Savage Life and Scenes in Australia and New Zealand: being an artist's impressions of countries and people at the Antipodes. With numerous illustrations

Front matter

■■-..■ ISufk .'-•'. -,', J I ' ■ SAVAGE LIFE AND SCENES IN AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND BEING AN ARTIST'S IMPRESSIONS OF COUNTRIES AND PEOPLE AT THE ANTIPODES. aæiit?) numerous Elluatrations. BY GEOEGE EEENCH ANGAS, AUTHOR OF "THE NEW ZEALAKDERS ILLUSTRATED ;» "SOUTH AUSTRALIA illustrated;" "A RAMBLE IK MALTA and sicilt, Sec. IN TWO VOLUMES. VOL. I. Tattayauua Sneaking Emu— Australia. LONDON: SMITH, ELDER, AND CO., 65, CORNHILL 1847. London : Printed by Stewart and Murray, Old Bailey. SAVAGE LIFE AND SCENES IX AND NEW ZEALAND. TO HIS EXCELLENCY CAPTAIN GEOEGE GEEY, GOVERNOR OF NEW ZEALAND, AND LATE GOVERNOR OP SOUTH AUSTRALIA, CfjeSe pages are tJeUtcatet), AS A SMALL TRIBUTE, EXPRESSING THE HIGH ESTEEM AND ADMIRATION FOR THE CHARACTER OF SO ABLE A NATURALIST, SO ENTERPRISING A TRAVELLER, SO GALLANT AN OFFICER, AND SO DISTINGUISHED A LEGISLATOR J WHICH IS UNIVERSALLY FELT BY THE COLONISTS OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA, AND BY THE AUTHOR.

Preface

. During my wanderings on the outskirts of civilization, and among savage tribes who had never beheld a white man, I invariably noted down on the instant whatever facts and impressions seemed worth recording. " Nulla dies sine lined," was my motto ; and, however much exhausted by fatigue, I never lay down to rest without having entered in my journal such observations as could not be registered by the pencil alone. My sketches have been exhibited in London and other large towns, and are being published separately ; my notes are offered to the public, not without diffidence, in the following pages. Much as has been written about South Australia and New Zealand, there yet appeared to be room for the remarks of a disinterested observer, who went to the Antipodes actuated by an ardent admiration of the grandeur and loveliness of Nature in her wildest aspect. My aim has been to de scribe faithfully impressions of savage life and

PREFACE.

. scenes in countries only now emerging from a primitive state of barbarism ; but which the energy and enterprise of British colonists, and the benign influence of Christianity combined, will eventually render the peaceful abodes of civilized and pros perous communities. Having penetrated into the interior of Australia and New Zealand, and been on friendly terms with the natives, sharing the hospitality and journeying in the company of the New Zealand chiefs, I may perhaps be entitled to the merit of originality on this score. But it is principally as a faithful describer of what struck the mind of an artist seeking to delineate the characteristic features of the countries and people, that I rest my claims to public attention. Writing as an artist, I make no pretensions to literary skill, having attempted nothing beyond arranging in a readable form the rough notes that I made at the moment ; and the constant demands of my profession on my time have compelled me to perform this task in a more hurried manner than I had anticipated.

I must, therefore, claim indul gence for any marks of crude or hasty composition, from those readers who are accustomed to the studied paragraphs and flowing periods of accomplished writers. GEORGE FRENCH ANGAS. Gloucester Place. Sept. 1846. CONTENTS OF VOL. I. CRAPTER I. The Voyage from England to South Australia— Cape de Verdes — Arrival at Port Adelaide Page 1

Chapter II

Journey to the Murray — The Lakes Alexandrina and Albert, and the Shores of the Coorong 41 CHAPTER IH. Observations on the Aboriginal Inhabitants of South Australia — The Natives of the Lower Murray, and the Lakes — Of Moorundi — The Scrub Natives — The Parnkalla and Nauo Tribes to the westward of Spencer's Gulf 78

Chapter IV

Notes of an exploring Journey along the South-east Coast of South Australia, in company with his Excellency, Captain Grey — The Coorong— Lacepede Bay — The Desert— Rivoli Bay — The New Country— Mount Schanck and Mount Gambier, with their Volcanic Lakes X CONTENTS.

