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47 cipal chiefs came and brought their two cloaks or royal mantles, and laid at my feet.” * * * “I had no trouble to find out their sacred m-rk. One of my natives, Bungett, went to a tree out of sight of the women, and made the Sydney native mark. After this was done, I took with two or three of my Sydney natives the principal chief, and showed the marks on the tree. This he knew immediately, and pointed to the knocking out of the teeth. This mark is always made when the ceremony is of breaking the tooth in the front.” * * * “ He cut out in the bark of the tree his notch, which is attached to the deed, and is the signature of their country and tribe.” Mr. Batman wanted the chiefs to accompany him to the ship; but they pointed to the number of children, and indicated their inability to undertake so long a journey. After walking 12 miles along his side line in a south westerly direction, across Lucy’s Creek and Maria’s Valley, he once more sighted the vessel in the Bay. He arrived at his old Salt Water River, and come to a large marsh, at the upper end of which was a lagoon a mile broad, full of ducks, &c. This marsh was the Melbourne Swamp, between the Yarra and Salt Water River. Now comes a remarkable entry on this Sunday Journal: “ But to our great surprize when we got through the scrub, we found ourselves on a much larger river than the one we went up, and just come down. It was now near sunset, and it would take two days to head the river again. So after some time I made up my mind that two of the Sydney natives should swim across the smallest river, and bring up the boat. Bullet and Bungett swam and had to go about seven miles, which they did, and were back again with the boat in three hours. I was glad to see them, as we had got on the point at the junction of the river, where the tide had come up to our ancles.” This important passage in the memorandum book is endoised with these words, in the hand writing of Dr. Thomson :—“ Junction of Salt Water.” Yes, Batman was doubtless the first white man that stood at the junction of the Yarra and Salt Water River, and the first to round the swamp by the site of the Melbourne gas works. The journal continues;—“ Got to the vessel, where my travelling (I hope on foot) will cease for some time.—I intended to leave Gumm, Dodd, Thompson, Bullet, Bungett and Old Bull on my land at Inden ted Head with three month’s supply.” The particulars mentioned on June 8th are very important, substantiating, as they do, Mr. Batman's
