142 A HISTORY OF THE COLONY OF VICTORIA 



did duty until such time as the coming surveyor should indicate in 

 what direction the streets should run. And in the valley of Eliza- 

 beth Street, and on the thickly timbered slopes beyond, the smoke 

 went up from many a camp where the attraction of the white 

 man's " tucker " had gathered the vagabond aborigines. The 

 total white population was under fifty, but they already had over 

 100 head of cattle, 1,400 sheep, six horses and a stock of poultry. 

 Three stations had been formed within a radius of ten miles, named 

 after their proprietors, Connolly, Swanston and Solomon, and the 

 country had been explored northward for fully twenty miles with 

 most satisfactory results. A barque, two brigs, four schooners and 

 a cutter were already engaged in passing to and fro across the 

 Strait, bringing the necessary supplies, and on every trip adding to 

 the live stock and the human population. Gellibrand's visit was 

 a preliminary one of inspection, but before starting on his journey 

 he engaged Mr. Fawkner's vessel, the Enterprise, to go round to 

 Western Port and bring up Mudie and his shepherds with the 

 remainder of Swanston's sheep. The unfortunate overseer was, 

 however, not destined to see the settlement. He had only re- 

 covered some seventy head out of the 1,000 originally landed, and 

 while in a dejected mood he was assisting to place them on 

 board the schooner, his boat capsized, and he, with the two other 

 occupants, was drowned. 



Long before the melancholy news reached the settlement, how- 

 ever, Gellibrand had started on his inspection of the Association's 

 " properties ". He first of all had a long interview with the 

 reticent William Buckley, and extracted from him by painfully 

 slow degrees all the information obtainable about the numbers and 

 disposition of the natives. He found the semi-savage to be of a 

 suspicious and irritable disposition, but considered that by kindness 

 and conciliation he might be attached to the service of his country- 

 men, and of great value in conducting the negotiations with the 

 aborigines. He offered Buckley the position of guide and inter- 

 preter in connection with his trip, and having overcome his preference 

 for indolence by providing him with a horse to ride, they started off 

 on the afternoon of the 2nd of February towards Geelong, their 

 ultimate destination being Batman's original camp at Indented 



