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CHAPTER 1. DISCOVERY OF PORT PHILLIP. On April 18, 1770, a vessel was straying through an unknown ocean. Impelled by a love of adventure and ambition for discovery, Captain Cook had dared the dangers of a long and novel voyage. He had visited the cannibal home of the Maories, and blessed it with new and nutritious articles of food. Sailing westward from New Zealand, the cry of “ Land, land,” arose on the above mentioned day. The fortunate man whose eye first rested on the shore received the honor of having the spot named after him. Point Hicks was the first land sighted by the English in Eastern Australia. It lay westward of Cape Howe, and, therefore, within the territory of Port Phillip, now Victoria. Rounding Cape Howe, our navigator followed the coast, entered Botany Bay, named Port Jackson, reached Cape York, and took possession of the country in the name of his Sovereign George III., as the land of New South Wales. Upon his return home he strongly recommended the formation of a colony at Botany Bay. The govern ment had lost the plantations of America to which they had heretofore shipped their convicts, and sold them to the settlers ; they listened, then, to the tale of landscape beauty, delicious climate, prospective empire, and a distant world, and resolved upon £ penal settlement on the New Holland shore. Captain Arthur Phillip arrived at Botany Bay on January 18th., 1788. The “ Sirius ” and “ Supply ” brought 212 soldiers, 558 male prisoners, 228 female prisoners, 28 free married women, and 17 children. Preference being given to Port Jackson, the party removed thither four days after. On the lovely banks of this noble harbour a judicious site was selected for the camp, which was named after rr
