CHAPTER VI.

Attendance of Meetings.-Religious Communications.-Embarkation for Flinders Island. Cape Roaul.-Port Arthur.-Perilous Situation.-Cape Pillar.Birds.-Maria Island.-Spring Bay.-Prisoner Seaman.-Octopodia.--Freycinets Peninsula.-Trees, &c.-Black Swans -Schouten Passage.-Mutton Birds.-Swan Island.-Banks's Strait.-Superstition of Sailors.—Wreck.— Preservation Island.-Sealers and Native Women.-Black Snakes-Green Island.

WITH the exception of holding a meeting with a road party at a place called Robleys Barn, and another with the inhabitants of Clarence Plains, in a school-house, on the east side of the Derwent, we remained in Hobart Town till the 25th of 9th month. In the mean time, a few persons began to meet with us frequently for public worship; among these was a member of our Society, who came out to the Swan River, but not succeeding there, proceeded to V. D. Land, and took up his residence in Hobart Town, where he has not found it easy to obtain a livelihood. At the conclusion of one of our meetings, a young man informed me, that he felt burdened in mind from not having expressed something that had impressed him, believing that he ought to have communicated it. I therefore requested the company again to take their seats; and he proceeded in a humble but feeling manner, to comment on the declaration of Christ, "My yoke is easy and my burden is light;" saying, he had felt it so, when he had waited on the Lord for strength; but that when he had attempted in his own will and strength to perform religious acts, he had become burdened by them. At another time, after I had made some remarks on the advantage of allowing the mind to dwell under the

influence of the Holy Spirit, in silence, after vocal supplication, a good old Wesleyan observed, that the remarks reminded him of the expressions in the parable of the Sower, "Immediately Satan cometh and taketh away that which was sown." This, he said, he had often noticed to be the case, in passing immediately from religious exercises to conversation, without taking time to dwell under the impressions produced.

25th. Having received the sanction of the Lieutenant Governor, to visit the Establishment for the Aborigines on Flinders Island (Great Island, of Maps) in Bass's Straits, we embarked in the Charlotte Cutter, John Thornloe, a young man from Doncaster, commanding her for the voyage. The little cabin was in such confusion when we went on board, that during much of the day, which was wet, we could do little to advantage but stand still and exercise patience, till others got their luggage out of the way. In the evening the cutter drifted against the Challenger Manof-war, in the dark. Without discovering, so far as we could make out, that the Cutter was a Government vessel, the officers and men on board that ship, exerted themselves with civility and kindness, and cleared us without cutting a rope.

26th. Early in the morning we sailed, and in the evening, passed Cape Raoul or Basaltes, a magnificent mass of perpendicular basaltic columns, forming the south west point of Tasmans Peninsula.

27th. We put into Port Arthur, a penal settlement lately formed to receive prisoners from one, recently given up on Maria Island.-The Clarence bound for England put in here to-day, to deliver up three prisoners, found on board after sailing from Hobart Town; who had stowed themselves away in the hope of escaping.-Port Arthur is much of the same character as Macquarie Harbour, but being newly formed, it is less organized.-Allowing such of the prisoners as conducted themselves well at this place, a few square yards of ground for gardens, and a small quantity of tea and sugar, had a very beneficial influence upon their conduct, but these indulgences being considered incompatible with

the rigid nature of the discipline intended to be maintained at such stations, were after a time withdrawn.

28th. We again proceeded on our voyage, but got to sea with great difficulty. At one time the cutter "missed stays." Though little of a sailor, I saw the only alternative was to get way upon the vessel, by running directly toward a rock near us, and on which there was a danger of being wrecked, and then to try again. The commander of the vessel, though an intrepid young man, had turned pale with fear, but on my promptly pointing out the possibility of escape by this means, he recovered his courage, and made the effort, which proved successful; the vessel answered her helm, and we glided safely past the point of impending of danger. In the course of the day we rounded Cape Pillar and Tasmans Island, which is also of columnar basalt, and in the evening were off the Hippolyte Rocks. Near Cape Pillar we fell in with the barque Bolina, of London, on her passage from New Zealand. Along the coast many Gannets were diving for fish, which they dart upon from a considerable height in the air. Albatrosses, Cape Pigeons, and Blue and Stormy Petrels, were seen at intervals. Large flocks of Muttonbirds were flying about Tasmans Island at sunset.

