Narrative of a Visit to the Australian Colonies/Chapter 6
CHAPTER VI.
With the exception of holding a meeting with a road party at a place called Robleys Barn, and another with the inhabitants of Clarence Plains, in a school-house, on the east side of the Derwent, we remained in Hobart Town till the 25th of 9th month. In the mean time, a few persons began to meet with us frequently for public worship; among these was a member of our Society, who came out to the Swan River, but not succeeding there, proceeded to V. D. Land, and took up his residence in Hobart Town, where he has not found it easy to obtain a livelihood. At the conclusion of one of our meetings, a young man informed me, that he felt burdened in mind from not having expressed something that had impressed him, believing that he ought to have communicated it. I therefore requested the company again to take their seats; and he proceeded in a humble but feeling manner, to comment on the declaration of Christ, "My yoke is easy and my burden is light;" saying, he had felt it so, when he had waited on the Lord for strength; but that when he had attempted in his own will and strength to perform religious acts, he had become burdened by them. At another time, after I had made some remarks on the advantage of allowing the mind to dwell under the influence of the Holy Spirit, in silence, after vocal supplication, a good old Wesleyan observed, that the remarks reminded him of the expressions in the parable of the Sower, "Immediately Satan cometh and taketh away that which was sown." This, he said, he had often noticed to be the case, in passing immediately from religious exercises to conversation, without taking time to dwell under the impressions produced.
25th. Having received the sanction of the Lieutenant Governor, to visit the Establishment for the Aborigines on Flinders Island (Great Island, of Maps) in Bass's Straits, we embarked in the Charlotte Cutter, John Thornloe, a young man from Doncaster, commanding her for the voyage. The little cabin was in such confusion when we went on board, that during much of the day, which was wet, we could do little to advantage but stand still and exercise patience, till others got their luggage out of the way. In the evening the cutter drifted against the Challenger Man-of-war, in the dark. Without discovering, so far as we could make out, that the Cutter was a Government vessel, the officers and men on board that ship, exerted themselves with civility and kindness, and cleared us without cutting a rope.
26th. Early in the morning we sailed, and in the evening, passed Cape Raoul or Basaltes, a magnificent mass of perpendicular basaltic columns, forming the south west point of Tasmans Peninsula.
27th. We put into Port Arthur, a penal settlement lately formed to receive prisoners from one, recently given up on Maria Island.—The Clarence bound for England put in here to-day, to deliver up three prisoners, found on board after sailing from Hobart Town; who had stowed themselves away in the hope of escaping.—Port Arthur is much of the same character as Macquarie Harbour, but being newly formed, it is less organized.—Allowing such of the prisoners as conducted themselves well at this place, a few square yards of ground for gardens, and a small quantity of tea and sugar, had a very beneficial influence upon their conduct, but these indulgences being considered incompatible with the rigid nature of the discipline intended to be maintained at such stations, were after a time withdrawn.
28th. We again proceeded on our voyage, but got to sea with great difficulty. At one time the cutter "missed stays." Though little of a sailor, I saw the only alternative was to get way upon the vessel, by running directly toward a rock near us, and on which there was a danger of being wrecked, and then to try again. The commander of the vessel, though an intrepid young man, had turned pale with fear, but on my promptly pointing out the possibility of escape by this means, he recovered his courage, and made the effort, which proved successful; the vessel answered her helm, and we glided safely past the point of impending of danger. In the course of the day we rounded Cape Pillar and Tasmans Island, which is also of columnar basalt, and in the evening were off the Hippolyte Rocks. Near Cape Pillar we fell in with the barque Bolina, of London, on her passage from New Zealand. Along the coast many Gannets were diving for fish, which they dart upon from a considerable height in the air. Albatrosses, Cape Pigeons, and Blue and Stormy Petrels, were seen at intervals. Large flocks of Mutton-birds were flying about Tasmans Island at sunset.
29th. We beat up between Maria Island and the main land. The coast of the latter was steep and woody. Some parts of Maria Island are lofty: the northern end is 3,000 feet high, and steep: the island is divided into two portions by a low sandy neck. Black-fish, Gannets, and Mutton-birds were seen; and in the evening, we were cheered by lights on the coast, at the house of a settler, and at a whaling station, in Spring Bay. The last proved of great service in directing the course of the cutter, which dropped anchor at midnight, the wind having failed.
