, it was decided by the home government that it
should be abandoned, and this decision was acted upon in 1805 and 1807,
when the free settlers were compelled to leave the island, which
remained unoccupied for about twenty years, and at the end of this
time it was made a penal settlement for the punishment of refractory
convicts, which it still continues to be,--one of the finest spots upon
earth degraded into the abode of the vilest of human beings,--the scum
of the outcast population of a great and civilized nation. And, to
heighten the horror of the contrast between things natural and things
spiritual in Norfolk Island, there was not, until recently, a single
minister of Christ's Church resident within its bounds; so that where
Nature's sun was shining most beauteously, and Nature's sights and
sounds were most lovely and enchanting, there the outcast souls[115] of
a rich and _christian_ population were left to perish, without being
able to catch a ray of the Sun of Righteousness, without a chance (so to
speak) of hearing the sound of the gospel of Christ: they might there
listen in their lonely wretchedness to the rise and fall of the tide of
that ocean by which their little island is surrounded, but they were
shut out for ever, it would seem, from the voice of the great multitude
of the faithful, "as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of
mighty thunderings, saying, Hallelujah, for the Lord God omnipotent
reigneth!"
[114] At a time of great distress, when 270 additional inhabitants had
just made good their landing at Norfolk Island, whilst the ships and
provisions sent with them from Port Jackson were almost entirely lost,
these birds of providence, as they were justly called, furnished a
supply for the necessities of the people. Mount Pitt, the highest ground
in the island, was observed to be crowded with these birds during the
night, for in the day-time they go out to sea in search of food. They
burrow in the ground, and the hill was as full of holes as a
rabbit-warren; in size they were not bigger than pigeons, but they
looked much larger in their feathers. Their eggs were well tasted
enough, and though the birds themselves had a fishy flavour, hunger
made them acceptable. They were easily taken, for when small fires were
kindled to attract their notice, they would drop down faster than the
people could seize them. For two months together, it is said, that not
less than from two to three thousand of these birds were taken every
night, so that it was with reason that the starving population of
Norfolk Island called them birds of providence.
[115] A peculiar language prevailed in this horrid place. It is said
that a bad man was called a good man, and that one who was ready to
perform his duty was generally called a bad man; and so, in other
respects, language was adapted to the complete subversion of the human
heart there existing. See ULLATHORNE'S _Evidence before the Committee on
Transportation_, 1838, No. 271, p. 27.
The relinquishment of the settlement at Norfolk Island, under Governor
King's administration, after the money that had been spent upon it, and
the success which was attending that expenditure, might well appear to
be a hasty and imprudent act; but, undoubtedly, in its consequences it
turned out beneficial to Great Britain. Instead of Norfolk Island,
another much larger, and far more important spot, which might otherwise
have been occupied by foreigners, was colonized by British subjects; and
Van Diemen's Land, from the extent of its present wealth and population,
besides its nearer resemblance than other Australian colonies to the
climate of the mother country, may justly be esteemed one of the most
valuable possessions of the British crown. The history of the foundation
of this new colony may here be shortly detailed. It was resolved that
a fresh settlement, which might be free from the objections brought
against Norfolk Island, should be formed; and, in 1804, Port Phillip, an
extensive harbour on the southern coast of New Holland, was the spot
chosen for this purpose. But Colonel Collins, who had the command of the
party of colonists, found the eastern side of Port Phillip very little
suited to his object; and without examining its western side, which has
been lately very rapidly and successfully settled, the colonel sailed at
once along the western coast of Van Diemen's Land, took possession of
that extensive island in the name of his Britannic Majesty, and, after
various surveys, decided upon the spot where Hobart Town now stands,
for his headquarters. The little settlement then consisted only of a few
gentlemen holding official situations, fifty marines, and four hundred
prisoners. The place selected for headquarters was well chosen, being
upon the Derwent, a beautiful and navigable river, and having a good
supply of water. In the same year, 1804, another settlement was formed
on the opposite, or northern, side of Van Diemen's Land; it was situated
at the mouth of the River Tamar, near George Town, and was called York
Town, but it was afterwards abandoned. The usual trials to which
newly-planted colonies are exposed, fell also to the lot of that settled
by Colonel Collins in Van Diemen's Land; but its struggles into life
were by no means so intense, or so prolonged, as those of its sister
colony. At one time when a disappointment occurred in the usual
supplies, the hind-quarters of kangaroos were received into His
Majesty's store, at sixpence per pound, and it is said that in six
months no less than 15,000lbs. of this meat were there tendered. After
some years of occasional scarcity, during which, once, even kangaroo
flesh was sold at one shilling and sixpence the pound, and sea-weed, or
any other eatable vegetable, was equally dear, the colony began to take
root and to increase, still continuing, however, its original character
of a penal settlement--a place of punishment for the convicted felons of
New South Wales. Cattle and live stock rapidly increased, land became
more and more cultivated, houses were built, farms enclosed, free
emigrants began to arrive, Hobart Town became a place of some trade and
importance, and at last, in 1821, or thereabouts, _only seventeen years_
after the first establishment of the colony, St. David's Church, at
Hobart Town, was, we read, "completed and opened."[116] What attention
was paid to the spiritual welfare of the poor creatures in this new
penal colony during the long interval that elapsed before the occurrence
of that great event, it seems hard to say; but, judging from what we
have already seen, we may be quite certain of this, that _no less care_
was taken of them, than had formerly been bestowed upon those of a
similar character in Norfolk Island.
[116] See Montgomery Martin's New South Wales and Van Diemen's
Land, p. 257.
While Captain King held the government of New South Wales, a subject
began to attract the notice of the colonial authorities, which
afterwards proved to be one of the highest importance, both to the
settlement and likewise to the mother country, namely, the introduction
and increase of free settlers. According to Dr. Lang, the first free
settlers who emigrated to New South Wales arrived there during Governor
Hunter's administration, which began in August, 1795; but by other
writers it is stated that five settlers and their families arrived by
the _Bellona_, in January 1798, so that these may justly be considered
the first free emigrants that removed from Europe to Australia.[117] The
conditions under which they engaged to settle were, that their passage
out should be provided by government, that an assortment of tools and
implements should be furnished them, that they should be supplied for
two years with provisions, that their lands should be granted free of
expense, and that convicts should be assigned for their service, and
provided with provisions for two years, and clothing for one. Besides
these few emigrants, many of the soldiers and officers, and some of the
released convicts, had grants of land given to them; but, generally
speaking, their agricultural efforts were not very successful, and
_military men_ seemed as little capable of becoming good farmers as
_pickpockets_ were. Yet, as if to show what _might_ have been done
by prudence and thrift, in many cases, a few instances of proper
carefulness and attendant success are recorded; and one man, to whom, in
common with many others, Governor Phillip had given an ewe for breeding,
in 1792, having withstood all temptations to part with this treasure,
found himself, in 1799, possessed of a flock of 116 sheep, and in a fair
way of becoming a man of property.
[117] Compare Lang's History of New South Wales, vol. i. p. 71,
and Collins' Account of New South Wales, p. 197 and 201. See also
Barrington's History of New South Wales, p. 115.
But there was an individual, whose name and history are upon record, to
whom the claim of a yet earlier settlement, as a free person, must be
assigned. His history is instructive, and may be worth repeating, since
it is, probably, a specimen of what afterwards occurred in a vast number
of instances. Philip Schoeffer was a German, who had been sent out with
the first fleet that ever sailed to New South Wales, in the capacity of
an agriculturist, and chiefly with a view to the cultivation of tobacco
(to supersede that of Virginia,) in the proposed settlement. His first
grant of land was one hundred and forty acres; but, unhappily, he fell
into habits of intemperance, and got rid of it all. Afterwards, he
obtained another grant of fifty acres, in what now forms a very valuable
situation in the town of Sydney; but this he was induced to give up to
the Colonial Government for public purposes, about the year 1807,
receiving in return twenty gallons of rum, which were then worth 60_l._
and a grant of the same extent with his former one, but situated at Pitt
Water, one of the inlets of Broken Bay--a large harbour to the northward
of Port Jackson. Schoeffer then married a wife, a Scotch woman and a
convict, and settled on his farm at Pitt Water, where he lived many
years; but old age, poverty, and intemperance induced him to sell it by
piecemeal, and he died at last in the benevolent asylum or colonial
poor-house. This short history may serve to show upon what mere
accidents the foundation of wealth frequently depends, and especially in
a new country; for, if the German could only have kept his farm of fifty
acres in Sydney for about thirty years longer, he or his successors
might actually have sold it for 100,000_l._!
After the landing of the few free settlers already mentioned, which took
place while Captain Hunter was governor, the next arrival deserving
of notice appears to have been about a dozen families of Scotch
Presbyterians, who established themselves under similar conditions with
the first emigrants, and whose place of abode was near Portland Head, on
the banks of the Hawkesbury. These men seem to have been a quiet and
orderly, as well as a prudent, set of people; and their industry was
rewarded by success. The zeal and devotion which were exhibited by
them in religious matters were also very praiseworthy, and not less so
because, according to Captain Bligh, it was the only case of the kind
he had ever heard of, during his government of the colony. A building
for public worship was erected by them,[118] at a cost of upwards of
400_l._, and altogether the conduct of these Scotch emigrants reflected
credit upon the country and religious body to which they belonged. But,
while we award to these persons the praise which is their due, we are by
no means entitled to place to the account of their being Presbyterians
the good order and right feeling which they exhibited. Scotchmen are
proverbially more fond of colonization than Englishmen, and hence it
naturally occurred that almost the first respectable settlers were
Scotch farmers; but there is no reason to question,--nay, experience
has since proved,--that Englishmen of similar character, and placed
in the like circumstances, can conduct themselves not less piously and
properly, and will not yield to the disciples of John Calvin or John
Knox in their reverence and devotion for a more apostolical Church than
that of Scotland. However, it must be owned with sorrow that these
instances of religious feeling and zeal were by no means common among
the first settlers; nor is this a subject of surprise, when we recollect
that, even now, Australia is frequently looked upon as a last refuge for
those who can do well nowhere else; and if it be thought so now, much
more must this impression have prevailed in the days of its earlier
settlers. But, from whatever class, or with whatever failings, they
might come, a few fresh settlers continued from year to year to find
their way to the shores of New Holland; and, in due time, the tide of
emigration was destined to set full into that quarter, carrying with it
a portion of the population and wealth of the mother country, together
with all its luxuries, its arts, its vices, and its virtues.
[118] "The first religious edifice that was ever reared in the
great Terra Australis, by _voluntary_ and _private_ exertion." See
Lang's Narrative of the Settlement of the Scots' Church in New South
Wales, p. 8. The Doctor, in his Presbyterian zeal, had forgotten Mr.
Johnson's church.
In August, 1806, Captain King resigned his office, and was succeeded in
the government of New South Wales by Captain Bligh, also of the royal
navy. His name is well known from the history of the mutiny of the crew
in the ship _Bounty_, which he had formerly commanded; and he was not
less unfortunate on shore, in the art of governing his fellow-creatures.
With many good qualities and excellent intentions, his manner of ruling
men was not either happy or successful. But before we proceed to the
great event in colonial history, which brought to a sudden termination
the reign of Governor Bligh, it will be well to notice a remarkable
occurrence which happened soon after he came into power. The banks of
the river Hawkesbury have already been stated to be distinguished for
their fertility; and at this time they formed the chief source from
which the supply of wheat for the colony was drawn. Many acres of land
had been cleared there, and the whole district, with smiling farms
scattered about upon the rising banks of the beautiful stream, offered
one of the most pleasing scenes in the whole settlement. But, within
the first year of the government of Captain Bligh, the farmers on the
Hawkesbury, and indeed the whole colony, were doomed to undergo a severe
trial.[119] In March 1799, the river had been known to rise suddenly to
the enormous height of fifty feet, and the destruction of property which
had been then occasioned was very great.[120] But now, without any
considerable rains having fallen upon the eastern side of the Blue
Mountains, between that range and the sea, the river rose, in one
place at least, to the enormous height of ninety-three feet, so that
buildings, stock, or corn, which were not secured upon rising ground
equal in height to that of an ordinary church-tower, must have been
overwhelmed and borne away by the flood. It is said that a settler,
whose house stood on an eminence at a beautiful bend of the Hawkesbury,
saw no less than thirty stacks of wheat at one time floating down the
stream during a flood, some of them being covered with pigs and poultry,
who had thus vainly sought safety from the rising of the waters. The
consequences of this unexpected disaster were very calamitous, and
before the ensuing harvest could be begun, wheat and Indian corn
attained an equal value, and were sold at 1_l._ 8_s._ or 1_l._ 10_s._
per bushel. Even eleven years afterwards, when a similar overflow,
though not equal to "_the great flood_," occurred, prices were raised
enormously, and but for an importation of wheat from Van Diemen's Land,
they would have been very little short of those in the year 1806.
Governor Bligh appears to have done all that a governor could do to
lessen the distress that prevailed, by ordering a number of the cattle
belonging to government to be slaughtered and divided among the
sufferers, and by encouraging, to the utmost extent of his power, the
cultivation of a large breadth of land in wheat for the ensuing season.
By these means, under Divine Providence, the colony again became able to
supply itself with daily bread; a capability of which, like many other
blessings, nations scarcely know the value and importance, until they
are deprived, or deprive themselves of it.[121]
[119] One of the vain attempts of the present age is that of
entirely preventing the various fluctuations to which, from accidents,
bad seasons, &c., the price of bread is subject. It did appear as though
a certain average of moderate prices was established in England; but,
recently, the system has been again altered, and time must show how it
works. Certainly the changes in the value of corn in New South Wales
have formerly been violent enough, supposing the following statement to
be correct: "I have nine years been a landholder in this colony, and
seven years have cultivated my own farm. In this time I have twice given
wheat to my pigs, because I did not know what else to do with it; twice
I have known wheat selling at fifteen shillings per bushel, and once at
twenty shillings!"--ATKINSON _on the Encouragement of Distilling and
Brewing in New South Wales_, p. 3, ed. 1829.
[120] It is said that the natives foresaw the approach of this
calamity, and advised the colonists of it, but their warning was not
regarded.--_See Barrington's History of New South Wales_, p. 310.
[121] For the particulars here related of the floods of the river
Hawkesbury, see Lang's New South Wales, vol. i. pp. 98-101; and also
Wentworth's Australasia, vol. i. p. 67 and 448-9. The latter writer
speaks of wheat and maize being sold at 5_l._ or 6_l._ per bushel, but
that seems to be a mistake.
From whatever cause it might arise,--whether from his opposition to the
practice of all the chief persons in the colony making a profit by the
sale of spirits,[122]--or from his dislike of the New South Wales
Corps,--or from his own harsh and tyrannical conduct,--whether, in
short, we listen to Governor Bligh's admirers or enemies, thus much is
certain: he was excessively unpopular with a large and powerful party
of men in the settlement. Without entering into the particulars of the
extraordinary treatment to which his Majesty's representative in that
distant colony was subjected, it may be sufficient to state that, in
consequence of the imprisonment of Mr. Macarthur, an old officer, and a
rich and influential settler, great disturbance was excited, which ended
in the seizure of the governor's person, and in the occupation of his
office and authority by Major Johnston, the commanding officer of the
New South Wales Corps, who assumed the authority of lieutenant-governor
in January, 1808, and issued some proclamations ordering various changes
among those in authority. In one of these proclamations a day of
thanksgiving is appointed to be kept for the recent transactions; and in
the same precious document the Rev. Henry Fulton is suspended from
discharging his duty as chaplain to the colony,[123] because, whatever
may have been the faults of his former life,[124] like most other
clergymen of the Church of England, on most other occasions, he had at
this time stood fast to his loyalty.
[122] Still later the following evidence was given upon a trial: "The
governor, _clergy_, officers, civil and military, all ranks and
descriptions of people bartered spirits when I left Sydney,--in May,
1810." What a handle do such practices give to those that love to
"despise dominion, and speak evil of dignities."--_Jude_ 8.
[123] Here is an example of the need of a bishop in every colony of any
size or importance. What right or power had a usurping military officer
to suspend from clerical duties _one_ of the _two_ or _three_ clergymen
who were then in the settlement, and that without any crime alleged, any
trial, or proof of his misdemeanour? Would not a bishop, to stand
between the mighty major and the poor chaplain on this occasion, have
been a guardian of "civil and religious liberty?"
[124] Respecting these, see the assertions in Ullathorne's Reply to
Burton, page 6.
The confusion resulting from the seizure of the governor was lamentable
indeed in a colony at the best of times so difficult to be managed. All
public meetings were forbidden by the party in power, and our old
friends, the Presbyterians at Portland Head, whose loyalty to the
governor on this occasion was very creditable, had well nigh got into
trouble from their meeting together on "the Sabbath" for public worship.
The object of the intruders was to get rid of Captain Bligh as well as
they could, and accordingly he was sent off to England in command of
the _Porpoise_, but he remained from March to December, 1809, off the
coast of Van Diemen's Land, daily expecting despatches from the home
government, until at last, on December 28th, his intended successor,
Colonel Macquarie, arrived at Sydney. This last gentleman was ordered to
reinstate Captain Bligh in the government of the colony for the period
of twenty-four hours after his own arrival; but in consequence of
Bligh's absence from Sydney, this was not done. However, Major Johnston
was sent home under strict arrest, and, after various delays, he was
tried for mutiny, by a court-martial, in May 1811, and found guilty, but
was only sentenced to be cashiered, the court considering the peculiar
circumstances of the case sufficient to excuse him from a more severe
punishment. Captain Bligh was, upon his return to England, immediately
promoted to the rank of rear-admiral, and employed in active service;
while the New South Wales Corps, which had certainly been long enough in
the colony from which it drew its name, was ordered home, and the 73d
regiment sent out to supply its place.
The first acts of the new governor, Colonel Macquarie, were to declare
the king's displeasure at the late mutinous proceedings, and to render
null and void all the acts of the usurping party, most of whose measures
were, however, ratified, their bills upon the Treasury honoured, and
their grants of land confirmed. The continuance of Governor Macquarie
in power for no less than twelve years, during which peace and
tranquillity, undisturbed by any very severe trials, prevailed
throughout the settlement, offers but very few of those events which
make a figure in the history of the past:--
"Famine and plague, the earthquake and the storm,
Man's angry passions, war's terrific form,
The tyrant's threatenings, and the people's rage,
These are the crowded woes of History's page."
During the period of which we are now treating, vast improvements and
extensive discoveries were made in New South Wales; and in all these,
or similar, arts of peace the governor delighted to bear an active and
leading part. Availing himself of the means at his disposal, and of the
abundance of convict-labour, he made, it is said, no less than 276 miles
of good roads during his administration; and, when the nature of the
country along which many of these were carried is taken into account,
this exploit alone reflects no small credit upon Governor Macquarie. In
the year 1813 the colony was enabled, by the courage and perseverance
of three gentlemen, to burst those bonds by which it had hitherto been
hemmed in within the limits of a narrow strip of land running along the
sea-coast. In that year a passage across the Blue Mountains, hitherto
thought insuperable, was at length made good; and the hungry sheep and
cattle which had been suffering from the prevailing drought in the
settlement, were speedily driven over the hills to enjoy the less
withered pastures and green plains of the western country. No sooner was
this district thus opened than the governor commenced making a road over
the mountains, and in this he succeeded after no very long delay, so
that a good communication was formed between Sydney and Bathurst Plains,
a distance of more than 100 miles, about 50 of which cross an extent of
country the most rugged, mountainous, and barren, that can be imagined.
In public buildings Governor Macquarie showed no less activity than in
road-making, although his efforts in the former line have not met with
unmingled and universal approbation. Certainly, the means by which,
what was then called, "the Rum Hospital" was built were, if they are
correctly reported by Dr. Lang, disgraceful and mischievous in the
highest degree.[125] However, the improvements that were made in the
rising towns, especially in the capital, of the colony, may well demand
our admiration, even though, as usual in estimating the deeds of fallen
man, we must allow that much evil might have been avoided, and that a
large proportion of moral mischief was mingled with the improvements.
[125] See Lang's New South Wales, vol. i. pp. 168, 169.
The great and distinguishing feature, after all, of Colonel Macquarie's
government appears to have been the studious, and not always judicious,
patronage extended by him to the emancipated convicts, whom he generally
considered in preference to the free settlers. In consequence of this,
the last-named class were thrown into the background, a kind of check
was given to emigration, and, what was worst of all, two parties were
set on foot within the settlement, altogether opposed to each
other;--the _exclusionists_, who were free settlers, refused to
associate at all with those that had ever been convicts; and the
_emancipists_ considered that a convict, after his time of punishment
had expired, was just as good as any other man. It was absurd, indeed,
although no more than usually happens, to see men of the _humblest_, if
not of the _lowest_, classes in the mother country, suddenly aspiring to
become _exclusive_ and _grand_ in the colony. And, on the other hand, it
was a pretty sure sign that the convicts, though emancipated from their
shackles, were not well rid of their vice or impudence, when they laid
claim, even with the aid of a governor's encouragement, and often of
great wealth not very scrupulously acquired, to the highest society and
most important offices in the settlement. Undoubtedly, one great object
in a penal colony should be that of gradually purifying the population
from all disgraceful or vicious associations; but the hasty attempts of
a governor to elevate a class like that of the emancipated convicts
were sure to end rather in their depression. Time, and a succeeding
generation, would have done quietly what Colonel Macquarie, with
all his power, was unable to accomplish. If a governor cannot make
pickpockets become good _farmers_, still less likely is he to succeed in
endeavouring to make good _magistrates_ of them; but a few years, under
judicious management, might easily produce from among their children
admirable specimens of both. And nothing can be a greater hindrance to
this desirable result than hasty and ill-timed, though well-intended,
attempts to force out of their proper sphere those persons, who, if they
are really possessed of any sense, would, of all men, desire to keep
within it.
In reckoning up the principal occurrences during the twelve years in
which Colonel Macquarie ruled the colony, the vast additions which were
made to our knowledge of the country are by no means to be overlooked.
Bathurst Plains and the pass to them through the Blue Mountains were,
as we have already seen, discovered; the district of Argyle to the
south-westward was also made known. Two rivers, named after the
governor, who was (it is reported) fond of such compliments, the Lachlan
and the Macquarie, were traced westward of the Blue Mountains, until
they were supposed to lose themselves in endless and impassable swamps.
Northwards, the River Hastings, and a large extent of country suitable
for flocks and herds, called Liverpool Plains, were discovered. Besides
which, three penal settlements for the punishment of unruly convicts
were formed, one at Emu Plains, another at Newcastle, near the mouth of
the River Hunter, and a third at Port Macquarie, at the mouth of the
Hastings.
But the mention of new penal settlements, in which the punishment and
removal of gross offenders were the only objects, while the reformation
and salvation of those poor men were never thought of, forcibly recalls
us to a subject of which we have for some time lost sight, and which
must be once more noticed before the history of the rise and early
progress of the colony of New South Wales is completed. Where was the
Church all this time? What was the Church of England doing in the now
flourishing settlement of Australia? How far did the state follow at
once both its duty and its interest, and employ in the work of
reformation in this land of criminals those heavenly instruments, the
Bible and the Church? The reply to all these inquiries is briefly made,
but the national sin and shame involved in that short reply it might
need volumes to unfold.
In 1821, at the end of Macquarie's government, there was scattered about
in the colony a population of 29,783, of whom 13,814 were convicts, and
among these were found ministering _seven_ clergymen of the Church of
England, with no bishop of that Church to "set things in order"[126]
nearer than the Antipodes,--the very opposite side of the habitable
globe! Nor, if we look (as unhappily now in every English colony we must
look,) beyond the pale of the English Church, shall we find either
Romish superstition or Dissenting zeal working any of their usual
wonders. Though the number of Romanists from Ireland was very great in
the colony, yet they had, in 1821, only _one_ priest residing among
them; the Presbyterians at Portland Head had a catechist only, and with
respect to the other "denominations" little or nothing is recorded:--the
_establishment_ had taken as yet so poor a hold of the soil of New
South Wales, that the _voluntary system_, which seems often to need
its support, as ivy needs the support of a tree, had scarcely been
transplanted thither. One observation, before we quit for the present
this painful subject, forces itself upon the mind. How utterly unlike
are the ways of an All-Perfect God from the ways of imperfect fallen
men! The King of kings desireth not the death of any sinner, and has
wrought miracles upon miracles of mercy to provide for his salvation;
whereas man regardeth not the spiritual life of his brethren, earthly
monarchs and nations care chiefly about the removal of the offenders out
of their sight, and, so long as this is effected, they trouble not
themselves about the future lot of those outcasts; money is more
willingly parted with for "penal settlements" than for religious
instruction, and, although the earthly wants of the criminals are
attended to, here humanity stops short;--if their _bodies_ are not cast
out to starve and to perish _their souls are_. And who cannot read in
holy Scripture the just doom of those that have acted, or are acting,
thus? "The wicked man shall die in his iniquity, but his blood will I
require at thine hand."[127]
[126] See Titus i. 3.
[127] Ezekiel iii. 18.
Having now brought down the history of the colony of New South Wales to
a period when it might be said to be firmly established and flourishing,
both party feeling and needless details may best be avoided by stopping
here, yet it will not form an unsuitable conclusion to this chapter to
borrow General Macquarie's account of his own doings, although this may
be somewhat tinctured with that vanity, which is said to have been his
greatest weakness:--"I found the colony," he states, in a Report to Earl
Bathurst, "barely emerging from infantile imbecility, and suffering from
various privations and disabilities; the country impenetrable beyond 40
miles from Sydney; agriculture in a yet languishing state; commerce in
its early dawn; revenue unknown; threatened with famine; distracted by
faction; the public buildings in a state of dilapidation, and mouldering
to decay; the few roads and bridges formerly constructed rendered almost
impassable; the population in general depressed by poverty; no public
credit nor private confidence; the morals of the great mass of the
population in the lowest state of debasement, and religious worship
almost totally neglected.[128] Such was the state of New South Wales
when I took charge of its administration on the 1st of January, 1810.