Chapter V

Kangaroo Island and Port Lincoln .... Page 181

Chapter VI

The settled Districts of South Australia 206 CHAPTER VH. Voyage to New Zealand — Mount Egmont — Port Nicholson— Town of Wellington — Porirua — Rauparaha and Rangihaeata — Mana and Taupo Pah 224 CHAPTER VH!. Cloudy Bay — Te Awa iti — Queen Charlotte's Sound — Voyage to Auckland — Description of the Town and surrounding Country 269

CHAPTER IX.

General Remarks upon the Natives of New Zealand DIRECTIONS FOR THE BINDER. Plate I. — Native Corrobbory . . to face title page- II. — Elevated Native Tomb . . „ page 71 III. — Scene in a New Zealand Forest . . „ „ 245 IV. — Entrance to the Valley of the Wairau from Cloudy Bay . . . . „ „ SAVAGE LIFE AND SCENES IN AUSTKALIA AND NEW ZEALAND.

Chapter I. The Voyage From England To South Australia

It was in the month of September that I lest Eng land, when the golden tints of autumn had over spread the landscape with their mellow touch. No day had ever before appeared so lovely as the one on which we embarked. There was a clear frosty morning, and the sun rose without a cloud ; the summer flowers still filled the gardens, and the apples and mulberries lay scattered over the dewy grass-plats, with the early sunshine glittering upon them. I opened my bedroom window ; the air was balmy and fresh, and the blackbird sang melodiously ; it seemed as if everything was more beautiful than usual, — perhaps it was because I was going to leave it all so soon. VOL. I. D OFF THE LIZARD. The last parting sounds from the shore were the gentle and distant tollings of the Sabbath bells. Were ever Sabbath bells so full of meaning before ?

They almost appeared to murmur to the parting ship — " Thou wilt not bring us back All whom thou bearest far from home and hearth : Many are thine no more again to track Their own sweet native earth." The next Sabbath dawn rose upon us in the sunny latitudes of Portugal, nine hundred miles from our native land ; our gallant vessel speeding through the waters, dashing back the snowy foam into its own blue depths, and with not a living thing to break the boundless line of the horizon. [Off the Lizard, the first week at sea.] THE FORECASTLE GORGEOUS SUNSET. The most picturesque interior on board a vessel is the forecastle, belonging to the seamen. The descent through the hatchway is by a steep ladder, and in the centre of the apartment hangs an old rusty lamp, fed with whale-oil, dropping a copious distillation on the shoulders of those who pass beneath it.

The dim flame has scarcely strength to penetrate its furthest recesses, where dubious twilight gives scope to the fancy to supply other rows of hammocks as a continuation to those slung, like white canvass boats, from the deck above. A sailor prides himself upon his hammock : moreover, it is a snug thing ; it is his constant bed, and may be, ofttimes, his shroud, when his resting-place is the deep wide sea. The lower-deck, kept bright by constant scrubbing, is surrounded with a semicircle of chests of all descrip tions, though varying but little in size. It is even ing, and the " watch below" are assembled, pipe in mouth, without a thought of care, listening to the music of a violin. I should like Bill Wilson's mother to have seen her boy than : every inch a sailor ; a brave, free-hearted, careless one ; half sitting, half-lying on his sea-chest, and drumming his fingers to the merry tune, as happy as a king.

Alas, poor boy ! he dreamed not of the dark and troubled future. Lat. 33° N. The setting sun seems to add new splendours to his pavilion of glory, in the transparent atmosphere of these latitudes. Streams of molten gold have streaked half the horizon with their intense brilliancy, brighter than the glow of b THE PETREL STANZAS. ten thousand pyrotechnic fires bursting athwart the sky. There poured such a flood of living crimson around, that every blue wave changed from the hue of the sapphire to that of the amethyst, and the whole arch of heaven was full of purple light. A rainbow, like a reflex of the sun's parting smile, swept its gay colours across the eastern clouds, and the pageantry of the sky was gone ; then came the calm, grey night, and the awful stillness of the ocean, as it slept beneath a shower of moonbeams.

