Narrative of an Expedition, undertaken under the direction of the late Mr. Assistant Surveyor E. B. Kennedy, for the exploration of the country lying between Rockingham Bay and Cape York ... To which are added, 1. The statement of the aboriginal native ... who accompanied Mr. Kennedy. 2. The...

Front matter

• eCex'^Ag g »j3*pTxg r SoofH*-*-* >w[i*4j-£ NARRATIVE 01 AN EXPEDITION, UNDERTAKEN UNDER THE DIRECTION OF THIS L1IE MR. ASSISTANT SURVEYOR E. B. KENNEDY, TOR THE EXPLORATION OP THE COUNTRY LYING BETWEEN ROCKINGHAM BAY AND CAPE YORK; By WM. CARRON, ONE OF THE SURVIVORS OP THE EXPEDITION. TO WHICH .ARE ADDED, 1. The Statement of the aboriginal native Jackey Jackey, who ACCOMPANIED Mr. KENNEDY. 2. The Statement op Dr. Vallack and Captain Dobson, who rescued the survivors of the Expedition : and 3. The Statement op Captain Simpson, of the 'Treaic.," who proceeded IN SEARCH OF Mr. KENNEDY'S PAPER.S, &C. SYDNEY : PRINTED BY KEMP AND FAIRFAX, LOWER GEORGE STREET. 1849.

Chapter I

We left Sydney on the 29th of April, 1848, in the barque " Tam O'Shanter" (Captain Merionberg) ; in company with H.M.S. " Rattlesnake." Our party consisted of the following persons : Mr. E. B. Kennedy, (leader,) Mr. W. Carron, (botanist,) Mr. T. Wall, (naturalist,) Mr. C. Niblet, (storekeeper,) James Luff, Edward Taylor, and William Costigan, (carters,) Edward Carpenter, (shepherd,) William Goddard, Thomas Mitchell, John Douglas, Dennis Dunn, (labourers,) and Jackey, an aboriginal native of the Patrick's Plains tribe. Our supplies and equipment for the journey had been most fully considered, and were estimated by Mr. Kennedy as amply sufficient for a journey so short as that we then anti cipated. Our live stock consisted of twenty-eight horses, one hun dred sheep, three kangaroo dogs, and one sheep dog.

Our dry provisions comprised one ton of flour, ninety lbs. of tea, and six hundred lbs. of sugar. Besides these necessary supplies for subsistence on the road, we took with us twenty -four pack-saddles, one heavy square cart, two spring carts, with harness for nine horses, four tents, a canvas sheepfold, twenty two pounds gunpowder, one hundred and thirty lbs. shot, a quarter -cask of ammunition, twenty-eight tether ropes, each twenty-one yards long, forty hobble chains and straps, together with boxes, paper, &c, for preserving specimens, fire arms, cloaks, blankets, tomahawks, and other minor requisites for such an expedition, not forgetting a supply of fish-hooks and other small articles, as presents for the natives. B After a tedious passage of twenty-two days, we arrived at Rockingham Bay on the 21st May ; and even here, at the very starting point of our journey, those unforeseen difficulties began to arise, which led us subsequently to hardships so great and calamities so fatal.

On casting anchor, Mr. Kennedy, in company with Cap • tain Merionberg, proceeded in a boat to examine the shores of the Bay, and to determine on a suitable landing place for the horses, but returned in the evening without having been able to discover one. The attempt was renewed the next morning, and con tinued during the entire day ; and on the morning of the 23rd of May Mr. Kennedy and Captain Merionberg returned to the ship with the intelligence that they had discovered a spot where the horses might be landed with tolerable safety, and where, too, there was plenty of grass and water. This was an important desideratum, as we had lost one horse and eleven sheep on the voyage. The water round the shores of the bay was very shallow, in consequence of which the vessel could not approach close inland, but was compelled to cast anchor about a quarter of a mile from the shore, and this distance the horses had to swim.