30th. We had reading on deck. The company, among whom were a few other passengers, did not exhibit much appearance of religion, but some of them showed evidence of the want of it. One of the crew, a prisoner having a ticket of leave, who had been educated in a school on the system of the British and Foreign School Society, at Norwich, said he had not met with any of his school-fellows in this Colony, except one of his own brothers. These men, as well as some others, retain a sense of the kindness they met with from Joseph John Gurncy, Peter Bedford, Elizabeth Fry, and some others of our friends in England, such as gives us a more ready access to their best feelings.
In the afternoon we again made sail, passed Green Island, which has been stocked with Rabbits, and made a course outside the White Rock, off Oyster Bay, on which the kind of Seal that affords rich fur, is occasionally taken. In Spring Bay one of the people fishing, brought up a species of Octopodia, an animal of the Cuttle-fish tribe, with eight arms, which in this specimen were 15 inches long. These it fixed to whatever came in its way, by means of circular, saucer-like suckers. It travelled with its mouth, which is in the centre of the arms and like the beak of a parrot, downward, and its red body of about 3 inches long, and like an oval fleshy bag, upward. Between these, its large eyes were very conspicuous. Its strange appearance and remarkable movements, excited no small degree of surprise among our company.
10th mo. 1st. Mutton Birds were in such vast flocks, that, at a distance, they seemed as thick as bees when swarming.—The wind became adverse, and fearing lest we should be driven out to sea, we ran into Schouten Passage, and brought up under Freycinets Peninsula, in Oyster Bay, where we went on shore. One of the soldiers, going as a guard to Flinder's Island, shot a Black Swan, on a lagoon running parallel with the beach. The hills on the peninsula are red, porphyritic granite, as are also some of those on Schouten Island; but, on the inside of the latter, which is about four miles across, the newer formations occur vertically. On the hills, are the Blue Gum, the Oyster Bay Pine, and the Callitris pyramidalis, which is a Cypress-like tree.—The bush here was gay with various shrubs, among which were several species of Acacia, Boronia and Hibbertia, some of the Epacris tribe, Pomaderris elliptica, with large clusters of small sulphur coloured blossoms, and Comesperma volubilis, a beautiful climber, the flowers of which, in spring, hang in blue festoons, among the bushes, in all parts of V. D. Land.
2nd. The wind continuing adverse, the cutter remained at anchor. Some of the men procured another Black Swan and some eggs. I took a solitary walk among the hills, in the course of which I was brought into close self-examination, and given to feel afresh the importance of watchfulness and prayer, and of the continued exercise of faith in Christ; thus the traversing of the uninhabited wilds, to observe the works of Him, whose all-seeing eye beholds us in the deepest solitudes, as well as in the most crowded haunts of men, was made conducive to my spiritual advantage.
3rd. This morning I took three fine Flat-heads, which, with a Swan's egg, contributed toward an abundant breakfast: the latter is rather inferior to the egg of a common fowl. In the forenoon the anchor was weighed, and sail made; but just when we got near the outside of the passage, the wind failed, and left us drifting from side to side for several hours, so that it was necessary from time to time, to tow the head of the vessel round by means of a boat, to keep her from drifting against the terrific, granite rocks, which are too perpendicular to allow of anchorage near them. The dangers of a calm do not appear to be much less in such a situation, than those of a storm. Though no one expressed fear, anxiety was marked on many countenances, during this time of suspense, from which we were at length favoured to be relieved by the turn of the tide, which carried us out to sea.
7th. During the last three days, we have been beating up the coast against a contrary wind. Yesterday the brig Helen, from the Isle of France to Sydney, with sugar, sent a boat to the Charlotte, and obtained a bag of biscuit, having run short of this necessary article. A Right Whale, a shark, and numerous flocks of birds, were seen. The flocks of Mutton-birds sometimes formed dense lines near the horizon, that might have been mistaken for rocks or land. Their flight is usually low; they move their wings smartly a few times, and then soar with them motionless for a considerable distance, except in turning or changing their altitude, which they effect by altering the position of their wings. A flock of them was swimming off Eddystone Point. In the course of the forenoon we dropped anchor in 13 fathoms water, under Swan Island, in Banks's Strait, to avoid drifting back with the strong tide. To the south we had the low sandy shore of Cape Portland, with low woody and grassy hills further distant; and to the north, Clarkes Island, and Cape Barren Island, with its lofty peaks.
