The narrative of a voyage to the Swan River/Chapter 2

is not for me, who know so little of navigation, to give you an account of the harbour in which we anchored. I shall merely state, that "Gage's Roads" run from Cockburn Sound to the bar of the Swan River, where it empties itself into the sea. This bar is very visible above the surface at low water; and when the tide is full, there is not more than five feet water upon it. The country, as you approach it, is beautiful; but when you land, the variegated appearance it had at a distance is so far dispersed, that it does not look like the same place. There are certain months in the year, when, from the violence of the prevailing winds on the coast, no ship can enter these Roads: at present these are to be ascertained, but time and observation will soon teach us for what period the winds render the harbour inaccessible and unsafe.

It was on the —— of October we dropped anchor in Gage's Roads, when all the steerage passengers were ordered to prepare to go on shore. This sudden and unexpected order caused great confusion throughout the ship. Fortunately I got permission for my goods to remain on board until I could get a small soldier's tent (which I purchased during my short stay at Portsmouth) erected upon the beach. The ship's long boat and skiff were now hauled along side, to land all "steerage pigs" and "Israelites," as the Captain and cuddy passengers were pleased to denominate us during the voyage. The ensuing morning, I erected my tent about 500 yards from the beach, upon a hot, burning sand, which extends all along the coast; and, as all my goods were landed the next day, I was obliged to look out for assistance to help me to drag them from the beach to my castle. I naturally applied to some of my fellow passengers, but most of them were so dejected at not finding themselves upon the richest country in the world, that they seemed to require consolation and advice to go up the river and look about them, rather than afford any assistance to those who kept up their spirits, and resolved to "put their shoulder to the wheel:" others of them had become fine gentlemen. They landed (two days before) as "independent settlers"—in a small way. So I was obliged to hire a man, and give him 8s. for helping me to remove my packages to their temporary destination. This was not an extraordinary price in this young colony, where the wages of a labourer are very high; for unfortunately very few labouring persons have been brought out, even by those whose means would have enabled them to do so. A carpenter is paid here 7s. or 8s. a day, besides an allowance of rum, and a common workman 5s. or 6s.; and these prices will doubtless continue for some time, unless a greater number of the lower orders are sent out. Having pitched my tent, and stowed my goods and chattels in safety, I waited upon the Governor, who received me with great affability. I took that opportunity of presenting him with the letter of introduction and the testimonials, which the kindness of my friends enabled me to produce. His Excellency appeared pleased with them, and did me the honor to ask me to stay and drink tea, at which I saw Mrs. Stirling, whose freedom from pride and lady-like manners formed a pleasing contrast to the bridling and haughtiness of some halfbred persons whom I remember at home. It is said that the Governor is hasty, but is soon appeased, and is ready to forgive a slight offence. Indeed he has already met with many trials of his temper, from the consequential airs of some of the settlers, who seem to forget that he is not their servant, but their King's representative. Several persons have arrived here from Sydney and Hobart Town, who have met with great disappointments in their various hopes and speculations, owing to the place not having been accurately surveyed, (for which there has scarcely been time) and trusting entirely to the reports they received from London and elsewhere, many of which were ridiculous and unfounded in the extreme. Some of these, being dissatisfied at not finding and having every thing they wished for and expected, have returned to their former stations, where no doubt they will circulate a dismal tale respecting the Colony. But I hope, and indeed have no doubt, that those who remain will reap the benefit of their constancy and resolution.

The Governor's kindness to me I shall ever remember with gratitude, and, I hope, continue to deserve his good opinion. He was so good as to say, that if I met with any difficulty I might apply to him, for which I returned my warmest acknowledgments, and took the liberty of enquiring where I could obtain dry stowage for my goods? He replied that, although the wreck of the Marquis of Anglesea was taken up as a storehouse, she was already so full, that he had many things exposed to the open air, very much against his inclination.

Since that interview, I had not for some time the pleasure of seeing him, as he was laid up with severe illness, having taken a violent cold in consequence of getting into the water, while upon an exploring party, in a state of excessive perspiration—to the great joy of the settlers, he is now much better.

Every article of my property was thus unavoidably exposed to the open air. A few days afterwards, we were visited with a tremendous storm of thunder and lightning, accompanied with heavy rain: it lasted so long, and was so violent, that it came through my tent in spouts. I was obliged to bolt out, and placed myself behind a boarded house, (the leeward side of it you may be sure) with my rough fearnought coat on, where I remained more than two hours. As soon as the storm abated, I returned to my tent, and found every thing in a pretty predicament. On the next day, I began to overhaul and ransack my packages; and found, to my great mortification and dismay, that every thing had taken damage, more or less, at sea, as well as from the rain here, excepting a case of saws, the hair trunk, a portmanteau, and the box which contained my books, these sustained no injury; but the valuable fowling-piece, which so generously gave me, was as rusty as old iron, though it was enclosed in two cases. The linen, also, which I did not require during my voyage, and, consequently, had stowed in the hold of the ship, was quite mouldy: but this, perhaps, was occasioned by my not considering that it ought to have been thoroughly dried before it was packed up.