In the afternoon the vessel was anchored off the landing place, and early on the following morning (May 24th) the tents, tether ropes, and sheepfold were taken ashore, with a party to take care of the horses when landed. At ten o'clock a.m., slings having been prepared, we commenced hoisting the horses out of the hold, and lowering them into the water alongside a boat, to the stern of which the head of each horse was secured, as it was pulled ashore. One horse was drowned in landing, but all the others were safely taken ashore during the day. The weather this day was very cold, with occa sional showers of rain. During the time occupied by landing the horses, a number of aboriginal natives assembled on the beach; they evinced no symptom of hostility, but appeared much surprised at our horses and sheep.

White men they had frequently seen before, as parties have landed on the beach from sur veying vessels. We found no difficulty in making them comprehend that we desired to be friendly with them, and they advanced towards us with green boughs in their hands, which they displayed as emblems of peace. We met them with our arms extended and our hands open, indicating that we had no implements of war with us. We made them a present of two circular tin plates, with Mr. Kennedy's initials stamped upon them, with chains to hang them round the neck ; we also gave them a few fish-hooks, and they accepted our presents with great demonstrations of pleasure. We made signs for them to sit down about 200 yards from the spot where the horses and sheep were being landed, and marking a line upon the sand we made them understand that they w ere not to cross it to approach us.

One of our party was placed amongst them to enforce this regulation, which he did with little difficulty, although they expressed great curiosity as to various articles brought on shore from the ship. These natives appeared to be very fine strong men, varying much in intelligence and disposition. I entered into such conversation with them as we were enabled to hold, and I soon found that while some were eagerly anxious to learn the names of different articles and their uses, others were perfectly indifferent about them. We pitched our tents about two hundred yards from the beach, forming a square, with the sheepfold in the centre. Mr. Kennedy came on shore in the morning to superintend the arrangements, and after giving the necessary directions and instructions, returned to the ship. The party left ashore in charge, consisted of myself, Wall, Dunn, Carpenter, and Douglas.

Our provisions were supplied from the ship, in order that no time might be lost in getting all our stores and implements in proper order for starting. A. few yards from our camp was a fresh water creek, from which, although tbe tide ran into it about one hundred yards, where it was stopped by a small bank, we could obtain excel lent water. The grass around was very long, and mostly of very coarse descriptions, consisting chiefly of a species of uniola growing in tufts, agrostis with creeping roots and broad blades ; the horses seemed to like the uniola best. A little to the northward of our camp were very high and almost perpendicular rocks, composed mostly of micaceous schist, covered with various epiphytal orchides and ferns. The labour of the day being ended, and most of our stores landed, the greater number of our party came ashore to pass the night ; and after having tethered the horses in fresh places, we assembled at supper, the materiel of which, (beef and biscuit,) was sent from the ship- We then took possession of our tents, one square tent being allotted to Mr. Kennedy ; Niblet, Wall, and myself occupied a small round one ; Taylor, Douglas, Carpenter, Mitchell, and Jackey, a large round tent; and Luff, Dunn, Goddard, and Costigan, the other.

Mr. Kennedy's tent was 8 feet, long, by 6 feet, and 8 feet high, and in it were placed a compact table, constructed with joints so as to fold up, a light camp stool, his books and instruments. The two larger round tents were pyramidal in shape, seven feet in diameter at the least, and nine feet high. The small tent was six feet diameter, and eight feet high. Every man was then supplied with one pair of blankets, one cloak, a double-barrel gun or carbine, a brace of pistols, cartridge box, small percussion cap pouch, and six rounds of ammunition. The arrangement for preserving the safety of the camp from attack, was, that every man, with the exception of Mr. Kennedy, should take his turn to watch through the night — two hours being the duration of each man's watch — the watch extending from 8 f.m. till 6 a.m. During the night the kangaroo dogs were kept chained up, but the sheep dog was at large.

