Miago had a decided and most inexplicable advantage over all on board, and that in a matter especially relating to the science of navigation: he could indicate at once and correctly the exact direction of our wished-for harbour, when neither sun nor stars were shining to assist him. He was tried frequently, and under very varying circumstances, but strange as it may seem, he was invariably right. This faculty--though somewhat analogous to one I have heard ascribed to the natives of North America--had very much surprised me when exercised on shore, but at sea, out of the sight of land, it seemed beyond belief, as assuredly it is beyond explanation: but I have sometimes thought that some such power must have been possessed by those adventurous seamen who, long before the discovery of the compass, ventured upon distant and hazardous voyages.
I used sometimes, as we approached the land of his nativity, to question him upon the account he intended to give his friends of the scenes he had witnessed, and I was quite astonished at the accuracy with which he remembered the various places we had visited during the voyage: he seemed to have carried the ship's track in his memory with the most careful accuracy. His description of the ship's sailing and anchoring were most amusing: he used to say, "Ship walk--walk--all night--hard walk--then by and by, anchor tumble down." His manner of describing his interviews with the "wicked northern men," was most graphic. His countenance and figure became at once instinct with animation and energy, and no doubt he was then influenced by feelings of baffled hatred and revenge, from having failed in his much-vaunted determination to carry off in triumph one of their gins. I would sometimes amuse myself by asking him how he was to excuse himself to his friends for having failed in the premised exploit, but the subject was evidently a very unpleasant one, and he was always anxious to escape from it.
In spite of all Miago's evocations for a change of wind we did not see Rottnest Island before the morning of the 25th. The ship's track on the chart after passing the North-West Cape, resembled the figure seven, the tail pointing towards the north. We passed along the south side of Rottnest, and by keeping its south-western extreme shut in with the south point, cleared the northern end of the foul ground extending North-North-West from a cluster of high rocks called the Stragglers.
RETURN TO SWAN RIVER.
As Gage Road was not considered safe at this time of the year, the ship was taken into Owen's anchorage under the guidance of Mr. Usborne. We first steered for the Mew Stone, bearing south, until the leading marks could be made out; they are the western of two flat rocks lying close off the west side of Carnac Island and a large white sand patch on the north side of Garden Island. The rock must be kept its own breadth open to the eastward of the highest part of the patch; these marks lead over a sort of bar or ridge of sand in 3 and 3½ fathoms; when the water deepened to 5 and 7 fathoms, the course was then changed to East-South-East for a patch of low cliffs about two miles south of Fremantle, which brought us up to Owen's anchorage in 7 and 8 fathoms, passing between Success and Palmelia Banks.
Thus concluded our first cruise on this almost hitherto unknown part of the continent; and looking at its results we had every reason to feel satisfied, having appended 300 miles of new land to our geographical store, and succeeded in an object of paramount interest in this country, the discovery of a river. Besides the nautical information obtained, some additions were made to the secondary objects of the voyage, by increasing our knowledge of the natural history and indigenous productions of North-western Australia.
CHANGES OF TEMPERATURE.
During the period of our visit we had a temperature varying from 76 to 125 degrees; the weather generally fine, with moderate south-easterly winds, and occasionally heavy squalls from the eastward, excepting in the month of February and part of March, when we experienced heavy falls of rain, accompanied by fresh westerly winds. But as these changes have already been noticed in the diary, it is needless to enter into further detail about them here.
CHAPTER 1.8. SWAN RIVER TO SYDNEY.
Miago's reception by his countrymen.
Whale Fishery.
Strange ideas entertained by Natives respecting the first Settlers.
Neglected state of the Colony.
Test security of Owen's Anchorage.
Weather.
Celebration of the Anniversary of the Colony.
Friendly meeting between different Tribes.
Native beggars.
Personal vanity of a Native.
Visit York.
Description of Country.
Site of York.
Scenery in its neighbourhood.
Disappointment experienced.
Sail from Swan River.
Hospitality of Colonists during our stay.
Aurora Australis.
Gale off Cape Leeuwen.
Stormy passage.
Ship on a lee shore.
South-west Cape of Tasmania.
Bruny Island Lighthouse.
Arrive at Hobart.
Mount Wellington.
Kangaroo Hunt.
White Kangaroo.
Civility from the Governor.
Travertine Limestone.
Leave Hobart.
Singular Current.
Appearance of Land in the neighbourhood of Sydney.
Position of Lighthouse.
Entrance and first view of Port Jackson.
Scenery on passing up the Harbour.
Meet the Expedition bound to Port Essington.
Apparent increase of Sydney.
Cause of Decline.
Expedition sails for Port Essington.
Illawarra.
Botany Bay.
La Perouse's Monument.
Aborigines.
Meet Captain King.
Appearance of Land near Sydney.
MIAGO'S RECEPTION BY HIS COUNTRYMEN.
We were considerably amused with the consequential air Miago assumed towards his countrymen on our arrival, which afforded us a not uninstructive instance of the prevalence of the ordinary infirmities of our common human nature, whether of pride or vanity, universally to be met with both in the civilised man and the uncultivated savage. He declared that he would not land until they first came off to wait on him. Decorated with an old full-dress Lieutenant's coat, white trousers, and a cap with a tall feather, he looked upon himself as a most exalted personage, and for the whole of the first day remained on board, impatiently, but in vain prying into each boat that left the shore for the dusky forms of some of his quondam friends. His pride however could not long withstand the desire of display; yielding to the impulse of vanity, he, early the following morning, took his departure from the ship. Those who witnessed the meeting described it as cool on both sides, arising on the part of his friends from jealousy; they perhaps judging from the nature of his costume, that he had abandoned his bush life. Be that as it may, the reception tended greatly to lower the pride of our hero; who through generosity (expending all his money to purchase them bread) or from a fear of being treacherously speared, soon convinced his former associates how desirous he was of regaining their confidence. He did not, however, participate in the revelry then going on amongst the natives at Fremantle, where, at this period of the year, they assemble in great numbers to feast on the whales that are brought in by the boats of a whaling establishment--which I cannot allude to without expressing an opinion that this fishery, if properly managed and free from American encroachments,