I was agreeably surprized to find an abundance of live stock of every description, which shows that Government had paid particular attention in providing for the wants and accommodation of the settlers, by ensuring the necessary supplies from the Cape, Sydney, and Van Dieman's Land. Cattle are by no means so dear as was generally expected. Unfortunately for the colony, the sheep which came from Van Dieman's Land are now suffering severely with the "scab," which is raging among some flocks with all its fury. Therefore, if my brother comes out, let him by all means bring a considerable quantity of that ointment which we found so efficacious at home. Various are the trials made by the different settlers to get rid of it, but all without success, for they have not " hit the right nail upon the head." Fish is caught here in great plenty—they use a large net of nearly 100 yards in length, and this they draw across the river, and take a large quantity at a haul; you may purchase a great lot of them for a shilling. We have a variety of birds, and some kinds are very numerous, such as the pelican, parrot, cockatoo, the black swan, and the wild duck, which is a great delicacy. But both ducks and swans are shy, and it is difficult to shoot them without a long duck gun, or a rifle, with which a good marksman may have plenty of sport.

Freemantle, which is to be a trading town, is situated at the mouth of the Swan. This and Perth are the only towns which are established at present. Perth, which is about 13 miles up the river, where the good land commences, is now the seat of Government. For Captain Stirling has taken up his quarters there, as the situation is more central and convenient than it would have been on the sea-shore at Freemantle, He wished at first to establish the temporary seat of Government at Garden Island, which, if it had been practicable, would have been very advantageous; but the soil of this island is a dry white sand, which will not apparently make any return for the labour of the husbandman upon it. I have burnt some fragments of the rocks which abound in it, in the hope that they would make time, but they would not slack; and the stone is as unfit for walls as for lime, for when exposed to the air, it corrodes and crumbles. Here it was that the settlers landed who came out in the Parmelia, Calista, and Marquis of Anglesea, but, after a sojourn of twelve weeks, in fruitless labour and expence, they were obliged to remove to the main land ; and hence it was that we found every thing in such a state of confusion upon our arrival at Freemantle.

I can safely assure you that the soil, both on the Swan and Canning Rivers, is excellent, to a certain extent from their banks inwards, and, in my opinion, (if the climate be as suitable as it appears) is capable of producing abundant crops under proper cultivation. As yet, there has not been time for the settlers to raise a crop from any but garden seeds (but these, when sown, appear very nourishing): it is impossible at present to say with certainty what will agree best with the soil; but if we judge from the appearance of the land, we may be assured there are very few articles cultivated by man which will not thrive in this Colony, though several years must pass away before we can ascertain what will best succeed in the soil and climate. I must, however reluctantly, pronounce Mr. Frazer's report to be erroneous—when he mentions only two trees to the acre, he ought to have known, that if he said 200 he would have been nearer the mark and more correct. There are certainly some places bare of timber, and some boggy and marshy ground, but these are not of great extent. On the edge of the rivers, where we find the land to be of the best quality, there are not many trees; but, at half a mile inwards, we have forests of immense trees of various descriptions, among which I mention the gumtree and the cedar. There are several varieties of the gum tree in New Holland, which are thus described in the Picture of Australia, p. 143-4-7.

"Blue Gum—Encalyptus Piperita. This is a very handsome timber, of straight and uniform grain, close and compact, of a bright brownish red, not unlike mahogany, but not curled or veined. It does not appear to warp, shake, or splinter, and cuts clean. It is mostly used in the Colony in ship and house carpentery, though it seems by no means badly adapted for furniture, and almost every domestic purpose—a cubic foot of it weighs about 58lbs avoirdupois.

"Black Butted Gum Trek—Enclaptus. Also a straightgrained timber, having the smell and colour of German oak, though the grain is different. It seems a tough and firm timber, and well adapted to the purpose to which it is chiefly applied, viz. flooring. This is not quite so heavy as the former.

"Red Gum—Encalyptus Robusta. Very hard and apparently tough in the individual fibres, but of a bad colour; rough, splintery, full of decayed portions here and there. Mr. Cunningham says it is 'of no use, not even to burn.' The latter description must, however, apply only to the green wood, for upon trying a small portion of the dry, it was found to kindle readily, burn with a clear, lambent flame, without smoke, and, indeed, both in brilliance and durability of flame, it seemed superior to most of the timbers in this country; so that, though it may not be useful for any other purpose, properly dried, it would make excellent fire-wood.

