government; but the blacks can find food sweeter to them than the richest dainties, where the white man would starve. The root that grows beneath his feet; the grub from which we turn in disgust; the snakes from which we fly in terror, all furnish a change of savoury dishes to the native, even when the kangaroo has fled the soil. Then, for their instruction, go witness the farce that occurs at the supreme courts, when one of these beings is brought up for trial; and watch the stupid stare of the culprit as the protector tries to stammer out some unintelligible jargon, and gives it up, in nine cases out of ten, without being one whit the wiser proving how utterly incapable such people are to instruct, who show such slowness themselves in acquisition. And is it to be supposed that the blacks appreciate, and are grateful for, these benefits conferred upon them, and this charity exercised towards them? Ah, no! they see the glaring eyes of self-love, and selfprotection, lurking behind the mask of charity; and though charity they cannot appreciate, they give us credit for the sentiment secondary only to revenge in native bosoms-I mean fear. This, then, is the sentiment by which they must be civilised; not by cruelty, but fear. Dismiss the protectorate, and with the funds, or half the funds, organise such a body of mounted police that there shall not be a spot within the limits of location where their presence is not known and felt; and these, under the command of honourable and principled officers, will be the guardians of the black as well as of the white. Let gentlemen and men of principle be appointed magistrates in various parts of the bush, and let minor offences committed by the blacks or whites be tried on the spot where they are committed; then the blacks, knowing that they would be surely punished for their aggressions, would gradually (as they even do in Melbourne, where they are civilised by fear) quietly locate amongst the settlers, assist them in their toils, and receive such reward as their labour would permit." -Port Phillip Settlers' newspaper article.

The above is a very favourable sample of settlers' logic, abundance of which is published in the colonial papers. Were this settler's plan to be adopted, and the protectorate dismissed, what would be the result? A small island, smaller than Flinders' Island, would soon hold the diminished tribes of the whole Aboriginal people of New Holland. Our settler commenced his paper with the assertion (not quoted) that he would go to the root of the matter, but did not. He flings the country into chancery," then takes possession of it as a matter of course. The real root of the matter is, Christianity. We must, as the wisest policy, do ourselves all the good we can, and the natives

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too; and we shall thereby acquire the only just title to Australia. How delicately the settler touched the wanton havoc made by his class on the native animals: "Where the kangaroo has fled the soil." As it regards the food of the aborigines found by them spontaneously produced in the bush, from my own experience amongst them I know that their old dainties of snake and grubmurnong, birnenberong, opossum, &c., are no longer luxuries; they have tasted other food; and now, bread, beef, mutton, potatoes, and tea, are merri jig"-all very good. Then, the settler's system of fear has no instruction in it. A better code than this has been tried-thanks to Messrs. Tuckfield, Parker, and Thomas-" the law of kindness." Again, the settler expects the protector, who is compelled to locate himself with a tribe or two in a particular district, to be universal in his operations, and to know, by instinct, the languages of all the Australian aborigines. But the most remarkable passage in the selfish paper of this settler is this, that the natives cannot appreciate the justice or charity of the white people, and that these are therefore wasted. Most excellent! such a rigid code of economised mercy and justice would considerably lessen the worldly sum of mortal ingratitude!

SOME PEOPLE LOSE THEMSELVES, AND OTHERS ARE FOUND BEFORE THEY ARE LOST.

It is pleasant to range where you list in a new country, occupied and delighted with endless novelties. To know that without a license you are at liberty; that there is "ample room and verge enough." This was the feeling with us on first landing in Australia; prepared for a glorious outbreak by our long seaimprisonment. Any country is pleasant, even the old civilised lands, with their stringent enactments, to the long sea-weary. How much more so here,

"Where free to follow Nature was the mode;"

where there is yet little intimation of human intrusion; where, as yet, on the south side of the River Yarra especially, there has been no carving up of the country; none of it self-appropriated in some directions for hundreds of miles; and where the only danger is, to new pleasure-seekers, that they may most effectually lose every trace of civilisation, even of something to eat. Some in this manner lose not only their way, but their lives. They make the discovery that a compass is not always a sure guide, any more than the sun; for without good sense and observation,

they will prove worthless. They find that in a country styled "The Happy" they may die of hunger, and their death be attributed to the savages. Captain Lloyd, a shipmate of ours, lost himself in the Tasmania woods for three or four days, and when found by a party of soldiers sent out in search of him, he was only just alive. Such instances are not rare. I was lost myself by the River Tamar, near Spring Bay. I was astonished how I could thus have become bewildered. Not knowing which way to go, I reflected that I had nothing with me, out alone in the densest wilderness, wherewith to kindle a fire. It was lateish in the afternoon and I must devise some expedient for finding my way to our ship, which was lying at anchor at Swan Point. I thought immediately on the flow of the river, down which we were going, and that instantaneously struck me as a joyful thought; but the pleasure as fleetly vanished again, when I reflected that the Tamar was subject to tides-to ebbs and to flows. Sometimes I hastened on in one direction-then turned again, and went on as rapidly in the other. The water, though wide was very tortuous-very labyrinthine-so that to see the vessel one must be close upon it. I lost much time to no purpose in this way, and expected to be out all night, at a time of the year when the atmosphere is cold and foggy, and more so on the flats near rivers. I at length resolved, right or wrong, to persevere in one direction, and if I went from the ship I should most likely find some woodmen's huts by night-fall, which would be preferable to a night in the woods without food or fire. On I went, steadily and briskly, not without a palpitating heart, and reached, after an hour's torturing uncertainty, the spot from which I had first started-welcome-beautiful Swan Point-and

the ship-looking more home-like than ever. Of two people lost in the wilderness woods-one, just escaping with the life in him--was afterwards entombed in the ocean, his bones tossed about and whitened by eternal billows-and the other is here. Now for those who were found before they were lost.

