Discoveries in Australia Volume II Part 40

CAPTURE OF NATIVES.

Soon after I returned to the s.h.i.+p at Port Dalrymple, a party of natives was sent on board, with a request that I would allow the Vansittart to take them to Flinders Island; it consisted of an elderly woman and man, two young men, and a little boy. These were the remainder of the small tribe to which belonged the woman who received, as I have related, such cruel treatment from her keeper. I should here state, that when she was removed to Flinders Island, none of the natives there could understand her--a fact somewhat hostile to the theory of those who hold that there is little or no variety in the aboriginal languages of Australasia.

The party of natives in question were taken by some sealers on the western coast, near Arthur's River, and not far from the Van Diemen's Land Agricultural Company's station at Point Woolnorth, to which place they were first brought. A reward of 50 pounds had been offered for their apprehension, on account of some depredations they were said to have from time to time committed. A countrywoman of their own, the wife of one of the sealers, was instrumental in their capture. Pretence was made that the boat would carry them to some good hunting ground; but when they were all afloat, and prostrated by sea-sickness, the sealers made sail for the Company's station at Point Woolnorth, with a freight more valuable than seal-skins.

THE LAST MAN.

These were supposed to be the last of the aboriginal inhabitants of Tasmania; though a report at one time prevailed that a solitary young man had been left behind. If this be the case, his position must be truly lamentable. Alone of all his race on that vast island, belonging to a people against whom the deepest prejudices are entertained, who have been hunted down like wild beasts by the new population, professing a religion which should teach them to act otherwise towards their brethren, no resource must have been left to him but to fly to the most inaccessible fastnesses, to hide in the gloomiest forests and darkest caverns, and to pa.s.s the remainder of his miserable life in constant struggles to prolong it, and in ceaseless endeavours to stave off that final consummation which could alone ensure him peace, and safety, and rest. Whether or not the report of the existence of this Last Man was true I cannot say; but, certainly, his story, imaginary or real, suggests numerous reflections, and opens a wide field for conjecture and speculation. What was the character of his thoughts, what importance he attached to the prolongation of his life, cut off as he was from the world, a solitary being, with no future prospect of the enjoyment of society, with no hope of seeing his race continued, we cannot tell. But his fate, at least, must force upon us the questions--have we dealt justly by these wild people? have we nothing to answer for, now that we have driven them from their native land, leaving no remnant, save one single individual, whose existence even is problematical? Without wis.h.i.+ng to press too hard on any body of my countrymen, I must say I regret that that page of history which records our colonization of Australia must reach the eyes of posterity.

The woman, whose capture I have more than once alluded to, was, doubtless, the wife of one of the young men taken by the sealers, and mother of the boy who accompanied him. The prospect of meeting her probably lightened the hours of his captivity. But what a tale of suffering she had to relate! What had she not undergone as the penalty of an attempt to procure food for her family. With the narrative of her sorrows fresh in my memory, I could not but sympathize deeply with the last five of the aboriginal Tasmanians that now stood before me.

CHARACTERISTICS AND REMOVAL OF NATIVES.

These natives differed even more than others I had seen as the wives of sealers, from the inhabitants of the Australian continent, possessing quite the negro cast of countenance, and hair precisely of their woolly character. These characteristics are nowhere to be found on the continent, natives from every part of which have come under my observation. The difference existing is so great, that I feel warranted in p.r.o.nouncing them to be a distinct race. Excellent likenesses of Tasmanian natives will be found in Strzelecki's work on New South Wales, where the truth of these remarks will be perceived at a glance.

Having thus been engaged in the removal of the last of the natives to Flinders Island, I feel that it is inc.u.mbent on me to give a short account of the causes which led to it. In the first place, history teaches us that whenever civilized man comes in contact with a savage race, the latter almost inevitably begins to decrease, and to approach by more or less gradual steps towards extinction. Whether this catastrophe is the result of political, moral, or physical causes, the ablest writers have not been able to decide; and most men seem willing to content themselves with the belief that the event is in accordance with some mysterious dispensation of Providence; and the purest philanthropy can only teach us to alleviate their present condition, and to smooth, as it were, the pillow of an expiring people. For my own part I am not willing to believe, that in this conflict of races, there is an absence of moral responsibility on the part of the whites; I must deny that it is in obedience to some all-powerful law, the inevitable operation of which exempts us from blame, that the depopulation of the countries we colonize goes on.

WAR OF EXTERMINATION.

