EARLY SETTLEMENT OF VICTORIA.

Colonist, Issue 99, 1 October 1858, Page 3

EARLY SETTLEMENT OF VICTORIA.

At a meeting of the Philosophical Institute of Victoria, held on the Bth September, The Secretary kid on the table a M.S. copy of MivGellibrand's report on Port Phillip, dafed April 18th, 1836, presented to the Institute by the Hon. Captain" Clarke, R.E. The secretary read the document, which was very long, and contained an animated and characteristic account, in the form of a diaiy, of tlie fortunes of Mr. Gellibrand and his companions in adventure. The first landing of sheep, the disappointments and sufferings of the party from heat and other causes, the petty details ofthe march, even to the carrying of the swags, and the occasional making up of pills for the sick, &c, were graphically and most amusingly described, and excited the deep attention of the members. On one occasion, when camping for the night in the scrub, with only a blanket tent over their heads, to shield them from the heavy rain, Gellibrand and' his companions were assailed, on a sudden, by legions of what lie calls " blue ants," to obviate whose attacks they were obliged to strew the ground-all over with the ashes from their wood fire. After some days they arrived at the first settlement, consisting of a dozen huts built of turf, situated on the left bank of the river Yarra Yarra. On their arrival at the mouth of the river the party was met by a boatful of blacks, by whom, when they had explained who they were, and the purpose for which they had come, they were obligingly conducted to the settlement of Messrs. Batman and Fawkner. Here, also, they found Buckley. Gellibrand described the scenery on the Saltwater Creek as " most enchanting," and, altogether, appears to have been delighted with the new country. Some characteristic traits of the.natives were given. In one instance a lot of them stole, by nigh t, a quantity of potatoes, about a sacMul^from-' a,garden at a station on the Bellerine Hills'. .With, clumsy cunning, after stripping the roots off the potatoes, they again planted the former in the earth, thinking not to be discovered. Buckley, who accompanied the party on their route to Geelong, appears to have been a great favorite with the natives, though he was of an irritable and not very pleasant disposition towards his own countrymen. As they got near the Barwon Hills he became more cheerful and obliging, and seems to have been remarkably proud of riding the horse with which he was accommodated.; The rjute to Captain Swanston's station afforded Gellibrand an opportunity of remarking on the general features and capabilities of the country, of which he evidently formed a very favorable impression. The line of the Yarra Yarra could be distinctly traced from the different heights by the white fog which hung over it. Gellibrand mentions the two conical hills from which he appears to have thought that Mr. Hume obtained the first view of Port Phillip, and the hill from which Mr. Batman saw the native fires on the occasion of the first visit. Gellibrand mentions with evident dissatisfaction and surprise, the conduct of a' Mr. Ferguson, who, he believed, caused nearly all the fires, the traces of which were everywhere found by tlie use of the " phos- ? boric matches" which he carried in his pocket, 'his Mr. Ferguson he describes as a very disobliging person, who quitted them in the bush without leaving them any of his matches, telling them that they would be easily able to procure fire. He mentions the naming of the Plenty River, which he so called from its appearing to him to be the only river deserving the name, with the exception of the Barwon. Gellibrand mentions an instance of the ill-treatment of a native woman by a hutkeeper, and the measures he took to prevent such outrages. He did all he could to convince the poor woman how much he commiserated her, and "tied round her neck a red silk handkerchief, with which she appeared much gratified." Gellibrand describes the natives as a fine, handsome and athleticM-ace of men, and. particularly commends the beauty 'alii soundness ofthe teeth both of the men and women. They- wpr.e particularly fond of bread, potatoes atfd rats. The young, women, he says, were "particularly bashful and'"_no-I.est." He anticipated much good, for them by the intro> duction of civilization and the knowledge of religion. The whole country " greatly exceeded his expectations, and he thought, in a few years, it would begin to prove one of the most important countries under the British Crown."

Shocking Accident at the Soutii Head.— Mr. Robert Broughton, attorney of this city, met with a shocking fate at South Head last evening, by falling from a ledge of the cliff behind the semaphore's enclosure, and immediately opposite Lcftwyclie's hotel." Messrs. Robert W. and Thomas Moor, who were at South Head at the time of the accident, have kindly favored us with the following particulars:—At five o'clock Mr. Broughton, accompanied by Baron Haines, was in Leftwyche's hotel; he left arm in arm with the Baron, and within five minutes the Baron was heard loudly shouting, " Robert!" A number of persons instantly went to the spot, and every measure that humanity could suggest was promptlyadopted for the recovery of the body. A boy came up and stated he had seen the body lodged on a shelf of rock apparently 20 or 30 'feet, from" the water, mentioning, also, that it appeared quite dead, and that the clothes were apparently much torn. Captain Fullerton and pilot Jenkins went owtside in a whaleboat, with the view of getting at the body, but were unsuccessful. Mr. Siddons, the lighthouse-keeper, and Captain Robson got up the necessary apparatus, and a New Zealander was let down for some distance, but the pole used for a projection being too short, the basket could not be lowered any considerable distance, in consequence of its not clearing the rocks. The depth of the fall is believed to have been above 150 feet. The ill-fated gentleman was very shortsighted, and the speculation is ventured that he made a false step in removing from one ledge of rock to another. Baron Haines was seated two or three feet at his back when the unfortunate accident happened, and seemed completely paralysed at his sudden disappearance. When Messrs. Moore and Baron Haines left South Head it was found nothing more could be done. Upon their arrival in, Sydney they waited upon Captain North, Water' Police Magistrate, and reported the particulars. Mr. Broughton was thirty-four years of age, unmarried, and practising as an attorney at Lloyd's Chambers.— Sydney Herald, Sept. 18.