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PORT CURTIS.
(From a Correspondent.)
We left Woody Island, Wide Bay, on the 24th
July, in an open boat, with a crew of 5 blacks,
and arrived at Port Curtis, after a pleasnt pas-
sage, on the morning of the 28th. We found
the Queen of the South at anchor, off the Sur
veyor's Camp, and after breakfasting oh board,
visited the survey party. The place chosen by
Mr. M'Cabe was a miserable barren strip of rocky
land, with the harbour in front; and at the haok
a large salt swamp. We were entirely at a loss
for his reasons for choosing such a spot, as there
was no water near, and that required for the
consumption of his party had to be dragged
in carts by the men from some distance.
The township is fixed on the Auckland
Creek and its vicinity ; and Willmott
erected his store on the point, within
a stone's throw of the spot where the Lord
Auckland hove down some years back. The
shipping will be done from the creek, doubtless,
but still the drawback to the township is that
there is no permanent water within two.miles.
The natives have visited us several times, and
our intercourse with them has always been
friendly, they bringing fish, cutting bark, carry-
ing in logs, &o. Not so with the survey party.
We heard on our landing that some of them had
been rushed, and that trophies in the shape of
some of the native weapons had been secured.
This tale resolved itself, on the man's being
questioned, to the fact, that he had met the black
fellow with a fish spear in his hand, and being
desperately frightened, snatched the spear from
him and ran home. This report tended not a little
to discompose the equanimity of the Surveyor,
who, we believe, rarely, moves a few yards,
without a destructive revolving rifle in his bands.
It is to be regretted that the Government have
chosen such an officer ; for this expedition we
found that he knew little more of the place than
any one who had perused an article on the sub
ject which appeared in the Sporting Magazine.
His reasons for camping at the spot before men
tioned were soon apparent-having the sea in his
front, the swamp at his back, and the bush
cleared away on his left, an armed watch at all
hours of the night and day, promenading round
and round the tents, and ringing bells furiously,
he considered himself safe. In consequence
of there being no water at the Camp, one-half
his complement of men were almost constantly
employed in bringing it, all which might have
been saved by his camping at the water-
hole on the Auckland, which, there is
no doubt, exists in the driest summers, but then
how could he lose sight of the vessel, from which
he expected a diversion in his favour in the event
of attack, with a force of only sixteen armed men.
Shortly after their arrival the best boat got away,
and the party are now left with one, and that
much disabled by fetching water. On one of
these water excursions an extraordinary circum
stance took place. Two of the party were sitting
under the shade of a tree, when suddenly some of
the natives, who had been about the place all the
morning, snatched up two of the emus and fled ;
the alarmed whites made a desperate rush for
their camp, and one of them on his way
was stopped by an unarmed black, whom he bad
a scuffle with, and who he declares held him and
called to the others to dispatch him. This was
rather good, as the white was a raw immigrant,
and understood nothing of their language. The
other placed himself behind a tree and dodged a
shower of spears, according to first report; but
when depositions were taken, one spear was all
that could be sworn to as having been thrown.
The blacks, however, fled, much to the relief of
the party, who, having only two guns, followed
their example, leaving a few sundries behind
them, which I picked up on visiting the scene
of battle in the morning after. I was unable to
find a spear, but came across some
paddemelon sticks and a dilly, which
the blacks had thrown away in their
flight. This affair might do injury
were not the facts of the case brought before
the public, in opposition to any extrava
gant statements that may appear. As it was, it
only occasioned the surveyor to double his guard
for a time, and the blacks have not been here
since.
The harbour will, no doubt, be an excellent and
safe one, when the shoals are buoyed off. Small
vessels can go up the Lilly Creek for some fifteen
or sixteen miles , there appears to be no scarcity
of water on the banks, and good sheep and cattle
country are to be found in the immediate vicinity.
The surveyor has at length decided that camping
near water would be more convenient, and in
search for a supply of that requisite he struck
tents and started with his party up the Boyne ;
he found water, but from some extraordinary
reason he changed his mind and dragged the
vessel back through all sorts of intricacies, with
out having attempted to perform one object of
this pleasure trip, viz,, to survey the land on the
river banks, and lay out small farms. The yacht
ing excursion will not, I suppose, cost the Govern
ment much over £300, as they were only away a
fortnight.
The harbour is not without its claims to beauly
and the view from Auckland Point, looking to-
wards Mount Larcom, is exceedingly good. It
abounds with fish of several varieties, many of
them unknown in Sydney; there are also
plenty of turtle and crabs, and the oysters
on the sea side of Facing Island are
excellent, but those in the harbour are but
indifferent. There are several vestiges of wreck
on the Island, we picked up a yard, several
planks and piece of sheathing ; from the size of
the timbers, we conclude they must have belonged
to a large vessel, and some considerable time
must have elapsed since she struck. There are
three horses on the island, the progeny of a mare
left by Colonel Barney's party.
All the Settlers who have visited Gladstone
speak in high terms of the back country, and no
doubt many will move out after shearing.
Twelve of the native police, under Lieut.
Murray, arrived here on the 3rd instant, and we
hear, with pleasure, that Port Curtis will be a
police station. A few days after, Commandant
Walker with ten of the police arrived, and with
them Mr. James Leith Hay, who informed us that
his three drays on their way down had been
deserted by the drivers, in consequence of the
formidable appearance of the blacks, who having
scared them away, cut all the bales to pieces,
stole the bagging, and turned the wool on the
ground. This is a disheartening and unfortunate
circumstance : but the police will soon teach them
manners, and next year, I doubt not, will show a
large export from this.
J.J. A.
Gladstone, 13 th November, 1853.
A well-dressed individual, calling himself Sir
Henry Samual Augustus Frederick Von Unna,
Sergeant of the Royal Polytechnic Institution at
Copenhagen, Knight of the Royal Danish Military
and Civil Order of Danebragen, M.R.A., &c, &c.,
was charged on Monday, the 14th ultime, and by
remand on Friday, the 18th, with obtaining
goods and money under false pretences from no
less than thirteen people. The fellow, it seems,
was in the habit of obtaining watches under pre
tence of repairing them, and then " popping"
them at Mr. Schultz's depot. Light-square. He
was fully committed for trial.- S.A. Paper.
$