There appear to me to be the means of tracing this national crime to the individuals who perpetrate it; and it is with the deepest sorrow that I am obliged to confess that my countrymen have not, in Tasmania, exhibited that magnanimity which has often been the prominent feature in their character. They have sternly and systematically trampled on the fallen. I have before remarked that they started with an erroneous theory, which they found to tally with their interests, and to relieve them from the burden of benevolence and charity. That the aborigines were not men, but brutes, was their avowed opinion; and what cruelties flowed from such a doctrine! It is not my purpose to enter into details; I will only add that the treatment of the poor captive native by her inhuman keeper was in accordance with the sentiments prevailing, at one time, in the colony, and would not have received the condemnation of public opinion.

The natural consequence of such conduct by the whites, commenced in the very infancy of the colony, was a system of frightful retaliation on the part of the natives. These led to counter-reprisals, every year acc.u.mulating the debt of crime and vengeance on either hand, until the memory of the first provocation was lost, and a war of extermination, the success of which was, in the end, complete, began to be carried on.

ATTEMPTED CAPTURE OF NATIVES.

It was not until exasperation, on either side, rose to its highest, that measures were taken to prevent the complete destruction of the aborigines. The first method selected was not characterized by prudence; being the result of the pa.s.sionate counsels of the great body of colonists, who were smarting under evils entailed upon them by their own violent conduct. As is natural in all these cases, they looked only to the necessity of protecting their property and their lives; and did not take into account the ma.s.sacres, the cruelties of every description, which had been at one time encouraged, or at least not condemned by the general voice. The casuistry of the human heart, in most instances, concealed the true state of the case, and many, if not the majority, felt the virtuous indignation which some only affected. At any rate, they set about the hunting down and capture of the aborigines, as a duty which they owed to themselves and their families. Government, with the best intentions, lent them every a.s.sistance in its power. The whole colony rose to a man; and military operations on a most extensive scale were undertaken. Cordons were established, marches and countermarches performed, complicated manoeuvres planned and executed, and every method resorted to, which in a different country and against a different enemy must have been rewarded with complete success. But in this instance, the impenetrable forests of Tasmania baffled the generals.h.i.+p and the tactics that were displayed; and an expedition attended with immense expense, and carried on with the greatest enthusiasm, ended in the capture of a single native.

REMOVAL OF ABORIGINES TO FLINDERS ISLAND.

It was now evident that means of another character must be tried, and the plan which Mr. Robinson had laid before Government for the capture of the natives in the meshes of persuasion was adopted. This enterprising person, accordingly, went alone and unattended among the aborigines, endured great privations, ran much risk, but finally, partly by his eloquence, partly by stratagem, contrived to bring in the tribes one by one, and to transport them quietly to the islands in the eastern entrance of Ba.s.s Strait. Mr. Bateman, commanding the colonial brig, Tamar, who took them across, describes them as reconciled to their fate, though during the whole pa.s.sage they sat on the vessel's bulwark, shaking little bags of human bones, apparently as a charm against the danger to which they felt exposed.

They were first taken to Swan Island, but that not being found convenient, they were landed on the west side of Flinders Island, under the superintendence of Mr. Robinson. This place, also, was discovered to be ill-adapted for a permanent settlement; and a removal again took place to Vansittart or Gun-carriage Island, at the eastern extremity of Franklin Channel, where a number of sealers had been resident for some years; as, however, they could not show any t.i.tle to the land they cultivated, except that of original occupancy--a t.i.tle which I think should be respected, as it is the only true basis of the right of property--they were obliged to vacate, leaving their huts and crops to be laid waste. In the course of a few weeks, when considerable mischief had been effected, this position, likewise, was abandoned, and a location made once more on the west side of Flinders, about sixteen miles to the northward of Franklin Inlet.

SETTLEMENT.

The Home Government directed that in this their place of banishment every attention should be paid to the wants of the aborigines, and a liberal scale of necessaries provided. The officers of the establishment originally consisted of the superintendent, medical officer, catechist and storekeeper; but when the buildings, etc. for the settlement, were completed, the convicts were withdrawn, which diminished the number so much, that it was deemed practicable to reduce the staff of officers, and the whole duties of the four departments above alluded to devolved on one person, under the name of Surgeon-Superintendent. The combination of so many duties has, unfortunately, necessitated the neglect of some portion or another, possibly of the most material. The Sabbath afternoon is the only time that can be set apart for the religious instruction of the natives. This is to be regretted, as we have ample evidence of how capable they are of receiving it, in the lasting effects produced by Mr.

