142 SETTLEMENT OF VICTORIA. 



shelter to the crews of vessels wrecked in Torres 

 Strait^ and of endeavoiirmg' to throw open to British 

 enterprise the neig-hbouring- islands of the Indian 

 Archipelag-o. For this purpose^ H.M.S. Allig*ator^ 

 under the command of Captain J. J. Gordon 

 Bremer^ and H.M.S. Britomart (Lieut. Owen 

 Stanley)^ were sent out^ and left Sydney for Port 

 Essing-ton in September 1837. Another vessel mth 

 stores accompanied the Allig'ator^ and both arrived 

 at Port Essino-ton on October 27th of the same 

 year. Soon afterwards^ upon a site for the settle- 

 ment being* chosen^ the necessary operations were 

 commenced^ and by the end of May in the following- 

 year^ the preliminary arrang-ements having* been 

 completed^ the Allig-ator left^, and Captain John 

 Macarthm^^ R.M.^ with a subaltern^ assistant-sur- 

 o-eon^ storekeeper^ and a ling-uist^ tog*ether mth a 

 detachment of forty marines^ remained in charg*e of 

 the new settlement. The Britomart remained behind 

 for several years as a tender to this naval station^ 

 or military post^ — for either term is equally applic- 

 able^ and was afterwards succeeded in her charg*e by 

 H.M.S. Boyalist. In October^ 1845^ the remains 

 of the orig*inal part}" which had been there for seven 

 years (including^ also a small detachment sent down 

 from China)^ were relieved by a draft from Eng*land 

 of two subalterns^ an assist ant-surg*eon^ and fifty- 

 two rank and file of the Boyal Marines^ Captain 

 Macarthur still remaining* as commandant. 



The Port Essing-ton experiment I am afraid is to 



