Review of Reviews, llS/06. 



Distinguished Early Australians. 



127 



Batman's Ascent of the Yarra, 1835 — This will be tlie place for a "Village." 



Batman was selected as tlje best bushman of the 

 syndicate to go and examine the land. His tact in 

 dealing with aborigines was another reason for his 

 being the chosen pioneer. The question of the 

 aborigines' right to sell the lands they roamed over 

 had been carefully considered. Gellibrand, the ex- 

 Attorney-General of Tasmania, had prepared the 

 necessary deeds for the transference of any land 

 Batman might succeed in purchasing. 



Accompanied by some of his countrymen and nine 

 Sydney aboriginals, who were his attached friends, 

 Batman crossed the Straits in the " Rebecca." 



Landing at Indented Head, he explored the coun- 

 try to Geelong, and from thence to the Yarra. His 

 relations with the blacks were most amicable. The 

 presence of the Sydney blacks with him may have 

 helped to this friendliness. How much of the nego- 

 tiations which Batman said the aborigines he met 

 with thoroughly understood were really compre- 

 hended by them is a matter of conjecture. The 

 languages of the Sydney and Port Phillip blacks 

 had scarcely anything in common. But with talk 

 and gesture the negotiations proceeded, with the re- 

 sult that eight aboriginals, including three brothers 

 named Jaga-Jaga, attached their marks to the legal 

 documents so carefully prepared by Gellibrand. 

 One of these is to be seen as an historic treasure 

 in the Melbourne Public Library. It has been 

 generally supposed that the treaty was signed on 

 the Merri Creek. ^Ir. H. G.-Tumer, in his history 

 of Victoria, expressed Ihe opinion that it was signed 

 on the Plenty River. 



One of these deeds set forth that the three 

 brothers named Jaga-Jaga, the principal chiefs, and 

 five others whose names are given, being other 

 chiefs of a certain tribe named Dutigallar, situated 

 near Port Phillip, transferred the land, containing 

 about 500,000 acres, more or less, for 20 pairs of 

 blankets, 30 tomahawks, 100 knives, 50 pairs of 

 scissors, 30 looking-glasses, 200 handkerchiefs, 100 

 pounds of flour and six shirts delivered, and a yearly 

 rent or tribute of blankets, knives, tomahawks, suits 



of clothing, looking-glasses, scissors and five tons of 

 flour. This territory the deed set forth was trans- 

 ferred to Batman, his heirs and assigns for ever, to 

 the intent that John Batman, his heirs and assigns 

 may occupy and possess the said tract of land and 

 place thereon sheep and cattle. 



Included in this deed was all the land between 

 Melbourne and a line drawn from the You Yangs 

 to Corio Bay. 



The other deed was drawn up on similar lines, 

 and referred to the land between Indented Head 

 and Geelong. 



When Batman returned to Launceston with his 

 report of the rich territory he had traversed and 

 purchased, the newspapers half jocularly and half 

 seriously referred to him as a second Penn, and 

 the largest landed proprietor in the world. 



Arrangements were made for the division of the 

 territory between the members of the Port Phillip 

 Association. Wedge crossed the Straits to make a 

 complete survey of the immense property. The 

 names of the members of the Association were 

 Messrs. Gellibrand, Swanston, Bannister, Simpson, 

 J. and W. Robertson, Arthur, Wedge, Sinclair, Colli- 

 cott, Cotterell, Sams, Connolly, Mercer and Batinan. 



Batman, as the pioneer, was allowed priority of 

 choice. He selected the district north of the Yarra, 

 including the whole site of Melbourne, Brunswick 

 and Essendon. 



On his return to Launceston information as to the 

 treaty he had made with the aborigines was, with- 

 out any delay, sent to the Governor of Tasmania. 



In his reply he held out no hope that the Govern- 

 ment would recognise the right of the natives to 

 sell, or the Association to buy, the territory which 

 the Association claimed Port Phillip was part of 

 New South Wales, and Governor Bourke's attitude 

 towards the Association's claims when made known 

 was unmistakable. He issued a proclamation, which 

 fell like a thunderbolt upon the members of the As- 

 sociation, three months after the purchase had been 

 made. 