Surely if there were sea-nymphs, or green-haired mermaidens, they would have chosen just such a glorious night for their syren-singing. The little petrels, or Mother Cary's chickens, are constantly careering about the vessel, now skimming through the sunshine, and now tripping along, gently touching the waves with their little black feet, as though they received fresh vigour by contact with the element, or fluttering, moth-like, above some object in the water. As I leant over the vessel's side, watching these ocean birds, the follow ing stanzas rose to my mind, and I could not refrain from putting them on paper. Bird of untiring wing, Whence art thou wandering ? Has the broad blue sea A home for thee On its bosom of murmuring waters ? When the red sun is born At the coming of day, From the night to the morn, Thou art round our way, Like a spirit upon the waters.

STANZAS. A thousand miles and more From our native northern shore, O'er the broad blue sea Wanderers are we On the breast of the faithless ocean ; For we seek far away Green hills again. But night and day Thou art skimming the main With thy swift and silent motion. Where is thy place of rest ? Where is thy moss-weaved nest ? The broad blue sea Will cheerless be When its tempest winds are sweeping. There must be a spell In the salt sea foam, That thou lov'st it so well As to make it thy home, Thou nursling of ocean's keeping. Bird of untiring wing, Pursue thy journeying. The broad blue sea Thy home must be From the dawn to the set of day ; For the Spirit of Power Hath been thy guide, From thy earliest hour, O'er the waters wide To teach thee thy trackless way. On the 7th October we saw land.

The sun had just risen, and darkly grey against the bright east the high peaks of Porto-Santa were defined by a sharp cutting outline. Beyond us, to the south- MADEIRA. west, wrapped in the mantle of fog and clouds that had been gathered during the night by the freshening wind, rose the far-famed Isle of Madeira; the shroud of vapour partially cleared away, and re vealed to the sunshine this gem of the ocean. Still, masses of heavy cloud lingered around the mountain tops, and the central peak was wholly concealed. As the vessel glided along in full sail, the land on both sides presented ever-varying points of view ; the crisp blue waters were crested with foam, and the bright sunshine chasing away the dull fog, lit up scene after scene of enchanting beauty. It appeared as though we had reached some paradise belonging only to the regions of fancy.

It was delicious to watch the sunlight gild the rugged peak, throwing dark shadows along the mountain glen — to see the white cottages sprinkled about the valleys, and the green vineyards sloping down as it were from the bosom of the clouds. The south-east portion of the coast is girt by stupendous cliffs and sharply pointed rocks, against which a high surf runs. Beyond these rise, till their summits are concealed by the clouds, vast moun tain slopes, scattered with forests and vineyards ; where we could discern, as on a miniature model, villages, cottages, and convents, and trace the paths along the winding glens, and the vivid green patches of the gardens. The effects of light and shade and mist on the landscape were surprisingly grand, and all looked gay in the morning sunshine ; THE CANARIES. 7 grampuses bounding through the waves, and the seafowl skimming round, imparted life to the scene.

Three islands called Desertas lie to the south-east of Madeira ; they are high, and rise abruptly from the sea, whilst their summits are jagged and serrated in a peculiar manner. A sharp, isolated column of rock, resembling a ninepin, occurs at the extremity of the northernmost island : they all present a barren and desolate aspect. We sighted several of the Canary Islands. On the morning of the 9th, Palma was visible, distant 15 miles ; owing to the haze, its only indication was a huge shadowy mass, scarcely distinguishable from the atmosphere, rising to an immense height from the sea. On the 11th, we fell in with the north-east trade wind in latitude 26° N. The moon rose of a deep and clear amber colour, and though now waning, flashed its powerful rays, like a second sun, from behind occasional masses of cloud.

The crisp indigo-blue waves, with their moon-spangled foam, the purity of the milky way, the unusual brilliancy of the planets, and the strong yet balmy-breathing wind, are characteristic of the nights we now enjoy. More congenial than the scorching heat of noontide, with its hot and misty glare, is the reviving breath of the atmosphere after sunset, when down comes the awning on deck, and a host of bright stars gem the canopy of the sky. On the 13th, we crossed the tropic of Cancer. Seated on the bowsprit, I have been watching our NOONTIDE IN THE TROPIC. progress through the waters. The white waves are dashing back as the vessel's prow cleaves its way through their midst ; no smoky dull atmosphere is around — no chill and gloomy blast : all is light and sunshine; above, around, beyond, to the farthest verge of the horizon, the blue sky and the blue sea seem to smile at each other.