I left it in February last, reaping incalculable advantages from my
extensive and important discoveries in all directions, including the
supposed insurmountable barrier called the Blue Mountains, to the
westward of which are situated the fertile plains of Bathurst; and
_in all respects_ [?] enjoying a state of private comfort and public
prosperity, which I trust will at least equal the expectations of His
Majesty's Government. On my taking the command of the colony in the year
1810, the amount of port duties collected did not exceed 8000_l._ per
annum, and there were only 50_l._ or 60_l._ of a balance in the
Treasurer's hands; but now (in 1822,) duties are collected at Port
Jackson to the amount of from 28,000_l._ to 30,000_l._ per annum. In
addition to this annual colonial revenue, there are port duties,
collected at Hobart Town and George Town in Van Diemen's Land, to
the amount of between 8000_l._ and 10,000_l._ per annum."[129]
[128] How could public religious worship be attended to, when, in the
year after Governor Macquarie's arrival, 1810, a widely-scattered
population of 10,452 souls, mostly convicts, were left in the charge
of _four_ clergymen? And in what respect were things improved at the
time of that Governor's departure in 1821, when, to a similarly situated
population of 29,783 souls there were _seven_ clergymen assigned:
and the Romish church had _one_ priest for New South Wales and Van
Diemen's Land, while the Presbyterians at Portland Head had their
lay-catechist?--See BURTON _on Education and Religion in New South
Wales_, pp. 8, 9, 12, 16.
We may add, by way of illustrating the regard paid to religious worship,
even in Governor Macquarie's time, that Oxley's first expedition
into the interior was permitted to set out from Bathurst on a Sunday!
See his _Journal_, p. 3. Sunday, indeed, seems to have been a favourite
starting-day with Mr. Oxley. See p. 37.
[129] See Governor Macquarie's Report to Earl Bathurst, in Lang's New
South Wales, vol. i. _Appendix_, No. 8, p. 447.
[Illustration: NORTH VIEW OF SYDNEY.]
CHAPTER IX.
DESCRIPTION OF THE COLONY OF NEW SOUTH WALES.
The next objects that demand our notice in Australia are the British
colonies, and their present inhabitants. We have already given our
attention to the Bush and its wild inhabitants, and the lengthened yet
rapid process by which a lonely bay was converted, within the space of
little more than forty years, into the flourishing capital of a rising
country, has been fully traced. It now remains for the reader to be made
acquainted with the natural features, civil divisions, and present state
of the British Australian colonies,--especially of the oldest and most
important of them, called New South Wales. Were we not already informed
of the sad reality of things, we might be tempted to indulge in the
daydreams of an explorer, and to join in the bright and hopeful visions
of a most pleasing writer, respecting the blessings to arise out of a
change of any district from wild bush to civilized colony. But dreams of
this nature are little better than vanity, and so our explorer himself
tells us at the end of his narrative:--"Whilst I stretched my weary
length," says Captain Grey, "along, under the pleasant shade, I saw in
fancy busy crowds throng the scenes I was then amongst. I pictured to
myself the bleating sheep and lowing herds wandering over these fertile
hills; and I chose the very spot on which my house should stand,
surrounded with as fine an amphitheatre of verdant land as the eye of
man had ever gazed on. The view was backed by the Victoria Range, whilst
seaward you looked out through a romantic glen upon the great Indian
ocean. I knew that within four or five years civilization would have
followed my tracks, and that rude nature and the savage would no longer
reign supreme over so fine a territory. Mr. Smith entered eagerly into
my thoughts and views; together we built these castles in the air,
trusting we should see happy results spring from our present sufferings
and labours,--but within a few weeks from this day he died in the wilds
he was exploring."[130] So little are the brilliant hopes inspired by
discovery to be depended upon, nor less uncertain are the expectations
which the colonization of a district awakens in our hearts. We cannot
but look for good results, yet frequently are we doomed to
disappointment.
[130] See Grey's Travels in Western Australia, vol. ii. pp. 29, 30.
For the particulars of Mr. Smith's death, see page 27.
However, the assurance of the superintendence of Divine Providence may
check all misgivings; and under this wholesome persuasion we may proceed
to consider the present condition of that country, which has been
recently settled and civilized on the eastern coast of New Holland,
and which is known by the name of New South Wales. It is manifestly
impossible, in describing a territory like this, continually increasing
and enlarging itself, whilst at the same time much of the country
already within its bounds is barren and almost unknown, to maintain that
accuracy which we are accustomed to find in descriptions of the counties
or districts of our own well-defined and cultivated island. Yet, in
New South Wales, as in Great Britain, the territory is divided into
counties, and occasionally into parishes; and it may serve to give the
reader a general idea of the whole country, if each of these former
divisions is briefly noticed.
The county called Cumberland is the most populous and important,
although by no means the most fertile, in the whole province. It
contains the capital, Sydney, and the thriving towns of Paramatta,
Liverpool, Windsor, Richmond, &c.; so that in population it far exceeds
all the others. It is described as an undulating plain, extending from
north to south about fifty-three miles, and in breadth from the sea to
the base of the Blue Mountains, upwards of forty miles. The coast is
generally bold and rocky, and to the distance of a few miles inland the
soil is a poor sandstone, and the country looks bleak and barren;
further from the sea its appearance improves, an undulating country
extends itself to the width of about ten miles, and this district, where
it has been left in its natural state, has the appearance of a noble
forest, but, although partially cultivated, the soil still continues
poor, for it rests upon a foundation of sandstone. Beyond this, the soil
becomes better, the trees are less numerous, the herbage more luxuriant,
the scenery beautifully varied, the hills are generally more fertile
than the valleys, and the farms and cultivated spots are very numerous.
In the valleys of the Hawkesbury and Nepean rivers, the richness of the
soil is very great, and the plains are extensive. One great evil, the
scarcity of good water, has been very much felt in this country, but it
is expected that by boring, the deficiency may be supplied. The coast
of Cumberland is broken and indented by many creeks or inlets, the most
remarkable of which is the noble harbour of Port Jackson. The county of
Cumberland is said to contain about 900,000 acres, of which not more
than one-third is fit for cultivation, and all the good land in it has
been long since granted away. Unfortunately, that part of the country
which is most fertile and preferable, is the very part where scarcely
any natural springs are to be found, for, although these are abundant
on the coast, and in the sandstone country, beyond that line they are
rarely met with; and, since the tides flow to a considerable distance
up all the rivers, the water of these is in many parts of the district
brackish and unfit for use; besides which, in the summer-time, the
smaller streams become dry, or dwindle down into mere chains of ponds,
barely sufficient to supply the wants of the cattle.
The next county to the southward of Cumberland is named Camden, which
continues the line of coast, extending itself about sixty-six miles in
length, and being in breadth, towards the interior, about fifty-five
miles. This is a more mountainous district than Cumberland, and abounds
in lofty timber, but, nevertheless, there are several large tracts of
great fertility contained within its limits. The district called
Illawarra, or the Five Islands, and that of the Cow Pastures, are the
most remarkable; and being both of them rural districts, they may be
briefly described here. Illawarra is a very peculiar spot: it is
situated immediately between the sea and a range of high hills, so steep
that they are almost impassable, while on the remaining side, upon which
neither of these two boundaries enclose it, Illawarra is bounded by the
Shoal Haven River. The district thus separated by nature from the
adjoining country, extends about eighteen miles along the coast, and
is said to comprise 150,000 acres of most beautiful scenery and very
fertile soil. The greater part of Illawarra is heavily timbered, and it
is said to be not well fitted for the rearing of sheep; but for the
plough its deep vegetable soil is admirably suited, and whenever the
land begins to feel the effect of repeated cropping, there are means of
enriching it at hand in the large heaps of decayed shells to be found
upon the sea-shore, which would furnish an excellent manure. The
communication between this fertile spot, and the nearest market of any
consequence, Sydney, is carried on almost entirely by water; and the
Shoal Haven River being navigable for vessels of eighty or ninety tons
to the distance of twenty miles up the country, affords the ready means
of conveying produce to the capital from many parts of Illawarra.
Besides this navigable river, the southern boundary of the district,
there are many smaller streams which issue from the mountains to the
north and west, so that the country is well watered, besides which
advantage it is said to have a larger share of rain than many other
parts of the colony, and to be sheltered from the blighting winds which
occasionally have proved destructive to the crops elsewhere. The
mountain range by which Illawarra is shut in, partakes of the general
fertility of the neighbourhood below, and it is supposed, from its
eastern aspect, and mild climate, to offer spots favourable for the
cultivation of the vine. The timber of the district is very profitable,
when felled, and highly ornamental where it is left standing. Indeed,
the immense fern-trees, shooting up their rough stems, like large oars,
to the height of fifteen or twenty feet, and then suddenly putting forth
leaves in every direction, four or five feet in length, and exactly like
the leaf of the common fern,--the different kinds of palms rising to the
height of seventy or one hundred feet, and then forming large canopies
of leaves; the cedars, the undergrowth of wild vines, creeping plants
and shrubs, in rich abundance; all combine to remind the visitor of a
tropical climate, of a more _northern_, or as Englishmen would naturally
say, more _southern_, climate than that of Illawarra.
Respecting the Cow Pastures, the rural district, which, next to
Illawarra, is most deserving of notice in the county of Camden, little
further need be added to what has been already stated in another place.
Instead of _cow pastures_, however, nearly the whole of the 60,000 acres
of good land, which form this district, have now become _sheep farms_;
and the soil appears to be very suitable to the growth and perfection of
the last-named animal. Towards the southern and eastern parts of the cow
pastures are numerous streams, which retain water even in dry weather,
and which communicate with the Nepean River. There do not appear to
be any towns deserving of mention in the county of Camden, and its
population is small and rural: it is crossed in every direction by steep
ridges of hills, which almost always tower upwards like the roof of a
house, and where the country is mountainous, meet so close as to leave
only a narrow ravine betwixt them.
The adjoining county, which may be next noticed, is that of Argyle, an
inland district, not having any front whatever towards the ocean, and
lying to the south-westward of the county last described. Argyle is
about sixty miles in length, with an average breadth of thirty miles; it
is a lofty and broken region, and abounds in small rivulets and ponds,
containing water during the whole of the year. It is also well furnished
with timber, although there are places where the trees are scattered
sparingly, and likewise plains of considerable extent, entirely bare of
trees. Of this description are Goulburn's Plains, which consist of open
downs, affording good pasturage for sheep, and extending twenty miles
southward from the township to which they owe their name, their breadth
being about ten. There are some remarkable lakes in this county, or near
its borders, the two largest of which are called Lake George and Lake
Bathurst. Some of the old natives say that they can remember when these
lakes did not exist; and dead trees are found in the bed of Lake George,
the whole of which was, in October 1836, dried up, and like a grassy
meadow.[131]
[131] See Major Mitchell's Three Expeditions, vol. ii. p. 317.
Bathurst is another inland county, lying nearly due west of Cumberland,
but not adjoining it, which may deserve to be briefly described. In
looking over a map of the colony of New South Wales, it appears strange
that counties, like this, comparatively remote both from the capital and
from the sea, should be more known and flourishing than others lying
betwixt them and these important objects. But when we reflect upon the
nature of the country, and remember that the intervening counties are in
a great measure occupied by the Blue Mountains, with their tremendous
ravines and dreary sandstone wastes, all wonder will cease at finding
the green pastures and smiling country beyond the mountains occupied,
while the rugged tract is suffered to remain for the most part in its
natural state, and instead of becoming populous itself, is employed only
as a channel of communication between the consuming population on the
coast and the producing population of the more fertile interior.
Bathurst is in length seventy-two miles, and in breadth sixty-eight,
in shape somewhat approaching to an irregular square. No part of this
district was explored before 1813. It is, in general, a kind of broken
table-land, in some places forming extensive and bare downs, as, for
instance, Bathurst Plains, containing 50,000 acres. Occasional open
downs of this kind, and not unlike the South Downs in England, extend
along the banks of the Macquarie for upwards of one hundred miles.
Bathurst is reckoned one of the most flourishing and desirable
situations in the whole colony, and the view of these plains from the
high land to the eastward upon the road from Sydney is very interesting.
The prospect of an extensive district naturally destitute of timber is
rare in Australia, and therefore it surprises and pleases the eye of the
traveller. Bathurst Plains form, however, by no means a dead level, but
consist rather of a series of gentle elevations, with intervening flats
of moderate extent; the surrounding forest is rather thin, and patches
of it extend irregularly to some distance in the plains, like points of
land projecting into a lake.
The green pastures and naturally clear state of this district, formed
the first inducements to settlers to occupy a spot, which is now distant
from Sydney by the road 121 miles, about fifty of which cross the
wildest and most barren mountains imaginable, and which then had no road
at all leading to it, except a difficult mountain-pass only recently
discovered; consequently, the district was portioned out chiefly in
large grants to persons whose means enabled them to cope with the
difficulties of approaching the new settlement; and the society at
Bathurst Plains is esteemed very good; possibly it may be all the better
for its distance from the capital. But the best proof of the goodness of
the society in this neighbourhood is the attention which the inhabitants
are stated to pay to their religious duties, and the harmony in which
they live with one another.[132] The situation of Bathurst Plains is an
exceedingly high one, being more than 2000 feet above the level of the
sea; and this elevation, rendering the climate much cooler,[133]
produces the same vegetable productions in the parallel latitude of
Sydney with those that are to be found in Van Diemen's Land, ten degrees
farther to the south. Bathurst is said to be a very healthy climate;
wonders are told of the climate of New South Wales generally, and yet we
are informed that "the cheeks of the children beyond the mountains have
a rosy tint, which is seldom observable in the lowlands of the colony."
However, notwithstanding all that may be said, disease and death can
find out their victims even in Bathurst Plains.
"Guilt's fatal doom in vain would mortals fly,
And they that breathe the purest air must die."
[132] See Lang's New South Wales, vol. ii. p. 119.
[133] The difference of temperature in twelve hours' journey is
stated to be upwards of twenty degrees.--OXLEY's _Journal of his First
Expedition_, p. 4.
The county of Northumberland is one of the most important and valuable
in the colony; it is upon the sea-coast, and adjoins Cumberland, being
bounded on the south by the river Hawkesbury, and on the north by the
Hunter. Its length is about 60 miles, and its breadth about 50: whilst
its general appearance is undulating, with high table lands dispersed
among the hills, and it is well watered by many streams and rivulets.
Within this county are two great sources of worldly wealth,--the
coal-mines near one of its principal towns, Newcastle, and the rich
productive farms in the valley of the Hunter. The last-named river is
navigable for small craft for fifty miles above Newcastle, which is a
thriving little port, and boats may ascend two of its three principal
branches for about 120 and 200 miles, but the navigation is liable to
be interrupted by sudden and tremendous floods.[134]
[134] This account of the navigation of Hunter's River is taken from
Martin's New South Wales, p. 75. Dr. Lang, vol. ii. p. 64, gives a
somewhat different account of it.
Coal is to be found in several parts of New South Wales, but it is most
abundant in the country to the south of Hunter's River, which forms part
of the county of Northumberland. Even at some distance from the shore,
the black lines of coal may be seen in the cliffs upon the coast, and
the coal-pits in this neighbourhood are worked with comparatively little
trouble. The Australian Agricultural Company have obtained a grant of
these from government: and, as a specimen of the demand for coals some
years ago, it may be stated, that, in 1836, there were sold at the
pit's mouth 12,646 tons for 5,747_l._, being at about the rate of nine
shillings per ton. Since that time the consumption has been very
rapidly increasing, and steam navigation has now become common in the
colony;[135] so that, besides the manufactories of Sydney, and the
supply of private families, there is an additional demand for fuel
created by the steam-boats plying constantly along that remote coast,
which only a century ago no European had yet beheld. It is also reported
that iron is to be found in New South Wales, at no great distance from
the coal which is so necessary to smelt it; and, if this be true, with
these two principal causes of the wealth of the mother country concealed
within its bosom, it is quite possible that, in the course of time, the
colony may rival, or outstrip, England itself in worldly prosperity.
[135] It was introduced in 1831.
But, however valuable these elements may be, the riches of a country are
based upon more important pursuits than mining or manufactures, and in
those fundamental sources of wealth,--in agriculture and its kindred
occupations,--the county of Northumberland stands foremost in New South
Wales. Not even the rich valleys of the Hawkesbury and Nepean rivers can
excel in fruitfulness or in cultivation that of Hunter's River. Wheat
and maize are among the chief productions of this fine agricultural
district, of which Maitland is the principal town. Potatoes, tobacco,
cheese, and butter are also forwarded to Sydney for sale from this
highly favoured spot. Were it not for the fearful floods to which, in
common with many other rivers in the colony, Hunter's River is liable,
altogether this valley, and the _arms_, or branch valleys, which lead
into it, might well be esteemed among the finest situations in the
world; and now that this liability is well known, and may be provided
against, the objections arising on this score are greatly diminished.
Still, a flood rising suddenly forty or sixty feet, and pouring with
headlong fury down the peaceful cultivated valleys, is a just object of
dread, and a tremendous visitation.
We cannot leave the subject of this rich and beautiful district,
abounding in inhabitants and rural wealth, without borrowing the words
of the Bishop of Australia in describing its recent increase in those
means of grace and hopes of glory, which are, after all, the only true
riches. In 1833, when this neighbourhood was visited, "there was but one
clergyman in the entire tract of country, extending from the mouth of
the Hunter to its source, and the great and growing population on its
banks would have appeared, (if we could have forgotten the ability of
God to raise up children to himself, and to provide them with spiritual
food even from the stones of the desert,) to be abandoned to inevitable
destitution, both they and their children. But it has pleased the
Almighty to cause the prospect to brighten, and now (in 1839) there will
be seven clergymen dispensing the pure ordinances and inculcating the
salutary principles of the Church."[136]
[136] Bishop of Australia's Letter to the Society for the Propagation
of the Gospel, dated September 12th, 1839.
It would be at once wasting time and presuming upon the reader's
patience to attempt to describe particularly the remaining counties
of New South Wales, which are yet but imperfectly known and partially
colonized. It will be sufficient to notice the names of the others,
which, together with those described above, amount to nineteen
in number. Besides Cumberland, Camden, Argyle, Bathurst, and
Northumberland, the counties of Cook, Westmoreland, Roxburgh,
Wellington, Phillip, Bligh, Brisbane, Hunter, Gloucester, Georgiana,
King's County, Murray, Durham, and St. Vincent's, may deserve to be
mentioned by name, but nothing especially worthy of notice suggests
itself respecting them. We may turn, therefore, from the rural
districts, and take a rapid view of the principal towns of New South
Wales. Among these the capital, Sydney, claims the first place, not less
as a matter of right than of courtesy. By a happy concurrence of events,
the very first settlement made upon the eastern coast of New Holland was
formed upon one of its most eligible spots; and accordingly that town,
which ranks first in point of time, is likely always to rank first in
population, in size, in commerce, and in wealth. The harbour alone would
offer advantages enough to secure considerable importance to a town
erected upon its shores, and before Sydney itself is more minutely
described, we may borrow the account of Port Jackson, which has been
given by one well acquainted with its scenery, and himself by birth an
Australian.[137] It is navigable for fifteen miles from its entrance,
that is, seven miles beyond Sydney; and in every part there is good
anchorage and complete shelter from all winds. Its entrance is three
quarters of a mile in width, and afterwards expands into a spacious
basin, fifteen miles long, and in some places three broad, with depth of
water sufficient for vessels of the largest size. The harbour is said to
have 100 coves, and there is room within it for all the shipping in the
world. The views from its shores are varied and beautiful. Looking
towards the sea, the eye catches at a single glance the numerous bays
and islets between the town and the headlands at the entrance of the
harbour, while the bold hills by which it is bounded end abruptly on the
coast. To the north a long chain of lofty rugged cliffs mark the bearing
of the shore in that direction, and turning southwards, the spectator
beholds, seven or eight miles distant, the spacious harbour of Botany
Bay, beyond which a high bluff range of hills extends along to the south
in the direction towards Illawarra. Westward one vast forest is to be
seen, varied only by occasional openings which cultivation and the
axe have made on the tops of some of the highest hills. Beyond the
numberless undulations of this wooded country the Blue Mountains are
espied, towering behind the whole background of the scene, and forming a
stately boundary to the prospect. This description of the scenery of
Port Jackson applies to a particular spot very near to Sydney, but the
views are similar in general character, though infinitely varied in
detail, at other places in the neighbourhood; and nearer to the entrance
of the harbour a new and still grander object breaks upon the sight:--
"Where the mighty Pacific with soft-swelling waves
A thousand bright regions eternally laves."
[137] See Wentworth's Australasia, vol. i. pp. 52-55.
Upon this beautiful and convenient piece of water, which has been just
described, is the capital of the principal British colony in Australia
situated. It is chiefly built upon two hilly necks of land, enclosing
between them a small inlet, named Sydney Cove. The western of these two
projections divides Sydney Cove from another called Cockle Bay, in both
of which the water is deep enough to allow the approach of the largest
ships to the very sides of the rocks. On this western neck, (which is
occupied with houses down to the water's edge, besides many others which
extend into the country behind,) the town forms a little peninsula,
being surrounded with water everywhere, except where it adjoins the
mainland. On the eastern neck of land the increase of the town has been
stopped by the government-house, and its adjoining domains, which occupy
the whole of what is called Bennillong's Point. With the exception of
the portion of the shore thus enclosed, the water-side is occupied by
wharfs, warehouses, ship-yards, mills, and all the other buildings which
mark a naval and commercial town. Behind these marts of industry and
wealth, the houses rise one above the other, and, by their situation
on the slope of the hill, force themselves conspicuously into notice.
Indeed, the town covers a considerable extent of ground, although land
for building is so valuable, that the intervening spaces, formerly used
as gardens and pleasure-grounds, will soon disappear and be covered with
houses. The public buildings of Sydney are said to be neither numerous
nor elegant, and certainly no great beauty of architecture can be
reasonably expected in a town so recently built, and under such
circumstances, as Sydney. Nevertheless many of the buildings are very
large; and Mr. Wentworth says something (though not much) in their
favour, when he states that they would not disgrace the great metropolis
of England itself. In one melancholy feature, Sydney too nearly
resembles London, namely, in the immense number of its public houses,
of which, according to Mr. Montgomery Martin, there were about two
hundred in the whole town. The population in 1841 was 29,973 souls. Of
these, 16,505 were returned as belonging to the Church of England; 8,126
to the Romish Church, while the rest were returned as Presbyterians,
Dissenters, Jews, Mahometans, and Pagans. Sydney is divided into four
parishes: St. Philip, St. James, St. Andrew, and St. Lawrence; in the
two first of which churches have long existed, and in St. James's church
the cathedral service is daily used, with weekly communion; and there is
a choir, organ, &c.[138] In the two last named parishes no churches have
existed until very recently, but through the indefatigable exertions of
Bishop Broughton, which have been not unworthily seconded by the Rev.
W. Horatio Walsh, and the Rev. W. West Simpson, congregations have
been assembled together, which will, it may be hoped, continue to
attend the divine service of the Church of England, long after more
suitable buildings than those originally used,--_a brewhouse and a
threshing-floor_,--shall have been provided for their accommodation.
In St. Lawrence's parish a regular church was begun in 1840, and is
probably completed before this time; and, to the credit of Sydney, it
may be stated, that no less than 571_l._ were collected from those
present at the meeting in which the erection of the church was resolved
upon. In St. Andrew's it is proposed to raise the cathedral church of
the diocese of Australia; and, therefore, it must necessarily be longer
before the building can be completed; but the importance of this
undertaking cannot be more clearly shown than by the recent statement
of Bishop Broughton, whence it would appear that of 7000 inhabitants in
St. Andrew's parish, 3500 belong to the Church of their fathers or of
their native home--the scriptural and apostolical Church of England. But
more of these, and similar matters elsewhere. It was a wise and useful
arrangement of our forefathers, by which our parishes were made at once
ecclesiastical and civil divisions; and since this practice has in some
measure been followed out in our colonies, the reader will excuse the
brief observations thus suggested by the mention of the civil division
of Sydney into four parishes. One more remark, and that a painful one,
may be added. The expenses of the police establishment, _in the town
of Sydney alone_, cost the government, in the year 1838, the sum of
12,350_l._, whereas the cost of the ecclesiastical establishment of the
Church of England, in the same town, (including the stipend of the
bishop,) amounted only to 3,025_l._ during that year.[139] Supposing
(what is most likely) that the former sum is by no means _too much_,
how far _too little_ must the latter be!
[138] There are several other parishes in the _suburbs_ of Sydney. A
third new church is likewise mentioned, among those in progress at
Sydney, in the Bishop of Australia's Charge, delivered in 1841. See
Appendix A, p. 36.
[139] Compare p. 115 of Judge Burton's work on Education and Religion
in New South Wales, with Appendix No. 12 of the same work. It may be
noticed, that the sum mentioned applies only to stipends and allowances
of the Clergy, and does not include sums voted for building purposes.
Sydney has a very good market, which is tolerably well supplied with the
necessaries of life; but many of these, as for example, eggs, butter,
apples, &c., are very dear at present, compared with the prices usual
in the mother country; while tea, coffee, sugar, &c. are cheap in
proportion. The most expensive article of living in Sydney is
house-rent, which appears to be enormously high, so that 100_l._ a year
is considered only a moderate charge for an unfurnished house, with
ordinary conveniences; and out of the salary allowed by government to
the Bishop of Australia, upwards of one-seventh part is expended in rent
alone. The shops in the capital of New South Wales are said to be very
good, and the articles well and tastefully arranged; but the social
condition of the colony naturally tends to make the persons who keep
them very different, and a much less respectable class, speaking
generally, than the tradespeople of the mother country. The noble
harbour of Port Jackson, and the position of the capital of the colony,
unite in affording every possible encouragement to trade; and the
following account given by the Sydney Herald, last year (1842) is
about the most recent statement that has been received of the present
condition of that commerce, which is altering and increasing every year.