The position of this our first encampment was near the northern extremity of Rockingham Bay, being in latitude 17° 58' 10" south, longitude 146° 8' east. The soil, where our cattle and sheep were feeding, was sandy and very wet. The land, from the beach to the scrub in the swamp beyond, was slightly undulating and very thickly strewed with shells, principally bivalves. On the morning of the 25th May, a party commenced landing the remainder of our stores ; and it being a fine morning, I went out to collect specimens and seeds of any new and interesting plants I might find. On leaving the camp I proceeded through a small belt of scrub to the rocks on the north ; the scrub was composed of the genera flagellaria, Kennedya, bambusa (bamboo), smilax, cissus, mucuna, and various climbing plants unknown to me : the trees consisting principally of eugenia, anacardium, castanospermum (Moreton Bay chesnut), a fine species of sarcocephalas, and a large spreading tree belonging to the natural order rutaceæ, with ternate leaves, axillary panicles of white flowers, about the size of those of boronia pinnata.

At the edge of the rocks were some fine tree ferns ( BicksoniaJ, with the genera xiphopteris, and polypodium ; also some beautiful epiphytal orcludeæ ; one beautiful specimen of dendrobium, (rock lily,) with the habit of D. speciosum but of stronger growth, bearing long spikes of bright yellow flowers, the sepals spotted with rich purple. I found also, another species with smaller leaves, and more slender habit, with spikes of dull green flowers, the column and tips of the sepals purple. Also a very fine cymbidium, much larger than C. suave, with brown blossoms, having a yellow column. I proceeded along the edge of a mangrove swamp for a short distance, and entered a fresh water swamp about a mile from the beach, covered with very thick scrub, composed of large trees of the genus melaleuca, running for the most part from forty to fifty feet high.

Here also I first found a strong growing climbing palm (calamus J, throwing up a number of shoots from its roots, many of them 100 feet long, and about the thickness of a man's finger, with long pinnatified leaves, covered with sharp spines, long tendrils growing out of the stem alternately with the leaves, many of them twenty feet long, covered with strong spines slightly curved downward, by which the shoots are supported in their rambling growth. They lay hold of the surrounding bushes and branches of trees, often covering the tops of the tallest, and turning in all directions. On some of these tendrils the blossoms and seeds are produced, the seed bearing tendrils having at about two feet apart long bunches of very small white apelatous her maphrodite flowers, closely crowded together, with six stamens, one pistil, and three cleft stigma.

The seed is a small hard nut, with a thin scaly covering, and is produced in great abundance. The leaves of this palm resemble those of the livistona, being about three feet long, of a dark green colour, and cut at regular spaces to the mid-rib. The shoots are remarkably tough, and I afterwards found were used by the natives in making their canoes. These canoes are small, and constructed of bark, with a small sapling on each side to strengthen them, the ends of which are tied together with these shoots. They are jointed, and resemble the common cane used in basket making, and when cut they exhibit the small pores in a similar manner. The growth of this plant forms one of the greatest obstacles to traveUing in the bush in this district. It forms a dense thicket, into which it is impossible to penetrate without first cutting it away, and a person once entangled in its long tendrils has much difficulty in extricating himself, as they lay hold on everything they touch.

On entering the swamp to examine plants, I was caught by them, and became so much entangled before I was aware of it, that it took me nearly an hour to get clear, although I had entered but a few yards. No sooner did I cut one tendril, than two or three others clung around me at the first attempt to move, and where they once clasp they are very difficult to unloose. Abundance of the shoots, from fifteen to twenty feet long, free from leaves or tendrils, could be obtained, and would be useful for all the purposes to which the common cane is now applied. At this spot also I met with a beautiful plant, belonging to the natural order aroidece, climbing by its rooting stems to the tops of the trees, like the common ivy, (hedera helix J. This plant has narrow pointed leaves, four inches long, and produces at the ends of the shoots a red spatha, enclosing a cylindrical spadix of yeUow flowers.

In many parts the swamp was completely covered with a very strong growing species of restio (rope-grass.) On the open ground, between the beach and the swamp, were a few large flooded gums, and a few Moreton Bay ash trees. Near the beach I found a strong growing species of exocarpus, ( E. latifolia, of Brown,) with glancescent oval leaves, about one inch long. On the beach, too, just above high water mark, was a beautiful spreading, lactescent tree, about twenty feet high, belonging to the natural order apocyneæ, with alternate ex stipulate, broad, lanceolate leaves, six to eight inches long, and producing terminal spikes of large, white, sweet-scented flowers, resembling those of the white nerium oleander, but much larger. I also met with a tree about twenty feet high belonging to the natural order dilleniaceæ, with large spreading branches, producing at the axilla of the leaves from three to five large yellow flowers, with a row of red appendages surrounding the carpels.

