THE FOUNDING OF MELBOURNE 105 



form the residential centres of a highly cultivated and very profit- 

 able settlement. Delighted with the prospect he covered more 

 than a dozen miles before nightfall, and quite knocked up his less 

 energetic nautical companion. The Sydney natives, after their 

 three weeks' imprisonment on board, preferred to camp on shore, 

 and next morning it was blowing so hard that they could not land 

 a boat for them, so they were signalled to walk round Point 

 Kichards, and the schooner worked into Corio Bay, anchoring 

 somewhat to the west of Portarh'ngton. Another day was spent 

 by Batman in exploring the richly grassed and pleasantly undula- 

 ting lands of the peninsula, and in seeking unsuccessfully to meet 

 with the aboriginal owners of this pastoral paradise in order to 

 make a deal for it. Towards evening they hauled over to the 

 north shore of Corio Bay, and when night fell they noted the 

 direction of native fires, and made their arrangements for an early 

 start in the morning to interview the lords of the soil. It was a 

 long march, degenerating into a chase, but at length they came up 

 with a number of women and children, whose sable protectors were 

 away hunting, or on the war-path. It needed no knowledge of 

 their spoken language to gain their friendship by making presents, 

 and this was done with, what must have appeared to the savages, 

 reckless prodigality. Blankets, handkerchiefs, beads, looking- 

 glasses, apples and sugar were distributed with an eye to the effect 

 such marvellous donations would have upon the tribe to which the 

 recipients belonged, when the wondrous story came to be related 

 around a reunited camp fire. The next morning exploration was 

 continued some ten miles up a stream, probably Cowie's Creek, 

 until the slopes of the Barrabool Hills were reached. These were 

 ascended, and from the summit, as far as the eye could reach, 

 Batman reported that he saw nothing but open plains of good soil, 

 with plenty of grass, equally well adapted for sheep or agricultural 

 purposes. He named them Arthur's Plains, after the Governor of 

 Van Diemen's Land, but the appellation failed to secure perma- 

 nence. Indeed, he freely christened the various hills, rivers and 

 creeks he met with after the members of his family, or his partners 

 in the Association, generally without any permanent results. Bat- 

 man was driven back from the Barrabool hills by a violent hailstorm, 