The shipping of Sydney now amounts to 224 vessels of the aggregate
burden of 25,000 tons, of which 15 are steamers, of an aggregate burden
of 1635 tons. This statement may give some idea of the rapidity with
which the ports of the Southern world are rising into an almost European
importance.[140] Since the year 1817 several large banks have been
established, and, from the high rate of interest which money has always
borne in the colony, it is not surprising that some of these concerns
have been very profitable. It is only to be hoped that the spirit of
speculation may not be carried out, till it ends, as it too frequently
does in the mother country, in fraud and dishonesty.
[140] See the Morning Herald, July 5, 1842.
There is a well-managed post-office in Sydney, and a twopenny post, with
delivery twice a day, in the town itself. There is, likewise, a Savings'
Bank,[141] a Mechanics' Institute, several large schools or colleges;
and, in short, so far as is possible, the usages and institutions of
England, whether good or bad, are, in most instances, transferred and
copied with amazing accuracy by the inhabitants of New South Wales.
"Nothing surprises a stranger in an English colony more than the
pertinacity with which our ways, manners, and dress are spread in these
outlandish spots. All smells of home."[142] Accordingly, in complete
agreement with the manners of the mother country, though not in harmony
with that Word of Truth which commands Christians "with one mind and one
mouth to glorify God," (Rom. xv. 6,) the capital of New South Wales is
adorned with several buildings for various parties in the _Christian
world_, as it is called, to meet in public worship. There is a large and
handsome Roman Catholic chapel, "a Scotch church, built after the _neat
and pleasing style_ (?) adopted by the disciples of John Knox; and the
Methodist chapel, an humble and lowly structure;" and, therefore,
according to Mr. Montgomery Martin's opinion, from whom this account is
borrowed, all the better fitted to lead men to admire, love, and worship
their Creator. How different are these modern notions from those of King
David, who, although he was blessed with quite as exalted ideas of God's
omnipresence as most men have, nevertheless deemed it wrong for himself
to "dwell in a house of cedar," while "the ark of God dwelt within
curtains," even the costly and beautifully-wrought curtains of the
tabernacle. And among the imitations of the customs and habits of home,
the love of newspapers, and the number of these published, deserve a
passing notice. The state of the public press in England, especially
with regard to its Sunday publications, is grievous and lamentable
enough to justify the assertion, that printing is a bane as well as a
blessing to our native country. And as for those persons who are weak
enough to talk as though newspapers were the great or sole means of
diffusing _truth_ and _knowledge_ among the people, they are not less
mistaken than others would be, who might affirm that newspapers were the
chief or only means of spreading _lies_ and _ignorance_ among them. But
if so much evil is mingled with the good produced by the public press in
Great Britain, how must the case stand with the same mighty agent of
benefit or mischief in a colony like that of New South Wales? To this
question let Dr. Lang,--himself a newspaper editor in Sydney for many
years, a man of what are called "Liberal principles," and a Presbyterian
teacher,--furnish a reply. His words are stronger than another person, a
stranger to the colony, would like to use, or could be justified in
using; and if exceptions against his authority be made in certain
quarters, care must be taken by them not to quote that same authority
too implicitly on other subjects. Dr. Lang, in the following passage,
speaks disparagingly of one of the great idols of his party; their
favourite toast has always been, "The Liberty of the Press; it is like
the air we breathe, if we have it not, we die,"--although it is true
they have occasionally forgotten that other parties want "air to
breathe," as much as themselves. Bearing these things in mind, we may
listen with a smile to the character which Dr. Lang gives of the
colonial press in New South Wales:--"It has, with only few exceptions,
been an instrument of evil instead of good; while, in many instances, it
has been a mere receptacle and propagator of downright blackguardism."
Accordingly, it is reckoned, (too justly, we may fear,) among the
_sources of colonial demoralization_ in the very paragraph from which
the above statement is borrowed.
[141] This is flourishing, for the deposits are stated in recent
accounts from Sydney to have increased, between June 30, 1840, and the
same date in 1842, from 143,000_l._ to 178,000_l._, and the number of
accounts opened was much greater than in former years.
[142] Extract from a private letter.
The next town to be noticed is Paramatta, which is situated in the same
county with Sydney, and, indeed, is only eighteen miles by water, and
fifteen by land, from the capital; a circumstance that will, most
likely, prevent it from ever reaching that size and consequence to
which at a greater distance it might have attained. Paramatta is built
along a small fresh-water stream, which falls into the harbour of Port
Jackson, at the very head of which the town is seated. For the last few
miles the harbour is navigable only for boats of twelve or fifteen tons
burthen. The town consists chiefly of one long street, and being backed
by a ridge of hills, it has a pleasing appearance, especially from the
Sydney road, where it breaks suddenly upon the view. The population of
Paramatta is 10,052 souls, and the neighbouring country is tolerably
well cleared and inhabited. In this place is the country residence of
the governor, and here also is the station of one of the three regiments
upon duty in the colony. Besides these distinctions, Paramatta has been
chosen to be the site of several establishments of no small utility and
interest in New South Wales. On the banks of the river is the Female
Orphan School, where the little friendless daughters of the colony
are trained up to be members of Christ's holy Catholic Church, and
servants of Him who is "the Father of the fatherless, and the God of
the widow, even God in his holy habitation." Here, likewise, is another
establishment of a very different character, but if less successful in
its results, not less beneficial in its intentions. The Paramatta
factory, or rather penitentiary, is known throughout the settlement, and
has been the object of much abuse from portions of the colonial press.
Its objects are, first, to afford a home and place of refuge to those
female convicts that are not yet assigned to masters, or are out of
service; and, secondly, to provide an asylum for those who have
misconducted themselves, and to give them leisure for reflection and
repentance. At Paramatta, likewise, is the noble institution called the
King's School, which may, with judicious care, prove an invaluable
blessing to the rising generation of the colony. There are also in
this town barracks, and a hospital; an old gaol, and a new one lately
erected, and intended to serve for the whole county of Cumberland, with
the exception of the town of Sydney. Besides these public buildings,
there is a Roman Catholic chapel and a Wesleyan meeting-house; and two
Presbyterian congregations assemble themselves in Paramatta; nor in this
enumeration must the convent lately commenced by a few "Sisters of
Charity" be forgotten. The Romanists are rather numerous in this town,
and very active. In a private letter received from the neighbourhood of
Paramatta, after stating the hold possessed by the English Church upon
the affections of the people, the writer observes, "from the pretensions
of the dissenters I cannot affect any the slightest uneasiness. Our
danger is from Rome. I know not what to anticipate in that quarter.
Their exertions here are gigantic, and really do them credit." Why
should not the efforts of our purer and more Scriptural Church be
equally strenuous? On the south side of the river is St. John's Church,
which is quite removed from the principal increase of the population,
that having taken place chiefly on the opposite bank. The Rev. Samuel
Marsden, who was chaplain in New South Wales for more than forty years,
bequeathed 200_l._ and gave a piece of land to promote the erection of a
second church here; but for one reason or another, no progress had been
made towards this desirable end, and in a letter dated January 1842,
Bishop Broughton stated his resolution to commence the good work, even
with the scanty resources at his disposal, hoping that the sight of a
building in progress would awaken the liberality, and stir up the hearts
of those that were able to contribute.
Windsor is the next town in the colony of New South Wales, which
appears to be deserving of a particular notice. It is in the county of
Cumberland, and stands upon a hill rising about 100 feet above the level
of the Hawkesbury, upon the banks of which river it is built, and is
thus placed beyond the reach of its occasional destructive floods. The
town is situated on a point of land lying between the Hawkesbury and a
stream called South Creek, running on the other side; and so numerous
are the windings of the former river, that although not more than
thirty-five miles in a straight line from the sea, the distance by the
Hawkesbury is 140 miles. The destructive propensity of the colonists to
root up and destroy all trees, whether in the way of agriculture or not,
would appear to have worked wonders in this neighbourhood, for among
other advantages detailed in an advertisement of property to be sold
there, it is stated that fire-wood is so scarce, as to ensure
considerable profit from the sale of the wood on the estate. Windsor is
twenty miles from Paramatta, and thirty-six from Sydney, and the country
around it is very rich and beautiful. In some places the cliffs that
overhang the Hawkesbury are not less than 600 feet in height; and the
picturesque scenery, the numerous vessels and boats upon the stream,
which is here navigable for ships of more than 100 tons, the views of
the fertile country in the neighbourhood, with its abundant crops of
wheat and Indian corn, the boundary of the western horizon, formed by
the Blue Mountains, the base of which is about twenty miles distant: all
these natural beauties combine to render Windsor a very agreeable spot.
Its population is about 2000, and it has the usual public buildings, a
gaol, barracks, hospital, &c.; there is also a church dedicated to St.
Matthew, which until lately was served together with the chapel at
Richmond, a little town about five miles distant, by the same
clergyman. There are also Roman Catholic, Presbyterian, and Wesleyan
places of worship.
The town of Liverpool, situated, like those already mentioned, in the
county of Cumberland, still remains to be noticed. It is about twenty
miles from Sydney, and is built upon the banks of George's River, a
small navigable stream which empties itself into Botany Bay, the bleak
and unsheltered inlet upon which the proposed colony under Captain
Phillip was to have been settled. Liverpool is centrally situated, but
the soil around it is poor, and the population not very large; but since
it is the intended seat of the proposed college, founded by Mr. Moore,
it will probably hereafter become a place of some consequence. There
is nothing particularly to be remarked respecting the buildings of
Liverpool at present, with the exception of the Male Orphan Asylum,
which is a very good institution, the boys being not only educated
there, but likewise brought up to different trades, and general habits
of industry. The number of the orphan children in this school in 1839,
was 153.[143]
[143] See Burton on Education and Religion in New South Wales, p. 174.
Beyond the limits of the county of Cumberland there are very few towns
which are large enough to merit particular attention, and of these the
situations of the two most important and conspicuous, namely Bathurst
and Newcastle, have already been mentioned. Instead, therefore, of
wearying the reader with an attempt minutely to describe the small towns
of New South Wales, it will be better to proceed without delay to a
description of the other British colonies in Australia.
[Illustration: HOBART TOWN.]
CHAPTER X.
TASMANIA, AND THE OTHER AUSTRALIAN SETTLEMENTS.
Van Diemen's Land, or Tasmania, the next important colony, is, as we
have before stated, a separate island of considerable size, nearly
all the eastern side of which is now inhabited by the English. It
was divided into two counties only, which are called Cornwall and
Buckinghamshire, but these being inconveniently large, a fresh division
into eleven counties, all of them borrowing the names of some in England
or Wales, has since taken place.[144] But without concerning ourselves
about these smaller divisions, which it would be impossible to describe
exactly and distinctly, it may suffice to state, that the two chief
towns in the island are at its opposite extremities, Hobart Town being
at the south, and Launceston at the north, and both of these are
sea-ports; so that the colony seems naturally to divide itself into two
provinces, each of which has one of these towns for its capital, but
which are both, nevertheless, similar in their appearance, character,
and productions.
[144] According to Mr. Montgomery Martin, (Van Diemen's Land, p. 266,)
Cornwall and Buckinghamshire continue to be its only counties, and it is
subdivided into nine police districts; but Dr. Ross's Almanac for 1836
contains, at p. 238, the governor's proclamation for the division
mentioned above; whilst a third division of the island into the counties
of Argyle and Launceston is followed in the Report of the Society for the
Propagation of the Gospel, for 1842. The above may serve for a specimen
of the obscurity and confusion upon these trifling matters, respecting
which accuracy seems almost unattainable.
Van Diemen's Land is a more mountainous, and yet, it would seem, a more
fruitful country than New South Wales. It is, according to the testimony
of all who have visited it, a most beautiful and pleasing land; the
mountains are tolerably high, but do not run much in ranges, and the
views among them are continually broken and cheered by delightful
valleys and fertile plains. Among these hills, limestone is very
commonly discovered, and is now in considerable use; it is supposed,
likewise, that coals, and iron ore, will be found abundantly in Van
Diemen's Land, but these resources of the colony have not yet been much
explored. In the cultivated parts of the country the soil varies
greatly; in some places it is a rich black mould, in others, sand or
flint is mingled; but its general fertility is proved by the excellent
crops which, year after year, it produces. The coast of Van Diemen's
Land abounds in bays and fine harbours; nor is this island at all
deficient in rivers and streams, imparting life to the landscape, and
fruitfulness to the soil. The Derwent, upon the banks of which stands
Hobart Town, is a very fine river, without rocks or sand banks, and
always safely navigable for ships of considerable size. Both sides of
this river abound in beautiful and romantic scenery, and although the
soil is less productive than in some other parts of the colony, yet the
neighbourhood of the capital, and the advantage of water-carriage,
combine to make amends for this inferiority. The Tamar falls into the
sea in Bass's Strait, quite on the opposite side of the island to the
mouth of the Derwent; and as Hobart Town adorns the latter river, so the
Tamar is enlivened by the trade and commerce of the port of Launceston.
The navigation of this river for large vessels is not easy, in
consequence of a bar and other hindrances. The Tamar is formed by the
union of two smaller streams, named the North Esk, and South Esk, and at
Launceston, the distance from the sea is about forty miles. Towards its
mouth, the land adjoining this stream is barren and sandy, but within a
few miles this kind of soil is succeeded by rich level marshes, and
beautiful slopes of moderately wooded and rich pasture country rising up
behind these. The other rivers of Van Diemen's Land are either, like the
Huon, situated in the uncolonized parts, or, like the Shannon, the
Jordan, and the Clyde, inconsiderable streams, so as not to merit a more
particular description. Many of the Tasmanian rivers take their rise in
lakes, which are usually found in high situations in the central parts
of the island, and abound with water-fowl.
Hobart Town, the capital of a very beautiful and lovely island, may
boast of a situation of suitable loveliness and beauty. Behind it, on
the west, stand some gently rising hills, well wooded, beyond which
towers Mount Wellington, 4000 feet in height, and having its summit,
during more than half the year, covered with snow, but yet seldom
obscured with clouds, because of the pureness and clearness of the air.
On the other side of the town, to the eastward, is to be seen the noble
Derwent, which here better deserves to be called an arm of the sea than
a river, extending with its winding banks, forming beautiful bays and
lakes, or projecting into picturesque points, whilst its waters are
enlivened by the boats and shipping of the adjacent port. The water here
is salt, and the bay on which Hobart Town stands affords one of the best
anchorages in the world for vessels, in whatever number or of whatever
burden they may be. Indeed it is said that the Derwent surpasses even
Port Jackson, or at least it is doubtful which of the two deserves a
preference.[145] The capital of Tasmania is built upon gently rising
ground, and though within the present century its site was mere
bush-land, it has now some good streets, with large and handsome shops
and houses. According to Mr. Montgomery Martin, the average rental of
these was 50_l._ each, but then we must not lose sight of the high value
which houses bear in Australia. However, at that calculation, the annual
value of rent in Hobart Town in the year 1835, when there were 1281
houses, would be 72,000_l._[146] The public buildings are said to be,
some of them, handsome and commodious. Court-house, barracks, hospital,
orphan-schools, jails, and government house, rank among the principal
buildings of Hobart Town; and in many respects it appears to resemble a
provincial sea-port in the mother country. It has some excellent inns,
good wharfs and warehouses, and public banks, besides a few considerable
manufacturing establishments. A small stream runs nearly through the
centre of the town, which, besides turning some mills, affords at
certain seasons a good supply of water. But the town is chiefly supplied
by means of pipes, which convey water to private houses and likewise to
the public pumps, and occasionally, it would appear, some scarcity of
this needful article prevails.[147] The church of St. David's, in the
capital of Van Diemen's Land, is a large building, and so it ought to
be, since it was until lately the only church for a population
(including the suburbs) of 13,000 souls.[148] Besides the church, sundry
other buildings rear up their heads, here as elsewhere; and if any thing
could justify separation and divisions among those for whom their Divine
Master prayed "that they might be one," if in any case it were "lawful
to do evil that good may come," then dissent of every kind might find
its excuse in a place like Hobart Town, where so many thousand souls,
the majority of them in a very unhealthy state, have been formerly left
in the charge of one pastor. But instead of praying the Lord of the
vineyard for more labourers, and endeavouring themselves to furnish the
means of supplying these, men have rushed, self-sent, or sent only by
others having no more authority than themselves, into the field of
pastoral labour. And while we lament the confusion that has ensued,
while we rejoice in whatever good may have resulted from unauthorized
preachers, we members of the Church of England are compelled by truth to
acknowledge, that, if other men have been led astray by their eagerness
and ignorance, we have been not less culpably misled by our slothfulness
and apathy. Accordingly the marks of our needless divisions are every
where manifest; and like the noxious weeds which sometimes hang about
the roots of a noble tree, so are these transplanted together with our
best institutions into our colonies. In the chief town of Tasmania are
to be found separate places of worship for Roman Catholics,
Presbyterians, Wesleyans, and Independents.
[145] See Wentworth's Australasia, vol. i. p. 51.
[146] See Mr. M. Martin's Van Diemen's Land, p. 274.
[147] The following specimen of the evil art of stirring up the
discontent of those that are suffering under the dispensations of
Providence, is taken from an old newspaper, published in Hobart Town in
1835. It may be stated, that in the very same paper we are informed that
the drought had recently been so great that scarcely a cabbage, or any
other vegetable but potato, was to be obtained in the town. Of course
water was scarce, and precautions had been taken by the Governor to
preserve some at a place whence the shipping were supplied; but this
careful conduct of their ruler is thus held up to the abhorrence of
the people. "Why," it is asked, "do not the people drink the ditchwater
and be poisoned quietly; it is quite enough that their betters should
enjoy such a luxury as pure water." And how often in England do we see
this sort of trash printed by those _dealers in knowledge_, the
newspaper-writers, who sometimes argue as though all the credit of
prosperous occurrences belonged to the _people_ of a country, and all
the disgrace and responsibility of misfortunes and trials were to be put
off upon its _rulers_! How often are we reminded of the Israelites
murmuring against Moses on account of the miseries of that wilderness
in which their own sins condemned them to wander!
[148] From a letter dated March 4, 1841, and written by the late
lamented Archdeacon Hutchins, it would appear that two new churches,
St. Giles's and Trinity, are likely to be erected in Hobart Town. See
Report of the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel, for 1841,
p. 61.
With respect to Launceston, which continues still to be the principal
town on the northern side of Van Diemen's Land, there is not much to be
related. It stands at the junction of the North and South Esk, and
consequently at the head of the navigation of the Tamar, which is formed
by these two streams. The town is pleasantly situated at the foot of a
hill upon a small plain of about 200 acres of land. There are a few good
houses in Launceston, but its improvement has not kept pace with that of
Hobart Town; nor is it ever likely to increase very greatly, since a
government establishment has been formed at George Town, a place about
thirty miles lower down, and consequently much nearer to Port Dalrymple
at the entrance of the Tamar, and more convenient in its access for
large ships. George Town is well situated for every purpose of
trade, but for agriculture it offers no advantages, the soil in the
neighbourhood being very poor, and accordingly most of the settlers
prefer remaining at Launceston. The population of the latter place may
be nearly 1000, but no return of this has been met with apart from the
population of the district to which the town gives its name. Launceston
has a chaplain and a church, of which no particular account is given.
There is also a Presbyterian teacher resident in the town. At Longford,
near Launceston, may be found an example of "patient continuance in
well-doing," which deserves to be recorded for the encouragement of
others. About the year 1830 the first clergyman stationed there, the
Rev. R. P. Davis, began with a congregation of five, which appeared for
some time stationary. A church had been built which it was thought would
never be filled; but in eight years afterwards, the walls could not
contain those who were anxious to hear the word of God in them. The
grain of mustard-seed had literally grown into a spreading tree; the
congregation had multiplied a hundredfold, and a large church was about
to be built, to which the inhabitants had contributed 1500_l._[149]
Other small places might be mentioned, as Elizabeth Town, Perth,
Brighton, &c., which are very pleasant and thriving little settlements;
and the penal settlements of Port Macquarie and on Tasman's Peninsula
might be described. Port Arthur, one of these, is on the last-named
Peninsula, a sterile spot of about 100,000 acres, surrounded by sea,
except where a narrow neck of land connects it with the main island; and
this isthmus is guarded, night and day, by soldiers, and by a line of
fierce dogs. Nothing particularly deserving of further notice presents
itself, and therefore we may conclude our brief sketch of Van Diemen's
Land, wishing it and all the other British colonies in Australia a
progress no less rapid in religion and morals, than their recent
progress in commerce, agriculture, riches, and luxuries has been. What
condition of a country can be more truly deplorable than that which in
holy Scripture is so powerfully set forth, when the boast, "I am rich
and increased with goods, and have need of nothing," is heard proceeding
from a land which in the sight of God is "wretched, and miserable, and
poor, and blind, and naked?"[150]
[149] Bishop of Australia's letter to the Society for the Propagation
of the Gospel, dated May 22, 1838.
[150] See Rev. iii. 17.
The Australian colonies may be said to form a family group of British
origin; and although the two elder sisters are undoubtedly the most
advanced and interesting, yet some of the younger branches of the same
family may justly deserve to be noticed. We may begin with the very
recent colony called Port Phillip, which lies between New South Wales
and Van Diemen's Land, and which, as we have already seen, had well
nigh taken the place of the latter country in the honours of early
colonization. The country in the neighbourhood of the inlet named Port
Phillip is in many parts exceedingly rich and fine; the scenery is
varied by hills, woods, and water; and besides much excellent pasture
and sheep walks, there are thousands of acres ready for the plough, and
capable of growing any European grain. The situation of the principal
town here, called Melbourne, is on the Yarra Yarra river, just where its
stream flows over a fall and mingles with the salt water from Port
Phillip, from the head of which bay Melbourne is distant about six miles
by the course of the river, but across the land not more than one and a
half. The vessels generally lie at Hobson's Bay, distant by land four or
five miles, by water ten or twelve. There is a bar at the entrance of
the river which prevents large ships from coming up close to Melbourne.
The town appears to be rapidly increasing; the commerce of Port Phillip
is yearly extending; its central position, the goodness of much of the
surrounding soil, and the fact of its being less encumbered than is
usually the case with wood, all these circumstances unite in rendering
this outpost, as we may term it, of New South Wales, an important and
interesting spot. Respecting its prospects of religious improvement
and pastoral care, it is gratifying to be able to quote the following
statement from a letter of the Bishop of Australia, of whose unwieldy
diocese Port Phillip forms a part. "At Melbourne the zeal of the
inhabitants has led them to undertake the erection of a church, the
estimated cost of which is nearly 7000_l._ Although the certain and
rapid increase of the town be such as will, at no distant period, call
for a church of that importance, I greatly fear that resources may be
wanting for its immediate erection." Meanwhile the Bishop expresses his
anxiety that temporary accommodation, at the least, should be provided
for the great numbers collected at Melbourne, who are desirous of
attending the church. "It is evident," continues he, "that within a
short interval there will be in the colony few stations, with the
exception, perhaps, of Sydney itself, which will demand more assiduous
care and attention on behalf of its spiritual interests, than the town
whose streets extend over a spot where, not more than three years ago,
the Yarra Yarra flowed through an almost uninterrupted solitude."[151]
The population of Melbourne is stated in a recent periodical to be 4479,
while that of the whole settlement of Port Phillip is 11,758. By the
same authority the numbers of the members of the Church of England in
this English colony are said to be 6194; that of the Presbyterians,
2045; of the Wesleyan Methodists, 651; of other dissenters, 1353; of
Roman Catholics, 1441; of Jews, 59; Mahommedans and Pagans, 10. The
mention of Jews, who are to be met with in almost all these remote
colonies of the southern ocean, can scarcely fail to recall to mind
God's threatenings to his chosen people (see Deut. xxviii. 64). We
shall conclude this notice of Port Phillip with mentioning two
important items in the estimates of its expenditure for 1842:--Police
and jails, 17,526_l._ 8_s._; clergy and schools, 5350_l._;[152] and,
as a commentary upon these disproportionate estimates, which are by
no means peculiar to Port Phillip, the words of Sir George Arthur may be
added:--"Penitentiaries, treadwheels, flogging, chain-gangs, and penal
settlements," says the late governor of Tasmania, "will all prove
ineffectual either to prevent or to punish crime, _without religious
and moral instruction_."
[151] See Bishop of Australia's Letter, dated June 1840, in the Report
of the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts, for
1841, pp. 148-9.
[152] For the particulars here stated see the Australian and New Zealand
Magazine, No. 1, p. 51, and No. 2, pp. 111, 112.
The next of the infant colonies of Great Britain in New Holland, which
offers itself to our attention, as the eye ranges over the map of that
huge island, is the very recently formed settlement of Southern
Australia. This is situated upon the southern coast likewise, and
consists of a large block of country, the inland parts of which have not
yet been explored, forming three sides of a square, with the fourth side
broken and jagged by the inclination and indentations of the coast,
which are here very considerable. The area of South Australia thus
marked out is supposed to be about 310,000 square miles, containing
upwards of 98,000,000 of acres; that is to say, it is double the size of
the three British kingdoms, and not much less than that of France.[153]
The mode of colonizing this extensive tract of country is proposed to be
upon different principles from those elsewhere followed in Australia. No
transported convicts are ever to be sent there. No free grants of land
are to be made, but land can become private property by purchase alone,
and the whole of the purchase-money is proposed to be spent in the
encouragement of emigration. The emigrants to be conveyed by means of
this fund, without expense to the colony, were to be of both sexes in
equal numbers, and the preference is to be given to young married
persons not having children. The prospect of having a representative
assembly was held out to the colony, but the population was to exceed
50,000 before it could be lawful for the Crown to grant this.
