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46 chase, and which are defined by hills, to which they have affixed native names ; and the limits of the land purchased by me are defined in the chart, which I have the honor of transmitting, taken from my personal survey. “ On the next day the chiefs proceeded with me to the boundaries, and they marked with their own native marks the trees which were at the corners of the boundaries, and they also gave me their own private mark, which is kept sacred by them, even so much so that the women are not allowed to see it. “ After the boundaries had been marked and described, I filled up as accurately as I could define it the land agreed to be purchased by me from the chiefs ; and the deed, when thus filled up was most care fully read over, and explained to them by the two aborigines, so that they most fully comprehended its purport and effect. I then filled up two other parts of the deed, so as to make it in triplicate, and the three principal chiefs, and five of the subordinate chiefs, then executed each of the deeds, each part being separately read over, and they de livered to me a piece of the soil for the purpose of putting me in possession thereof, and understanding that it was a form by which they delivered to me the tract of land.” The journal states, concerning this transaction, “After some time and full explanation, I found eight chiefs amongst them who possessed the whole of the country near Port Phillip ; three brothers, also, at the same time are the principal chiefs, and two of them are six feet high and very good looking. After a full explanation of what my object was, I purchased two large tracts of land from them, about 600,000 acres, more or less, and delivered over to them blankets, knives, looking glasses, tomahawks, beads, scissors, flour, &c., as payment for the land, and also agreed to give them a tribute or rent yearly. The parchment the eight chiefs signed this afternoon, delivering to me some of the soil, each of them, as giving me full possession of the tracts of land. This took place alongside of a beautiful stream of water, and from whence my land commences, and where a tree is marked four ways to know the corner boundary. “June 7. Sunday. Detained this morning some time drawing up triplicates of the deeds of the land I purchased, and delivering over to them more property on the banks of the stream, which I have named Batman’s Creek after my goodself. Just before leaving, the two prin-