The superstition of sailors often leads them to attribute a tedious voyage to having some unlucky person in the vessel. On hearing one of them remark, that we must have some Jonah on board, I took occasion to observe, that it would be well if we had not many worse than Jonah; for he was remarkable for disobedience to the Lord in one instance, but I feared, that in our company, there were those who were disobedient in many.—There is little ear for religious instruction, but no profession to despise it. I have been much restrained in mind in regard to expression on religious subjects, and have felt the force of the declaration "Where the Spirit of the Lord is there is liberty;" the reverse of which is also true. Here, there is a want of regard for this Spirit, and little ear to hear. Nevertheless there are two individuals on board, who say little, but spend much of their time in reading the Bible and hymns, whom we look upon with some comfort. The wreck of a brig that was lately lost, it is said, in consequence of drunkenness, was still lying on Swan Island.
As soon as the tide served, we again made sail; and passing the west end of Clarkes Island, came safely to anchor in Horse-shoe Bay, under the east shore of Preservation Island.
8th. Early in the morning, five Pelicans and some Cape Barren Geese, were upon the beach of Preservation, not far from two huts belonging to James Munro, an old sealer, who, with a native black woman named Jumbo, is the only permanent resident on the Island. We went on shore and paid them a visit, and had an interview also with three other sealers, and three female Aborigines, casually here, on their way to the coast of New Holland, where, on a number of small islands, they still obtain Fur Seals. These animals have become rare in the Australian seas compared to what they were a few years since, when they were destroyed in vast numbers, often in the breeding season. On Guncarriage and Woody Islands, a few miles distant, several other sealers are residing, with female Aborigines, who assist in the management of their boats, take Mutton-birds, and do other kinds of work for these men. Some of the sealers exhibit the recklessness frequent in the character of sailors, in a superlative degree. The women were dressed in frocks made of the skins of the Wallaby, a small species of Kangaroo. One of them presented necklaces of shells to my companion and myself; these she dropped into our hands as she passed, appearing to wish to avoid receiving any acknowledgment.
Preservation Island is low, and surrounded by round-topped, grey, granite rocks, except in a few places, where there are small sandy bays: it is covered with grass, barilla and nettles, and a large portion of it is so thickly burrowed by Mutton-birds, that it is difficult to walk without breaking into their holes. J. Munro raises wheat, potatoes, and other vegetables near his house, which is sheltered by a few Tea-trees, the only ones on the island: he also rears goats, pigs and fowls; and by means of these, added to the collecting of birds and their eggs, obtains a subsistence. Black Snakes sometimes take possession of the burrows of the Mutton-birds. We saw one of these formidable animals, more than five feet long, and gave it a blow that made it rear its head with a threatening aspect. As the only switch we could raise was a feeble one of Cape Barren Tea-bush, it was not thought expedient to repeat the blow, and the animal soon took refuge in a neighbouring hole. A sister of Jumbo lost her life by the bite of a Black Snake, in her hand. When taking Mutton-birds, the natives put a stick into the burrows and listen, to distinguish whether snakes or birds are the occupants.
9th. Notwithstanding the wind was adverse, J. Thornloe determined to attempt proceeding, having heard that the settlement on Flinders Island was suffering for want of provisions; he therefore sailed from Preservation, and by the assistance of J. Munro, as pilot, passed Long Island, Badger Island, Chapel Island, and a number of others, and succeeded in reaching the anchorage under Green Island, the nearest place of safety to the settlement, at which a vessel could lie.
On approaching Flinders Island, a smoke was observed on the shore, which we afterwards learned was a signal to the boats of the Settlement that were out, where they could not see the cutter. Two boats soon came off, in which were the Commandant, Ensign William J. Darling, and A. Mc'Lachlan, the surgeon of the Establishment for the Aborigines. The arrival of the Charlotte was hailed with joy, the white inhabitants of the settlement having been reduced in supplies, to potatoes and oatmeal, and the Aborigines, who do not like oatmeal, to potatoes and rice ; so that had it not been for the supply of Mutton-birds which they were able to obtain, they would have been greatly straitened. Happily their tea and sugar also, were not exhausted; for of tea, as a beverage, the Aborigines are not less fond than the Europeans, from whom they have acquired this taste.
Before proceeding with my Journal, I will introduce a brief notice of Van Diemens Land and its Aboriginal Inhabitants, and of their history up to the time we first visited them on Flinders Island.