29th. We beat up between Maria Island and the main land. The coast of the latter was steep and woody. Some parts of Maria Island are lofty: the northern end is 3,000 feet high, and steep the island is divided into two portions by a low sandy neck. Black-fish, Gannets, and Mutton-birds were seen; and in the evening, we were cheered by lights on the coast, at the house of a settler, and at a whaling station, in Spring Bay. The last proved of great service in directing the course of the cutter, which dropped anchor at midnight, the wind having failed.

30th. We had reading on deck. The company, among whom were a few other passengers, did not exhibit much appearance of religion, but some of them showed evidence of the want of it. One of the crew, a prisoner having a ticket of leave, who had been educated in a school on the system of the British and Foreign School Society, at Norwich, said he had not met with any of his school-fellows in

this Colony, except one of his own brothers. These men, as well as some others, retain a sense of the kindness they met with from Joseph John Gurney, Peter Bedford, Elizabeth Fry, and some others of our friends in England, such as gives us a more ready access to their best feelings.

In the afternoon we again made sail, passed Green Island, which has been stocked with Rabbits, and made a course outside the White Rock, off Oyster Bay, on which the kind of Seal that affords rich fur, is occasionally taken. In Spring Bay one of the people fishing, brought up a species of Octopodia, an animal of the Cuttle-fish tribe, with eight arms, which in this specimen were 15 inches long. These it fixed to whatever came in its way, by means of circular, saucer-like suckers. It travelled with its mouth, which is in the centre of the arms and like the beak of a parrot, downward, and its red body of about 3 inches long, and like an oval fleshy bag, upward. Between these, its large eyes were very conspicuous. Its strange appearance and remarkable movements, excited no small degree of surprise among our company.

10th mo. 1st. Mutton Birds were in such vast flocks, that, at a distance, they seemed as thick as bees when swarming. The wind became adverse, and fearing lest we should be driven out to sea, we ran into Schouten Passage, and brought up under Freycinets Peninsula, in Oyster Bay, where we went on shore. One of the soldiers, going as a guard to Flinder's Island, shot a Black Swan, on a lagoon running parallel with the beach. The hills on the peninsula are red, porphyritic granite, as are also some of those on Schouten Island; but, on the inside of the latter, which is about four miles across, the newer formations occur vertically. On the hills, are the Blue Gum, the Oyster Bay Pine, and the Callitris pyramidalis, which is a Cypress-like tree.-The bush here was gay with various shrubs, among which were several species of Acacia, Boronia and Hibbertia, some of the Epacris tribe, Pomaderris elliptica, with large clusters of small sulphur coloured blossoms, and Comesperma volubilis, a beautiful climber, the flowers of which, in spring, hang

in blue festoons, among the bushes, in all parts of V. D. Land.

2nd. The wind continuing adverse, the cutter remained at anchor. Some of the men procured another Black Swan and some eggs. I took a solitary walk among the hills, in the course of which I was brought into close self-examination, and given to feel afresh the importance of watchfulness and prayer, and of the continued exercise of faith in Christ; thus the traversing of the uninhabited wilds, to observe the works of Him, whose all-seeing eye beholds us in the deepest solitudes, as well as in the most crowded haunts of men, was made conducive to my spiritual advantage.

3rd. This morning I took three fine Flat-heads, which, with a Swan's egg, contributed toward an abundant breakfast the latter is rather inferior to the egg of a common fowl. In the forenoon the anchor was weighed, and sail made; but just when we got near the outside of the passage, the wind failed, and left us drifting from side to side for several hours, so that it was necessary from time to time, to tow the head of the vessel round by means of a boat, to keep her from drifting against the terrific, granite rocks, which are too perpendicular to allow of anchorage near them. The dangers of a calm do not appear to be much less in such a situation, than those of a storm. Though no one expressed fear, anxiety was marked on many countenances, during this time of suspense, from which we were at length favoured to be relieved by the turn of the tide, which carried

us out to sea.

7th. During the last three days, we have been beating up the coast against a contrary wind. Yesterday the brig Helen, from the Isle of France to Sydney, with sugar, sent a boat to the Charlotte, and obtained a bag of biscuit, having run short of this necessary article. A Right Whale, a shark, and numerous flocks of birds, were seen. The flocks of Mutton-birds sometimes formed dense lines near the horizon, that might have been mistaken for rocks or land. Their flight is usually low; they move their wings smartly a few times, and then soar with them motionless for a