Clarke, who sometime since filled the office of storekeeper; and for whom they all continue to feel great veneration, and to exhibit that respect which is due to a parent. On our visit in 1842 we heard all the natives of both s.e.xes, old and young, sing several hymns, taught them by this excellent person. A few comprehended the full meaning of the words they uttered; and all, no doubt, might be brought to do so if proper instructions were again granted them.

Walter and Mary Ann, a married couple, who had recently returned from Port Phillip, where they had been living in the family of the former superintendent, Mr. Robinson, were so civilized, and proficient in all the plain parts of education, that they possessed great influence over their countrymen, who, incited by the contemplation of their superiority, were apparently desirous of acquiring knowledge. The barracks in which the natives dwell form a square of good stone buildings; but Walter and his wife have a separate cottage, with a piece of land attached. Mary Ann is a very tolerable needlewoman, and capable of teaching the others; some of whom, encouraged by the prizes that are awarded to industry, already a.s.sist in making their own dresses.

MORTALITY AMONG NATIVES.

The men, to whom inducements are also held out to labour in farming, etc., are, however, generally indolent. They still retain a taste for their original wild habits, taking to the bush, occasionally, for several days together; and in order to enjoy all the freedom of limb to which they had been accustomed, throwing off their European clothing. This practice has been expressly prohibited, as from the sudden resumption of savage habits, and the abandonment of the covering to which they had become accustomed, severe illness resulted. To this may in part be attributable the rapid mortality which exists among them, and which leads us to suppose that at no distant period their utter extinction must take place. Out of two hundred who were originally taken to Flinders Island, more than one hundred and fifty had perished in 1842, to replace which loss, an addition of only fourteen by births, besides seven brought in the Vansittart, had been made. It seems, in truth, impossible that a race transported from their country, suddenly compelled to change all their habits and modes of life, kept under restraint, however mild and paternal, obliged to repress all the powerful instincts which lead them to desire a renewal of their wild and unfettered life, tormented by the memory of the freedom they once enjoyed, and galled by the moral chain which they now wear, constantly sighing in secret for the perilous charms of the wilderness, for their hunts, and their corrobberies, for the hills and mountains and streams of their native land--it is impossible, I say, that a people whose life has undergone such a change, who cherish such reminiscences and such regrets, should increase and multiply and replenish the face of the land.

TREATMENT OF NATIVES.

Their destiny is accomplished. In obedience to a necessity--of man's creating certainly, but still a necessity--they have been expatriated for their own preservation; to restore them, would be but to ensure their speedier destruction; and all we can do is to soothe their declining years, to provide that they shall advance gently, surrounded by all the comforts of civilization, and by all the consolations of religion, to their inevitable doom; and to draw a great lesson from their melancholy history, namely, that we should not leave, until it is too late, the aborigines of the countries we colonize exposed to the dangers of an unregulated intercourse with the whites; that, without giving them any undue preference, without falling into the dangerous extreme of favouritism--an error of which the most high-minded and generous are susceptible in the case of a depressed race--we should consider, that in entering their country we incur a great responsibility, and that it behoves us at once to establish distinctly the relation in which they stand to the government, the colonists, and the soil!

COAST FROM THE TAMAR TO EMU BAY.

Mr. Fitzmaurice's examination of the coast to the westward extended to Dial Point, distant twenty-nine miles from the Tamar. In this s.p.a.ce there are no less than five rivers, all with very short courses, and not navigable except by boats and small craft; and by these only, on account of the surf on their bars, in fine weather. The first empties itself into an estuary, called Port Sorel; but it is difficult to detect the mouths of the others in the low sandy sh.o.r.e, which is deceptive, as the hills rising immediately in the rear give the coast a bold striking appearance from the offing. These rivers, namely, the Sorel, the Mersey,* the Don, the Frith, and the Leven, are distant from the Tamar, eleven, eighteen, twenty, twenty-three and twenty-seven miles.

(*Footnote. A horse-shoe reef, extending nearly two miles from the sh.o.r.e, lies two miles to the eastward.)

A range of hills, nearly 2000 feet high, in which asbestos is found, lies midway between Port Sorel and the Tamar; and immediately over Dial Point rises a peaked range, of the same name; whilst Valentine Peak,* 4000 feet in height, is situated twenty-three miles South 40 degrees West from the above point. This peak is a bare ma.s.s of granite, and as it glistens in the first beams of the morning sun like an immense spire, forms the most remarkable hill-feature in the north side of Tasmania. High level ranges extend to the eastward of it for some distance.

(*Footnote. In lat.i.tude 41 degrees 17 minutes South and longitude 5 degrees 28 1/2 minutes West of Sydney, and when bearing South by West is a distant guide to Emu Bay.)