"The Red Cedar—Cedrela Australis, is a very fine timber. It is of uniform colour, though in other respects, and even in the leaves, fruit, and general habits of the tree, very similar to mahogany. It works easily and takes a fine polish. Lake mahogany, it loses its colour when exposed to the air; but, excepting mahogany, we have no timber so handsome for inside work. It is a light timber, and by no means splintery." Several experienced persons are persuaded that the bark of some of these trees would be as useful as oak-bark in tanning leather.

The climate, so far as I can judge of it at present, is very good and healthy—the heat at mid-day is excessive, but the mornings and evenings are cold. Our Summer is just commencing, and in the course of a little time will most probably be very hot. The settler must travel nearly fifteen miles up both the Swan and Canning Rivers before he can arrive at good land. It is said that all the good land on their banks not reserved by Government, is already taken up by those who arrived before us. It is my intention to wait with patience till I can meet with an allotment not yet appropriated, and desirable from situation and quality. I have already applied for a tract with which I am much pleased, but have not yet received an answer from the Board of Audit and Council.

As the Colony is not yet properly surveyed and marked out, those persons who intend to become farmers, ought to explore the country by proceeding up the different rivers in search of a spot that may appear eligible, and then they should wait upon the Colonial Secretary, and if it be not a Government reserve, or taken up by a prior applicant, it is allowed, according to the amount of stock, and the means of cultivating it. [See the regulations published at the Colonial Office, a copy of which is in the Appendix.—Ed.]

There are settlers now at this place who came out with the first ships, and rather than be at the trouble of putting up with five or six days' provisions, and brushing up the country in search of a suitable allotment, remain here upon a dry sand, which cannot be cultivated to any useful purpose, wasting their time, and consuming their provisions, and when they are exhausted, they must either become day-labourers or starve.

To get up the River with my goods to my proposed allotment, which will consist of 2333 acres, to which I am entitled, will be a heavy expense; and as for conveying them by land, it is an utter impossibility at present. For if I were to take up my grant upon some land which is still open upon the Swan, it must be fifteen or twenty miles above Perth, and at present nothing can be got nearer, as the intervening land is either taken up with Government reserves, or by those settlers who selected their locations previous to my arrival. I make this remark in case I should be disappointed in my expectations at the Cockburn Sound River, (now the Murray—Ed.) For it is supposed that the seat of Government, which is at present at Perth, will soon be permanently established there, on account of Cockburn Sound being a much safer anchorage for shipping than Gage's Roads. As this River has as yet been scarcely explored, it is my intention to proceed thither immediately—examine it myself, and in this and every similar instance trust to no man's report, for there are so very few practical farmers here, that I can place no reliance on the judgment of many of those who have absolutely explored great part of the country. If I have the good fortune to find the land here of a superior quality, I will endeavour to obtain the whole of my grant on this River, (of course as near the expected seat of Government as possible,) for on the Swan I can only have a frontage of 300 acres, or what you would call half a mile. I hope, if possible, to find a situation with a brook running through it to this new River, and, if so, shall instantly take in its description to the Board, and then I am positive of obtaining the grant of it, for no person has as yet applied for allotments upon this River. I daily and hourly wish my brother was with me; never having been alone for a day before, I feel most deeply the solitude of my situation, and being here without a friend to advise or assist me, is very miserable. But if —— was here, there is no doubt we could make it answer our purpose; but to be alone, is like a ship in a storm without a rudder, very liable to sink.

Boats at present, and for some time to come, will be wanting here, as there is no possibility as yet of exploring grants but by water, and this method is attended with great expence. Some of the settlers have attempted to build flat-bottomed boats, but, owing to the wood in general being very tough and short in the grain, it makes sad havoc with their tools, and they, perhaps, do not understand the art of boat-building. So, few vessels have been launched at !! One of them, however, answers the purpose extremely well, and is let for several guineas a-day to those parties who are desirous of traversing the rivers. The owner lets it out by the day, and is making a little fortune by it. It carries four tons at a trip. Nothing but flat bottomed boats, regular "whalers," will suit these rivers, owing to their being choaked up in many places with sand-banks and flats of land, projecting far into the river, upon which, perhaps, there is not, in some places, more than six inches of water. It will be well if Government remove these obstructions, or at least deepen some of the shallowest parts of the River, for otherwise the Colony will suffer materially; but when the Governor represents the matter in its true light to those who are at the head of affairs at home, there is no doubt it will be taken into consideration, and orders be given to make the necessary improvements where they are most wanted.

