son-in-law and grandson). The In Memoriam is an obelisk of dressed blue stone, erected at a cost of £120, and on the side looking towards the city, bears this inscription:—
John Batman,
Born at Parramatta, N.S.W., 1800.
Died at Melbourne, 6th May, 1839.
He entered Port Phillip Heads
29th May, 1835,
As leader of an expedition which
He organised in Launceston, V.D.L.,
To form a settlement, and founded one
On the site of Melbourne, then unoccupied.
This monument was
Erected
By public subscription in Victoria,
1881.
Circumspice!
John Batman, Junior. —Batman, though blessed with a family of eight children, had only one son, and through a strange fatality, this boy was drowned in the Yarra some six years after his father's death. Unable to find any printed particulars of the manner in which he met his untimely end, I applied through the Hon. G. F. Belcher, of Geelong, to the Mr. William Weire before mentioned, to supply so important an omission, and through his courtesy, I append an account of the melancholy occurrence in Weire's own words: "The particulars of the boy's death, as often told to me by Mrs. Batman, her daughter (my late wife) Elizabeth Mary, and her youngest daughter Pelonomena (Philemena?)—born 11th July, 1834, and died in July, 1859, and, indeed, by every member of the family, are as follow:— The family, after Batman's death in May, 1839, resided in the large two-storey brick house then, at the corner of William and Collins Streets, on the site now occupied by the Australian Mutual Provident Society and other offices. On the day—11th February, 1845—when the boy was drowned, his sister Pelonomena took him down to the Yarra at the "Falls," as she had done many times previously. He had a little fishing rod with him, and got on the stones at the "Falls" for the purpose of fishing, when, owing to the stones being slippery, he fell off into the river, striking his head against a stone, and was drowned before assistance could be given. It was said that Pelonomena was a short distance away from the place where her brother went on to fish,and she was much blamed by the family for her apparent carelessness and neglect for not better looking after him. It was also said that the lad took off his shoes and stockings to go on the stones to fish. If such was the case it would cause him to slip off more readily than otherwise. This is a brief outline of the death of 'John Charles Batman'—John Batman's only son and heir! Had he lived, the fortunes of the small remnant of the family now left might, perhaps, be of a brighter character."
Since the foregoing was written, I regret to add that Mr. Weire has followed the Batmans to the world beyond the grave.
Captain Chesser.— A funeral was witnessed in Melbourne on 14th February, 1840, when Captain Chesser, of the barque "Mary Ridgway," was buried, and all the ship-masters, officers, and most of the seamen in port were in attendance. The deceased died of consumption, and during a short stay in the province came to be much thought of.
Mr. Alexander Jolly.— A sad accident occurred two months after at a station of Mr. Yuille, at Buninyong. There had recently arrived as surgeon of the barque "Caroline," from Leich, Mr. Alexander Jolly, who made a trip to the country, and one day whilst bathing was drowned. He was a young man of the highest professional promise, and, as he purposed remaining in Melbourne, his loss was regarded as a serious one as matters then stood.
Mr. Alexander Scott, an Edinburgh gentleman of considerable means, arrived with his wife and family, to invest largely in cattle breeding, and he secured a tract of depasturing country some fifty