[153] See Report of Committee on South Australia, p. 78. Evidence of
T. F. Elliot, Esq. Answer 733. From the same source, the report of this
Parliamentary Committee in 1841, much of the information respecting
Southern Australia is derived.
To attempt to state accurately what the soil and capabilities of so
vast an extent of country may be, would evidently be to attempt an
impossibility. Of that small part of it which is already occupied, much
is barren, hilly land, especially upon the coast. Nevertheless, it would
appear that South Australia has, so far as we can at present judge, its
full proportion of good and available soil, both for the purposes of
farming and for pasture.[154] The situation of that part of the colony,
where the principal settlements have been commenced, is very well
chosen, for it lies upon the Gulf of St. Vincent, a very deep inlet of
the sea, and is well backed with a range of hills to the eastward,
beyond which the country yet unexplored extends to the banks of the
river Murray; so that, in fact, the Murray and the Gulf of St. Vincent,
form natural boundaries to those settlements which are already begun,
and within these limits it is said that there are the means of
supporting comfortably from one hundred to two hundred thousand
inhabitants. This statement agrees with Captain Sturt's report of the
existence of several millions of acres of very beautiful and fertile
land in the same district. The climate of South Australia is healthy,
though very warm;[155] and the usual disorders of Australia, complaints
of the eye and relaxation of the bowels, were the ailments least
uncommon among the new settlers. In March 1841, the population of the
colony was estimated at about 14,000, and the amount of land under
tillage about 2000 acres. But since that time there has been a
considerable increase in both items. The quantity of provisions in
proportion to the inhabitants was considerably greater than in England.
A small commerce is springing up, and slate, which abounds in South
Australia, and oil, the produce of the adjacent seas, together with wool
from the flocks fed upon the neighbouring hills, begin to form materials
of traffic.[156]
[154] In these matters it is impossible to get at truth. Each man judges
upon certain data, but though the conclusion of each may be correct, yet
because the data were partial and imperfect, so likewise will the
conclusions be. Mr. Mann, who was examined by the Committee upon South
Australia, gives it as his opinion that about four-fifths of the land in
that colony were bad. However, he had never been more than three weeks
in it nor above fourteen miles from its chief town, so his judgment was
formed principally upon hearsay. Others, probably, have gone into the
contrary extreme of praising the soil too highly, and truth may, as
usual, lie between the two extremes.
[155] It is noticed as a matter of surprise, that on August 6th, 1841,
Mount Lofty, a hill 2400 feet in height, was covered with snow, and that
the small river, called the Torrens, had been partly frozen.
[156] During the first six months of 1841, seventy vessels, comprising
a burden of 11,139 tons, arrived at Port Adelaide. See Australian and
New Zealand Magazine, No. 2, p. 114.
The capital of the province of South Australia bears the honoured name
of Adelaide, and is placed upon the eastern side of the Gulf of St.
Vincent. The country around it is hilly and well timbered, but not too
thickly encumbered with wood, and the soil is generally good, with
abundance of water. The British settlers removed to this spot from
Kangaroo Island, which is at the entrance of Gulf St. Vincent, but which
they found less desirable for a colony from the difficulty and expense
of clearing away the timber there. Adelaide is supposed to be well and
centrally placed for the capital of a province, and it now has a good
port,[157] to which vessels of four or five hundred tons may come and
discharge their cargoes.
[157] Here again reports differ. See Mr. T. Driver's Evidence before the
Committee on South Australia, p. 221, Answer, 2498, and _following ones_.
The town stands on gently rising banks, between which flows a pretty
stream, named the Torrens, and commands a view of an extensive plain,
reaching down to the sea, over which the fresh breezes generally blow
from the south-west. Behind Adelaide is a fine wooded country, and six
miles distant is a range of hills, with the wooded summit of Mount Lofty
forming their highest point. The population of the capital of South
Australia and its immediate neighbourhood, is supposed to be about eight
thousand. The town has not yet many buildings or establishments of any
importance, but there is a hospital, and also a savings' bank, in which
last, during six months of 1841, the deposits had increased from 130_l._
0_s._ 2_d._ to 520_l._ 2_s._ 10_d._ It had _four_ newspapers and _one_
colonial chaplain in 1842, and the estimates for that year contained the
following items:--Police, 9112_l._ 19_s._ 4_d._; jail, 1034_l._ 8_s._;
colonial chaplain, 370_l._ But we must do the colony of South Australia
the justice to state that this is not the whole sum which is there spent
on religious instruction. The voluntary system, as it is called, has
been brought into action there, and hitherto, it would appear,
successfully enough, so far as pounds, shillings, and pence are
concerned, if it be true that in four years,--the four first years of
the colony,--upwards of 11,500_l._ had been voluntarily contributed for
religious and educational purposes, and "the clergy," (as all teachers
are now denominated,) supported at an annual charge of 1200_l._ But, of
course, the voluntary principle, as its name implies, is a little apt
to be _wilful_; and, accordingly, in Adelaide alone, with a population
of eight thousand souls, it is stated that there are ten or twelve
public "places of worship," and a corresponding number of "zealous,
highly-educated, and efficient clergymen." Every settler apportions his
mite to Paul, to Apollos or to Cephas, according as it seems right in
his own eyes; and occasionally it may happen, when any little offence is
taken, that the popular saying is actually realized, and Peter is robbed
that Paul may be paid. And to some persons, who cannot, one would think,
have read their Bible with much attention, this system appears actually
to be the very height of perfection. The following brief quotation from
a letter of the Congregational teacher at Adelaide is said to be "most
satisfactory:"--
"_Religion._--The whole circle of denominations is filled up with their
appropriate pastors, churches, and places of worship. Adelaide is well
supplied. The country is not altogether neglected; but, as it fills up,
will be better attended to. I do not think the religious prospects bad.
Truth and piety, I expect, will flourish in South Australia. The clergy
of the Churches of England and Scotland are evangelical; the Wesleyans
have been very active and useful. Of us, you read in the Report of the
Colonial Missionary Society. The other bodies are also making their
way."[158] Would this report of religion in South Australia be "most
satisfactory" to that apostle, who teaches that "there is _one_ body,
and _one_ Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling?"
[158] See "South Australia in 1842," p. 19, published by Hailes, London.
Still let us not judge harshly of the infant colony, nor reproach it for
a leprosy, with which it has been inoculated by the mother country.
While we hail with gladness the good spirit which has been shown in
raising so much money for religious objects in the very infancy of the
settlement, let us hope, that the "places of worship" may diminish in
number, while the churches increase, and that the country districts may
have a larger share of assistance than they can now receive out of what
remains of 1200_l._ a year, after Adelaide and its _ten_ or _twelve
clergymen_ have been supplied.[159] Undoubtedly, in this province of
Australia there is much zeal and good feeling awakened, and the efforts
of the South Australian Church Building Society are deserving of every
success. To the members of this Society it must be indeed a cause of
thankfulness and joy, that they can call to mind during the lapse of
only four years, the quick succession of an open spot, a tent, a reed
hut, a wooden shed, and lastly, a church capable of holding six hundred
persons, being respectively used for places of divine worship. And now,
not only do they see one church finished, but two others are, ere this
time, no doubt completed.[160]
[159] For the facts here noticed, see the Australian and New Zealand
Magazine, No. 1. p. 53.
[160] See Report of the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel for
1842, p. 57.
The British colony in the great southern land to which the attention of
the reader may next be directed, is that of Western Australia; or,
as it was called in its earlier days, during its first struggles into
existence, the Swan River Settlement. This is situated upon the coast of
New Holland, opposite to the colony of New South Wales, lying in nearly
the same latitude, but thirty-four or thirty-six degrees of longitude to
the west of it. The first discovery of this spot was made by a Dutchman,
Vlaming, in 1697, who named the stream Black Swan River, from the black
swans, which were then seen for the first time by Europeans, and two of
which were taken alive to Batavia.[161] The banks of the Swan River were
first colonized in 1830, and the mode in which this was effected is
peculiar and different from the usual course. A few gentlemen of large
property undertook to found the colony, at little or no expense to the
mother country, receiving immense grants of land in return for the
expenses incurred by them in this attempt; which grants, however, were
to revert to government, unless they were cultivated and improved under
certain conditions and in a given time. Great difficulties and many
privations were endured by the first settlers, but these appear to have
been overcome, and so soon as the stream of emigration shall have set
steadily into Western Australia, (which is, perhaps, all things
considered, the most desirable of our Australasian colonies for a
respectable Englishman to fix himself in,) there can be little doubt
that its progress will be not less rapid than that of the sister
settlements. Along the sea coast, the country is hilly and barren; nor
is it much better in the immediate neighbourhood of the principal
settlements, Perth and Fremantle; but beyond these there is plenty of
good grass country, and near the inland town of Guildford, the arable
land in the valley of the Swan River is surpassingly rich and
productive, so that it has been known to bear eleven successive crops of
wheat in as many years, without any manure, and the last year's crop
averaging twenty-five bushels to the acre. In some parts this good land
approaches more nearly to the coast; but still a large proportion of the
soil is poor and sandy, although even of this a great deal is capable of
cultivation, and is thought to be especially fitted for the growth of
the vine.[162] The climate is exceedingly healthy and delightful;
indeed, it is even superior to other parts of Australia, and rain is
more abundant here than elsewhere. Plenty of fish is likewise to be
found in the neighbouring bays and inlets, which are very numerous; and
the whales are so plentiful, only a few hours' sail from the shore, that
oil is a principal article of export, but the Americans are allowed to
occupy this fishery almost entirely, and it is stated that from two to
three hundred of their ships have been engaged in the whale fishery off
this coast during a single year. The population of Western Australia is
small, not being computed at more than 2700 souls in the beginning of
the year 1842. The number of acres cultivated in 1840 were, according
to the returns of the local Agricultural Society, 1650 in wheat, and
3296 in every kind of culture. This settlement is, more than others,
in want of that article of which England especially needs to be
relieved--population; and if a man is frugal, sober, and industrious, if
he will bear in mind that "on no part of the face of the globe will the
earth yield her increase, but as it is moistened by sweat from man's
brow,"[163] Western Australia is, possibly, the best and most agreeable
country where he can find a happy home. Although this large district is
yet so thinly peopled, it is, nevertheless, in a state of colonization
and civilization surpassing what might have been fairly expected. And
the absence of convicts, though it renders labour scarce and expensive,
brings with it counterbalancing advantages, and prevents the double
danger of immediate taint to society from the unhappy criminals, and of
future schism arising between the emancipated convicts, or their
children, and the free settlers.
[161] See Flinders' Voyage, Introduction, vol. i. p. 60.
[162] There is a vine in the government garden (at Perth) which, planted
as a cutting, sent out shoots 16½ feet long in the second year, and
yielded more than 4 cwt. of grapes. Another, belonging to Mr. C. Brown
of the same place, had a stem, which, in only five years' growth, was
14½ feet in circumference. See "A Short Account of the Settlement in
Swan River," p. 15, published by Cross, Holborn, 1842.
[163] See "A Short Account of the Settlement of Swan River," p. 33.
Fremantle is at the mouth of the Swan River, and contains some
tolerable houses, with a jetty and various other conveniences for
trade, especially for the whale fishery; from the ships engaged in which
pursuit, (chiefly American vessels,) a great portion of its commerce is
derived. One cause of its trade and population not having increased more
rapidly may be the bar across the mouth of the Swan River, having only
a depth of six feet at low water, and preventing the approach of ships
of large burden. The soil around is sandy, and produces little or no
grass; but when well cultivated, it yields excellent vegetables. Two
miles from Fremantle, up the river, there is a ferry across to Perth,
the seat of government and capital of the colony, which is well
situated, the river extending into a broad sheet, named Melville Waters,
in front of the town. Here is good brick-earth and garden-ground, and
near the town there are some tolerable farms. But at Guildford, seven
miles further up the river, commences the rich corn-land of the colony,
and the town itself contains six or seven hundred inhabitants. York is
forty-eight miles eastward of Guildford; and King George's Sound, on the
coast, where there is another settlement, is about one hundred and fifty
miles from York.
There are several other little stations scattered about in various
directions, especially upon the coast. In 1840 there were five clergymen
in Western Australia, and on the 1st of January, 1841, the foundation
stone of a church at Perth to contain 600 persons was laid by the
governor; its estimated cost was 4000_l._ There are churches also at
Guildford, at the Middle Swan, the Upper Swan, and at York, and a new
church erecting at Albany, near King George's Sound. Some humble little
churches have also been built of mud, and thatched with rushes, in this
colony. And although, where it can be done, we think that noble churches
are most becoming to the service of the King of kings, yet we doubt not,
in the cases where these lowly buildings are unavoidable, that since
"the chariots of God are twenty thousand, even thousands of angels," so
these ministering spirits are sent forth into the wilderness to minister
unto them that are heirs of salvation: we confidently trust that "the
Lord is among them," even "as in the holy place of Sinai." Wesleyan
meeting-houses are to be found at Perth and Fremantle. The governor
and executive council were authorized to "grant aid towards ministers'
stipends, and towards buildings, _without any distinction of
sect_."[164] This precious system, which would make no "distinction of
sect," between the doctrine of the beloved apostle St. John, and that of
the Nicolaitans, "which God hates,"[165] is almost a dead letter in
Western Australia, owing to the scattered state of the population, and
the great majority of them being members of the Church of England. The
duty of government to _tolerate_ separatists, (while they continue
obedient to the laws of the country,) is now denied by no one; and
toleration, one might have supposed, would have been all that those who
dislike a state church would have accepted; but the duty of government
to _encourage_ and _foster_ separation in places where it does not at
present exist, is inculcated neither by reason, policy, nor Scripture;
neither can dissenters consistently accept of aid from the state in
Australia, and exclaim against it in England.
[164] See Australian and New Zealand Magazine, No. 1, p. 28.
[165] See Rev. ii. 15.
One more commencement of colonization in the island of New Holland must
be mentioned in order to complete the circle. An attempt to form a
settlement on the northern coast was made as early as 1824, at Melville
Island, rather more than five degrees to the west of the Gulph of
Carpentaria; but this establishment was moved in 1827 to Raffles Bay,
an adjacent inlet of the main land. The new station was in its turn
abandoned in the year 1829, and a fresh settlement, at the distance of
a few miles, was planted at Port Essington, by Sir Gordon Bremer, who
sailed thither with His Majesty's ships _Alligator_ and _Britomarte_,
in 1838. The colony is still quite in an infant state. No clergyman
accompanied the expedition, although the commander was desirous
of securing the blessings of Church communion for his little
settlement.[166] In the immediate neighbourhood some native Christians
(Australians) were found, who had many years ago been converted by the
Dutch; they had churches, and appeared to behave well. Upon application
to the Bishop of Australia, 300_l._ was obtained towards a church at
Port Essington, and his endeavours to get a chaplain appointed there
were promised. It may be observed that Port Essington is situated 2000
miles, in a direct line, from Hobart Town, and both places were until
very recently within the same diocese, that of Australia! In like
manner, when the five clergymen stationed in Western Australia had
memorialized the Bishop to visit them, that he might consecrate their
churches, confirm their children, and "set in order things that were
wanting," one great obstacle to his compliance was the necessity of
having his life insured in the interim, for Western Australia, though
within his diocese, was not within the limits of his policy of life
assurance!
[166] Thus, as recently as the year 1838, two ships were sent from
_Christian_ England to found a colony; having on board upwards of
500 souls, but unprovided with any minister of religion! How strange a
method, _if we really believe God's word_, of gaining a blessing from
Heaven, either for ourselves or our colonies!
[Illustration: CAPE PILLAR NEAR THE ENTRANCE OF RIVER DERWENT, VAN
DIEMAN'S LAND.]
CHAPTER XI.
GENERAL OBSERVATIONS UPON THE AUSTRALIAN COLONIES.
Having now rapidly surveyed the various British settlements in
Australia, taking them separately, a few observations may be added
respecting their general condition. And, first, of the _climate_ of
these countries, it must have evidently appeared from what has been
already stated that this is extremely healthy and beautiful. Every one
who has been in Australia appears to be surprised at the spring and
elasticity which the climate imparts to the human frame; and although it
does not seem that the average of life is at all more prolonged there
than in England, still it would really seem, that the enjoyment of life
was greater. Such declarations as these.--"To say we are all well is
really nothing;" "the full enjoyment of health is quite a marvel;"
occur in the letters of those who are settled in the great Southern
Land; and the descriptions with which we meet in books of its
exhilarating climate, completely justify and bear out the pleasing
accounts of it given us by its inhabitants. In so vast a territory, and
in so many different situations as the British colonies now occupy,
there must needs be great variety of climate; and the warmth of Sydney
and its neighbourhood forms a strong contrast to the cool bracing air
of Bathurst, which is only 121 miles distant; the heat of the new
settlements at Moreton Bay, which is nearly tropical, is strongly
opposed to the English climate, beautifully softened and free from
damp, which is enjoyed in Van Diemen's Land. In Australia, it has been
remarked, every thing regarding climate is the opposite of England; for
example, the north is the hot wind, and the south the cool; the westerly
the most unhealthy, and the east the most salubrious; it is summer with
the colonists when it is winter at home, and their midnight coincides
with our noonday. Near the coast, the sea breezes, which set in daily
from the great expanse of waters, are very refreshing; whilst in the
interior, except in Van Diemen's Land, or in very high situations, the
hot winds are extremely disagreeable. Especially in the colony of New
South Wales, during the summer season, the westerly wind, which blows
probably over immense deserts of sandstone, or over miles of country set
on fire by the natives, is scarcely endurable at certain times, but
feels like the heated air at the mouth of a furnace, and is then far
from wholesome or pleasant. However, this blast of hot wind is said
never to endure very long, and it is less oppressive than the same heat
would be elsewhere, because in New Holland the air is dry, and in other
countries, India for instance, when the heat is exactly the same, it is
felt much more intensely from the quantity of moisture with which the
burning atmosphere is surcharged. Still we may form an idea of the
occasional violence of the heat in the interior of New Holland, from
Captain Sturt's account of his expedition across the parched-up marshes
of the Macquarie River, where the sugar which his men carried in their
canisters was melted, and all their dogs destroyed.
The scourge of Australia is _drought_; and when a native of the British
Islands has lived a few years in that part of the world, he begins
to understand and feel better than he ever before did, the frequent
allusions in the holy Scriptures to water as an emblem and sign of the
greatest blessings. The Englishman in Australia soon learns what is
meant by the blessings of Christ's kingdom being compared to "rivers of
water in a dry place," or to "the shadow of a great rock in a weary
land,"[167] when that rock promises a spring of living water, a comfort
which in New Holland is occasionally found upon the bare top of a
mountain, where no other supply is to be had within thirty miles
round.[168] And the thankfulness of the inhabitants of our own green
islands may be awakened, the undue expectations of the English emigrant
may be checked, by reading complaints like the following, which are, at
intervals, only too well founded in many parts of the Australian
colonies. "We have now for upwards of four months been watching with
anxious interest the progress of every cloudy sky; but, overcast as the
heavens most usually are towards evening, the clouds have appeared to
consist more of smoky exhalations than moist vapours; and even when at
times they have seemed to break darkly over us, their liquid contents
have apparently evaporated in the middle air. The various arrivals in
our port (Port Macquarie) have brought us accounts of genial showers and
refreshing dews, which have visited the neighbouring districts; and even
the silence of our own parched coast has been broken by the sound of
distant thunderstorms, exhausting themselves on the eastern waves while
the sun has been setting in scorching splendour upon the horizon of our
western hills. Since the 30th of June last to the present date, October
28th, there have been but thirteen days with rain, and then the showers
were but trifling. In consequence, the surface of the ground, in large
tracts of the district, is so parched and withered, that all minor
vegetation has nearly ceased, and the wheat-crops that were sown in
June, are, we fear, doomed to perish."[169]
[167] See Isaiah xxxii. 2. The following proverbial saying in India may
serve to show how natural such comparisons are in the mouths of the
inhabitants of hot climates: "Ah, that benevolent man, he has long been
my shelter from the wind; he is a river to the dry country." See Roberts'
Oriental Illustrations of Scripture, _ad. loc._ p. 429. How different an
idea do the words "shelter from the _wind_" convey to the inhabitant of
England's bleak shores, and Asia's parching deserts!
[168] See an interesting passage in Major Mitchell's Three Expeditions,
vol. ii. p. 28. See likewise Oxley's First Journal, p. 75.
[169] See Australian and New Zealand Magazine, No. iv. p. 234.
How expressive, after reading descriptions like this, do those
complaints of one of the inspired writers appear: "The seed is rotten
under their clods, the garners are laid desolate, the barns are broken
down; for the corn is withered. How do the beasts groan! the herds of
cattle are perplexed, because they have no pasture; yea, the flocks of
sheep are made desolate. O Lord, to thee will I cry: for the fire hath
devoured the pastures of the wilderness, and the flame hath burned all
the trees of the field. The beasts of the field cry also unto Thee, for
the rivers of waters are dried up, and the fire hath devoured the
pastures of the wilderness." (Joel i. 17-20.)
Most of the productions of the soil which are to be found in the
mother country are raised likewise in the Australian settlements. The
wheat-harvest commences in New South Wales in the middle of November,
and is generally over by Christmas, so that to this festive season a
fresh cause of rejoicing is added, and men are called upon to be
thankful at once for the greatest temporal and spiritual blessings;
the same time of year supplies them with the meat that perisheth, and
reminds them of the coming down from heaven of Him who is the bread of
life. But, besides the ordinary produce of our English fields, many
productions of the soil are raised in Australia which will not grow in
the northern climate of Britain. The fruits of Italy and Spain, the
tobacco of Virginia, and the Indian corn of the southern states of
America, are all produced in the Australian colonies. And one fruit may
be particularly noticed, which is in England justly reckoned a delicacy,
but which in New South Wales is so abundant, that the very swine are
feasted upon it: _peaches_ are to be had in full perfection for full
four months in the year, the later varieties regularly succeeding to
those that are earlier. This fruit grows everywhere, it matters not
whether the soil be rich or poor; and if a peach-stone is planted it
will in three years afterwards bear an abundant crop of fruit. So
plentifully do they grow, that they are commonly used to fatten hogs,
for which purpose they answer very well, after having been laid in
heaps, and allowed to ferment a little; cider also of a pleasant and
wholesome quality is made from the same fruit.
The chief wealth of Australia consists in its flocks and herds, and
nothing in the progress of our settlements there is more astonishing
than the rapidity with which these primitive riches have increased.
Sixty years ago there was not a single sheep in the vast island of New
Holland; and now, from a few narrow strips of land upon some of its
coasts, millions of pounds of wool are annually exported to England. The
fine climate of Australia is especially suited for sheep, and it would
appear to have an improving effect upon the quality of that animal's
fleece, which nowhere reaches greater perfection than in New South
Wales. Cattle also thrive and increase very much in the Australian
settlements, and animals of all kinds in New South Wales are exceedingly
dainty: if shut up in a field of good grass they will starve themselves
with fretting rather than eat it, they are so anxious to get out upon
the sweet natural pastures. Although it is to be hoped and expected
that, under judicious management, these colonies will always be able to
supply their inhabitants with bread, still it is confessed on all sides
that pastoral riches form their natural source of wealth, and that it is
to these chiefly, together with their mineral productions and commerce,
that they must look for a foundation of permanent and continued worldly
prosperity.
The form of government is the same in all the British Australasian
colonies, and while the governor's authority is supreme, by virtue
of his being the representative of the British crown, his power is
restrained by an executive council and by a legislative council. The
former body, whose office is to assist the governor in carrying the laws
into execution, is composed of the colonial secretary and treasurer,
the bishop and lieutenant-governor, (if the last-named office is not
abolished,) under the presidency of the governor himself. The
legislative council consists of the same persons, with the addition
of the chief justice, the attorney-general, the chief officer of the
customs, the auditor-general, and seven private gentlemen of the colony,
who are appointed by the crown for life, and for whom, in case of death
or removal, the governor may choose a substitute, until the Queen's
pleasure be known. The office of this legislative council is, as its
name implies, that of making laws, in which, however, at least
two-thirds of the members must agree, and which must not be contrary
to the charter, or letters patent, or orders in council, or laws of
England. The proposal of new laws always belongs to the governor, who
must, however, give eight clear days' notice in the public papers,
stating the general objects of the intended enactments; nor can this
rule be dispensed with, except in cases of very great emergency. Such is
briefly the outline of the constitution at present established in the
Australian settlements, and under this form of government they have,
most of them, already run a race of prosperity, which, allowing for the
recent dates of their foundation, can scarcely be matched in the annals
of any nation. Nevertheless, the present form of government is a very
great subject of discontent among many of the colonists, and the _want_
of a representative house of assembly in New South Wales and Van
Diemen's Land appears to give as little satisfaction to many persons
_there_, as the _presence_ of such an assembly does _here_ in
England.[170] It may easily be imagined what a fine subject for oratory
is thus furnished among a mass of people, who, whatever elements of good
may exist among them, may, generally speaking, be too truly said to have
derived their birth and education from criminals and outcasts. In the
midst of a people thus constituted, a press "unshackled by stamps,
paper-excise, advertisement duty, or censorship," is doing its daily or
weekly work of _enlightening_ the minds of the people respecting their
_grievances_; and where, as in Van Diemen's Land, there is said to be a
newspaper for every 1666 free persons,[171] the people must indeed bask
in the sunshine of political illumination. "The press," it is asserted
on good authority respecting Van Diemen's Land, and it is not less true
of New South Wales, "The press, with few exceptions, finds ample support
in holding up to derision the authorities of the land, and even in the
invasion of the sanctity of domestic privacy."[172] The result, however,
of this state of things is that, actually, in the colonies of Australia
the grievances appear worse, the "wrongs" more galling, and the "rights"
less regarded, than even in England itself; and judging from the crabbed
tone of discontent prevailing in most of the colonial newspapers, the
people who live in a land almost free from taxes, and quite exempt from
tithes and poor-rates, can without much difficulty conjure up complaints
of taxation and oppression not less piercing than those which are to be
heard in a kingdom where taxgatherers, tithe-proctors, and aristocrats,
still exist. Perhaps, there is nothing more calculated to make an
Englishman tolerably satisfied with the state of things in his own
country than the occasional perusal of the newspapers of lands so
"highly favoured" in the way of "taxation" or "liberal institutions," as
the Australian colonies and the United States of America. The christian
patriot looks down with pity upon the strife of tongues and the turmoil
of party-spirit which Satan contrives to raise in almost every country
under the sun; and while the believer can always bless God's providence
for many good things, he expects not perfection in the institutions of
mortal men; it is true that
"Worldly reformers, while they chafe and curse,
Themselves and others change from bad to worse;
While christian souls for blessings past can praise,
And mend their own and others' future ways."
