SOMERSET AND ITS BACKGROUND 345 



such an expedition could have got away from Thursday Island 

 without his knowledge. Either the true object of the expedition 

 was not disclosed or the police acted independently of the Govern- 

 ment Resident which latter is most unlikely. 



Another murder, that of a man named NICHOLLS, was reported 

 in November of the same year (1893). He had shipped a crew of 

 nine natives from the mission station, and they threw him over- 

 board. The report that he was dead fortunately turned out to 

 be incorrect. Nine natives were arrested at the mission, one for 

 the Skardon murder and eight for the Nicholls affair. Four were 

 discharged on a preliminary examination at Thursday Island and 

 five were sent to Cooktown. 



FRANK JARDINE, who at first located his cattle at VALLACK 

 POINT in 1865 and next took up BERTIE HAUGH in 1887, afterwards 

 started two out-stations, LOCKERBIE, on Laradunya Creek, and 

 GALLOWAY, on Black Gin Creek, about 5 miles south-west of 

 Lockerbie and 4 from Red Island. Shanahan, who visited 

 LOCKERBIE on 25th July, 1896, records that " within the last three 

 or four years " (1892-3) the wild blacks and the native police boys 

 (presumably he means ex-troopers) had been killing the cattle. 

 In 1896, Frank Jardine " spent most of his time there." GALLOWAY 

 is used by the Torres Straits Butchering Co. as a mustering-place 

 for the cattle which come from the Coen country to be killed and 

 shipped at Red Island Point for the supply of Thursday Island. 



In 1891, J. T. EMBLEY formed THORNBURY STATION, on Black 

 Gin Creek, near the telegraph crossing. The original " Occupation 

 Licence " was at RED ISLAND POINT, where the bullocks were killed 

 and dressed and shipped to the Thursday Island REFRIGERATING 

 WORKS of the Torres Straits Fresh Food and Ice Co. 1 



LACHLAN KENNEDY, an old Palmer and Coen digger, found 

 cattle " country " on MYALL CREEK, and on this country York 

 Downs station was established about 1885. Later, J. T. Embley 

 acquired an interest in the property, which is now a State-owned 

 cattle run. 8 Myall Creek is the head of the MISSION RIVER, which 

 discharges into Albatross Bay (SHEET 21 A). About 1895, Embley 

 discovered a river, which now bears his name, by which he could 

 bring supplies by boat from the bay to a landing only 9 miles 

 from York Downs. 5 The WEIPA MISSION STATION was afterwards 

 established on the EMBLEY RIVER, which is navigated by the mission 

 cutter. When the missionaries and Mr. Embley first met in 1895, 

 the latter had already suffered from the depredations of the natives 

 among his cattle and had been forced to take stern measures in 

 self-defence, and he welcomed the project of a mission settlement. 4 



1 Letter from J. T. E., 25th November, 1915. 



2 Letters from J. T. E., I3th and 26th June, 1915. 



8 Albatross Bay and the Embley and Hey Rivers. F. C. Urquhart. Proc. Roy. 

 Soc. Queensland, XII (1896), p. 42. 

 * The Miracle of Mapoon, p. 198. 