From Dial Point to Circular Head the coast trends North 72 degrees West, and as far as Rocky Point the sh.o.r.e is steep and woody. Emu Bay* lies at the end of the first ten miles; it is a confined anchorage, affording shelter in westerly winds. A river of the same name runs into it, and another called the Blyth joins the sea a mile and a half on the Tamar side of the east point, which has a remarkable round hill on it: nearly four and five and a half miles to the westward of this bay are other small streams. An islet lies at the mouth of the eastern one; and in its neighbourhood only the sh.o.r.e, which falls back a little, is sandy and faced with rocks.

(*Footnote. The North-West or Blackman's Point is low, and in lat.i.tude 41 degrees 2 minutes 45 seconds South, longitude 5 degrees 18 minutes 50 seconds West of Sydney.)

ROCKY CAPE.

The River Inglis is of a good size; but a reef extends off the mouth and some distance to the eastward; it is two miles and a half to the South-South-East of a headland, called Table Cape, the distances between which, Rocky Cape, Circular Head, and Emu Bay, are equal, namely, eleven miles and a half. Rocky Cape has a high pointed summit, with other peaks in the rear; a sunken rock is said to lie a mile and a half north of it; and the coast from thence to Circular Head falls back, forming a bight; five miles to the south-east of it is a sandy bay with a small rivulet running into it. The Sisters, two round hills, 870 feet high, renders the east point remarkable; an islet with a reef of considerable extent fronts it for some distance.

ESCAPED CONVICTS.

One of the pilots at Port Dalrymple, I found, had travelled along the west coast of Tasmania, from Macquarie Harbour to Point Woolnorth. He crossed four or five small rivers; but the country was covered with a low scrub, growing in an impenetrable network along the surface of the soil, so that he could only make progress by keeping the sh.o.r.e. He was landed from a colonial vessel, by a party of convicts who had taken possession of it, and afterwards succeeded in reaching Valdivia, on the west coast of South America. They scuttled the vessel off the harbour's mouth, and came in in the boat, reporting it to have foundered. Being useful artificers in such an out of the way place, few inquiries were made about them, and they were received by the governor as a very acceptable addition to the population. Singular to say, when at Valdivia in 1835, I saw some of these men; they were married, and continued to be regarded as a very great acquisition, although a kind of mystery was attached to them. However, their enjoyment of liberty and repose was destined to be but short. Their whereabouts became known, and a man of war was sent to take them. All but one again effected their escape, in a boat they had just finished for the governor; and they have not since been heard of.

The remaining delinquent was afterwards hanged at Hobart, where he gave a detailed and interesting narrative of the whole affair.

DIRECTIONS FOR THE NAVIGATION OF THE MOUTH OF THE TAMAR.

The few quiet days we had during our stay at Port Dalrymple, enabled us satisfactorily to complete the soundings at the entrance. Beacons were also erected on the sh.o.r.e by the Beagle's crew, for guiding vessels through the channels; they, however, require to be kept white, in order to show well against the dark ground behind. I furnished Lieutenant M.

Friend, R.N. the port officer, with a few notes on the navigation of the Tamar, which, for the sake of the nautical reader, I give below.*

(*Footnote. The most formidable shoal in the mouth of the Tamar, bearing the name of the Middle Ground, is a rocky patch, with, according to report, only 9 feet on one spot at low-water, spring tides, but the least depth found on it by the (Beagle's) boats was 12 feet. The north extreme of Low Head, in one with the first black cliffy projection to the eastward of it, or the flagstaff on Low Head, open northward of the lighthouse, clears the northern edge of it. The leading marks for entering eastward of the Middle Ground, generally called the Eastern Channel, are the Shear and West Beacons. The latter stands in front of Dr. Browne's house, which is the first inside Point Friend, the western entrance point. The Shear Beacon must be kept a little open to the left or eastward of the West Beacon, until you get abreast of the lighthouse; after which, both beacons should be kept in one. When within two cables and a half of the Shear Beacon, the course should be changed in the direction of the Red Beacon on the Barrel Rock, the first on the eastern side, to avoid a patch of kelp, extending one cable and a half in an easterly direction from the Shear Beacon, the depth, there, at low-water is 9 fathoms, and the least in the channel is 4 fathoms, on a ledge, apparently extending from Low Head to the Middle Ground.

