OVERLAND JOURNEY OF THE MESSRS. JARDINE TO THE PORT ALBANY SETTLEMENT.
Somerset, May 1, 1865.
Sir,—Since the date of my last report the most important intelligence which I have to communicate is the arrival of my sons, Frank and Alexander Jardine, with their overland party, all safe and well, after an extremely arduous and toilsome journey of five months, almost entirely over country which for the greater part may be termed barren, the distance travelled over being somewhat more than 900 miles.
2. The party, consisting of my two sons and four other Europeans (including Mr. Surveyor Richardson, attached to the expedition by the Government of Queensland), with four aborigines of the Rockhampton district, made their final start from Mr. J. G. McDonald's station, Carpentaria Downs, in latitude 18 deg. 37 min 10 sec S., longitude 144 deg. 3 min 30 sec. E, (the farthest out-station on the supposed Lynd River), on the 11th of October, 1864, and reached this place on the 13th of March, ult. Rockhampton was the first point of departure, my second son leaving it, with the horses and men, on the 16th of May, 1864, making the journey for them about 1800 miles.
3. It would appear from the journals kept that a great portion of the country on the west coast of the York Peninsula, especially in the locality of the Mitchell River, is at times (I presume periodically) subject to inundation; the water, however, soon disappears from the flat and sandy land, and for the greater portion of the year, till the next rainy season, the country is destitute of water, and in other respects little better than an absolute desert.
4. It is a subject of great regret to myself, and in which I am sure you will share, that this long journey should be, so far as at present appears, productive of so poor a result to the public in developing new resources to the colony. However, a large and valuable addition to geographical information has certainly been gained; but at the same time few of the important discoveries in lands suitable for pastoral or agricultural occupation, or in minerals, etc., etc., and which might in so large a tract of country have reasonably been expected, have been made.
5. My sons have experienced a severe disappointment to their hopes and expectations in the nature of the country around, and within a reasonable distance of this place, as well as a heavy loss in prosecuting their undertaking. However at their ages, 23 and 21 respectively, the spirit is very buoyant, and they are again quite ready for another venture. Their journey, which, from the nature of the country traversed, has been one of unusual difficulty and hardship; and it is surprising to me that, hampered as they were with a herd of 250 cattle, for which providing food and water in a barren and unknown country is in itself no easy matter, they should have come through so successfully.
6. Next to the general barrenness of the country, the difficulties they had to encounter were—first, the destruction of a quantity of their supplies and gear, through the camp being carelessly permitted to catch fire during their absence in pioneering the route. Next, the determined hostility of the natives, who were almost continually on their track, annoying them on every favorable opportunity; on one occasion, the crossing of the "Mitchell," opposing them so obstinately that a considerable number were shot before they would give way. Then the loss of two-thirds of their horses (all the best) from eating some poisonous plant, and which necessitated the last 300 miles of the journey being travelled on foot; and last, the flooded state of the country during the season of the rains. And I think it is not too much for me to say, that nothing but a thorough knowledge of their business, supported by determined energy, could have carried them through what must be considered one of the most arduous tasks in exploration on record.
7. I will not attempt in the small space of a letter to give you more full particulars of the journey and its incidents. Mr. Surveyor Richardson has, of course, his journal and maps of the route as directed by the government, and from these, with the information gained by my sons in their numerous "offsets" in search of the best courses to follow, which will be placed at the disposal of the Government, I believe a pretty accurate idea of the nature of the country on the west coast of the York Peninsula may be gathered.
8. My sons have at present formed their station near Point Vallack, on the north shore of Newcastle Bay, between two or three miles from the settlement of Somerset. They are on good terms with the natives, and their black servants fraternise with them, but are kept under strict rule. The natives of Cape York from the first have shown a friendly feeling towards them, having, on their first arrival, met them about twenty miles from the settlement, and shown them the nearest way to it, and they have since been very useful in carrying timber to build huts, stockyards, etc., etc; and I believe that for the future, if well treated, they will offer no annoyance to the present settlers. The establishment of a cattle station in the neighborhood is of great advantage to the settlement, serving as an outpost to secure its safety, and in opening up the country, besides affording a ready supply of fresh meat. Already my sons and their blacks have cut good passages through the scrub to the settlement, and also through the various belts of scrub dividing their station from open grounds; so that now a large extent of country can be ridden over without obstruction.
9. I have little else of importance to communicate. The affairs of this settlement have gone on slowly but steadily. The several works left unfinished are, under the charge of the acting foreman, Private Bosworth, Royal Marines, (and of whom I can speak most highly for his attention and work), completed, with the exception of the Custom House, which is well advanced.
10. The natives are on good terms with us, and work for us in various ways, being duly paid in food, tobacco, etc.
11. On the 23rd ultimo there was a slight shock of an earthquake felt distinctly by myself and other persons here. It occurred in the afternoon, about two o'clock, was accompanied by a rumbling sound, but lasted little more than a minute. The health of the royal Marines, and all other residents at the settlement, continues to be very good, as will be seen from the report of the surgeon Dr. Haran, R.N. I have the honor to be, Sir,
Your most obedient servant,
JOHN JARDINE. P.M.
To the Hon. the Colonial Secretary, Brisbane.
DR. HARAN'S REPORT.
Somerset, May 22, 1865.
