FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   326   327   328   329   330   331   332   333   334   335   336   337   338   339   340   341   342   343   344   345   346   347   348   349   350  
351   352   353   354   >>  
ork of a people that once were and are now no longer. Passing over the foul ground extending off the Stragglers, we ran into Owen's anchorage during the first watch. Whilst waiting to rate the chronometers several soundings were added to our plan of this place, and a three-fathom patch, about a quarter of a mile in extent, was discovered, with nine on either side of it, lying nearly two miles and a quarter North 39 degrees West from Fremantle gaol. PENAL ESTABLISHMENT. We also visited Rottnest to inspect the establishment. It had now been a penal settlement for four years; besides erecting the buildings, the aboriginal labourers had cleared thirty-four acres of land, chiefly in detached valleys. These grew thirty-five bushels of wheat to the acre (in the Port Phillip district the return is about five more to the acre) and from thirty-four to forty bushels of barley. There are about two thousand acres of available land in the whole island. The average number of native convicts is about seventeen, and the expense of the whole establishment to Government is about 200 pounds per annum; but, under the good management of superintendent Vincent, it has realized 1500 pounds by the sale of corn and salt, and allowing for the value of the buildings erected. His Excellency Governor Hutt had done a great deal for the improvement of the natives; the schools established for their instruction work exceedingly well; and I am happy to see that a most important step towards civilizing them has since been made, a white having taken a native woman as his wife. This may be regarded as in a great measure the result of the notice bestowed on them. No opportunity occurred during our stay of adding to the observations I had previously made for the longitude of Fremantle (Scott's Jetty); which, however, is the only part of the continent absolutely determined during the Beagle's voyage. It is considered to be in longitude 115 degrees 47 minutes 50 seconds East. Before leaving we received a letter of thanks from his Excellency and the members of the Legislative Council for the services we had rendered the colony. My friend Lieutenant Roe presented me, also, with two specimens of the Spined Lizard Moloch horridus, which I intended to present to Her Majesty; but, unfortunately, I did not succeed in bringing either of them alive to England; one, however, lived beyond the Western Islands. DEPARTURE FROM WESTERN AUSTRALIA. We left Swan
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   326   327   328   329   330   331   332   333   334   335   336   337   338   339   340   341   342   343   344   345   346   347   348   349   350  
351   352   353   354   >>  



Top keywords:
thirty
 

native

 
degrees
 

Fremantle

 
buildings
 

bushels

 

longitude

 
establishment
 

quarter

 

Excellency


pounds
 

previously

 

adding

 

observations

 

established

 
schools
 

instruction

 
exceedingly
 
occurred
 

regarded


measure

 

result

 

opportunity

 

civilizing

 

notice

 

bestowed

 

important

 

Majesty

 

succeed

 

present


intended
 

Spined

 

specimens

 
Lizard
 

Moloch

 

horridus

 

bringing

 

WESTERN

 
AUSTRALIA
 
DEPARTURE

Islands

 

England

 
Western
 

presented

 

minutes

 

natives

 

seconds

 

Before

 

considered

 

absolutely