[170] A glance over the two ponderous volumes of the evidence before the
Transportation Committee in 1837 and 1838 will satisfy every unprejudiced
person that our penal colonies are not yet ripe for a representative
government. It is curious enough to compare the fearful picture of these
settlements drawn by one section of the so-called Liberal party, which
wages war against transportation, with the more pleasing and flattering
description of their social condition which is given by that other
section of the same party which claims for the colonists "constitutional
rights."
[171] See Mr. Montgomery Martin's New South Wales, p. 353.
[172] See Report of Transportation Committee in 1838, p. 32.
The great instruments by which the christian statesman will aim at
reforming mankind, and making them happy, while at the same time he
will be gaining the highest of all glory to himself, both in time and
eternity, are christian instruction and religious education. A corrupted
press and incessant agitation are instruments suitable enough to
accomplish the works of darkness for which they are usually employed;
nor are churches and schools less fit means of success in the better
and more honourable task of bringing a nation to righteousness,
respectability, and contentment. A short account of the establishment of
the Bishopric of Australia, and a statement of the means of religious
and sound education in that part of the world, will not be out of place
here; and if, as before, we are driven to speak of the neglect of "the
powers that be" upon these essential points, it is hoped that, since
this is done unwillingly,--more in shame and sorrow than in anger and
party-spirit,--it will not be done with a feeling at all contrary to the
Divine precept: "Thou shalt not speak evil of the ruler of thy
people."[173]
[173] Acts xxiii. 5.
"It is evident unto all men diligently reading holy Scripture and
ancient authors, that from the Apostles' time there have been these
orders of ministers in Christ's Church,--Bishops, Priests, and
Deacons;"[174] and the Church of England has never yet made bold to
dispense with what the Church of Christ did for 1500 years, without a
single exception, deem it necessary everywhere to retain. Never _in
theory_, indeed, has our Church made bold to work without the three
orders of an apostolical ministry, but, alas! frequently has she done
this in practice, and in no instance more openly or less successfully
than in Australia. For upwards of thirty years, no superintendent
at all was placed over the clergy and laity of our communion in New
South Wales, and when a step was taken, it was not made in the right
direction; an archdeacon was appointed, who, whatever might be his civil
authority, was, respecting spiritual authority, exactly upon a level
with his other brethren in the ministry; nor could he assume more than
this without assuming to himself that to which he was not entitled,--the
office of a bishop in the Church. Under these strange and irregular
circumstances was the infant Church, brought from the British isles and
planted in the wilderness of Australia, allowed to continue for about
twelve years. The witness of a layman concerning this state of things
may be here repeated: "I myself then saw a church without a bishop, and
I trust in God I may never see it again."[175] In 1824, the Rev. T. H.
Scott was appointed Archdeacon of New South Wales, and there were then
eight chaplains in the colony, which covered a vast expanse of country,
and contained, in 1821, (three years earlier,) 29,783 souls, of whom
13,814 were convicts. Thus was New South Wales provided with "a very
liberal ecclesiastical establishment," according to the liberal views of
one of its leading historians;[176] and as its population increased, so,
in some degree, if not in an equal proportion, did the number of its
clergy, so that, in September, 1833, the number of souls in the colony
was 60,794,[177] (of whom 16,151 were convicts, and 17,238 Roman
Catholics,) and the number of clergymen was fifteen, besides the
archdeacon and four catechists. Archdeacon Scott was succeeded, in 1829,
by the Rev. W. G. Broughton, whose zeal and activity reflect honour
alike upon himself and upon the discernment of the noble patron, the
Duke of Wellington, who, it is believed, first recommended him to that
office. After enduring labour, and toil, and anxiety, such as those only
know who have to bear the heat and burden of the day in the Lord's
vineyard, at length the archdeacon was made, by permission of the
English government under Lord Melbourne, in 1836, Bishop of Australia;
and the foundation of an Apostolical and Scriptural Church in the Great
Southern Land was at length duly laid, by the consecration of that
prelate, at Lambeth, on February 14th, 1836. The old stipend assigned to
the archdeacon was to be continued without any increase to the Bishop
of Australia; and since 2000_l._ a-year was undoubtedly a very ample
provision for the former, it was thought that it might be found
sufficient for the latter; and so it would be, if the British government
were willing to provide properly for the spiritual wants of the new
diocese, and thus preserve the provision made for the bishop from being
almost entirely swallowed up in endeavouring to satisfy the spiritual
need of his people. This observation, however, justice compels us to
make before we quit the present subject, namely, that, whatever opinion
may be entertained of the dispositions of the British government, during
the ten years following the passing of the Reform Bill, towards the
English Church, for one fact every member of that church must feel
deeply indebted to them. During the time of Lord Grey's and Lord
Melbourne's holding office, no less than _six_ new bishoprics were
erected in the British colonies, and the first impulse was encouraged
of that good spirit which has since sent forth into foreign parts five
bishops in one day to "preach the word, to be instant in season, out of
season, to reprove, rebuke, exhort, with all long-suffering and
doctrine."[178]
[174] See the Preface to the Form of Ordaining and Consecrating
Bishops, Priests, and Deacons, in the Book of Common Prayer.
[175] The subjection of New South Wales to the Bishopric of Calcutta
was a mere absurdity; it might just as well have been under Canterbury
at once.
[176] See Wentworth's Australasia, vol. i. p. 366.
[177] Elsewhere stated to be 60,861. Perfect accuracy in these matters
appears almost unattainable.
[178] See St. Paul's charge to Timothy, the first Bishop of Ephesus,
2 Tim. iv. 2.
Among the five new sees thus recently established, the pressing
necessities of Australia have not been overlooked; and Tasmania, or Van
Diemen's Land, an island equal in size to Ireland, has been thought to
claim justly a separate bishop for itself. The capital of this island is
not less than 600 miles distant from Sydney, the seat of the bishopric
of Australia; and with a population of 50,000, rapidly increasing, a
large majority of whom are churchmen, its claims to have a bishop of its
own are undeniable. And to these just claims the British government have
listened so far as to devote the 800_l._ per annum formerly assigned to
an archdeacon of Van Diemen's Land towards the endowment of a bishop
there, in addition to which sum 5000_l._ have been set apart from the
Colonial Bishoprics Fund, and the remainder of what is necessary to
provide the occupant of the new see with a decent maintenance is now
being raised among those that feel interested in that particular colony,
or in the general good work whereof this endowment forms only a part.
Nor is it the intention of the promoters of this noble design of
founding in our Australian and other colonies the complete framework of
a Christian Church to stop short here. South Australia, a province even
more thoroughly separated from Sydney than Tasmania is, has appeared
well deserving of the attention of those that have the direction of
this important work; and the zeal of some of the landed proprietors
of the colony has already prepared the way for the establishment of a
bishopric in South Australia. The following extract is from the letter
of a layman residing in the last-mentioned colony:--"At present, we are
pronounced to be in a diocese, whilst the head of that diocese is living
nearly 1200 miles away, and has never been here, and, in all probability
never will be." One person has offered to build, at his own cost, with
the tenth part of his property in Australia, a church at Adelaide, to
endow the see with land to the amount of 270_l._ per annum, and to
furnish plans, &c. for a bishop's residence; other gifts of land have
likewise been contributed to the amount of 100_l._ per annum more. A
grant of 5000_l._ has been obtained from the Colonial Bishoprics Fund,
and it is hoped that, by the efforts of the friends of sound religion,
an endowment of 1000_l._ per annum may speedily be completed for the
intended bishopric.[179] And since the experience of the past forms a
stable foundation of hope for the future, we may form a judgment of
what _will be done_, under the Divine blessing, in Tasmania and South
Australia, by what _has been done_ in the diocese of Australia. In the
charge of the bishop of the last-named see, delivered by him to his
clergy in 1841, it is stated, that, before 1836, the date of his
consecration, there were in the colony of New South Wales nine churches,
eight chapels, or school-houses used as such, and five parsonage-houses;
whereas, in 1841, _nine_ new churches had been completed, _four_ had
been opened by licence, _fifteen_ more were in course of erection; and
twelve new parsonages had been completed, while eight others were also
in progress![180] So great a stimulus, during only five years, had the
presence of the full and effective staff of an apostolical ministry
added to the growth and increase of the Church in one single colony!
[179] See the Report of the Fund for providing Additional Colonial
Bishoprics, dated June 25th, 1842. Should the particulars stated above
induce any person to desire to lend a helping hand to so good, so
glorious a work, any donations for that purpose, small or large, will be
thankfully received at the office of the Committee, 79, Pall Mall,
London; and a post-office order supplies a sure and easy means of
conveyance for sums not exceeding five pounds.
[180] See Report of the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in
Foreign Parts, for 1842.
The history of education in the colony of New South Wales is an
important and deeply interesting subject;--indeed, in what country is it
not so?--but the struggles and disappointments of the friends of sound
religious education,--of that education which an Englishman may be
thankful to be permitted to call National,--have been very severe and
trying. To borrow the language of an able statesman and eloquent writer,
"not contented with excluding religion from the province of government,
the spirit of the age struggles with not less zeal to introduce, as its
substitute, education; that is to say, the cultivation of the intellect
of the natural man instead of the heart and affections of the spiritual
man--the abiding in the life of Adam, instead of passing into the life
of Christ."[181] This is precisely what has taken place in Australia.
Only two years after the foundations of the colony had been laid,
George III. was pleased to provide for the Church and for schools, by
ordering the governor to allot in every township 400 acres of land for
the maintenance of a minister, and 200 acres for the support of a
schoolmaster. This provision continued to be assigned, and in many cases
the portion of allotted glebe became of considerable value; but, in
1826, a yet more extensive and promising support was afforded by the
British government to the cause of religious instruction in New South
Wales. The nature of this assistance may be detailed first in the words
of a violent and not very sensible or consistent enemy of the Church of
England, and then the reader may turn to the account given by one of its
ablest and best friends. "I was utterly astounded," says Dr. Lang, "in
common with most of the colonists, at the promulgation of a royal
charter appointing a Church and School Corporation for the religious
instruction, and for the general education of the youth of the colony,
_on the principles of the Church of England, exclusively_, and allotting
a seventh of the whole territory, for that purpose, to the Episcopalian
clergy, with free access, in the meantime, to the colonial
treasury-chest. It will scarcely be believed that so wanton an insult as
this precious document implied, could have been offered to the common
sense of a whole community, even by the late tory administration; or
that men could have been found in the nineteenth century to perpetrate
so gross an outrage on the best feelings of a numerous body of reputable
men." During the ensuing four or five years, we are told by the same
authority that it was completely in the power of the archdeacon and
clergy "to have formed a noble institution for the general education
of the youth of Australia with the very crumbs that fell from their
corporation-table."[182] They might, "if they had only been possessed
of the smallest modicum of common sense, have secured the exclusive
predominance of episcopacy in the management of the education of the
whole colony, _for all time coming_." And yet, adds the sagacious
Scotchman, in the very next paragraph, "the yoke must have proved
intolerable in the end, and would sooner or later have been violently
broken asunder during some general burst of public indignation." After a
grievous misrepresentation of the expenses incurred by the Church and
School Corporation,[183] and a sneer at the want of education which is
said to prevail among its members,[184] Dr. Lang contrives at last to
land himself, if not his readers, at the desired conclusion, namely,
that "ignorance is the mother of devotion" to colonial episcopacy!
[181] Gladstone's "The State in its Relations with the Church,"
chap. viii. p. 315.
[182] Lang's New South Wales, vol. ii. p. 317, &c. See also, at 265-6,
a series of similar statements. A good specimen of Dr. Lang's veracity
occurs at p. 267, where the Church and School Corporation is said to
have consisted chiefly of _clergymen_, whereas the majority were
_laymen_. See Burton on Religion and Education in New South Wales,
p. 21, and Appendix, No. 1.
[183] They are accused of spending 20,000_l._ a-year of public money,
under pretence of providing for religious instruction and education,
while nothing was really done; whereas, out of this sum, nearly
17,000_l._ were already appropriated for the existing ecclesiastical
establishment; and, during the continuance of the Corporation, the
schools increased from 16 to 40, and the number of children educated
in them from 1,037 to 2,426. See Burton on Religion and Education in
New South Wales, pp. 24 and 32.
[184] See the book just quoted for a list of the members of the Church
and School Corporation, p. 21. Whatever might be the education of these
gentlemen, it is evident that better educated men were not very likely
to be found in the colony than the great law officers of the crown, the
members of the legislative council, and the nine senior chaplains.
But it is time to turn away from the pitiable spectacle of a man calling
himself a minister of God's word, but far better qualified for his other
occupation, that of editing a party newspaper in a penal colony, and
taking our leave of Dr. Lang with feelings of regret that he has not
made a better use of those talents which have been given him: let us
turn to the statement given by Judge Burton, of the Church and School
Corporation in New South Wales. It is correct that one-seventh part in
extent and value of the land in New South Wales, was intended to be set
apart for the supply of religious instruction and education to the whole
colony. It is true, likewise, that the English government, in 1826,
entrusted this endowment for these good purposes entirely to the Church
of England; and to what other body could a thoroughly English government
have entrusted it? What course could be more suitable to the principles
of the English constitution? Or who in those days suspected the very
dissenters, who in England regard the help of the state as an
abomination, of being anxious themselves to partake freely of that help
in Australia? However, the arrangements were completed, and the charter
of the Church and School Corporation was signed in 1826; and at the same
time the burden of defraying the regular expenses of the existing clergy
and schools, was immediately transferred from the parliamentary grants
and the colonial revenue to the newly formed corporation. But, whatever
might have been the future value of the endowment thus bestowed upon the
Australian Church, its immediate produce was little or nothing; the
reserves are stated to have not been fairly portioned out, many of them
were allotted in inconvenient or distant situations and unprofitable
soils; private interest was allowed to take the first place in the
division of land, and persons who would have scorned to defraud men,
were happy to be allowed to rob God of his rights and the poor of the
means of having the gospel preached to them. Nor, even although these
hindrances had not arisen, would there have been any sufficient income
arising during the first years from the property of the corporation,
unless they had sold this with utter recklessness of the means of
securing a future permanent endowment. That portion of their lands
which was most improved, was either judiciously sold, or else let; and
other parts of it were gradually being brought under cultivation, and
improved in value; but meanwhile the increasing yearly expenses of the
ecclesiastical establishment were to be met. For this purpose, some
money was borrowed on debentures, and an advance was made to the
corporation from the colonial treasury; and thus, during three years,
were the exertions of the corporation crippled and restrained. When
they were beginning to get somewhat clear of these first difficulties,
when their estates were becoming profitable, and their flocks and herds
increasing, they were directed to suspend any further proceedings, no
more lands were granted them, and they were informed that their charter
was to be revoked. This notification was made in 1829, though the
revocation did not actually take place till 1833.
In reply to the inquiry, why the Church and School Corporation in New
South Wales should have been thus suddenly dissolved, and that, too, at
the very time when its means were beginning to be available for the
fulfilment of the intentions of its foundation, no other answer can be
found besides that suggested by Judge Burton. It was done, no doubt, by
way of yielding to the clamour of the secret and open enemies of the
Church of England; and the very opposition of Infidels, Romanists, and
Dissenters, combined, in jarring harmony, together, bears a strong
witness of the value of the object of attack. The sop that was thus
thrown to the greedy demon of religious strife, was by no means
successful in satisfying or appeasing him; like most other similar
concessions, it served only to whet the appetite for more; and it is to
God's undeserved mercies, not to her own efforts, or to the wisdom of
her rulers, that England herself owes the preservation at that time of
her national Church. And now that the Church and School Corporation in
Australia has been abolished these ten years, what are the results; who
is the better for its destruction? If this establishment had been
permitted to remain, "certainly, at this day its funds would have been
sufficient to relieve the government altogether of the charge of
maintaining the clergy and schools of the colony."[185] The estimated
expenses of "Church establishments," and "school establishments," for
New South Wales in 1842, were respectively, 35,981_l._ 10_s._, and
16,322_l._ 10_s._,[186] so that by this time the saving to government,
arising from the continuance of the corporation, would have amounted to
no trifling annual sum. But, what is of far more importance, and what
was foreseen by the enemies of the Church of England when they compassed
the ruin of the corporation, the means of "lengthening its cords and
strengthening its stakes," would have been placed within the power of
the Australian Church. And since, under every disadvantage, during the
short time in which the charter continued to be in force, "the churches
were increased in number and better provided, the schools were
considerably more than doubled in number, and their effectiveness
increased, while their expenses were lessened,"[187] what might have
been expected from the same instrument in a longer period of time, and
after the first difficulties had been overcome? However, for wise and
good purposes, no doubt, it was not permitted that the experiment should
be tried; and while we regret that the Church in Australia is not more
efficient and better supported than it is, we may yet feel thankful
that, by the grace of God, it is as it is.
[185] See Burton on Religion and Education in New South Wales, p. 31.
[186] See Australian and New Zealand Magazine, No. i. p. 45. The sums
mentioned above include all the expense of grants to other bodies of
Christians besides churchmen, but the greater portion of the money is
expended upon the great majority of the population who are members of
the Church of England.
[187] See Burton, p. 37.
It affords a sad proof of the continued enmity of the world against
Christ, to turn from the noisy outcries of the children of Mammon about
economy and ecclesiastical expenses, and to fix our eyes upon the plain
matter of fact. When it was confidently asserted, by the highest
colonial authority, that the wants of the Australian Church were fairly
supplied, the Bishop, in 1837, mentioned by name no less than fifteen
places where clergymen were immediately needed. And it is no uncommon
occurrence, as in the church at Mudgee, (quite in the wilderness,) for
a consecration to take place, the church to be filled, the inhabitants
around delighted, their children baptized, and then the building is
closed for an indefinite period, until some clergyman be found to
officiate! Some persons may hold that to _save money_ is better than to
_save souls_, but let not these men aspire to the name of Christians.
But, in spite of such enemies, whether endowed or not, whether supported
or spurned by the state authorities, the Church is likely to prove a
blessing and a safeguard to our Australian colonies. The absence of
endowment, the want of worldly means of extension, these are losses not
to the Church, but to the state. And while each individual member is
bound to spare of his abundance, or even of his poverty, for a work
so good and holy as that of propagating the gospel in foreign parts,
especially in our colonies;[188] while every lawful effort is to be made
to do what we can to resist the progress of evil, we may be satisfied to
wait quietly the result. Nor, among other acts of christian charity,
will a faithful member of Christ's visible Church ever forget to pray
for those unhappy men whose extraordinary professions of religion are
too often found to end in fruits like these,--in opposing all extension
of what they deny not to be, in the main, a scriptural Church, in
straining at the smallest particle of endowment, or public assistance
for religious objects at home, whilst abroad they can swallow a whole
camel's load of public money or church plunder, when it serves their
occasion! May God, in his wisdom, overrule the mischief, and in his
mercy forgive the evils of which men of this description have recently
been the occasion, both in England and in its colonies!
[188] The following striking testimony in favour of the _system_ of the
Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts comes from a
quarter by no means unduly biassed in its favour. "How have thousands
and tens of thousands been raised in Scotland, for the last forty years,
to fit out and to maintain beyond seas whomsoever the dissenting
ministers of London chose to ordain as missionaries to the heathen? God
forbid, that I should ever whisper a syllable against missions to the
heathen! But I have seen too many missionaries, not to have seen more
than I choose to mention, whom men possessed of the least discernment
would never have presumed to send forth on such an errand! _The colonies,
however, were the first field to be occupied; and if that field had been
properly occupied, it would have afforded much assistance to missions
to the heathen._"--LANG'S _New South Wales_, vol. ii. p. 260.
If any reader of this passage should feel disposed in his heart to help
in a good work, which greatly needs his assistance, let him take at
once his humble mite, or his large offering, as the case may be, to the
clergyman of his parish, or to the office, 79, Pall Mall, London, for
the use of the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel.
CHAPTER XII.
CONVICT POPULATION.
Whatever may be the natural charms or advantages of any region, these
are nothing without inhabitants; and however abundantly the means of
riches, the comforts, luxuries, or necessaries of life may be scattered
around, these are comparatively lost without man to enjoy and to use
them. The garden of Eden itself was not perfected until beings were
placed in it capable of admiring its beauties and rejoicing in its
blessings. And in every country, especially in a civilised country, when
we have gone through the length and breadth of the land, examining its
natural features and speculating upon its capabilities and future
destiny, there is still left a most interesting and important subject of
consideration, nor can our knowledge of any region be reckoned complete,
until we are acquainted with the present condition of its inhabitants.
In the preceding pages it has been found impossible, indeed, to avoid
frequently touching upon a topic, which is so closely interwoven with
the whole subject; but there still remains abundance of miscellaneous
information concerning the present state of the inhabitants of the
Australian colonies to be detailed, without which, indeed, the task we
have undertaken would be left altogether incomplete.
Though intellectual man is the principal object in God's creation upon
earth, yet it is not the mere "march of intellect," but it is the
advancement of truth and righteousness,--the gradual outpouring of that
knowledge of God which shall cover the earth as the waters cover the
seas,--that can cause "the desert to rejoice and blossom as the rose."
The recollection, therefore, of the sort of men with whom Great Britain
has partly peopled the lonely shores of Australia,--the remembrance that
these men, too morally diseased to be allowed to remain among ourselves,
have been cast forth to die, with little or no thought about bringing
them to the Great Physician of souls to be made whole,--these
reflections have before been offered, and must here be repeated again.
We read with pleasure and interest of benevolent travellers, anxious to
benefit the countries which they are exploring, scattering around them
in favourable spots the seeds of useful plants and noble trees, in the
hope that these may hereafter prove beneficial to generations yet
unborn. And in like manner may the mother country be said to scatter
abroad in her colonies the seeds not only of good, but of evil also.
Many admirable institutions, not a few excellent individuals and
christian families, have been planted in Australian lands; a branch of
Christ's Church has been placed there, and has taken firm hold of the
soil, and numberless other promises of future excellence may be traced
by the thankful and inquiring mind. But then, on the contrary, we must
not lose sight of the tares that are so abundantly springing up together
with the wheat; it is impossible to deny that rank and poisonous weeds
have there been scattered along with the good seed, nay, instead of it.
What might have been the present state of Australia, if all, or almost
all, its free inhabitants had been faithful Christians, steadfast "in
the Apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread and in
prayers?" How great an effect might the "salt," thus placed in those
remote parts of the earth, have had in rescuing from corruption that
mass of uncleanness, which has been removed thither from our own shores!
Now, alas! nowhere more than in some of the Australian settlements "are
the works of the flesh manifest, which are these, adultery, fornication,
uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance,
emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, envyings, murders,
drunkenness, revellings, and such like."[189]
[189] Gal. v. 19-21.
One cause, unquestionably, of the peculiar prevalence of many of these
evil works is the strange elements of which society in Australia is
composed. In its lowest rank is found the unhappy criminal, whose
liberty has been forfeited, and who is, for a time at least, reduced
to a state of servitude in punishment of his offences. Next to this
last-named class come the _emancipists_, as they are called, who have
once been in bondage, but by working out their time, or by good conduct,
have become free; these and their descendants constitute a distinct and
very wealthy class in New South Wales and Van Diemen's Land. The third
and highest class is formed of men who have settled as free persons in
the colonies, and of their descendants; and between this last class and
the two first a considerable distinction is kept up, from which, (it
has already been noticed,) miserable dissensions, jealousies, and
heartburnings, have frequently arisen. To an impartial person, beholding
these petty discords from the contrary side of the globe, it is pretty
plain that both classes are in fault.
