The Book Of The Bush by George Dunderdale (books to read to improve english .TXT) 📕

Useless Through Scrub And Morass,  Which Leaves Only 1,100 Square

Miles Come-At-Able At All,  And Nearly A Third Of This Is Useless.  On

This 1,100 Square Miles Of Land There Are 45,000 Sheep,  1,500 Cattle,

And 300 Horses.  Other Herds Of Cattle And About 2,000 Sheep Are

Expected Daily.  The Blacks Are Continuing Their Outrages,  Robbing

Huts And Gardens And Slaughtering Cattle Wholesale,  Messrs. Pearson

And Cunningham Being The Latest Sufferers By The Cannibals.  Sheep

Shearing Is Nearly Completed,  After Paying A Most Exorbitant Price To

The Shearers.*  The Wool Is Much Lighter Than In Any Other Part Of

The Colony,  And The Skins Much Thicker Than In Hotter Climates;" And

Lastly,  "A Collection Has Been Made For The Support Of A Minister."

But The Minister Was Not Supported Long,  And He Had To Shake The Dust

Of Gippsland Off His Feet.  From Dan To Beersheba--From The Bore In

The Mountains To The Shores Of Corner Inlet,  All Was Barren To This

Disappointed Drover.

Useless Through Scrub And Morass,  Which Leaves Only 1,100 Square

Miles Come-At-Able At All,  And Nearly A Third Of This Is Useless.  On

This 1,100 Square Miles Of Land There Are 45,000 Sheep,  1,500 Cattle,

And 300 Horses.  Other Herds Of Cattle And About 2,000 Sheep Are

Expected Daily.  The Blacks Are Continuing Their Outrages,  Robbing

Huts And Gardens And Slaughtering Cattle Wholesale,  Messrs. Pearson

And Cunningham Being The Latest Sufferers By The Cannibals.  Sheep

Shearing Is Nearly Completed,  After Paying A Most Exorbitant Price To

The Shearers.*  The Wool Is Much Lighter Than In Any Other Part Of

The Colony,  And The Skins Much Thicker Than In Hotter Climates;" And

Lastly,  "A Collection Has Been Made For The Support Of A Minister."

But The Minister Was Not Supported Long,  And He Had To Shake The Dust

Of Gippsland Off His Feet.  From Dan To Beersheba--From The Bore In

The Mountains To The Shores Of Corner Inlet,  All Was Barren To This

Disappointed Drover.

[Footnote] *In The Season Of 1844 The Average Price Per 100 For

Sheep-Shearing Was 8s.; The Highest Price Asked,  8s. 6d.

And The Squatters,  In Order To Keep A Foothold In The Country,  Had To

Seek Markets For Their Stock Over The Sea.  The First To Export

Cattle Was James Mcfarlane Of Heyfield.  He Chartered The Schooner

'Waterwitch' For 100 Pounds A Month For Six Months,  And Found Her In

Everything.  She Arrived On March 2nd,  1842,  But Could Not Come Up To

The Port Being Too Sharp In The Bottom,  And Drawing (When Loaded With

Cattle) Thirteen Feet Six Inches,  So She Lay Down At The Oyster Beds.

Mcfarlane Borrowed The Square Punt From The 'Clonmel' Wreckers,  A

Weak Stockyard Of Tea Tree Was Erected,  And The Punt Was Moored

Alongside.  A Block Was Made Fast To The Bottom Of The Punt,  And A

Rope Rove Through It To A Bullock's Head,  And The Men Hauled On The

Rope.  Sometimes A Beast Would Not Jump,  And Had To Be Levered And

Bundled Into The Punt Neck And Crop.  Then The Men Got Into A Boat,

And Reached Over To Make The Rope Fast From The Head Of The Bullock

To One Of The Eyebolts Which Were Fixed Round The Punt,  And Even Then

The Bullock Would Sometimes Go Overboard.  It Took A Week To Load

Twenty Fat Bullocks And Twenty Cows With Their Calves.  The Schooner

Set Sail For New Zealand On April 2nd,  1842,  And At Port Nicholson

The Bullocks Were Sold For Fifteen And The Cows For Twelve Pounds

Each,  Cash.  The 'Waterwitch' Returned To Port Albert On April 29th,

And Took In Another Cargo Of Breeding Cattle,  Which Had To Be Sold On

Bills,  The Cash At Port Nicholson Being Exhausted.  Mcfarlane Next

Sought For A Market At Hobarton,  Which Was Then Supplied With Beef

From Twofold Bay.  Forty Bullocks Were Put On Board The 'Waterwitch'

In Five Days,  And In Forty-Eight Hours They Were Offered For Sale In

Hobarton,  And Fetched Fourteen Pounds Ten Shillings A Head--All But

One,  A Snail-Horned Brute,  Which Was Very Wild.  When He Landed,  A

Number Of Soldiers Were At Drill In The Paddock,  And He Charged The

Redcoats At Once. They Prepared To Receive Cavalry,  But He Broke

And The Squatters,  In Order To Keep A Foothold In The Country,  Had To

Seek Markets For Their Stock Over The Sea.  The First To Export

Cattle Was James Mcfarlane Of Heyfield.  He Chartered The Schooner

'Waterwitch' For 100 Pounds A Month For Six Months,  And Found Her In

Everything.  She Arrived On March 2nd,  1842,  But Could Not Come Up To

The Port Being Too Sharp In The Bottom,  And Drawing (When Loaded With

Cattle) Thirteen Feet Six Inches,  So She Lay Down At The Oyster Beds.