Southward, a blaze of light and heat marks the noontide sun flashing his tropical splendour around ; and thin clouds, like specks of wandering down — " Shepherded by the slow, unwilling wind," steal most gently along the sky. There are gannets wheeling on their strong pinions, in pursuit of the timorous flying fish, as they leap up to escape the jaws of the green and golden dolphin. A bird, supposed by some to be a grey parrot, settled on the fore top-gallant-yard this afternoon, but it was only a little downy owl ; and since the moon rose, I have watched it flying briskly around the masts, vainly searching for the moths and bats of its own ancestral trees in Africa. Within the tropics we frequently observe the beautiful Phasalia or " Portuguese man-of-war :" its transparent membrane or sail is of a bright rose colour.

It is a delicate toy with which the breezes sport, yet it skims on unhurt, for it is one of ocean's progeny. 11th October. — The islands of San Nicholas and San Antonio are in sight : the more northerly of CAPE DE VERDES — ST. JAGO. 9 the Cape de Verdes. Sunrise was a magnificent spectacle : rugged masses of fleecy gold, strangely hurled about the sun, were succeeded by lines and streaks of exquisite splendour, with mountains of dark cloud ; and, in another hour, the might of the tropical day had chased back the morning vapours, pouring an unchecked flood of light over the sea. It was evening as our vessel rapidly neared the rugged coast of St. Jago. One vast and lofty peak towered high above the others in the shape of a huge, irregular pyramid. All eyes were directed towards the mountains as we sailed along abreast of the land, distant from the shore not more than four or five miles.

It was an enchanting sight : the irregular and wildly-broken peaks, hurled and piled in careless grandeur one above another as they stretched inland, presented a more striking outline than the heights ofj Madeira. There we sat in a row, mounted on the top of the longboat, feasting our eyes with the pleasant sight of land ; rendered more delicious by the hope that in a few hours we might be treading those shores which now appeared to us like some oasis in the desert, or some bright dream realised. As we watched with feelings of admiration, fresh peaks, and glens, and ridges of golden green, presenting themselves in succession to our view ; gradually they grew darker : the mists began to settle in the deep valleys, the outline of every mountain became sharp and cutting, and a thousand rich mellow tints of brown and purple b OFF PORTO PRAVA. spread over their steep sides as the full burst of a tropical sunset flashed up its splendours behind them, leaving a background like glowing amber, above which lay masses of heavy grey clouds looking as dense as though they were charged with the thunders of a tornado.

Peak after peak yielded up its parting gleam, cast from the setting sun, and melted into the repose of night so rapidly, that almost before we were aware of it, the stars shone out, and darkness surrounded us : not heralded, as in our northern lands, with the gently gloaming twilight that makes the day steal imperceptibly into the night, but sudden and impetuous, stretching like a vast extinguisher over the bosom of the ocean. Before the first gleam of day-break I was on deck. We were at least twelve miles from our destination at Porto Praya, which lies at the southern point of the island, in a small bay. The wind was light, and I feared we should hardly reach the port before noon. Telescopes were in great request. The mountains seemed, if possible, more beautiful and inviting than they did on the preceding evening.

A grove of tall cocoa-nut trees, and a few scattered date-palms, reminded us that we were approaching the climate of tropical Africa. But little cultivated ground was visible, and flats of elevated land above the shores were covered with parched grass, on which the cloudless sun poured down its withering and fervid rays. Clusters of pulga bushes sprinkled the sides of the valleys with patches of a vivid green FIRST SIGHT OF THE TOWN. 11 colour ; higher up the mountains might be discovered tracks of forest and scrubby brake interspersed with bold grey rocks ; and above all rose a conical peak like that of a volcano — which, I believe, is an extinct crater, and the highest point in the island — with thin vaporous clouds hanging round its sides, and spread ing along the summits of the less elevated mountains.