A fine species of calophyllum, with large dark green leaves, six to eight inches long, two and a-half to three inches broad, beautifully veined, and with axillary racemes of white, sweet-scented flowers ; the seed being a large round nut with a thin rind, of a yellowish green colour when ripe. There were many other interesting plants growing about, but the afternoon turning out wet, I left their examination to stand over till finer weather. Growing on the beach was a species oiportulaca, a quantity of the young shoots of which I collected, and we partook of them at our supper, boiled as a vegetable. In the evening after watering our horses, we took them to the camp and gave each of them a feed of corn, which we had brought with us for the purpose of strengthening them previous to our starting from Rockingham Bay, on our expedition; but although the grass on which they had been depasturing was coarse, they were with difficulty induced to eat the corn, many of them leaving it almost all behind them.

We then tethered them and folded our sheep, one of which we killed for food. The ration per week on which the party was now put, was one hundred pounds flour, twenty-six pounds sugar, three and a-half pounds tea, with one sheep every alternate day. This night too we commenced our nightly watch, the whole of the stores being landed and packed in the camp. During nearly the whole of the day a tribe of natives was watching our movements, but they seemed to be quite peaceably inclined; the weather was very cold, and at night the rain set in and continued to fall almost without intermission, till morning. The next morning (May 26th) was very wet and cold ; but after securing our horses, I again went out to search for, and examine plants, although it was too rainy to collect seeds or specimens. On a casuarina near the swamp, I saw a beautiful loranthus with rather small oval leaves, panicles of flowers, with the tube of the corolla green ; segments of the limbs dark red ; of a dwarf bushy habit.

This beautiful parasite covered the tree, and was very showy. The afternoon turning out fine and warm, I collected several specimens and sorts of seeds. In the open ground grew a beautiful tree producing large terminal spikes of yellow flowers, with broad, and slightly cordate leaves, belonging to the natural order bignoniacece. The open ground between the beach and the swamp varied in width from half a mile to three or four miles ; it was principally covered with long grass, with a belt of bushy land along the edge of the beach ; the bush consisting principally of exocarpus, with dark green oval leaves, near an inch long ; two dwarf species of fabricia, one with white, the other with pink flowers ; a species of jasminum, with rather large, white, sweet-scented flowers; and a few acacia trees, with long, linear, lanceolate, phyllodia, racemose spikes of bright yellow flowers.

There also grew the genera xanthorrhea, xerotes, and restio (rope-grass.) There were a great many wallabies near the beach, but they were very wild. Returning to the camp in the evening, I met several natives who had been fishing. Most of the fish they had taken had been speared, but few having been caught with hooks. I remained with them some time, and learned some of their expressions. Fresh water they call " hammoo," salt water, " mocull ;" their dogs, the same species as the native dogs found near Sydney, they call " taa-taa." We had not as yet seen any of their women, as they were encamped at some distance from us. Near the beach, by the side of the salt water creek, T saw a beautiful species of ruellia with terminal spikes of blue flowers, and spiney-toothed leaves, and a bushy shrub eight or ten feet high, with alternate extipulate simple oval leaves, bearing a solitary, axillary, round fruit, resembling a green gage plum ; the fleshy pulp covering the hard round stone has rather a bitter taste, but it is not disagreeable when ripe.

It acts as a laxative if eaten in any quantity (probably maba laurina). On the following morning, May 27th, when the horses were watered and fed, I commenced digging a piece of ground, in which I sowed seeds of cabbage, turnip, leek, pumpkin, rock and water melons, pomegranate, peach stones, and apple pips. On the two following days, May 28th and 29th, I remained in the camp all day. The next morning, May 30th, Mr. Kennedy and three others of the party rode out to examine the surrounding country, and to determine in what direction the expedition should start, the remainder staying at the camp, busily occu pied with preparations for our departure into the wilderness. The flour was put into canvas bags, holding lOOIbs. each, made in the shape of saddle-bags, to hold 50ibs, weight on each side.

