ial paper, that there is probably no
vessel in Her Majesty's navy, no matter where serving, the men of which
are not better supplied with all the necessaries and comforts of life
than are the residents at Port Essington. All these have volunteered for
the place, but their preconceived ideas formed in England almost always
on reaching the place gave way to feelings of regret at the step they had
taken; I well remember the excitement in the settlement, and the feelings
of joy everywhere expressed, when in October 1845, the first party
learned that their relief had arrived.

HISTORY OF PREVIOUS SETTLEMENTS.

I shall now proceed to make some remarks upon Port Essington, ere the
subject becomes a matter of history, as I fervently hope the abandonment
of the place will render it ere many years have gone by;* but before
doing so I may premise a brief account of the former British settlements
on the north coast of Australia.**

(*Footnote. Port Essington was finally abandoned on November 30th, 1849,
when the garrison and stores were removed to Sydney by H.M.S. Meander,
Captain the Honourable H. Keppel. I may mention that most of the remarks
in this chapter relative to Port Essington appear as they were originally
written in my journal soon after leaving the place in the Rattlesnake;
they are mostly a combination of the observations made during three
visits, at intervals of various lengths, including a residence in 1844,
of upwards of four months. I am also anxious to place on record a
somewhat connected but brief account of the Aborigines, as I have seen
many injudicious remarks and erroneous statements regarding them, and as
it is only at Port Essington, for the whole extent of coastline between
Swan River and Cape York, that we were able to have sufficient
intercourse with them to arrive at even a moderate degree of acquaintance
with their manners, customs, and language.)

(**Footnote. See Voyage round the World by T.B. Wilson, M.D.)

The British Government having determined to form an establishment on the
northern coast of Australia, Captain J.J. Gordon Bremer, with H.M.S.
Tamar, sailed from Sydney in August 1824, in company with two store ships
and a party of military and convicts, the latter chiefly mechanics. On
September 20th, they arrived at Port Essington, when formal possession
was taken of the whole of the coast between the 129th and 135th meridians
of east longitude.

MELVILLE ISLAND SETTLEMENT.

A sufficien