Indeed, the whole island presents volcanic appearances, and lava soil is noticeable in many places. Large flocks of cattle and goats were scattered over the sunny, brown-looking plains above the sea, and small clusters of thatched huts constituted the farms to which they belonged. The surf, rolled in by the north-east trade-wind, beats violently against the shore along the whole of the coast ; and, as we rounded the south-east point, the rocks as sumed a bolder form, strewn at their base with black fragments, over which the surf boiled like a whirl pool, dashing up to a great height. On rounding the point, we came in sight of the town of Porto Praya ; which is built on an eminence of rock overlooking the bay, exhibiting a row of wooden houses painted white and buff colour, and roofed with red or white tiles : to the right extended the cane-thatched huts of the Black Town.

The descent from the town is steep, and leads to a fine shingle beach ; on the left the shore is sandy, where a stream of water runs into the sea. Cocoa-nut trees were scattered pretty thickly along the water's edge, till the beach terminated in barren sand-hills LANDING THROUGH THE SURF. with a rocky bluff, against which the angry breakers lashed with violence. In the background rose the mountains, clustered in a variety of picturesque and romantic forms. The glow of a tropical noon gilded the whole. The feathery leaves of the cocoa-trees moved gracefully in the air, large hawks hovered fearfully around us, and all had a strange and foreign air, as we cast anchor about half a mile from the shore. After an hour's delay, the Consul came off to us in his boat, under the shade of a huge umbrella, bringing with him the health and customs' officers.

The usual ceremonies being over, we were permitted to land. The gig was lowered alongside, and the chair rigged for the ladies and children to go ashore. No sooner had the ship's boat pulled off towards the land than other craft came round us, with oranges and cocoa-nuts for sale, eager to convey equally eager passengers at the rate of sixpence ahead. Several of us descended into one of these boats, and were rowed safely enough till we reached the commencement of a surf, about a dozen yards from the shore. Instead of landing us at the rocks as they should have done, they pulled across to the sandy shore on the left of the town, fully a mile from the ship. A whole group of negroes were drawn up on the sand awaiting our arrival, and no sooner had we entered the breakers than we were swamped in the surf, and drenched from head to foot.

In a moment eight or ten black fellows were round us, up to their waist in the foam, with no other artificial " LA C0CC00N" NEGRESSES. 13 adornment than the beads round their necks. At first we imagined that they were going to carry the boat with ourselves in it upon their shoulders to the shore, instead of which it appeared that we were to mount their backs, whilst they waded with us through the surf. In an instant we were all astride upon their shoulders, each man triumphantly bearing off his load as fast as possible. We presented a most ludicrous sight, all laughing at one another, and several were on the point of upsetting. They put us down on the hot sands that extended some little way above high water-mark, beyond which grew a trailing plant of great beauty, called by the natives la coccoon.

It grows about eighteen inches high, with a round leaf, and a fleshy-jointed stem ligneous near the root, the blossom convolvulus-like, and displaying a disc seven or eight inches in circumference, of a brilliant lilac colour. We plucked the delicate blossoms almost instinctively, as if to admire them still further by the sense of touch, though they withered almost immediately in our hands. We met several negresses on the shore in their gay cos tume, consisting of a petticoat of printed blue or brown cotton, worn tightly round the hips, and reaching to the ankles in loose folds, a portion of it being twisted up at the waist, and descending on the left side like a scarf. A white body, or jacket without sleeves, and a red or yellow kerchief tied round the head, with necklaces, ear-rings, and silver bracelets on one arm, completed their dress.

Goats' " JOKIM" NEGRO GUIDES. skins are an article of trade here with America, and bundles of them lay on the sands ready for exportation. On reaching the stream we directed our course inland, following its banks amongst the luxuriant foliage of cocoa-nuts and bananas, with a profusion of la coccoon blossoms starring the surface of the ground. We hired one of the negro boys called " Jokim," who accompanied us as a guide, promising his services all day, first for three shillings and after wards for one. But it was useless hiring a single lad : we were fated to have them all for our guides, whether we liked it or not, to the number of seven. One carried my insect-net, another the forceps, a third the collecting box, a fourth my sketch-book, and so on ; thus escorted, we sallied forth with our negro phalanx.