The sugar we put into two large tin canisters, made to fit into one of the carts, and the tea was packed in quarter-chests. The surplus stores, comprising horse shoes, clothes, specimen boxes, &c, which would not be required before our arrival at Cape York, were sent on board H. M. S. Rattlesnake, which it was arranged should meet us at Port .Albany. During the day one of the party shot a wallaby on the beach, which made very good soup. During the morning of the next day (May 31st) I was employed in procuring specimens and seeds of various plants, and in the afternoon we all resumed our preparations for starting, as we expected Mr. Kennedy back next day. He however did not arrive in the camp, and in the afternoon (of June 1st) I obtained specimens of a very pretty plant of the natural order onagrariæ, with opposite oblong simple leaves, and large purple flowers.

The following day (June 2nd) Mr. Kennedy and his party returned to the camp, with the intelligence that it was im possible to proceed in a north or north-westerly direction, in consequence of the swamps. Mr. Kennedy had penetrated them in some places, where the scrub was not too thick ; but could not get through them in any place, on account of the water, and the dense scrub. He informed us that he found we should be obliged to cross a river on the beach to the south-west of the camp before we could hope to make any progress. The two following days were occupied with completing our arrangements for starting ; as it was determined on the following morning to strike our tents and proceed at once on our expedition.

Chapter II

As I may now consider our expedition as fairly begun, it may, for the sake of clearness and arrangement, be advisable to continue my narrative in the form of a journal ; detailing from day to day, the various occurrences which took place. It must be remembered, however, that in narrating the particulars of our journey, I am obliged to trust largely to memory, and to very imperfect memoranda; and to these difficulties must I refer, in excuse for the defects, with which I am well aware this narrative abounds. Up to the present time, the whole of the party, and especially its unfortunate leader, had remained in good spirits, and, buoyed up with sanguine hopes of success, were eager to set out on their pilgrimage of discovery. June 5. — We breakfasted at an early hour this morning, and proceeded at once to harness our horses to the carts, three to each cart.

The carts contained about seven hundred weight each. This business having been com pleted, and the pack-horses saddled and laded, we started at nine o'clock a.m., and proceeded along the beach. Mr. Kennedy and Jackey rode in front, followed by the three carts. Wall, riding one horse and leading two pack-horses, next Goddard, Douglas, Mitchell, and Dunn, leading three pack-horses, Niblet in the rear, riding one and leading two horses, followed by Carpenter driving the sheep, and myself on foot, carrying Mr. Kennedy's mountain barometer, which he had given into my charge during the journey ; and I was also to take the time for that gentleman, in his observations. After travelling in this order about two miles, we came to a large river, emptying itself into Rockingham Bay. This river was about one hundred and fifty yards wide, and although the tide ran up it about a mile, fresh water was procurable from it considerably nearer the sea.

At nearly high-water I tasted freshwater on one side of the river, and salt on the other, and about two hours after high water, there was no difficulty in obtaining plenty of excellent water on either side of the river, in different places. There is a great deal of fresh water running into the sea here, and at the same distance from the sea as the mouth of the river, it is in some places mixed with salt water, whilst in others it is quite fresh. The banks of this river are low and sandy, and a short distance above where we joined it, it is skirted on either side by a thick mangrove swamp, for the distance of about a mile, where it joins the fresh water swamps, covered with thick scrub. On my proceeding up the river, it became narrower in its channel as it approached the swamps, from which it appeared to be principally supplied.

It had a tortuous course, and when I left it, was turning to the westward. A boat was sent to us by Captain Stanley, of H.M.S. Rat tlesnake, to assist us in carrying our stores across, which we effected with some difficulty by ten o'clock, p.m., the horses and some of the sheep swimming across, while the remainder of the latter were taken in the boat. We pitched Mr. Kennedy's tent on sand, at the side of the river, and it being dark, and not knowing where to obtain water on that side of the river, I and five others recrossed it, and went back about three-quarters of a mile, to a small creek running parallel to the beach. We filled our kegs, and re turned to the camp in time to have supper by twelve o'clock, after which we rolled ourselves in our blankets, and, wearied by the fatigues we had undergone, slept soundly till day light.

