38 A HISTORY OF THE COLONY OP VICTORIA 



betrayed more of anger than of fear, Lieutenant Tuckey, who was 

 very desirous of avoiding unnecessary bloodshed, laid down his 

 own gun, and presented the chief with several garments, necklaces 

 and spears, that had been left behind in the recent flight. This 

 courtesy did not, however, apparently mollify the sable hero, or he 

 was not able to control his following, for suddenly the whole line 

 began to charge with much shouting and flourishing of spears. 

 As a last resource the muskets of the party, loaded this time with 

 ball, were brought to the present, and a final attempt was made 

 to convince the chief that serious consequences would befall his 

 people if they still came on. Of course it was useless, and when 

 the crowd was within fifty yards, a volley, tumbled the foremost 

 man dead on the spot, and the chief, turning at the report, saw 

 him fall and fled incontinently, the leader of a general dispersion. 



This unfortunate episode when reported to Collins, doubtless 

 with some exaggeration as to the number of the natives, which was 

 set down at from 150 to 200, added a new terror to the district 

 already under condemnation. The official report of the explora- 

 tion, signed by G. P. Harris as Deputy-Surveyor, was as follows : 

 " The land in general round Port Phillip, at a short distance from 

 the shore, carries a deceitful appearance of rich country. The soil 

 is, however, for the most part sandy, and very thinly wooded. 

 Some light black mould is found in the heights and in the valleys ; 

 but neither in quality nor quantity sufficient for cultivation to re- 

 pay the cares of the husbandman. The best soil is found in the 

 Western Bay, chiefly consisting of marl covered with a light 

 black mould. Good water is found in many parts on the eastern 

 coast of the harbour, but the western appears a dried-up country, 

 seeming not to possess sufficient moisture for the smallest cultiva- 

 tion. The northern shore is more numerously inhabited than any 

 other part, from which it is likely that water is to be found there, 

 although no appearance of it was seen during the survey." 



The so-called survey would appear to have been a very feeble 

 pretence. The boats could hardly have entered Hobson's Bay 

 without finding the mouth of the Yarra ; nor could they have run 

 closely down the west coast and failed to observe the outflow of 

 the Koroit and Skeleton Creeks, or the Werribee and Little Rivers. 