The stream, which here empties itself into the sea, is the residue of a mountain torrent, after the greater portion of it has been led off for the use of the town ; where it is received into a tank or fountain — a deep translucent basin, brimming with the cooling element — whence the damsels of Porto Praya dip their water, in calabashes and jars, which they carry on their heads. Brilliant tropical but terflies floated swiftly through the sultry air, now sporting like spirits of light and beauty round the tops of the palm trees, and now chasing each other amongst the broad leaves of the banana and the plantain. Other species were hovering about the pulga bushes, or expanding their gay wings on the mimosa thorn, or the drooping leaf of the sugar- INSECTS GARDEN LUXURIES. cane. There had been recent heavy rains, and in some places the ground was exhaling moisture, and cracking on the surface with the heat of the sun.

The musquitoes along this glen were numerous and troublesome ; the stream was stagnant in places, emitting unwholesome exhalations ; huge sows wal lowed in the mire with their numerous litters ; and wasps and other noxious insects were buzzing about us continually. Wishing for some cocoa-nut milk we knocked at a garden door by the wayside, leading through a shed into a luxuriant garden of rich black soil, filled with lofty cocoa-nut trees, bananas, tamarinds, pa paws, mammees, and other fruits. Presently a little black fellow, in a state of nudity, climbed dexte rously up a cocoa-nut tree, clinging with arms and legs round the tall trunk of the palm, when down came the heavy green nuts bump upon the ground. Beneath the shade of a spreading fig-tree, we rested ourselves on some felled dates, whilst our young guides were busy dashing the nuts against the stone wall to break the green husk ; they pricked a small hole in each, and pouring the colourless milk into a calabash gave it to us to drink.

Behind us grew a plantation of millet, and vines were trained along over bamboos, but they bore nothing but unripe grapes. Seeing a fine goat and her kid outside the hut, we explained to the old negro man that we wished for some milk, when two boys laid hold of the udder and commenced milking her into an old GARDEN LUXURIES THE PAPAW. teapot without a spout, whilst the man held her by the horns. The teapot was filled with froth, and the difficulty now remained how to get at it, for the rim rendered it next to an impossibility ; however it was too great a treat to refuse, and though the teapot had evidently been used for every purpose except the right one (for tea is not drunk here), and the milk had flowed through the little black hands, still we enjoyed the draught as a luxury after our sea voyage.

We next tasted the bananas and the papaws, which they gathered off the trees ; the latter fruit resembles a soft pumpkin, being of a reddish or yellowish-green colour, about six inches long, and grows in clusters at the top of a high stem, above which branch out the leaves, something like those of a gigantic mallow. This fruit is anything but pleasant; a soft juicy pulp surrounds a mass of globular seeds, like mustard-seed, very hot and disagreeable ; the pulp is the part eaten, but the skin has a fetid odour which pervades the whole. The blossom resembles yellowish wax, is of a jessamine form, and grows out of the top of the trunk, without a stalk; it emits a faint primrose-like scent. The back part of the town overlooks this valley of vege tation, and the owners of the gardens sit at their doors and look down beholding all that goes forward there.

The negro who sold us the fruit pointed to his master who was sitting in a distant verandah upon the cliff above. A well of clear water stood near the entrance of the garden. It was thatched NEGRESSES WASHING. with canes, and the water was raised by means of a large wheel set round with red earthen jars, placed one after another, so that as the wheel revolved they kept coming up full. We followed the course of the stream till we reached another large well, where several negro women were engaged in washing. They beat the clothes with a baton as the continental Europeans do. The gay bright hues of their cotton dresses imparted a liveliness to the scene, which was here very picturesque and pleasing. This valley runs a long way inland, the vegetation marking its course by a belt of richer green that mingles with the golden brown of the hills on either side.

As we advanced, troops of locusts rose up from the ground at every step, reminding me of the multitudes of these insects I had encountered when crossing the arid plains between Syracuse and Catania in Sicily ; then old Alosco was my escort, now I had Jokims and Johnies, Marsalins, Vincents, Penas, and many more — an army with which one might have penetrated into the opposite forests of the shores of Senegambia. We ascended a steep winding path that led back to the town, by the side of which stood a wooden crucifix, supported by a rude heap of stones. As the island belongs to the Portuguese, the prevailing religion is the Papist faith ; though but few priests, or in fact any other visible demonstra- NEGRO COTTAGES. tion of their creed are to be seen, excepting a chapel, and the wooden crucifix.