It is well known that the system of assigning convicts to various
masters has been practised ever since the colony at Port Jackson was
first established, and thus the expense of maintaining so many thousands
of people has been thrown upon the settlers, who were amply repaid by
the value of their labour; by means of which, likewise, the land was
brought into cultivation, and the produce of the soil increased. One
great argument against the system of transportation, as a punishment,
is drawn from this practice of assignment, which, it is asserted, makes
the penalty "as uncertain as the diversity of temper, character, and
occupation amongst human beings can render it." Certain rules and
conditions were laid down for the treatment of convict servants, and if
these behave themselves well, they are allowed "a ticket of leave,"
extending over a certain district, within which the holder of the ticket
becomes, in fact, a free person; subject, however, to the loss of this
privilege in case of his committing any offence. After a certain number
of years, the holder of the ticket of leave is allowed to receive a
"conditional pardon," which extends only to the limits of the colony,
but is no longer liable to be withdrawn at the will of government. The
"absolute pardon," of course, extends everywhere, and restores the party
receiving it to all the rights and privileges of a British subject.[190]
The custom of assigning male convicts has, however, been discontinued
lately in the elder colony, although women are still assigned to the
settlers by government, or at least were so until very recently. But
besides the employment of the convicts by private persons, a vast number
of these are constantly engaged in public works, and to the facility of
obtaining labour thus afforded does New South Wales owe some of its
greatest improvements, especially in roads, bridges, public buildings,
and the like undertakings. It is scarcely to be supposed that employment
of this kind, when the men must necessarily work in gangs, is so
favourable for their moral improvement and reformation as residence in a
private family and occupation in rural pursuits is generally likely to
prove; though the contrary notion is supported in the recent Report of
the Transportation Committee, since, in the former case, they are under
stricter discipline. However, it has always been customary to make the
public works a sort of punishment, and private service a reward for
convicts; and those that have been returned from the latter with
complaints, are usually put upon the roads for at least six months;
so that, if this system really stands in the way of the improvement
of offenders, it keeps those that conduct themselves well from the
beginning quite clear of the bad example of less hopeful characters. It
is a sad truth, however, in Australia, as it often is found to be in
England, that "the most skilful mechanics are generally the worst
behaved and most drunken," and, consequently, most liable to punishment
in the public gangs.
[190] See Mr. Montgomery Martin's New South Wales for further
particulars on this subject, pp. 168-177.
By way of introducing the reader to the kind of life led by those
unhappy beings who labour in Australia at the public roads, and to give
him also some idea of the spiritual work which the ministers of Christ's
Church in a penal colony may be called upon to perform, the following
sketch from a private letter will be not unacceptable:--"In a few
minutes I am at the stockade where more than 60 men are immediately
mustered; the [Roman] 'Catholics'[191] are sent back to their boxes, the
'Protestants' assemble under a shed, open on two sides, and filled with
a few coarse boards for tables and forms, where the men get their meals.
Their boxes are wooden buildings of uniform structure, in which the
prisoners are locked up from _sundown_ to sunrise. The roof is shingled,
the sides are weather-board, the door in the middle is secured by a
padlock, and above the door is a grating to admit the light and air,
a similar grating being placed exactly opposite to it. The internal
arrangements are simple in the extreme, where you see a gangway in the
middle, and two tiers of hard planks or dressers for the men to lie
upon; their bedding being, I believe, only a blanket. As there is no
division to form separate bed-places, the four-and-twenty or thirty men
who share these boxes lie like the pigs, and make the best of it they
can. When a prisoner has served his time in irons, he is removed to a
probationary gang; that which I am describing is an ironed gang. These
men are dressed in a motley suit of grey and yellow alternately, each
seam being of a different colour; and the irons being secured to each
ancle, and, for the relief of the wearer, made fast from the legs to the
waist. The whole stockade is sometimes enclosed with high palings, and
sometimes open. The service of the Church is performed under the shed
where the men assemble for meals. The men behave well or ill as the
sergeant in charge takes an interest in it or not. Here the sergeant
and a dozen young soldiers are constant at prayers. The responses are
given by all that can read, our blessed societies having furnished
Bibles and Prayer-books for all. Every change of position is attended
with the clank of chains, which at first harrows your soul: but time
does wonders, you know; you forget the irons after a while. A full
service and a sermon. You hear an application or two from prisoners
about their worldly matters,--chiefly from the craftiest, oldest hands;
wish them good morning, and away.
[191] "Catholic," a most honoured term in ancient times, has in
modern days been very unfortunate. Even now the Romanists misuse it
for "Papistical," the Dissenters occasionally use it to signify
"Latitudinarian," and the members of the Church of England are either
afraid to use it at all, or else are perpetually harping upon it, as
though it were a mere party-word.
"It is now half-past ten: there lies the hot and dusty road before you,
without shelter of any kind, and the sun pours down his fiery beams; no
cloud, no intermission. If a breeze blows, it may be hotter than from
the mouth of a furnace. Well, courage; step out, it is five miles to
the other stockade. A flock of sheep,--the dog baying, the driver
blaspheming; a dray or two of hay; a few carts loaded with oranges. Up
the hill, down the hill, and so on, till, a little after twelve, you
arrive at the other stockade. This is a probationary gang, that is to
say, it is composed of those against whom complaints have been made
by their respective masters, and who are not assignable to other
individuals for six months. In this gang are six-and-twenty persons, of
whom two are [Roman] 'Catholics.' No motley dress, but all in dark grey;
no irons. A corporal and one private for a guard, and both of them
exemplary at prayers. Here I have the afternoon service. Generally about
this time the wind is up; and here, in a state of perspiration, the
breeze gives me a thorough chilling under the open shed; and often
clouds of dust come rushing through upon us, as bad as the worst days
in March along one of the great roads in England. But the service is
attended in a gratifying manner, insomuch that it would shame many home
congregations. The corporal here teaches the poor fellows who require it
to _read and write_, so that even here we find instances of christian
charity, without sinister or vain motives, which may well stimulate us
and provoke our exertions."
From this picture of the condition of some of those convicts that are
undergoing punishment, we may turn to the more pleasing view, which a
gentleman of large property in Australia, Mr. Potter Macqueen, has drawn
of the condition of his own assigned servants. Of course, much of the
chance of the servant's improvement must depend, humanly speaking, upon
the sort of master into whose hands he is thrown, and Mr. Macqueen would
appear to have behaved kindly and judiciously to those entrusted to his
care. Occasionally a severe example of punishment was made, and extra
labour or stoppage of indulgences, as milk, tea, sugar, or tobacco, were
found effectual correction for most faults, whilst additional industry
was rewarded by fresh indulgences. Of some deserving men Mr. Macqueen
had even brought over the wives and families at his own expense. And
what, in this world, could be a greater instance of the luxury of doing
good than to behold the family and partner of one who has, though a
convict, conducted himself well, restored once more to their long-lost
parent and husband, and settled in his new country as pledges of his
future continuance in well-doing? Marriage, altogether, was encouraged
on the estate of the gentleman already mentioned, as a means of
recalling the convicts from bad habits, and urging them to industry and
good behaviour; and this wise course has been generally rewarded by
witnessing their happiness, and receiving their gratitude. During
five years of residence in Australia about two hundred convicts and
ticket-of-leave men passed through Mr. Macqueen's establishment, and
the following account is interesting, since it serves to show what _may
be done_, even with a convict population:--
Free, or enjoying their ticket, married and thoroughly
reclaimed 14
Ditto, ditto, single men 49
Free from expiration of sentence, but worthless 7
Returned home to England after becoming free 1
Well-conducted men, as yet under sentence 62
Indifferent, not trustworthy 29
Depraved characters, irreclaimable 7
Sent to iron gangs and penal settlements 11
Escaped 1
Died 3
Given up at request of Government 2
Returned to Government hospital from ill health 4
____
190
____
To encourage reformation, and check that spirit of idleness which is the
mother of mischief, alike in convicts and free people, it is strongly
recommended to allow the well-disposed men to profit by their own
industry. It is forbidden to pay money to prisoners, at least before
they obtain their ticket, but they may be rewarded by tea, sugar,
tobacco, Cape wine, extra clothing, &c. Mr. Macqueen had one Scotchman,
who, under this system, actually sheared 101 sheep in the day, being
allowed at the rate of 2_s._ 6_d._ per score upon all above 25, which is
the quantity fixed by the government rule for a man to do in a single
day. And in the same establishment, acting upon like inducements, might
be seen sawyers and fencers working by moonlight; and others making tin
vessels for utensils, bows for bullocks, &c., in their huts at night.
From this method of management a very great degree of comfort arises, of
which Mr. Macqueen gives the following instance in a convict's feast,
which he once witnessed. At Christmas, 1837, one of his assigned
servants, (who had a narrow escape from capital conviction at home,)
requested leave to draw the amount of some extra labour from the
stores, since he wished to give an entertainment to a few of his
colleagues, all of whom were named and were well conducted men. The
party making this application had been industrious and well-behaved,
being besides very cleanly in his hut, and attentive to his garden and
poultry, so the request was granted, and his master had the curiosity to
observe the style of the festival. The supper consisted of good soup,
a dish of fine mullet out of the adjoining river, two large fowls, a
piece of bacon, roast beef, a couple of wild ducks and a plum-pudding,
accompanied by cauliflower, French beans, and various productions of his
garden, together with the delicious water-melon of the country; they had
a reasonable quantity of Cape wine with their meal, and closed their
evening with punch and smoking.[192]
[192] See a pamphlet entitled "Australia as she is and as she may be,"
by T. Potter Macqueen, Esq., published by Cross, Holborn, pp. 12-14.
But the picture of the peculiar class by which a penal colony is
distinguished from all others will not be complete without a darker
shade of colouring than those upon which we have been gazing. It is a
painful feeling to contemplate the past condition of one portion of the
convict population, but it is a wholesome exercise of the mind, and has
already produced an improvement in that wretched state. Besides, it
surely is only fitting that a great, a free, and enlightened nation
should know what is the ultimate fate of a part of its outcast
population; nor need Englishmen shrink from hearing the _history_,
whilst England herself shrinks not from inflicting the _reality_ of
those horrors which have defiled the beautiful shores of Norfolk
Island.[193] In 1834 Judge Burton visited this spot, the penal
settlement of a penal settlement, for the purpose of trying 130
prisoners, who had very nearly succeeded in overpowering and murdering
the military, after which they intended to make their escape. Eight
years before this time, Norfolk Island had been first made a penal
settlement; and never during all that period had its wretched
inhabitants received any such reproof, consolation, or instruction as
the Church gives to its members. The picture presented before the mind
of the judge was an appalling one, and he can speak of Norfolk Island
only in general terms, as being "a cage full of unclean birds, full
of crimes against God and man, murders and blasphemies, and all
uncleanness." We know well what bad men are in England. Take some of the
worst of these, let them be sent to New South Wales, and then let some
of the very worst of these worst men be again removed to another spot,
where they may herd together, and where there are no pains taken about
their moral or religious improvement, where, literally speaking, no man
careth for their souls:--such was Norfolk Island. And what right had
England to cast these souls, as it were, beyond the reach of salvation?
Where was the vaunted christian feeling of our proud nation when she
delivered these poor creatures over to the hands of Satan, in the hope
that her worldly peace, and comfort, and property might be no longer
disturbed by their crimes? Had she ordered her fleet to put these men
ashore on some desolate island to starve and to die, the whole world
would have rung with her cruelty. But now, when it is merely their souls
that are left to starve, when it is only the means of eternal life that
they are defrauded of, how few notice it, nay, how few have ever heard
of the sin in which the whole nation is thus involved!
[193] It is right to state here that the cause of a supply of religious
instruction having been so long delayed in Norfolk Island is said, by
a Roman Catholic writer, to have been the impossibility of finding a
clergyman to undertake the charge. See Ullathorne's Reply to Burton,
pp. 39, 40. Supposing this account to be correct then, undoubtedly, the
English Church must share the blame of neglecting Norfolk Island along
with the government, and it is not the wish of the writer of these pages
to deny the applicability of the prophet's confession to ourselves:
"O God, to us belongeth confusion of face, to our kings, to our princes,
and to our fathers, because we have sinned against Thee." (Dan. ix. 8.)
Still, even according to Dr. Ullathorne, the penal settlement was
established six years before its religious instruction was thought of
by the government.
One of the prisoners tried in 1834 was a man of singular ability and
great presence of mind, and by him Norfolk Island was represented to be
a "hell upon earth;" and so it was as far as the company of evil spirits
glorying in evil deeds could make it. "Let a man's heart," he added, "be
what it will, when he comes here, his man's heart is taken from him, and
there is given to him the heart of a beast." Another said, "It was no
mercy to send us to this place; I do not ask life, I do not want to be
spared, on condition of remaining here; life is not worth having on
such terms." Another unhappy being was sentenced to die, and began
passionately to exclaim and entreat that he might not die without
confession. "Oh, your honour," he said, "as you hope to be saved
yourself, do not let me die without seeing my priest. I have been a very
wicked man indeed, I have committed many other crimes for which I ought
to die, but do not send me out of the world without seeing my priest!"
This poor man was a Roman Catholic; he seems not to have known that he
might go at once to his Heavenly Father with a heartfelt acknowledgment
of his faults, and so he obtained a rude figure of the cross, and
in miserable agony pronounced before that, as he embraced it, his
brief exclamations for mercy. Others mentioned in moving terms the
hopelessness of their lot, and another of them spoke also of what
rendered the state they were in one of utter despair; and the statement
which he made was perfectly true: he said, addressing the judge, "What
is done, your honour, to make us better? once a week we are drawn up in
the square opposite the military barrack, and the military are drawn up
in front of us with loaded muskets and fixed bayonets, and a young
officer then comes to the fence, and reads part of the prayers, and that
takes, may be, about a quarter of an hour, and _that is all the religion
that we see_."[194]
[194] Burton on Education and Religion in New South Wales, p. 260.
Urged by appeals like these, which no heart could well resist, Judge
Burton reprieved the convicted prisoners, until the whole case should
be laid before the government, and at least religious consolation and
assistance might be obtained for those who were to suffer capital
punishment. Eleven of the prisoners were afterwards executed, but not
without having been visited by ministers of religion, who were sent for
that express purpose from Sydney. The kind and christian judge exerted
himself in behalf of the outcast population of Norfolk Island, "that
modern Gomorrah," as it has been called; and, as usual, improvement in
bodily comforts or morals was much more willingly undertaken by those
in authority than spiritual reformation. His advice respecting the
propriety of diminishing the number of prisoners confined together
was speedily attended to. His efforts to procure religious reproof,
instruction, and consolation were not so soon successful; they were,
however, nobly continued, and at length both Protestant and Roman
Catholic chaplains were appointed to the island. But this great object
was not gained without _giving offence_. Strange that any party could
take offence at efforts of this description, and stranger still that
men professing a general regard for religion, and avowedly possessed
of consciences exquisitely tender, and of charity unbounded, should,
notwithstanding, object to the conscientious and charitable efforts in
the cause of religion of which we have just been speaking! However,
these impotent struggles have signally failed, and now there are clergy
both of the English and Roman Church in Norfolk Island, while the moral
condition of the prisoners there is stated to have improved greatly. In
1837 the Rev. Mr. Sharpe was removed thither, at his own request, from
Pitt Town in New South Wales, and his labours and ministrations are said
to have been useful and effectual. But even here, in this effort to save
some of Christ's lost sheep, the unhappy circumstances of our penal
colonies were manifested. When Mr. Sharpe was removed to Norfolk Island,
a larger and more important sphere of usefulness, his little parish
on the Hawkesbury, was for a time left without a pastor. And this
distressing trial is frequently occurring; when illness, or death, or
removal, deprives a parish of its spiritual shepherd, for a time at
least his place is liable to be left vacant, and his people likely
to become as sheep going astray. It appears likewise, from the Report
of the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel, that an
assistant-chaplain for Norfolk Island was appointed in 1841. There have
been two clergymen of the Church of Rome in the island ever since 1838,
an arrangement which was alleged to be necessary, in order that the
chaplain himself might not be deprived of private confession and
absolution.[195] There was no church in the island a few years ago, but
a room in one settlement and a barn in the other were the places where
divine service was regularly attended. Besides the Morning and Evening
Prayers on Sunday, divine service takes place five times during the
week, twice in the gaol, twice in the hospital, and once a week for
those men who are exempt from work, their sentences having expired.
There may, as has been stated, be much hypocrisy in Norfolk
Island,[196] but surely the spirit which was offended at efforts that
have wrought even these changes in a spot of extreme moral and religious
desolation, may, without breach of charity, be pronounced to have been
an unclean and evil spirit. Can this language be justly deemed too
strong, when the facts already stated are borne in mind; when, (to sum
up the whole case in a single example,) it is remembered that in one
year, 1838, the colonial government of New South Wales paid 57,740_l._
11_s._ 3_d._ for its police establishment and gaols, while the very
utmost that was spent in providing religious instruction for _all the
prisoners_ within the limits of the colony amounted, during the same
period, to less than 1000_l._?[197]
[195] The reason given by the Roman Catholic, Dr. Ullathorne, is that
the two priests divide the salary, and receive together no more than the
one chaplain.--ULLATHORNE'S _Reply to Burton_, p. 76. The reader must
bear in mind the different scale of expenses required by a person who
_must_ be single, and that of a person who may be, and generally is,
a married man.
[196] See Committee on Transportation, 1838, pp. 137, 138.
[197] See Burton on Education and Religion in New South Wales,
pp. 287-289. The actual sum there stated is either 725_l._ or 855_l._,
according as certain expenses connected with the establishment are
included or not.
It is stated on good authority,--that of Sir George Arthur, who was
formerly governor of Van Diemen's Land,--that not more than _two_
convicts in every _hundred_ quit the colony and return to England.[198]
The expense and difficulty of procuring a passage home operates as a
sufficient check to prevent this being frequently obtained; nor,
supposing that the English people would act in a kind and christian
spirit towards the most deserving men of this class, would either
they or the nation be losers. If the wives and families of the most
meritorious men could be brought out to them at the public cost, what
reasonable cause of regret would an emancipated convict feel for his
home,--the scene of his crimes and of his disgrace,--in the mother
country? And with respect to the great objection,--the _cost_ of such a
system,--what would that be compared with the advantage which the rapid
increase of an English population in Australia is sure to bring, by
creating fresh demands for our goods and manufactures? If ours were a
wise and understanding nation, if we would spend a portion of our riches
in promoting the morals, the comfort, and the religious instruction of
our outcast population, we might, in numberless instances, turn the very
dregs of our people into means of increasing our prosperity; we might
frequently render those that are now the mere refuse of the earth,
happy, contented, loyal subjects; and the blessings of them that were
ready to perish spiritually would be continually resounding from the far
distant shores of Australia upon that Divine Mercy which would have all
men to be saved, and upon that nation which would thus have offered
itself to be a willing agent and instrument for the furtherance of this
gracious design.
[198] "I think the longer the sentence, the better will be the conduct
of the individual," because his only chance of obtaining any degree of
liberty is from good conduct. See Evidence of J. MacArthur, Esq.,
before the Committee on Transportation in 1837. No. 3350-3, p. 218.
Dr. Ullathorne expresses a contrary opinion.
In the present condition of New South Wales and Van Diemen's Land, with
so large a proportion of their population in bondage, and such slender
means of moral improvement and religious instruction provided for them
by the mother country, it would be unreasonable to hope that the convict
population can be otherwise than very bad. There may be many exceptions;
and at the end of all things here below, it may be found that some of
those poor outcasts, and some of the men who have cast them forth to
perish, and now despise them, may fill, respectively, the places of the
Publican and Pharisee in our Lord's parable; the convict may leave the
throne of judgment justified rather than his master; the poor repentant
criminal may be pardoned, while the proud one,--the self-sufficiency
of the nation, by which he was transported, and left without further
care,--may be condemned. Still, however, the general character of
the convicts is undoubtedly bad; and the various modes of deceit and
dishonesty practised upon their masters, the love of gambling, of strong
liquors, and of every kind of licentiousness prevailing in the penal
colonies, would fill a volume of equal size and interest with that
which is said to be a favourite book in New South Wales,--the Newgate
Calendar. Those that are curious upon these subjects may be referred to
the thick volume in blue cover, which contains an account of the labours
of the Committee upon Transportation, 1837; but when the evidence
therein contained is read, it must be with some grains of allowance;
the avowed object of Sir W. Molesworth's motion for the committee, was
enmity against the whole system of transportation; and a large majority
of those that sat in the committee were, it is believed, of his opinion;
at all events, they belonged to his party in politics. So that, before
justice can be done to the real state of the convicts, we want to have
evidence of an opposite tendency, like that of Mr. Potter Macqueen,
already quoted; and before the question, whether transportation is a
desirable mode of punishing, or a likely means of reforming criminals,
can be fairly decided, inquiry must be made, not respecting what _has
been done_, but respecting what _might have been done_, or _may even yet
be done_, in our penal colonies.
Before the subject of the convict population is dismissed, it may be
well to notice those called _specials_; that is, men of education, and
of a somewhat higher rank in life than the generality of exiles in New
South Wales. These were formerly treated with great consideration; for,
after having passed a short period of probation, they were employed as
clerks to auctioneers or attornies; nay, the instruction of youth was
too often, in default of better teachers, committed into their hands.
Nor was this all. In former times, persons of this description have
been very much connected with the public press; and the enlightened
people of New South Wales have sometimes, it may be feared, been blindly
led by an unprincipled convict, when they imagined that they were wisely
judging for themselves. The reformation of these _specials_ is said to
be more hopeless than that of other prisoners; and very commonly they
are confirmed drunkards. Strange materials these from which to form
instructors for youth, trustworthy agents of private property, or
leaders of public opinion! However, by the progress of emigration, the
influence of these men is now superseded; besides which, they have been
gradually removed from the government offices, and those that now arrive
are employed in hard labour.
[Illustration: CONVEYING CATTLE OVER THE MURRAY, NEAR LAKE ALEXANDRIA.]
CHAPTER XIII.
EMANCIPISTS AND FREE POPULATION.
Respecting the next class of which the population consists in our
penal colonies,--that of emancipists, or persons formerly in bondage as
convicts, they appear to be pretty nearly what might be expected of a
body of men under such circumstances. Although there are many honourable
exceptions to the general rule, yet it would seem to be a general rule
that roguery and industry are usually connected among them; and that
where an emancipist is less inclined to be dishonest, he is more
inclined to be idle and improvident; while it often occurs that both
faults are found together in one person. Of course, it would be vain to
hope that _all_ convicts, or even the majority, perhaps, should become
completely reformed; but it is sickening to the heart that has any
christian feeling, to find descriptions like the following, given by one
amply qualified to judge, of the deplorable moral and social state of
many of those unhappy men after their time of service has expired. "The
newly-arrived convict" (Mr. MacArthur states) "sees examples immediately
before him of men, formerly in the same condition with himself,
wallowing in licentiousness, and possessed of wealth, amassed generally
by dishonest means, which they continue, in many instances, still to
augment, by keeping grog-shops and gambling-houses, by receiving stolen
goods, and by other nefarious practices. This is the general conduct of
the class of emancipated convicts who acquire property, as well as of
some unprincipled adventurers in the class of free emigrants. There are,
however, among the emancipated convicts of property exceptions from this
prevalent depravity; rare, indeed, and on that account the more
honourable."[199] And numberless, in the earlier history of New South
Wales, are the evil consequences which are recorded to have arisen from
the necessity which then existed of employing either convicts, or else
men recently emancipated, in places of the highest trust and importance.
One striking example may suffice; and it is believed that no injustice
is done to the class of men now alluded to, when it is stated that the
guilty parties were persons belonging to that body. Soon after the
departure of Governor Hunter, in 1800, it was discovered that the clerks
who were admitted to the registers of the terms of the transportation of
the convicts, had altered the sentences of nearly 200 prisoners, on
receiving from each a sum equal in value to ten or twelve pounds.[200]
Of these examples the early history of the colony is full; but, in later
years, it may be hoped, that time, and public opinion, and the tide of
emigration, have combined to render the conduct of persons belonging
to this class less generally objectionable than it formerly was. The
greater portion of the shop-keepers, and what may be called the middling
classes in Sydney, were emancipists; and their wealth and influence were
so great, that, during the years 1834, 1835, and 1836, one-fourth of the
jurors who served in the civil and criminal courts belonged to that
body. These persons are often very little educated; and young men
possessed of from 1000_l._ to 2000_l._ a-year in stock, can sometimes
neither read nor write. Cock-fighting, driving, and badger-baiting, are
pursuits that occupy youths of this class very frequently; and a showy,
tawdry style of dress, engages the attention of the young women.
Certainly, it is not of materials of this kind, that the English
constitution would have juries composed; and it is not surprising that
so large a proportion of jurors, who have themselves once stood at the
bar of justice, should be the means of carrying undue partiality for the
guilty into the jurors' box, and also of keeping out of that responsible
station all those who can in any way escape its duties.[201] Respectable
men will not, if they can avoid it, sit in the same box with men who go
in with their minds entirely made up to acquit the guilty, whatever may
be the tenor of the evidence to which they have just been listening,
whatever the sacredness of the oath they have recently taken. If
practical experience is of any real value, then it may safely be
pronounced that men, who are scarcely fit to enjoy the privilege of
sitting upon juries, are certainly at present unprepared for the
introduction of a representative form of legislation and government.
The civil juries of New South Wales have held the scales of justice
uncommonly even, for they have managed to acquit about 50 per cent. of
the persons tried; whereas in Great Britain, and even in Ireland, the
acquittals are 19 per cent., and the convictions 81 per cent. A strange,
but not unaccountable difference, which, so long as it may continue,
will furnish a strong argument of the unfitness of the colony for a
representative assembly. Men that have not the principle to put good
laws into execution, are very ill qualified to make good laws, or to
elect good legislators. And when, to suit party purposes, a clamour is
raised about the injustice of denying fresh "constitutional rights"
to our fellow-subjects in Australia, we may quietly dispose of this
(hitherto absurd and mischievous) claim by referring the very parties
raising it to the accounts published, under the sanction chiefly of men
of their own opinions, respecting the use made of those rights with
which the inhabitants of the penal colonies are already invested. When
the evils of the system of transportation are to be exposed, the truth
may be told respecting the state of the Australian juries;[202] but
why should it not be still declared,--why should not truth _always_ be
told,--even at the hazard of checking "liberal principles," and delaying
representative houses of assembly for the Australian colonies, until the
time when they may know how to use them, so that these may prove a
benefit instead of an evil to them?