It is utterly impossible for the settlers to improve the navigation for some years to come. We are all so much engaged in conveying our goods to our estates, building huts, and preparing the land for our subsistence, that we shall have no time to labour for the accommodation of the public. I speak only of the prudent and industrious, for the indolent and discontented, at the rate they are going on, will be soon unable to support their families, still less to lend a hand to deepen the channels of the rivers. But if Government will cut through the sand-flats above Perth, or make a short canal to avoid them, or only make a road or causeway on the land from one extremity of the shallow water to the other, I am confident the Colony would be benefited in tenfold proportion to the money expended. To say nothing of the saving of time and labour it would be to us poor devils, who are obliged to push an empty boat over these flats by main force. For although the river is navigable from Freemantle to a mile above Perth, at that point there are some islands, which it is difficult to pass; and a little distance above them there is a regular flat of nearly a mile in extent, and here we unload our boats, and carry their cargo to the edge of the deep water above, and then the empty boat must be dragged, with no small exertion, till it floats in deep water, and afterwards it is to be loaded again. This difficulty being overcome, you may row up a beautiful river, both wide and deep, for thirty miles, where the passage becomes once more obstructed by trees, which have fallen into the water, and thus render the passage both intricate and narrow. I have been up as high as this in a boat, and the land is excellent to some width on both its banks. I saw three natives while on this excursion; we pulled to the shore, landed, and endeavoured to enter into a sort of conversation with them, by uttering a few words, such as "how d'ye do?"—"good," "kangaroo," "dog," "pellican," and other short words, which, to our utter astonishment, they repeated very distinctly. They eat some biscuit which we gave them voraciously, and we then parted shaking hands. From this slight specimen of the natives, it is to be hoped an intercourse, will soon be formed that will prove advantageous to the Settlement: they may soon be civilized, become sociable, and be of great assistance in exploring the country. From what has been seen of them they appear to be harmless, but addicted to pilfer, which, as yet, they do not conceive to be wrong. With regard to property, the savage tribe only, know but one law or rule, and that is the doctrine of occupancy. The first occupant of any article, with these people, is considered to be him who can possess himself of any property not in the actual manual possession of another; so that put any thing down in their presence, and turn your back, they claim a right to lay hold of it, and pride themselves as the true and rightful owner—with us it is called pilfering. It is no uncommon thing for a negro slave in the West Indies or America, when accused of a theft, to use this doctrine as the ground of defence and justification. When called upon to answer the accusation, he will, with a great deal of confidence and apparent conscious innocence, say—"No, Massa—Sambo, he no steala him the knife. Sambo see him laya down by himself—Sambo takea him up, causa nobody havea him, so Sambo he have righta to him. No, no, Massa, Sambo he no steala him." In the untutored African or Australian native, who is alike ignorant of the Bible and the laws of civilized man, this surely will be, in the eye of the feeling and sympathizing Christian, considered as a venial offence, until time and education hath taught them the difference between right and wrong. From the small party of natives, as above described, it is not unreasonable to assimilate them to those of New South Wales, who are represented as a mild, cheerful, and inoffensive race; a mere nation of hunters, passionately fond of their wandering life, but averse to labour of every kind; that they have very little jealousy of strangers, and live among the settlers on terms of perfect friendship and confidence. These men were short in stature, with large mouths and eyes, flat noses, short foreheads—they were entirely naked, and quite black. The natives seem a mild and harmless people, though, like other savages, addicted to pilfering. They are very jealous of their women, none of which the settlers have seen at present.

The Canning River is similar to the Swan for flats and islands, but the land upon its banks is not so good.

The two preceding chapters contain the narrative of the voyage to Gage's Roads, and a description of the country in the neighbourhood of the Swan and Canning Rivers; but the following chapter will contain instructions essentially requisite to be attended to, by those who wish to render their voyage comfortable, even to a steerage passenger, and the articles recommended to be taken out by a settler of small property are not unworthy the attention of those whose funds may enable them to afford a berth in the cabin. This chapter is compiled from the letters of an emigrant to his youngest brother, who was unavoidably prevented from accompanying him in the same ship, but who followed him in a vessel which sailed the 29th of September, 1829, and consequently arrived at Cockburn some weeks before the letters in question reached this country.

Having been written from one brother to another, the greatest reliance may be placed upon the statements they contain; and the earnestness with which he advises him to take the voyage, affords ample proof that the prospects he had in view were neither uncertain nor imaginary—provided industry and perseverance were applied to realize the expectations he had formed. The advice herein was dictated by sincerity and affection; and being the result of experience, is well worthy of attention. Here no deception is attempted to be practised, no false hopes held out; and if there is any thing flattering or enticing in the description, it must be admitted to proceed from the truth, or at least from the candid opinion of the writer.

As to his mode of inviting his brother to join him, it may be said that he adopts a strange course, but it must be admitted to be a candid one; for, by way of temptation, he begins with describing the hardships which he himself has endured.