Notes from Bonwick's Book

Transcription - Page 1

Port Phillip Settlement
James Bonwick
London 1883

"as we went out of the boat eleven natives met us; they were very civil
I gave one of them a biscuit: he looked at it. I took it again
ate of it, when he did the same; whatever he said they said
it after us. There was one who appeared to be their chief.

They handed us their spears to look at; one of them was barbed
and one with two prongs. x x x two of them appeared to be marked
with small pox. [p 15. - crossed out] James Fleming journal of Grimes exploits
round Port Phillip Bay in 1803. - p 15

"The country in general is newly burnt" (ie, about where
Melbourne now stands) p 17

Quoting from Tuckey's [who wrote an account of the attempt - crossed out]
[by - crossed out] "Voyage to establish a colony at Port Phillip" he says
as to the blacks at Port Phillip Heads (Sorrento). He says that
a number of the blacks assembled apparently with the intention of
plundering the boat; they were fired upon with buckshot and
retreated among the trees. A large party was then seen assembling
behind a hill: they advanced in a compact body to the brow
of the Hill every individual armed with a spear and some
who appeared to be the attendants of others carrying bundles of them.
When within a hundred yards the chief with one attendant came
down to the trees and spoke with great vehemence holding
a very large war spear in a position for throwing +c +c they
continued to approach they were fired on with ball and one man killed.
They then ran off.

When the chief was first seen approaching the boat he was seen
to be carried on the shoulders of two men and surrounded
by the whole party shouting and clapping their hands.
Beside his cloak he wore a reed necklace and several strings
of human hair over his breast. He had a coronet of swan
feathers round his head.