Mcfarlane Borrowed The Square Punt From The 'Clonmel' Wreckers,  A

Weak Stockyard Of Tea Tree Was Erected,  And The Punt Was Moored

Alongside.  A Block Was Made Fast To The Bottom Of The Punt,  And A

Rope Rove Through It To A Bullock's Head,  And The Men Hauled On The

Rope.  Sometimes A Beast Would Not Jump,  And Had To Be Levered And

Bundled Into The Punt Neck And Crop.  Then The Men Got Into A Boat,

And Reached Over To Make The Rope Fast From The Head Of The Bullock

To One Of The Eyebolts Which Were Fixed Round The Punt,  And Even Then

The Bullock Would Sometimes Go Overboard.  It Took A Week To Load

Twenty Fat Bullocks And Twenty Cows With Their Calves.  The Schooner

Set Sail For New Zealand On April 2nd,  1842,  And At Port Nicholson

The Bullocks Were Sold For Fifteen And The Cows For Twelve Pounds

Each,  Cash.  The 'Waterwitch' Returned To Port Albert On April 29th,

And Took In Another Cargo Of Breeding Cattle,  Which Had To Be Sold On

Bills,  The Cash At Port Nicholson Being Exhausted.  Mcfarlane Next

Sought For A Market At Hobarton,  Which Was Then Supplied With Beef

From Twofold Bay.  Forty Bullocks Were Put On Board The 'Waterwitch'

In Five Days,  And In Forty-Eight Hours They Were Offered For Sale In

Hobarton,  And Fetched Fourteen Pounds Ten Shillings A Head--All But

One,  A Snail-Horned Brute,  Which Was Very Wild.  When He Landed,  A

Number Of Soldiers Were At Drill In The Paddock,  And He Charged The

Redcoats At Once. They Prepared To Receive Cavalry,  But He Broke

[Footnote] *In The Season Of 1844 The Average Price Per 100 For

Sheep-Shearing Was 8s.; The Highest Price Asked,  8s. 6d.

Through The Ranks,  Scattered The Citizens The Whole Length Of

Liverpool Street,  And Reached The Open Country.  Guisden,  The

Auctioneer,  Sold The Chance Of Him For Eleven Pounds.

At This Time,  Nobody In Hobarton Had Heard Of Such A Place As

Gippsland; But The Fat Cattle,  Which Were Far Superior To Those

Imported From Twofold Bay,  Soon Made The New Territory Well Known,

And Many Enterprising Men Of Various Characters Found Their Way To It

From The Island.

Mcfarlane Sent Over Another Cargo Of Forty Bullocks,  Thirty-Seven Of

Which Averaged Fourteen Pounds; One Was Lost,  And Two Belonging To

Macalister,  Heavy Weights,  Were Sold For Forty Pounds Ten Shillings.

Mcmillan Took Over The 'Waterwitch' For The Next Trip,  And Also

Chartered The Schooners 'Industry' And 'Scotia',  Which Were The First

Vessels Brought Up To The Shipping Place At Port Albert On August,

3rd,  1842.  Each Of These Vessels Took Two Cargoes To Hobarton,  Which

Sold Well,  And Then Macalister Chartered The Brig 'Pateena',  Which

Would Hold Sixty Bullocks.  The 'Clonmel' Punt Was Now Dispensed

With; The Cattle Were Roped,  Put In The Water,  And Made To Swim

Between The Vessel And A Boat.  A Piece Of Small Ratline Was Fixed To

The Slings,  With The Handlead Made Fast To It So That It Would Sink.

The Mate Had The Slings,  And A Man In The Boat Held The Other End Of

The Line,  And With It He Hauled The Slings Under The Bullocks,  Which

Were Then Made Fast,  And The Animal Was Hoisted Up.  In This Way

Forty Bullocks Were Shipped In Three Hours.

Oysters Were Obtained In Great Abundance At Clonmel,  Snake Island,

And In Other Parts Of The Inlets,  And The Cattle Vessels,  After

Receiving Their Loading,  Took Bags Of Oysters On Board For Sale At

Hobarton.  In June,  1843,  The Cutter 'Lucy' Took 700 Dozen To

Melbourne,  And In July Another 700 Dozen.  In August The 'Mary Jane'

Took 500 Dozen,  And The Cutter 'Domain' 400 Dozen.  The Oyster Beds

Were Soon Destroyed,  And When In Course Of A Few Years I Was

Appointed Inspector Of Fisheries At Port Albert I Could Never Find A

Single Dozen Oysters To Inspect,  Although I Was Informed That A

Certain Reverend Poacher Near The Caledonian Canal Could Obtain A

Bucket Full Of Them When So Disposed.

Gippsland Enjoyed One Year Of Prosperity,  Followed By Seven Years Of

Adversity.  The Price Of Stock Declined So Rapidly That In April,

1843,  The Very Best Beasts Only Realized 6 Pounds Per Head,  And Soon

Afterwards It Was Estimated That There Were In New South Wales 50,000

Fat Bullocks Which Nobody Would Buy.  Moreover,  The Government Was

Grievously In Want Of Money,  And In Addition To The Fees For

Depasturing Licenses,  Exacted Half-Yearly Assessments On The

Unsaleable Flocks And Herds.  But The Law Exacted Payment On Live

Cattle Only,  So The Squatters In Their Dire Distress Resolved To Kill

Their Stock And Boil Them,  The Hides And The Resulting Tallow Being

Of Some Value.  The Hentys,  In The Portland District,  Commenced

Boiling Their Sheep In January,  1844,  And On Every Station In New

South Wales The Paddocks Still Called The "Boiling Down" Were Devoted

To The Destruction Of Sheep And Cattle And To The Production Of