The Western Channel is two cables wide, with a depth, in the shoalest part, of 10 fathoms; it is formed by the Middle Ground on the eastern side, and the Yellow Rock Reef on the western; the latter is an extensive patch of kelp, with a double light-coloured rock near its extremity. The least water on it at low-water is 6 feet; from the Shear Beacon, it bears North 50 degrees West five-tenths of a mile, and from the lighthouse, South 52 degrees West eight-tenths of a mile. The Shear Beacon and the flagstaff at George Town in a line lead over the outer extreme. There is generally a white buoy in its vicinity, and a black one on the western edge of the Middle Ground. The Barrel Rock red beacon, and the high and low white beacons, erected by the Beagle's crew on the sh.o.r.e over Lagoon Bay, kept in one, lead through the Western Channel. When abreast of the Shear Beacon, steer for the next beyond on the west side of the channel, to avoid a long patch of kelp, with three and five fathoms in it, extending two cables and a half to the South-South-West of the Barrel Rock.

The high part of the Western Reef, bearing South by East leads into the fairway of the Western Channel, when will be seen the white beacons over Lagoon Bay. The latter is the second sandy beach inside the lighthouse on the eastern sh.o.r.e. The Western Reefs are those fronting Point Friend; the part above-mentioned, the only spot uncovered at high-water, is a black patch of rocks near their northern extreme.

The only danger near the entrance of the Tamar is the Hebe Reef, named after a s.h.i.+p lost on it in 1808; it occupies a s.p.a.ce of a quarter of a mile, chiefly in an east direction. A small portion of its centre is nearly dry at low-water; this part bears South 89 degrees West, three miles and three-tenths from the lighthouse on Low Head; inside it there is a channel of 7 fathoms. The guide for pa.s.sing northward of it, is a white spot on the North-West extreme of Low Head in one with the lighthouse; the latter will then bear East 16 degrees South.

The shoals, on either side, within the entrance of the river, are marked with beacons. Those on the western sh.o.r.e, have a letter V sideways with a vertical bar on the top; and those on the eastern a dagger. Shoals marked with chequered buoys, may be pa.s.sed on either side; a red or black buoy, signifies that the danger extends from the eastern sh.o.r.e; and a white one, that it extends from the western.

The result of 115 tidal observations, taken three miles within the entrance, gives 12 hours 06 minutes for the time of high-water on the full and change day. The rise of tide was irregular, the least being 4, and the greatest 10 feet. The highest noticed in the Beagle was during the neaps, caused by a strong North-West gale forcing the water into the river. The tides flow 5 hours 50 minutes, and ebb 6 hours 25 minutes, with a velocity varying from two to five miles an hour, according as the river is confined or open. The ebb-stream setting round Low Head into the bay to the eastward, is apt to drift vessels in that direction. Three miles in the offing the flood-stream runs from one to two knots to the West-North-West.

The position of the lighthouse on Low Head is as follows: lat.i.tude 41 degrees 03 minutes 26 seconds South, longitude 4 degrees 25 minutes 44 seconds West, of Sydney; or 146 degrees 50 minutes 16 seconds East of Greenwich, variation 10 degrees 05 minutes easterly. The light is elevated 140 feet above the sea-level, and may be seen, in clear weather, sixteen miles from the decks of small vessels, revolving once in fifty seconds.)

THE GLENNIE ISLES.

On December 19th both vessels left the Tamar; the Vansittart for Flinders Island, to land the unfortunate natives; whilst the Beagle crossed the strait to Wilson's Promontory, anchoring behind an island two miles long, trending north and south, with a hollow in the centre, forming a saddle, the highest part being 450 feet high. It is the northernmost of a group called the Glennie Islands, fronting the south-western face of the Promontory; and is strewn over with blocks of granite, which give it a castellated appearance. We did not find this anchorage very good, the depth being 20 fathoms, and the bottom sand over rock. Three small islets lie close to the south-west point, and a reef extends a cable's length off the northern. There is a pa.s.sage nearly four miles wide, and 23 fathoms deep, between this part of Glennie's Group and the Promontory.

The singular break in the high land on the latter, bearing East 1/2 North is a distant guide to the anchorage, in which the flood-tide sets to the northward, and when aided by the current, attains a strength of a knot and a half; the time of high-water, is a quarter of an hour later than at Refuge Cove.

We found on this, the largest of the group, a small black dog, that had been left behind by some visitor, recently I should say, from his anxiety to be taken on board, which was done. It was, also, on this island that the intrepid Ba.s.s met a number of runaway convicts, who had been treacherously left by their companions one night when asleep, the party being too large for the boat they had run away with from Sydney, with the intention of plundering the wreck of the Sydney Cove, at Preservation Island in Banks Strait. Thus they were actually the first to traverse this part of the Strait, which has received its name from the enterprising Mr. Ba.s.s.

CAPE LIPTRAP.