[199] Evidence of J. MacArthur, Esq., before the Committee on
Transportation, in 1837, No. 3371-2, p. 220. The richest man in the
colony, an emancipist, was said, in 1837, to be worth 40,000_l._ or
45,000_l._ a year. For an account of the shameless roguery, and drunken
folly, by means of which so vast an income was amassed, see Report of
Transp. Com. 1837, p. 14 and 104.
[200] Barrington's History of New South Wales, p. 421.
[201] For the mode in which the law admitting emancipists into the
jurors' box was passed, see Lang's New South Wales, vol. i. p. 317-320.
"Two absent members of the Legislative Council were known to be opposed
to it. Of those present, the governor (Bourke) and five others were in
favour of it, while six were against it. The governor gave a second and
casting vote."
[202] See Report of Transportation Committee, 1838, p. 31. "A large
proportion of the persons who have appeared and served," as jurors,
"are publicans," to whose houses prosecutors, parties on bail, or
witnesses, resort, for the purpose of drinking, while in attendance
upon the court. Once, when a jury was locked up all night, much foul
and disgusting language was used; and to gain a release from this
association, the disputed point was yielded; "no greater punishment can
be inflicted upon a respectable person than to be shut up with such
people for a few hours, or for the night."
See Burton's Letter, Appendix to Transportation Committee's Report,
1837, p. 301-2. Dr. Lang's book on New South Wales abounds in wretched
puns, but one rather favourable specimen may be given, when, in
allusion to the Englishman's right of being tried by his peers, the
Doctor styles the jurors above described "_the Colonial Peerage!_"
Respecting the last and highest class of society in our penal colonies,
the _free population_, no great deal need be said in particular, since,
except from peculiar circumstances, they are pretty much the same in
character with the bulk of the population in any other country. But
their peculiar circumstances must, in fairness to the class last
mentioned, be briefly noticed. Undoubtedly, without any disrespect to
emigrants, it may be laid down as an acknowledged fact, that hitherto
this class, though it has comprised many excellent, clever, and good
men, has not usually been composed of the flower of the English nation.
Supposing that things are now altered for the better, time was--and that
not many years ago--when "every one that was in distress, and every one
that was in debt, and every one that was discontented," was apt to swell
the tide of emigration to our British colonies in Australia. Upon
arriving there they found a regular system of _caste_ established; and
since as members of the _free_ population they were at once exalted to
the highest places, this was a system which in most cases flattered the
pride of the settlers. Possibly many of the faults of the emancipist
class might be traced to the treatment they have received at the hands
of the free, and these faults react again as causes and excuses for
keeping them at still greater distance than ever. And however natural,
however necessary, a distinction of ranks is and must be in every
society of men, yet nothing can be more unnatural or mischievous than a
system of dividing men into _castes_. Unhappily, this division, the
fruitful source of all kinds of evil feeling, has to a great extent
prevailed in our penal colonies; and nothing, it may be boldly asserted,
except religion will ever root it out. Attempt to continue the exclusive
privilege of _caste_ to the free population, and you sow the seeds of a
servile rebellion. Open your hands to give concessions and privileges to
the emancipists, and you scatter good seed upon the stony rock, you
vainly endeavour to satisfy the daughters of the horse-leech. But infuse
a christian feeling into all classes, get them to meet in the same
church, to kneel at the same table, to partake in the same spiritual
blessings, and then you may hope that all, whether free or emancipists,
will feel themselves to be members of one another, portions of the same
body, held in union of heart and soul by means of the same head; "for by
One Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or
Gentiles, whether we be bond or free, and have been all made to drink
into One Spirit."[203]
[203] 1 Cor. xii. 13.
After all that has been stated respecting the three great classes into
which society in Australia is divided, it need scarcely be added that
the taste displayed by many of the inhabitants of the metropolis of
New South Wales is none of the purest or best. Gay equipages, dashing
horses, tandems, and racers, are among the favourite exhibitions of
the wealth of the emancipist. For music or paintings but little taste
prevails in Sydney, and for books, except those of a very low and
worthless character, there is no great demand. A fine house, a fine
carriage, fine horses, plenty of spirits to drink, appear to be thought
the chief goods of human life; and among persons in every class, the
acquisition of money is the one great object. Indeed this last passion,
the love of gain, can scarcely be mentioned among the perverted habits
by which the Australian colonies are infested, since it seems scarcely
possible that the worship of Mammon can be practised more openly or
carried much further than it is in the mother country. Yet the
temptations to prefer gain to every thing else are unusually strong
in these settlements. Professions have been abandoned because they
are laborious and unprofitable, while clergymen, medical gentlemen,
soldiers, government officers, in short, all classes of men, have made
haste to get rich by holding land and stock. An estate, which originally
cost little or nothing, grows yearly in value, without a penny being
spent upon it; stock speedily increases at very small cost, for there is
abundance of pasture for it; and when the settler finds these means of
gaining wealth opened to him, he is too apt to devote all his thoughts
and energies to this one object. "I have known," says Captain Grey, "an
honourable member of council, and leading magistrate in a colony, take
out a retail licence, and add to his already vast wealth from the
profits of a gin-shop."[204]
[204] Grey's Travels in Western Australia, vol. ii. pp. 192-3.
The evil spirit of covetousness assumes to itself various shapes and
appearances according to varying circumstances; and among the characters
which it calls into life in Australia, that of a _land shark_ is one of
the most remarkable and hateful. When an emigrant arrives at Sydney, he
is able, perhaps after considerable delay, to give notice to Government
of his wish to purchase some desirable spot of land, which is then
selected to be put up to auction; and when it has been duly surveyed,
the sale at last takes place. But to the poor emigrant's astonishment
and disappointment the land, which he has chosen so as not to interfere
with other property, which is unoccupied, and entirely useless both in
a public and private sense,--is bid for, and finally knocked down
to another at an unreasonable price.[205] This other person is a
"land shark," who has gained, perchance, a fortune by regularly attending
sales and buying up land that is known to be desired by another. The
"shark," true to his name, wishes either to get his opposition bought
off by a bribe, or else hopes to sell his bargain at a profit from the
unwillingness of his victim to lose any more time or money in gaining
a settlement, with the risk of meeting, after all, with a second
disappointment. In case of the "shark's" scheme proving unsuccessful,
there is only the small trifle required as earnest of the purchase to be
paid; of course he never completes the engagement, and in due time, in a
year possibly, the land is declared forfeited to the crown again. Such
is the occupation of a "land shark," and it would be well if these and
similar pests of society were confined, like their namesakes of the
ocean, to the more sultry latitudes, but unfortunately they are not
altogether without their antitypes and imitators in Great Britain.
[205] The system of starting from a certain fixed sum per acre, named
"the upset price," and selling land at whatever it will fetch beyond
this, is established in most of the Australian colonies. The fund thus
produced is spent in encouraging emigration and providing labourers.
There is another character, which, if not peculiar to Australia, is
called into being only in those colonies where a large extent of land
in its natural state remains unappropriated to any individuals. The
_squatters_, as they are called, are men who occupy with their cattle,
or their habitations, those spots on the confines of a colony or estate,
which have not as yet become any person's private property. By the
natural increase of their flocks and herds, many of these squatters have
enriched themselves; and having been allowed to enjoy the advantages of
as much pasture as they wanted in the bush, without paying any rent
for it to the government, they have removed elsewhere when the spot was
sold, and have not unfrequently gained enough to purchase that or some
other property. Thus the loneliness, the privations, and the perils of a
pastoral life in the bush, have often gained at length their recompense,
and the squatter has been converted into a respectable settler. But this
is too bright a picture to form an average specimen of the class which
we are describing. Unfortunately, many of these squatters have been
persons originally of depraved and lawless habits, and they have made
their residence at the very outskirts of civilization a means of
carrying on all manner of mischief. Or sometimes they choose spots of
waste land near a high road, where the drays halt to get water for the
night, and there the squatters knock up what is called "a hut." In such
places stolen goods are easily disposed of, spirits and tobacco are
procured in return for these at "the sly grog shops," as they are
called; and in short they combine the evils of a gypsy encampment and a
lonely beer-shop in England, only from the scattered population, the
absence of influential inhabitants, and the deplorably bad characters of
the men keeping them, these spirit shops are worse places than would be
tolerated in this country. It is stated that almost all the men by whom
these resorts of iniquity are kept, are either ticket-of-leave men or
emancipists. It is no easy thing to suppress these people, for the
squatters, like the black natives, can find a home wherever they betake
themselves. And it must be owned, that considerable good has resulted in
many instances from these forerunners of civilization having penetrated
into a district, and learned some of its peculiarities and capabilities
before a settlement in it has been regularly formed. Indeed, it would
have been unjust to have been severe with the poor squatter, and his two
or three sheep and cattle, when it had long been the practice of the
most wealthy landowners in the colony, to send their stock-man with
their hundreds of heads of cattle into the bush, to find support exactly
in the same way, and without paying anything to government. The rich
proprietors have a great aversion to the class of squatters, and not
unreasonably, yet they are thus, many of them, squatters themselves,
only on a much larger scale; nor are they more inclined, in many
instances, to pay rent for their privileges than their more humble
brethren. It would appear to be the fairest and best way of dealing with
these various descriptions of squatters, to endeavour to cut up, root
and branch, the "sly grog shops," and road-side gentry, while the owner
of one sheep, or he that possesses 10,000, should be equally compelled
to pay a trifle to government, in proportion to the number of his stock
grazing in the bush, and should likewise have his location registered.
Some regulations of this kind are, it is believed, proposed, if they
have not by this time been brought into operation; and thus we may hope,
that whatever benefits the system of _squatting_ may have produced,
either as an outlet for restless spirits, or as a means of extending
colonization, may still be retained, while the numerous evils that have
sprung up along with it may be checked or got rid of. Respecting one
thing connected with this subject,--the religious knowledge and
spiritual condition of these inhabitants of the wilderness and their
children, the christian inquirer cannot but feel anxious. The result of
christian anxiety upon this matter cannot be better stated than in the
words of one deeply interested about it, and well qualified to weigh the
subject with all its bearings. After expressing his thanks to that
Divine Providence, which had enabled him, quite alone, to travel through
many miles of country almost without cultivation or visible dwellings,
the Bishop of Australia finishes his account of his visitation westward,
in the year 1841, with the following reflections:--"It would be
impossible for any one, without personal observation, to comprehend from
mere description what a field for future labour is now opening in these
as yet uncultivated, unpeopled tracts which I am continually traversing.
But the time is not far distant when many portions of them will be
thronged with multitudes; and in what manner those multitudes are to
be provided with means of instruction sufficient to retain them in the
christian faith, I am not able to foresee; as yet, no such provision is
made or promised. But when, in passing through these scenes, reflections
such as these have crowded upon me, and I am unable to return a
satisfactory answer to the question, 'How shall this be accomplished?'
I can find no better resource than to silence myself with '_Deus
providebit_;'[206] my trust shall be in the tender mercy of God for ever
and ever."
[206] Jehovah Jireh, that is, "the Lord will see or provide." See
translation in margin of Gen. xxii. 14.
Among the beings which, although not natives of the bush, appear to be
peculiar to the wilds of Australia, the class of men called Overlanders
must not be omitted. Their occupation is to convey stock from market to
market, and from one colony to another. They require, of course, a
certain capital to commence business with, and the courage and skill
that are needful in these enterprises must be very great, so that many
of the overlanders are said to be really men of a superior class. The
love of a roving life, the excitement of overcoming dangers both from
natural causes and from the fierce attacks of the natives, and the
romantic and novel situations in which they are frequently placed,
all combine to render some men exceedingly fond of this occupation,
which has also another strong recommendation, that it is often very
profitable. The magnitude of the adventures thus undertaken would
scarcely be credited, and often a whole fortune is risked in the shape
of cattle driven across the wilderness. One very important route pursued
by the overlanders recently has been in the same direction with Captain
Sturt's daring voyage, namely, from New South Wales to South Australia
by the course of the Murray. An instance is mentioned by Captain Grey of
an overlander who arrived at Adelaide in March 1840 from Illawarra, and
his stock at the end of his journey is reckoned up, and found at a
moderate computation to be worth no less than 13,845_l._[207] And during
fifteen months, including the whole of 1839 and part of 1840, there were
brought by the overlanders from New South Wales into South Australia
11,200 head of horned cattle, 230 horses, and 60,000 sheep, the value of
the whole of which amounted to about 230,800_l._ Importations of stock
immediately add a value to land, for what is the use of pasture without
animals to feed upon it? And indeed so large an introduction of those
primitive riches, flocks and herds, is almost sure to give a spur to
industry, and to assist the increasing prosperity of a rising colony.
Under the influence of this cause it is related that land in Western
Australia, which was bought for 23_l._ an acre in December, 1839, was
sold for 60_l._ an acre in February, 1840. And in other colonies where
overland communication takes place, instead of the cattle being brought
by sea, as in Western Australia, the effect is yet more astonishing.
There is much that is noble to admire in the character of the
overlanders, and their efforts have been productive of great advantage
to our recent colonies; indeed, it is perhaps in a great measure to
their exertions that the very rapid progress of Port Phillip and South
Australia may be ascribed. But there appears to be a certain wildness
about their character, which, while it fits them admirably for the
pursuit which they have chosen, renders them restless and uneasy in more
quiet and domestic spheres. The love of gain, too, is rather more of a
ruling passion with them than it ought to be, but that is a fault by no
means peculiar to the overlanders. Yet it affords a curious comparison
and a fresh proof of our nature being a fallen one, when we come
quietly to contrast the pains taken, the toils endured, and the risks
encountered, in order to supply a colony with "the meat that perisheth,"
against the indifference, feebleness, and apathy, which are exhibited
about the spiritual necessities of its inhabitants. Erect the standard
of worldly profit, and thousands will flock to it, unscared by danger,
unwearied by labour. But, meanwhile, how slow is the banner of the
Church in being unfurled, how few rally around it, when it is displayed;
in short, how much wiser in their generation are the children of this
world than the children of light!
[207] See Grey's Travels in Western Australia, vol. ii. p. 188.
CHAPTER XIV.
STATE OF RELIGION AND EDUCATION IN AUSTRALIA.
The religious state of the inhabitants of the Australian colonies,
especially of the two oldest and most populous settlements, has been so
frequently the subject of allusion in this work, that the reader must
already have become acquainted with its general aspect. Nevertheless,
there are many interesting particulars which have not yet been detailed;
and no subject, surely, can concern more nearly the _mother country_
than the religious condition of her children and offspring. Upon the
mere surface of things, judging from appearances only, the religious
habits of England would seem perhaps to be transferred to the Australian
colonies no less perfectly than its social customs; but, although the
resemblance to our spiritual pride and spiritual ignorance, our needless
divisions and contempt of lawful authority, is perfect enough, except
when it occasionally degenerates into caricature, yet, in points more
deserving of imitation, the likeness between the mother country and her
daughters is not always so striking. Probably it would be difficult to
sum up the matter better than in the words of Bishop Broughton, who
says, "My own opportunities of observation have been very numerous,
and I do not hesitate to say, that, in either colony, surrounded, it
cannot be dissembled, by much that is base and disgusting, there is,
nevertheless, an extensive, and in point of actual influence, a
preponderating proportion of integrity and worth, which, if suitably
encouraged and supported now, there may hereafter spring up a wise and
understanding people to occupy this land."[208]
[208] Letter of the Bishop of Australia to the Society for the
Propagation of the Gospel, dated May 22, 1838.
The way in which the Lord's Day is observed in New South Wales, or Van
Diemen's Land, may serve for an index of the general amount of religious
feeling among many of its inhabitants. Sunday desecration,--despising
the day of rest which the Lord has appointed, is notoriously one of the
first steps which a man is tempted to take in that downward course of
sin which leads him to the penal colonies; and accordingly, it must be
expected that a large quantity of the old leaven should remain working
in the convict population. And especially was this to be anticipated,
when so little pains were taken to teach them better things, for the
absence of religious instruction immediately furnishes an excuse for
disregard of the day of rest, and renders that neglect which was before
inexcusable, in some measure unavoidable. According to Dr. Lang,
religion is but seldom taken into account by the majority of the
colonists in their dealings with their convict-servants. In at least as
many as four cases out of five, he says, that no attention to the day
is paid, but frequently it is spent in weighing out rations, settling
accounts, or paying and receiving visits; while the men, whom it is
contrary to law to set to work on a Sunday, are often allowed to
cultivate ground for themselves, upon the plea that, if they were not so
occupied, they would be doing worse. In the opinion of Judge Burton, the
want of occupation on the Sunday was a cause of many robberies being
committed, and some of the worst crimes that had been brought under his
notice had taken place upon that day. Mr. Barnes says, speaking of the
men at the penal settlement of Macquarie Harbour, "I believe more crime
or wickedness was committed on Sunday, when they were ringing the bell
for church-service, than on any other day of the week." These opinions
are confirmed and strengthened by men of various parties, and different
plans have been proposed. That of increasing the number of churches and
of the clergy is obviously one of the most likely to succeed, but its
success must, in the nature of things, not be very speedy. It was stated
by one witness before the Committee upon Transportation, that, when the
means of public worship have been provided, the convicts should be
regularly mustered and taken to church, which, he thinks, would have a
good effect; but what is really wanted is that they should _come_ to
church, and not merely be _taken_ thither. One member of the Committee
inquired whether all the present churches were filled, and the witness
replied that they were not; but this is rather a proof of the need of
additional religious instruction than an argument against furnishing it.
If among so many souls the few existing places of divine worship are not
all fully occupied, is not this a proof of the desolate state of the
Lord's vineyard in that country? Is not this a sufficient reason for
earnestly endeavouring to increase the number of the labourers in the
vineyard? The heathenism of a considerable portion of a population
nominally christian, manifestly tends to thin the congregations even of
existing churches. But the want of church extension, and the dearth of
ministers, tends to produce and increase this heathenism, and therefore
it indirectly tends to diminish the numbers of the present attendants
upon divine service. And what a mockery, in some instances, has the
so-called divine service hitherto been! The director-general of roads in
Van Diemen's Land, some years ago, chose to place catechists and clergy
under a ban, though there was no great risk of his gangs being much
troubled by them, when they had so many other duties to fulfil. And what
was the system which this wise manager of roads chose to substitute for
the teaching of Christ's ministers? At every road-station, daily,
morning and evening, readings of the sacred Scriptures were established,
and "devotional exercises" were added on the sabbath. Well, but who
officiated? Let Archdeacon Hutchins reply in the very words used by him,
when the matter was brought before the notice of the government in 1837.
"These readings of the Scriptures were performed generally, if not
always, by _some of the very worst of the convicts themselves_,
selected, no doubt, for the purpose, not on account of their wickedness,
but of their abilities. They are the best readers, or the cleverest
fellows; and therefore, amongst rogues, generally the greatest. These
are men by whom, as far as the director is concerned, the seed of
religious knowledge is scattered among the road parties. How far
there may be a rational hope of the Divine blessing accompanying such
endeavours, I leave to be declared by any one possessed of common sense
and some little acquaintance with Scripture."[209] Even Jeroboam, the
son of Nebat, who made Israel to sin, only "made priests of the _lowest_
of the people;" he did not, that we read of, appoint the _vilest_
characters he could find to that office.
[209] See Speech of the Bishop of Tasmania at Leeds, Nov. 28,
1842, p. 16.
The greater part of the settlers in New South Wales and Tasmania have
been derived from those classes, who, in England, except in the rural
districts, have, until recently, been well nigh shut out from their
parish churches; and, in many instances, their mode of life here was
little likely to lead them to a regular attendance upon the public
worship of God, even where there was room for them. But nothing more
surely produces distaste and carelessness in this matter than the total
absence of all regularity respecting it. The truly religious soul,
indeed, when banished by circumstances from the temple of the Lord, is
always inquiring with the royal Psalmist, "When shall I come to appear
before the presence of God?" But the careless man, the worldly-minded
man, indeed the greater part of mankind, it is to be feared, feel no
longing desires of this kind. The further they are removed from the
courts of the Lord's house, the less they think about its blessings, the
less concern they take about religion; so that when an opportunity is
offered them of joining in public worship, it actually is viewed as a
trouble instead of a privilege, and no small pains are taken to escape
from it. For example, it is stated by Mr. Mudie, that when a clergyman
had been able to attend, and divine service was about to commence, upon
his estate, he noticed but few of the convicts there, the rest declining
to come, upon the plea of their being Roman Catholics. But this trick
was of no avail, for their master, being satisfied that they merely
wanted to escape attendance, and to employ the opportunity thus afforded
them of prowling about and thieving, insisted upon all these Romanists
coming up and sitting outside the building in which the others were
assembled. The next time the clergyman came, they were all Protestants.
But in what a wretched state of depravity must men be who can thus
deliberately tell a lie, in order to avoid joining in the worship of
the Lord their Maker!
To provide for the spiritual wants of our penal colonies would be, under
the most favourable circumstances, no easy matter; and in the actual
condition of affairs, it is a most difficult and discouraging task. For
not only are the ordinary obstacles arising from man's fallen nature to
be surmounted, but the effect of unusually evil influence and bad
example is to be counteracted in a convict population. And far from
opposing this mischievous spirit by "endeavouring to keep the unity of
the spirit in the bond of peace," professing believers are nowhere more
at variance than in Australia; so that the work of turning the hearts of
the disobedient to the wisdom of the Just is perpetually being disturbed
by strife and jealousies among those who ought to be one, even as Christ
and the Father are One. There, as it has been well observed, "the Church
stands upon her own merits, her own divine right; there all the attested
grievances of the Dissenters, secular and political, are removed; no
tithes, no church-rates, no exclusive state support." And yet there, it
may be added, the fierce contentious spirit which rages in England is
unchanged in character, and the way of the Church is just as evil spoken
of in New South Wales as in the mother country. The only grievance the
dissenters can complain of now in Australia is that assistance is
afforded to the Church to a larger amount than they would like. But
this is grievance enough for them to raise an outcry about. And hence
arise fresh hindrances to the progress of true religion in these
settlements. There are other spirits besides the unclean spirits of
infidelity and iniquity which the Church has here to contend against.
The language of a very zealous and active clergyman of Australia is
this:--"Give us clergy and churches, and I will ensure congregations and
a vast spread of the gospel in the Church of Christ by means of the
Church of England."[210] But, so pitiable is the effect of religious
strife, that rather than allow the necessary means to be given for
this purpose, many would be content to leave things in their present
miserable state; and although, as in the mother country, the majority of
the population belong to the Church of England, yet the minority, in all
its little sections, unite in grudging every effort that is permitted,
every single pound that is spent, by the government in aid of the
Church. There is no communion that can pretend to lay claim to the
religious instruction of the people; it would be too absurd to propose
that the English nation should entrust the religious training of a
colony, like that of New South Wales,[211] containing upwards of 70,000
persons belonging to the national Church, into the hands of the
Presbyterians, with their 13,153 souls, or into those of the Methodists
and other dissenters, with their 5,093 souls, or even to the Romanists,
with their 35,690 souls! And accordingly, since it was hopeless to get
this important and responsible office exclusively for themselves, all
parties really would seem to have conspired together to keep it, at all
events, from falling into the possession of that body to which it of
right belongs,--the national Church of England and Ireland,--a Church
which the Presbyterians do not generally deny to be scriptural, and
which the Romanists, by their peculiar hostility, proclaim to be, in
the best and oldest meaning of the word, essentially Protestant. Under
feelings of this description, the Roman Catholics, and their
"Presbyterian brethren," (as they can condescend to call them when it
answers their purpose,)[212] have been acting in Australia for some
years past; and, aided by the potent force of agitation upon a
government which "cared for none of these things," except how it might
"please the people," they have been successful. Spurning the very name
of toleration, and despairing of exclusive establishments for their
own communion, they have succeeded in giving birth to a system of
joint-establishment for three communions of Christians, and
encouragement and assistance for as many more as the government may see
fit to patronise. In 1836, the system which now continues in operation
was commenced by Sir R. Bourke, then Governor of New South Wales, who,
in proposing this plan, expressed a confident hope, (which has never yet
been fulfilled,) that thus people of different persuasions "would be
united together in one _bond of peace_." It is pitiable to see a
fellow-creature, and him, too, a man in authority, borrowing an
expression from a passage of Holy Scripture, (Eph. iv. 3,) while he is
at the very time forgetting the duty there enforced. The eye that
glances upon the words "bond of peace," must be very careless or very
wilful, if those other words, "unity of Spirit," or the words below, in
the following verses of the same chapter, altogether escape its notice.
The principal features of the new system are these. It affords
assistance in money towards building a church or chapel, and a
dwelling-house for the minister, in all cases where not less than
300_l._ have been raised by private subscriptions. It provides a stipend
for the support of _ministers of religion_, upon certain conditions, at
the rate of 100_l._ per annum, where there is a population, of 100 adult
persons, (including convicts,) who shall subscribe a declaration stating
their desire to attend his place of worship, and shall be living
within a reasonable distance of the same. If 200 adults in similar
circumstances sign the declaration, a stipend of 150_l._ is granted; and
if 500 persons sign it, the stipend is 200_l._--the highest amount ever
granted towards the support of any one officiating teacher of religion.
In places where there are less than 100 adults ready to subscribe, or
where there is no church or chapel yet erected, the governor may
contribute a stipend not exceeding 100_l._ per annum, but in the latter
case 50_l._ must be promised also from private sources. A certain
proportion of free sittings, (one-fourth, according to Lang, at least
one-sixth part, according to Burton,) is to be reserved in each
building. Such are the principal points of the system, and, according
to the governor's regulations, the assistance thus offered is limited
chiefly to the Church of England, the Church of Rome, and the Scottish
Kirk, which "three grand divisions of Christians"[213] are thus made, in
fact, the three established communions of New South Wales.
