Volltext Seite (XML)
63 of the river, the two natives who were with me, pointing to the river, called out, ‘ Yarra Yarra,” which, at the time, I imagined to he its name; but I afterwards learnt that the words were what they used to designate a waterfall, as they afterwards gave the same designation to a small fall in the river Weiribie, as we crossed it on our way back to Indented Head. “On my return to my head quarters, I immediately broke up the establishment, and removed it to the north bank of the Yarra Yarra, and encamped, if not at the very place, not far from where St. James’ Cathedral now stands.” WILLIAM BUCKLEY. This extraordinary man remained with the natives of Port Phillip from 1803 to 1835. Originally a mason, then a soldier of the 4th regiment, afterwards a convict on the “ Calcutta,” and servant to Governor Collins, he became a bolter from the camp, and was left behind on the abandonment of the settlement. On the arrival of Batman’s party he dwelt once more among his own people. Of gigantic size and proportions, had his intelligence and mental vigor been at all corresponding to his physical developement, he would have been the Minos or the Napoleon of the wild tribes of the south. But his singular torpidity of intellect, taciturnity of disposition, and indif ference to action, made him absolutely impressionless upon the minds of his savage friends. Not one single elevating thought, not one moral sentiment, not one trifling element of civilization do they owe to his instructions or example. He sunk at once to the barbarian ; he clad as a savage; he fed as a savage; he lived as a savage. When found by the whites he had forgotten his language; and, even after his recovery of speech, his vague and laconic replies to interroga tions afforded less information than mystery about his character and experience. But as a work was written three years ago by Mr. John Morgan, purporting to be an account obtained from the lips of Buckley himself in Hobart Town, we will first glance at its contents, and then refer to descriptions of the man by the old settlers. Although we are almost disposed to believe that the book is as near a description of the
