Monday 26 April 1841

Wind from north. Hazy fine during the night. Last night fog on the plains. Adams, native of VDL, is overseer at this station for Mr Bolden ['St Marys', near Warrnambool]. He says his original name was Fowler or Howard and that his father is a silversmith in the Strand past Temple Bar and that he wrote to Field to send him to London and pay his expenses. He has built some very good huts. The outside are slabs and inside wattle and daub. I saw some fencing, stock yards, here, made by placing two poles upright in a hole thus, and then laying long poles horizontal between them, thus, [Figure 4.27], a ready way, enough for a slight fence. A stockyard was made same.

After breakfast proceeded on my journey. Got information from the natives, see vocabulary. Mr Adams accompanied me. My native companions six in number one VDL and one white prisoner. Went on foot. The horse 'Punch' Myatt had lamed and his back sored. The supplies I gave them they had to carry. They travelled as fast as our horses. Walked at 3½ miles an hour. About two miles from Been.ny.tut.burn, Bolden's lower station, came to Campbell's fence, three miles long, which encloses a paddock of 4000 acres. Saw some large boomer kangaroos in this paddock. Entered the fence and crossed a corner of it and then down a declivity where there are a large number of wombat holes. And thence through some thick forest where we came to the farm. The overseer's name is [blank]. He was from home and the servants did not ask me in. I therefore rod on and at 1½ miles from the farm came to the sand hills on the sea coast at Port Faire, and 10½ miles from Mr Campbell's [Goose Lagoon, near Port Fairy], near the islands. The whole of my party was with me. Adams remained at the farm. The farmhouse is a miserable low wattle and daub hut of two rooms, a kitchen attached, all very dirty. Four or five large stacks of wheat and barly and oats were adjoining. A man and his wife and child from Shoreham Fowl was here 16 months from England. They had a good crop of potatoes at the farm and there is plenty of water from the tea-tree.

Immediately we reached the sand hills, Wee.weet, the elderly man, discerned a smoke to the northeast at two miles distant from where we stood and it was immediately proposed that he and the other man called Cor.ro.kite and the youth Joe Grimaldi should go to the natives and we were to remain, when he promised he would bring the blacks and women with him. Several hours passed away, we occasionally saw the natives on the sandhills but no signs of their coming. Mr Adams came towards evening. We began to form our encampement and soon after discerned a long black line of natives along the side of the sandhills, a short distance in advance of the camp and coming towards us. Five natives had preceded them and were going in a direction from us. My natives said they were frightened but it was my opinion that they were going on an embassy to some other natives. Eurodap was not frightened.

A large body of natives advanced towards us in Indian or single file. I went and met them. Then Wee.weet, elderly man, pointed me out, but the strangers were evidently timorous and some were frightened. I held up my hands. The natives, most of them, had weapons some spears, waddys, boomerangs &c. The spears had been newly sharpened. They halted 50 yards from my camp. They were then introduced to me in due form by Wee.weet. I shook each of them by the hand and patted them on the head. During the ceremony, some would thrust forward their little infants who, immediately they saw me, began to cry. Some of the men had to drag their wives forward in order that I might receive them. And when they found no ill effects from my touch they smiled and seemed pleased. Even some of the elderly men were pushed and forced forward.

It was evident they had no intercourse with the whites. Nor did they know a single word of English. They repeated every word spoke to them. They were, however, very obedient. I distributed to each a medal which I suspended to their neck. At least 60 medals was distributed. I also gave to each a worsted head band (braid worsted lint) with which orniment they were much pleased. A gown piece I tore up into handkerchiefs and distributed among then. And to their children gave necklaces. I also gave away a few handkerchiefs. I then took down their names &c. During this cerimony, if it may be called, of taking down names and of conferring names, which I did, they were scrupulously obedient. Mr Adams said he never saw natives so obedient to anyone as those natives were to me. At the bidding of Wee.weet, who acted as master of cerimonies, they all stood upright, sat down or moved off. They laid on the ground and on no occasion did they evince that forward demeanor so prevalent among the natives of Geelong, Goulbourn and Melbourne. Worn.home, alias Joey Grimaldi, was as usual showing off his articles. I had some difficulty in inventing names for them. They were not satisfied unless they had one; they wanted to be served all alike. I looked up and thought of the stars. Some of them looked up also and mimiced all my movements especially Wee.weet who as regarded wildness was not a bit behind the rest. When the business had been got through, I proposed to proceed to the farm to get supplies. Whilst Eu.ro.dap was pleased at the prospect of getting food, he had no idea at my leaving and wanted to know where I was going to sleep. I left and rode up with Adams and ordered Jack to follow after me. He came and I got a sack of potatoes, which I sent with him for the natives and a piece of pork for himself and Myatt. After tea the overseer and Adams proposed to go to the corroberee which the natives had said they would have. I followed after them and saw the corrobberee. A large party of natives had joined the camp after I left. There must have been at least 100 natives at it. The natives were painted and had leaves round their legs and the corroboree was in every respect the same as any other. The song might have been different. I took my leave of them and returned to the farm. Several of the men went up to see the corrobberee.