Sir,
It affords me much pleasure to have again to forward to your Excellency a most favourable report of the climate of this settlement, and of the uninterrupted good health of our small community, military and civil. the dreaded summer season, with its calms, light winds and heavy rains, has passed off without causing a single case of sickness, attributable to noxious exhalations, which prevail at that season in most tropical climates, but which, in my opinion, cannot exist here, owing to the preventive causes enumerated in my letter of the 13th January last; neither have we experienced that oppressiveness of the atmosphere which its saturated condition at that season through the sun's direct influence in favoring evaporation in the surrounding seas would lead one to expect. Some slight oppressiveness was felt immediately before the rains, but speedily disappeared on their occurrence. I can only account for this valuable immunity by attributing it to some peculiarity of climate, in all probability to the same causes which counteract the evolution of noxious exhalations; for we did experience calms and very light winds, and the hygrometer during the greater part of the time indicated a very large amount of moisture in the atmosphere.
2. The meteorological sheets forwarded by this opportunity, contain full particulars regarding the winds, temperature, etc., for the last four months, and having been prepared from a series of observations, conducted with care and regularly registered, they cannot fail, amongst other important objects bearing on general climatology, to afford convincing proof that, as a climate, even during the summer season, that of Somerset, although in close proximity to the equator, possesses many advantages not attainable in higher latitudes, and is, in my opinion, from its mildness and equable character, especially suited for such as may have the misfortune to be predisposed to, or suffering from, pulmonary consumption.
3. The S.E. Trade ceased as a continuous wind in these seas on the 24th December last. Calms, light winds, from all points of the compass, but chiefly from the points between North and West to South, or against the sun's course, and heavy rains, with electric phenomena of a comparatively mild character, succeeded and persisted until the 11th of March; when the sun's more direct influence having been diverted from its course, and in a manner dissipated by the great heat and evaporation, again resumed its ascendancy, and has continued since without interruption.
4. On the 25th of January two of the Marines were seized with a severe headache and other suspicious symptoms while working in the sun during a calm; and I consider it my duty at once to recommend such alteration in the working hours as would protect the men from sun-exposure during its period of greatest heat. These alternations were adopted, and continued in force until the 22nd of March, when the former working hours were resumed, as no danger was apprehended from solar heat at any time of the day during the prevalence of the S.E. Trade wind.
5. One well-marked case of scurvy became developed at the end of January; and a few of several cases of cutaneous eruption under treatment at the time closely resembled the symptoms characteristic of that disease. the only anti-scorbutic dietary available, viz.,—preserved meats and potatoes, compressed vegetables and lemon juice, was issued at once, and continued on the salt-meat days for three weeks, when all the indications of scurvy having disappeared, the usual dietary was resumed. Since then the entire adult community have enjoyed very good health.
I am, etc.,
T. J. HARAN, Surgeon, R.N.
His Excellency, Governor Sir G.F. Bowen, G.C.M.G.
JARDINE'S JOURNAL—NOTES BY THE ETEXT-MAKER.
Spelling errors and typos listed below are as shown in the paper text
and have been copied into the electronic text.
FRONT MATTER
The footnote in the INTRODUCTION does not have a referent in the text—
there is no asterisk in the text. It is not clear whether the
'settlement' it refers to as having been abandoned is at Adam Bay or in
Western Australia.
P ix—'loosing' instead of 'losing'
P xi—re-placed
CHAPTER 1
There are several words in this chapter which do not conform to today's
spelling, but which appear in the paper text as copied:
p 1—faciliate
p 3—agreable
p 5—speers
p 5—Gaala Creek—(should be Galaa Creek)
p 5—discription
p 7—amunition
CHAPTER 2
P 9—amunition
P 9—earthern
P 9—cheifly
P 10—stoney
P 10—occuring
P 11—villanous
P 11—vestage
P 16—potatoe
P 16—oppossum
P 17—apparantly
P 18—despatch
P 18—amunition
p 19—muscles—probably should be 'mussels'
p 19—(about 18 miles....—no closing bracket
p 23—a cawbawn saucy—should probably be 'as cawbawn....
p 23—agressors
p 24—succeded
p 24—'where' instead of 'were'
p 24—'frighened' instead of 'frightened'
p 26—emeu
p 27—double and single quotes on "Ferguson," don't match
p 27—'spenifex' instead of 'spinifex'
CHAPTER 3
P 30—too (too days)
P 30—dilirious
P 32—carcase
p 32—indispensible
P 32—chissel
P 33—'these' should probably be 'they'
p 33—pigmy
P 34—agreably
P 34—a-head
P 35—degnified
P 36—'course' instead of 'coarse'
P 37—steadilly
P 37—abondoned
p 37—wirey
P 38—cheifly
p 38—seives
P 38—permenantly
p 39—occuring
P 40 —frightended
P 40—bythe (all one word)
P 40—gratuitious
CHAPTER 4
P 42—they (no capital on beginning of sentence)
P 43—horses (no possessive apostrophe)
P 43—varities
P 44—varities
p 44—gulley
p 46—sheild
p 48—agressor
p 49—peices
p 50—bitcher plant—(instead of pitcher plant?)
p 50—pelluced
——————————————————————
CHAPTER 5
p 59—'course sandstone'—should probably be 'coarse'
p 63—a-head
p 64—the latitude measurements seem to have reversed the signs for
minutes and seconds in measuring latitude. I have spelled out the words.
p 67—'meet' instead of 'meat'
p 68—'eat' instead of 'ate'
p 69—horsmen
p 69—admonitary
p 70—Lichhardt
p 70—retreiver
p 70—mocassins
CHAPTER 6
p 72—distention
p 73—'gotting' should be 'getting'?
p 73—exhiliration
APPENDIX
p 75—weeps the stream—should be 'sweeps the stream'? or was the
author being poetic?
p 77—SPINIGEX—should be 'Spinifex'
p 77—genuis—genus
p 77—neverthless
p 77—loosing—losing
p 78—vigilence
p 79—Thozets'—Thozet's
p 82—easly—easily
p 82—entirley
p 83—surperseded
Map of the northern part of Queensland showing the route of Messrs Jardine from August 1864 to January 1865