A newly arrived emigrant, and his two friends, a few years ago, leaving Melbourne in the morning early, crossed the Punt, intending to pass a week of pleasure in the bush, shooting, &c. None of them had declared positively, like the Eastern monarch in Johnson's story, that it should be a week of happiness, yet tacitly they were willing that it should be so. All of them had guns-all had knapsacks at their backs, or blankets, should they be compelled to sleep in the open air, and roughly clad, looked a rather formidable company. On their way towards Western Port they came unexpectedly upon the bush residence of a

squatter, and modestly requested at the door of the hut water to drink. They did not apprehend themselves to be dangerouslooking people; had no desire to terrify anybody-the morning was delightful they were quite at their ease, and enjoyed themselves wonderfully. They had no idea but that everybody were extraordinarily happy too. The people in the hut had a feeling the very opposite of this: three men with guns, strangers, and about so early. There was something menacing, they thought; at all events, mysterious, in the circumstance. They felt constrained to propitiate the strange-looking beings by the most liberal hospitality. Water? they supplied them with milk, set before them the best food they possessed; and after thanks on the one hand, and ceremonious attention on the other, our sportsmen went on their way, talking eagerly and joyously of the kindness and liberality of their entertainers. They are bushrangers, that they are! exclaimed one and all of the bushresidents, as soon as the backs of their visitors were turned, and the squatter rode off to Melbourne instanter with that intelligence.

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All day the three friends sped along in open prospect of the Bay towards Western Port; and were now evidently, at nightfall, near some marshes covered with water-fowl, and the frequent cries of ducks gave new life to our sportsmen. They, therefore, kindled a fire in the neighbourhood, supped, spread their blankets for the night, and were almost as comfortably accommodated as native denizens of the wild, for whom the grass is bed soft enough, and a piece of bark a sufficient house. So they slept whilst the mounted policemen, the same in number, were wakeful with the thoughts of apprehending the bushrangers in the morning, and what might be the casualties of the enterprise.

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Singularly enough, the sportsmen had also their apprehensions of the bushrangers, and one, by turns, kept sentry, whilst the others slept for it seems there were at this very time, and in this part of the country, three seamen who had taken to the bush, and by committing several robberies had filled all this part of the country with terror and excitement. Thus, attended by uneasy people, the adverse fires, in sight of each party, burned on steadily through the night: the policemen, who had tracked our company hither, confident of capturing them in the morning.

With daylight the sportsmen were busy wild swans, geese and ducks were abundantly before them. They had just attained the luckiest situations, and were only waiting, two of them, for

the third, who had removed to a little distance, that their fire might prove more effective—all was eagerness, and the certainty of great booty was the one predominant feeling-when up came the policemen, who hesitated a moment to inquire if there was not a third belonging to the party. On being answered satisfactorily, the two were knocked down, and their guns seized, unceremoniously. The third person was as easily captured.

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Now," thought the shooters, "we are taken to be robbed by the bush-rangers."-" How readily," the policemen congratulated themselves, 66 we have apprehended the bush-rangers." The horsemen drove on the disconsolate foot-travellers towards Melbourne. The officials were triumphant-in high spirits; the sportsmen indignant, yet crest-fallen exceedingly.

A little while before they reached what is now the Brighton Estate, one of the horsemen rode forward to prepare breakfast for the party at the first station, and now an incident sufficiently ludicrous occurred.

Mr. W set his foot unwarily on the head of a large snake of the most deadly kind, which writhed and lashed its tail about his legs fearfully. He, however, leaped to a distance from it safely. At this moment one of the horses took fright, either at the snake, which raised its head immediately erect, or at Mr. W- -'s sudden movement; the policeman, unable to manage his steed, let fall a gun belonging to one of the captives, but the unruly horse galloped away with him. The third, and only remaining horseman, shot the snake, and was suddenly unhorsed for the exploit. Now had the fortune of war all at once chopped round into the opposite quarter. The guns lay on the ground, and were resumed by the captives merrily. Their keeper had discharged his piece, and was at their mercy. He, in turn, was taken prisoner. The other policemen returned, and called out to them, on seeing the new turn of affairs, to lay down their arms. They did so immediately, with unaffected good humour. Do you still think us bush-rangers?" inquired the sportsmen. The faith of the policemen began to give way. Certainly the desperate character of the people for whom they were apprehended was not well borne out by them. "Well," said they, we have our doubts; nevertheless you must go to Melbourne must be examined by the proper authorities, and be dismissed by them."

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Such, after a night spent in the Lock-up, was the result.

"It was an unfortunate mistake,-the policemen had done no more than their duty." And, of course, it was the duty of the sufferers, after a little grumbling, to submit.