This was a very harassing day to us, as we were all con stantly in the water, loading and unloading the boat. It is but just to state, that Captain Stanley, of the Rattlesnake, both in landing our horses and stores, and in crossing this river, rendered us every assistance in his power, and seemed throughout to take a strong interest in the expedition, and its object. While landing our things at the other side the river, the natives assembled in great numbers about our luggage. As they appeared friendly, we permitted them to come within about 150 yards of our landing place ; with some few we had a little difficulty, but for the most part they would sit down quietly as soon as a sign was made for them to do so. June 6. — Early this morning Lieutenant Simpson, of the Rattlesnake, left us, he having stayed all night at the camp, and we were now left entirely to our own resources.

We loaded our carts and pack-horses, and proceeded about three miles inland, but again finding it impossible to cross the swamps, we returned to the beach, and about dusk came to another river, also emptying itself into Rockingham Bay, about two miles south-west of the first we had to cross. This river was much wider than the first, being about two hundred yards wide where we crossed it near the mouth. At the mouth of this river is a sand-bank, over which the water is about four feet deep. Inside the bank the water is about ten feet deep. The tide flows up for about a mile ; there appears to be a great quantity of fresh water discharged into the sea from this river, which, I think, is principally supplied from the swamps. These swamps lie at the foot of a high mountain range, and probably the rivulets descending from the range spread over the flat ground, and form channels by which they reach the sea.

Fresh water can be obtained on either side the river very near the sea. I tasted fresh water on one side, salt in the middle, and slightly brackish on the other side, as we crossed over it. Small boats only can enter this river, on account of the sand-bank at the mouth. Its course turned to the south-west about two miles up. Its banks were sandy and barren, at least close to the river ; on the north side of the river there is a mangrove swamp, ex tending some distance up the river ; on the south side the banks are higher, and are covered with casuarinas and acacias, the soil being sandy and pretty well covered with grass, the the land slightly undulating, for about one and a-half or two miles up the river. It being too late to think of crossing the river to-night, we hobbled our horses, and having pitched Mr. Kennedy's tent, slept on the sand till morning.

June 7.< — As soon as we had breakfasted this morning, we prepared to cross, to assist us in which undertaking we con trived to construct a sort of punt by taking the wheels and axletrees off one of the carts. We then placed the body of the cart on a large tarpaulin, the shafts passing through holes cut for them, the tarpaulin tightly nailed round them. The tarpaulin was then turned up all round, and nailed inside the cart ; by this means it was made almost water-tight. We then fastened our water-bags, filled with air, to the sides of the cart, six on each side, and a small empty keg to each shaft. We tied our tether ropes together, and made one end fast on each side the river, by which means our punt was easily pulled from one side to the other. By this contrivance we managed to get most of our things over during the day, and at night a party slept on either side, without pitching the tents.

June 8. — One party continued employed in getting the remainder of the things across the river, whilst the others went in search of the horses, which had rambled to some dis tance to seek for better grass. The grass had hitherto con tinued plentiful in places all the way. The horses were brought up to the river by eleven a. m., and were with some difficulty got across ; after which they were hobbled, and we camped for the night near the beach, in good grass. June 9. — Mr. Kennedy, with Jackey and three others, left the camp this morning for the purpose of ascertaining the most practicable route for our carts. During the day a great number of natives came around our camp, but appeared very friendly ; they are a finer race of men than those usually seen in the southern districts of the colony, but their habits and. mode of life seem very similar.

They left us before dark, without making any attempt at plunder. June 10. — Mr. Kennedy returned to the camp this evening ; he still found the swamps were impassable, the water and mud lying on them in many parts, from three to four feet deep ; there were patches of dry land here and there covered with good but coarse grass. We saw here large flocks of black and white ducks, making a whistling noise similar to some I have seen near Port Macquarie ; Mr. Wall shot three of them, and they were very good to eat, but they were not new, belonging to the genus leptotarsis. June 11. — We started early this morning and proceeded along the beach for three or four miles, when we came to another river, similar in its character to the one we crossed on the 8th, with low sandy banks, and dry bushy land on each side.