[210] Letter of Rev. W. H. Walsh to S. P. G., dated October 6th, 1840.
[211] In Van Diemen's Land, in 1838, it was stated that sixteen out of
every twenty-three persons, nearly two-thirds, belonged to the Church
of England. Bishop of Australia's Letter to S. P. G., dated August 18,
1838.
[212] See the Memorial of the (Roman) Catholic Inhabitants of New
South Wales to Lord Normanby. Burton on Education and Religion.
Appendix, p. 117.
[213] Sir Richard Bourke's Letter to the Right Hon. E. G. Stanley,
September 30th, 1833. Sir Richard, in his haste or his ignorance, has
overlooked the Greek Church.
Undoubtedly good has resulted from the enactment of this law in 1836,
for before that there were scarcely any means open of obtaining help
towards religious instruction, whereas certain means are open now, and
have been very much used. Yet because some good has resulted in this
way, the evil spirit and wretched tendency of the measure must not be
overlooked. All the good that has resulted might have been obtained
without any of its accompanying evil, if a perfect toleration had been
established, the National Church properly endowed, and a sufficient
supply of Roman Catholic priests or Presbyterian teachers for the
convict population of those persuasions liberally supported by
government, as in the gaols in Ireland. In this case, the poor convict,
who is not permitted to possess money, would have had the consolations
of religion, however imperfect, offered to him in his own way, while the
free settler would have had the doors of the national Church opened to
him, or the liberty, in case of his dissenting from that, of providing
for himself a separate conventicle. Where would have been the hardship
of this arrangement? Or why should the _voluntary system_, which is, in
the northern hemisphere, so highly extolled by many Irish Romanists and
not a few Presbyterians, in the southern, be thought a punishment and
degradation? Thus, "not only has equal protection,--for God forbid that
we should ever repine at equal protection,--but equal encouragement been
given by government to every description of religious faith, and every
denomination of professing Christians, in some of the most important
dependencies of the British crown."[214] Is not this, it may be asked,
the very course which a mild and tolerant _heathen_ government would
pursue? And is the same policy, which would probably be followed by
heathen rulers, either right or expedient in rulers professing
themselves to be Christians?
[214] Bishop of Exeter's Charge in 1837.
Certainly, whatever other arrangements might have been adopted, those
that have been made are faulty in principle; and this is true, although
it be confessed that some good has arisen from them, since through them
an increased supply of religious teaching has been afforded to the
colonists, however reluctantly wrung from the government in behalf of
the Church of England. The faultiness of principle in these arrangements
is thus stated by the present Bishop of Australia, a man well fitted to
the responsible station which he fills in Christ's Church. "By the
government plan of aid," he observes, "encouragement is given to the
lax and dangerous opinion, that there is in religion nothing that is
either certain or true. The government virtually admits that there is no
divinely-instituted form of church-membership, or of doctrine, otherwise
that one would in preference receive its support. The consequence is
that the most awful truths of Christianity, which have been acknowledged
and preserved in the Church from the beginning, are now frequently
spoken of as merely sectarian opinions, to which no peculiar respect is
due."[215] The Roman Catholics hailed this measure with delight, for
what to them can be a greater triumph or a more gratifying spectacle
than to behold a great Protestant nation, inquiring, as Pilate did,
"What is truth?" The Presbyterians, likewise, and Protestant Dissenters,
were not behind their brethren of Rome (though there were fewer voices
to join the shout) in greeting so exquisitely liberal a measure, which
is actually founded upon some of their favourite notions respecting the
harmlessness of divisions, the total invisibility of the Church, and the
hatefulness of "a dominant episcopacy." The rejoicings which were to be
heard in quarters apparently so opposite boded no good from the measure
to the Church of England; and, certainly, from the strange way in which
this law has been carried into operation, so far as that communion is
concerned, the Government are not to be thanked for any favourable
results that have followed. Through the activity of the members of our
Church, both at home and in Australia, an increased supply of churches
and of clergy has indeed been obtained; but this has, in most instances,
literally been wrung from the ruling powers; while the only boon
that was freely given,--a most valuable boon, it is willingly
acknowledged,--was the appointment of a bishop instead of an archdeacon.
However, the value of the boon thus obtained was lessened by the
disregard shown by Government to the wants of the Church in Australia.
The Bishop returned from England, after his consecration in 1836,
_alone, without being accompanied by a single clergyman_, because, while
Roman Catholic priests and Presbyterian teachers were still eligible to
receive, and did receive, the aid of government, the Church of England
was to remain as it was, notwithstanding its pressing wants and
increasing numbers. All allowances towards the expense of the passage,
or residence, or means of support for any additional clergymen, were
refused. During five years, from 1832 to 1836, the number of chaplains
continued to be the same, except in 1833, when there were only fifteen
instead of sixteen in the estimates; and this was not because no
increase was needful,--for when an outfit of 150_l._, and a yearly
salary of 50_l._ were generously furnished to twenty clergymen by the
Society for the Propagation of the Gospel, in consequence of the extreme
necessity of the case, every one of these were instantly employed. A
subscription, amounting to 3,000_l._ was at this time raised in England
in behalf of the Church in Australia, and when the Government perceived
that public opinion was awakened in its favour, and that they had
succeeded in giving their friends and supporters a tolerably good start,
they at length agreed, with the tact peculiar to them, to place the
Church of England (at least nominally) upon the same footing with the
two other "grand divisions of Christians."
[215] Bishop of Australia's Letter to the Society for the Propagation
of the Gospel, August 18, 1838.
Now, therefore, the same assistance in outfit, and the same amount of
salary proportioned to the numbers of the congregation, are awarded,
according to the Act, to the teachers of each of these three divisions.
And thus, as Sir R. Bourke informs Lord Glenelg, in 1837, ministers
of the Church of England have been forthcoming to "answer (in many
instances) the calls of congregations of their communion;" while, as a
matter of course, where no call is heard, no answer is attempted to be
given. How very opposite is this modern idea of _the sheep calling the
shepherd to them_, from that pattern set before us by the good Shepherd,
who "came to seek and to save that which was lost!" But still, though
nominally upon an equality with the others, it is distressing to find
how hard a measure has been dealt to the Church in New South Wales; how
studiously every petty advantage that could be taken has been taken of
it by a Government calling itself liberal and impartial. A few instances
of this shall be given, which may serve to show how our brethren in the
colonies have been treated, and how we should ourselves be treated, if
dissent and Romanism could get the upper-hand in our native country; for
then, at the very best, the clergy would be placed, as they now are in
Australia, "in a state of dependence upon two unstable supports;--the
will of Government, and the disposition of the people."[216] At present,
the latter is favourable enough in Australia; but the good-will of the
Government towards the Church has been indeed strangely shown within the
last few years. When the other communions and persuasions in the colony
had nearly, if not altogether, provided themselves with the number of
ministers that the law would allow them, while the wants of the Church
remained, to a great extent, unsupplied, advantage was taken of an
expression in a letter of the governor, Sir George Gipps,[217] and a
limitation was imposed upon the government assistance by Lord Normanby,
which operated exclusively to the hurt of the Church of England. In a
like spirit it was that the governor of New South Wales refused to
consider as private contributions for schools either sums granted by the
societies in England, or by their diocesan committee in New South Wales;
although, in both instances, the money was raised entirely by private
subscription. The inconvenience, delay, and disappointment which this
one arbitrary rule occasioned were astonishing; and to those who took
delight in balking the efforts and thwarting the good works of our
Church, it must have been very gratifying. So, too, must the refusal, in
1841, of a piece of land for a site of a church and parsonage in the
wild district on the banks of the Morrumbidgee, containing 1,200 souls,
dispersed about over a very extensive range of country.
[216] See Bishop of Australia's Charge in 1841, p. 10.
[217] On November 9th, 1838, Sir G. Gipps wrote to Lord Glenelg, stating
that "he was happy to say there was no want in the colony of clergy of
_any denomination_!" It was only in December 1837 that the Bishop of
Australia had requested eighteen or nineteen _presbyters of the Church
of England_ for as many places as had actually complied with the
government rules, and not more than half the number had, in the interim,
been supplied.
Another example of similar conduct has occurred since the change of
ministry at home, which would, it might have been hoped, have infused a
better feeling into the colonial authorities. At the end of 1841, the
Bishop proposed to erect, in certain spots, small wooden churches, as
the only means of obtaining churches at all; trusting, that after these
had stood forty or fifty years, they might be replaced by buildings of
a higher and more lasting character. The average cost of these humble
little buildings was to be from 100_l._ to 120_l._; and they were
intended for very poor districts; but since the outlay did not amount
to 300_l._, the Government would give nothing, and no effort was made
to introduce a modification of the law (supposing that to have been
needful) in order to meet such cases. Instances to the same effect might
easily be multiplied. In New South Wales land is comparatively cheap,
and a horse is an indispensable necessary for a clergyman; but no part
of the government grant is allowed to be spent in purchasing more than
an acre for the site of a church, and half an acre for a house and
garden. "To extend the latter allowance to any quantity of land from
which an income might be derived, would increase the emoluments of the
minister, at the public expense, beyond what the Act contemplates;" so
the Bishop of Australia was assured by official authority in 1836. But
enough of these miserable instances of state-peddling in ecclesiastical
establishments. "There is no semblance," to use Mr. Gladstone's words,
"in any part of these arrangements, of a true and sound conception of
the conscientious functions of government in matters of religion."[218]
May we venture to hope that the present ministry, of which the writer of
the above is a distinguished member, may exhibit in their conduct and
arrangements, both in the colonies and at home, a more sound and true
conception of their duty than was ever shown by their predecessors? Such
hopes, undoubtedly, are entertained by a portion of the British public,
not unimportant either in numbers or in moral and political influence.
Nevertheless, the zealously attached members of the Church of England
need not to be reminded of a truth which is frequently brought before
them in the circle of its daily service. They know that "it is better to
trust in the Lord than to put any confidence in princes." They are sure
that, if theirs is a living branch of Christ's Holy Catholic Church,
many a weapon will be formed against it, but yet "no weapon that is
formed against it shall prosper."
[218] Gladstone's State in its Relations with the Church, chap.
vii. p. 272.
It would be wearying to the reader to attempt to enter into the same
details respecting schools as have been stated with regard to churches.
The fate of the Church and School Corporation has elsewhere been
related.[219] Suffice it to say, then, that the same spirit of hostility
or indifference has been equally exhibited in both cases; indeed, it
would be strange if the bitter enemies, and feeble or false friends of
that system of religious instruction which is carried on among the adult
population by our national Church, were not alike vigorous in their
opposition, or impotent in their friendship, to the system of religious
training among the infant population which is wrought out by our
national schools. However, in mentioning the subject of schools, the
unsuccessful attempt of the Government, in 1836, to saddle the colony of
New South Wales with schools conducted upon the modern Irish system,
must not be left unnoticed. On this occasion, it may be observed, the
Presbyterian, Independent, Baptist, and Wesleyan "denominations of
Christians," were actually forced to leave, for a while, their liberal
friends and allies of the Church of Rome, and to seek the assistance,
and rejoice in the strength of the "exclusive" and "dominant" Church of
England. It is really curious to observe these various sects seeking out
the Bishop of Australia, and requesting him to preside at their meeting
in opposition to the proposed measure; and since, although he disagreed
with them in a matter not then at issue, namely, the need of creeds and
catechisms in imparting religious instruction, nevertheless, as he
agreed entirely with them in the matter which was at issue,--the
propriety and necessity of using the Holy Scriptures in religious
teaching,--he complied with their request, presided at their meeting,
and signed their petition. He also presented a petition from himself on
the same subject; for the Government had so contrived to shuffle between
the Archdeacon and the Bishop, that Dr. Broughton, who had very recently
been consecrated, could, just at the time when the education scheme
was to have passed, claim a seat in the legislative council in neither
capacity. It so happened, that by an official neglect at the
Colonial-office in London, no patent, including the Bishop as a member,
had been forwarded to New South Wales; so when he reached Sydney, he
found himself excluded from his seat in the council during the whole
time in which this matter was under discussion there. The plan appeared
to be successful; 3,000_l._ was devoted towards establishing the new
scheme, and an honoured name, that of "National Schools," was pilfered,
and bestowed upon those that were projected in Sydney. But, in this
instance, high principle and popular feeling were united against the
Irish scheme; and as it began with a blunder at the Colonial-office, so
it proved to be little better than a blunder throughout. The schools
proposed were never established; and since that time the Roman Catholics
have made a different sort of attempt to gain educational power, by
obtaining separate sums for their own schools, and swamping the members
of the Church of England, under the honourable but much abused
appellation of Protestants, in the general quagmire of heresy and
schism. However, this second effort, which was made with the sanction
of the Government, was defeated chiefly (under Providence) by the zeal
and ability of the Bishop; and whoever is desirous of seeing a noble
specimen of clear reasoning and manly eloquence, will be gratified and
improved by reading the Bishop of Australia's speech upon the occasion
of this scheme having been proposed by Sir George Gipps in the
legislative council. Certainly, when we consider how admirably
Bishop Broughton demolished Sir George Gipps's scheme, we must own
that the tact was very acute,--or at least the _mistake_ rather
_suspicious_,--which shut him out of the legislative council when
Governor Bourke's plan was in agitation.
[219] See the latter part of Chapter XI.
Besides the schools assisted by Government for the education of the
lower orders, there are, of course, many private schools in the
Australian colonies; and it is believed that these important
establishments are no longer so commonly under the direction of men
that have been convicts as they formerly were. Undoubtedly, one who
has been transported _may_, perchance, turn out afterwards to be a good
instructor of youth, but what christian parent would willingly risk his
child's religious and moral progress upon a chance, a possibility, of
this kind? The King's School at Paramatta is an excellent establishment,
founded and conducted upon the principles of the Church of England.
Sydney College is another well-conducted school, but its principles are
more open to objection. "It is to be believed," as has been remarked,
"that a desire to gain the support of men of all religious principles,
led to the Sydney College being founded on none;" and it was scarcely
possible to fall into a greater error than that of passing almost
unnoticed the one thing needful. It is true, that prayers are used daily
in this school, and there seems, from Judge Burton's account of it, to
be much that is good and praiseworthy in its management and details. But
a school where the children of Protestants, Roman Catholics, and Jews,
meet together, must be, at best, an odd jumble; and the religious
tendency of such an education must be very questionable.
The Australian College is said by Dr. Lang, its founder, to be the
most promising establishment in New South Wales, being more likely to
resemble in course of time a small university or college in Europe than
the others are. It is chiefly in the hands of the Presbyterians, and
appears to be a thriving and well-conducted school of general learning.
Religious instruction is not neglected, but all this department of
education is arranged in a vague and general way, so as to avoid as much
as possible disputed points; and if parents or guardians object to
children receiving this kind of instruction at all, these pupils are
allowed to withdraw at the times when it is given. If no essential
points of Christianity had ever been brought into dispute, it might
have been wise to avoid those unessential points that had been; or if
religion were a matter of indifference or secondary consequence, then it
might be well to provide for pupils withdrawing beyond the reach of its
voice. But since neither of these suppositions are true, the system of
the Australian College cannot be recommended. It may be very _liberal_.
It is not very _wise_. But it is hard to say when we have reached the
extremity of any opinions. The plan of the Australian College is far too
narrow and confined for some choice spirits of New South Wales; and
accordingly the Normal Institution, as it is pompously designated, has
been formed by a seceder from the first-named establishment. It is said
to be tolerably flourishing, and no wonder, for it offers a very fair
_secular_ education, and this is sufficient for the children of this
world,--unhappily, no insignificant or small class either in New South
Wales or elsewhere. But the christian reader will be satisfied of the
sandy foundation on which the Normal Institution is raised, when he
glances over the following extracts from its original prospectus. The
pupils are to be afforded "every facility and abundant materials for
forming opinions of their own,"--young children, instead of being
brought to Christ, are to be allowed (if they can) to find their way to
Him. The prospectus says, "Till the mind has formed religious opinions
of its own, grounded on a wide range of religious knowledge, the
profession of religion is meaningless, if not incalculably pernicious."
Our Lord's words are, "Except ye be converted and become as little
children, ye cannot enter into the kingdom of heaven." But it is vain to
quote the words of Scripture to men who will make professions like this:
"To inculcate any given set of religious tenets, or to teach any given
set of religious text-books, would be to lend my labours to a party
whilst I profess to labour for mankind." As though, forsooth, we could
ever labour more advantageously for mankind than when we try to persuade
them, from their very tenderest years, to believe in the Bible and to
belong to the church of God!
It is the expressed opinion of the highest authority in the church of
Australia, that New South Wales, which is certainly the farthest
advanced of all our colonies there, is not yet ripe for the
establishment of a regular college, resembling our ancient and venerated
English universities. But this most important object has not been lost
sight of; and while a grammar-school has recently been opened in St.
James's parish in Sydney, and another is projected at Newcastle, both of
which are intended to form a nursery for the future college, the means
of providing this last are beginning to accumulate. Mr. Thomas Moore, of
Liverpool, in New South Wales, who died in 1840, has left the site of
his house in Liverpool, with ground adjoining, together with 700 acres
of land, in trust towards the establishment of a college in immediate
and exclusive connexion with the Church of England and Ireland. This
bequest, in itself insufficient for the proposed purpose, will yet serve
for a foundation to begin upon; 3,000_l._ were voted in January, 1840,
by the Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge to advance the same
good object, and it is expected that the fund will increase and gather
strength before the time shall have arrived when it will be thought
advisable to commence the college. A new school, attached to the Church
of England, is also about to be begun in Van Diemen's Land. It is to be
called Archdeacon Hutchins's school, being intended by its promoters for
a lasting and useful memorial of their respect for the late lamented
Archdeacon of Van Diemen's Land. In the last published account of this
undertaking, it is stated that about 850_l._ was subscribed for this
purpose, but at least 2,000_l._ will be wanted. Our noble Society for
Promoting Christian Knowledge, ever active in advancing the glorious
purpose for which it was formed, has contributed 100_l._ towards this
school, which is to be built at Hobart Town. And it may be observed,
that henceforth Van Diemen's Land will demand even more spiritual care
and assistance than the elder colony; for by recent arrangements, the
transportation of criminals to New South Wales has altogether ceased,
and Van Diemen's Land is now the only colony to which convicts are
conveyed.[220]
[220] For the particulars here stated, see the Report of the Society
for Promoting Christian Knowledge, for 1842, pp. 56-64.
A census of the population of New South Wales was taken on the 2d of
March, in the year 1841, and the general result of this is here added
for the satisfaction of the reader. In the whole colony, including its
various dependencies, but exclusive of Van Diemen's Land,[221] the
total of inhabitants was 130,856, of which number 43,558 were females,
and 87,298 males, being as nearly as possible two to one in favour of
the latter. The number of houses, mostly built of wood, was 16,776,
nearly in the proportion of eight inhabitants to each house. The return
of the various religious persuasions was as follows:--Church of England,
73,727, forming a clear majority upon the whole population. Scotch Kirk,
13,153, forming about a tenth of the whole amount of the inhabitants of
New South Wales. Members of the Church of Rome, 35,690, being rather
more than one-fourth of the population. Protestant Dissenters, including
Wesleyans, 5,093, making about one-twenty-sixth of the whole. Jews, 856,
Mahometans and Pagans, 207. Of the inhabitants of New South Wales in
1841, 101,749 were returned as free, while 26,977 were in bondage.[222]
In 1836, there was about one and three-quarters free to one bond, while
in 1841, there were four free to one bond, the proportion of free to the
whole population having gained sixteen per cent. in the five years.
Henceforth, from the natural increase by births, from the influx of
emigrants, and the stoppage of transportation, the advance will be much
more rapid. The population of Sydney was, in 1841, no less than 29,973
souls; of these, 16,505 were returned as members of the Church of
England; 8,126 belonged to the Romish Church; 3,111 were members of the
Scotch Kirk; 1,707 were Protestant Dissenters; 462 were Jews; and 62
Mahometans and Pagans. It will be seen, that in the population of the
metropolis of the colony, the proportions of the various religious
opinions are not very materially different from those in the whole
of New South Wales, except that the number of Roman Catholics and
Dissenters are greater, as they usually are in large towns, and that in
Sydney the Romanists have increased, whilst in the colony generally they
have diminished since the last census.
[221] "It has been found impossible to state accurately the present
population of Tasmania. No information could be obtained at the
well-known colonial publisher's (Cross's) in Holborn."
[222] These numbers are copied from a Sydney newspaper, but from some
difference in the elements of calculation, possibly from not including
the population of Norfolk Island, they do not quite tally with those
given above.
A few words may not be out of place, in a work descriptive of the
Australian colonies, upon the subject of emigration, but so much has
been written upon this matter, that a very few words may suffice to give
the opinions of those who are practically acquainted with the subject.
Undoubtedly, active, industrious, and prudent persons, are likely to
prosper in Australia to a degree which is impossible, and scarcely
credible, in Great Britain. No doubt, Providence has in these, and in
our other colonies, given England a means of letting its surplus
population escape in a way that shall not be merely safe, but even
profitable, to the mother country, as well as to the emigrants
themselves. The average consumption of English manufactures by the
Australian colonists, has recently been stated to amount to ten guineas
a-head, while that of the inhabitants of the European countries is only
two shillings.[223] And what true-born Englishman would refuse to
rejoice in the increased demand thus likely to be opened for our
manufactures, and in the increased prosperity of our fellow-subjects on
the other side of the globe, who are thus enabled to supply their own
wants, by purchasing English goods? The objections which we hear
occasionally urged against emigration amount, with one important
exception, to little or nothing. The distance and long voyage, the risk
of not succeeding, the impossibility now of pig-drivers and convicts
becoming masters of many thousands a-year,[224] the paramount necessity
of patient industry and prudent forecast in Australia, no less than in
the rest of the world,--all these circumstances offer no reasonable
hindrance to the emigrant's attempt, either to better his condition, or
else to get that daily bread which in England he finds difficult to be
obtained. And, whatever obstacles of this kind may at first deter him,
the careful settler will soon find himself victorious over these, and
more comfortably situated, in a worldly sense, than he ever before was.
[223] See the speech of Mr. C. Buller in the House of Commons, on
Thursday, April 6th, 1843, upon the subject of colonization.
[224] See Evidence before Committee on Transportation in 1837, p. 41.
_In a worldly sense_, it is said, because, unhappily, there is one great
objection to all emigration, belonging to it of necessity, which, in the
English colonies, and not least so in Australia, has been fearfully
increased and needlessly aggravated. The want of religious instruction
in newly-peopled countries, and among a widely-scattered and pastoral
population, must needs be grievous, even under the most favourable
circumstances. And if these countries are used as penal settlements, the
want is likely to be still more deplorable. But the evil is inflamed to
the utmost degree, when, as in Australia during the earlier years of its
colonial history, little provision of any kind is made for the spiritual
need of the people, or when, as in the same country in later years, "a
system is pursued which would seem to indicate an utter indifference on
the part of those who dispense the national treasure, whether truth
or falsehood shall characterise the religious creeds of any of the
colonists."[225] And thus, while the sum total of religious provision
is very insufficient, that little is divided in a kind of scramble among
various parties, so that Irish Roman Catholics, who cry up the voluntary
system at home, are tempted to glory in being one of "the three
established communions" in New South Wales; and Scotch Presbyterians,
who profess extreme ardour for the American system of "leaving every
religious denomination to support its own ministers," find in Australia
assistance from Government (or even from a clergyman of the Church of
England)[226] very convenient, and "a' vera weel," as the cannie Scots
say. With so much irreligion, so small and so miserably divided a power
to oppose it, as we behold in Australia, the great question with every
one proposing to emigrate is, whether he can take that step without
probable spiritual loss; and at this price he would find all worldly
gain too dearly bought. There are many places in our colonies, it is
true, where a person may use (or, if he pleases, neglect) the means of
grace, exactly as at home; and against these spots the objection now
urged would not at all weigh. But before any one removes himself into
the wilderness, or far away from any place of worship, except the chapel
of the Roman Catholic or the meeting of the separatist, he should be
well rooted and grounded in the faith of his fathers. And supposing him
to be so, what real patriot could wish a man of this kind to emigrate!
How ill can England spare out of any rank of life such persons as these!
Before emigration can become as general and respectable as it ought
to be, _religion_ must be made its groundwork; and religion, to be
successful in doing the work of Christ in the hearts of men, must not
consist in that modern jumble of denominations, which pretends to the
name, but must teach its doctrines by means of the ministrations of the
"Church of the Living God," which is the pillar and ground of the truth.
When this foundation has been laid, then can the conscientious churchman
zealously promote emigration, and not before. And if it should never be
laid, still, whatever may be his fears for weak brethren, or his value
for more steadfast fellow-members of Christ, influencing him to avoid
the responsibility of advising them to quit the home of their fathers,
the faithful churchman will be under no alarm whatever, respecting the
stability of the branch planted by his mother-church in Australia. Nor
yet will he grudge all other denominations (unless they be blasphemous
or immoral,) the most complete toleration. Nay, were it not for the
mischief that would arise to Christianity and to the souls of men, they
might be welcome to all the support and patronage of the State; and if
they obtain it all, even then we fear them not; indeed it is our duty
to pity them, to love them, to pray for them as brethren. Whatever
may be the fate either of Australia or England, the lot of Christ's
Church--that visible Church of His which was founded upon the first
preaching of Peter both to the Jews and to the Gentiles--is fixed and
determined:--it is firmly built upon a rock, and "the gates of hell
shall not prevail against it."
[225] See the Bishop of Exeter's Charge in 1837.
[226] Compare Dr. Lang's New South Wales, vol. ii. pp. 375, 288;
and Burton on Education and Religion in New South Wales, p. 13.
R. CLAY, PRINTER, BREAD STREET HILL.
* * * * *
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