THE RING.
Let Yarra deep entomb my cherished ring— 'Twas given in colder climes to mem'ry dear— And let its sombre waters o'er it fling, A gloomy pall upon its darken'd bier. For why retain a pledge of vows misplaced, Which, broken like a mirror only shows The image which its spotless surface graced, In fragments fragile, which no spell can close ? Then let the Yarra, with its gentle sway, Assist me to obliterate the past; And let its sweet mimosa banks allay The turbid thoughts, with which my soul's o'ercast. But why should absence deeply steep the past In sleep, as cold as death, should only give ? And why should ties, ('twas said, must ever last) — Break—and then leave the sever'd far, to live ? Then Yarra, keep my faithless token-ring Enshrin'd for ever 'neath thy placid wave; It told of joys borne on Hope's buoyant wing, Embalm it—let it find in thee its grave. THERESA.
The lady did not tarry long in Melbourne, and returning to Sydney, in the course of two or three years, she became acquainted with the captain of a "merchantman" trading between the Port and Liverpool. T h e skipper, w h o was of Dutch descent, fell in love with her, and offering his hand in marriage, she took it and threw away the green willow. She sped back to Europe with her sailor husband, and after a few successful voyages he joined a commercial house in Belgium, where he not only prospered, but acquired m u c h wealth. Not longer than a dozen years ago it was known in Melbourne that he was residing in the vicinity of Brussels, the father of a numerous family. His wife was then a proud and portly matron, the once luxuriant auburn hair considerably lessened in its dimensions, and more of a silvern than a golden hue, and the face, though lacking its pristine lustre, preserving relics of the brilliant beauty once enthroned there. But no one could tell if she ever looked back to that long ago day when the Yarra Yarra swallowed her discarded diamond ring. In November, 1839, the following notification appeared
in the newspaper advertisements
of the day :—
- ' rTTENDERS will be received until the 1st of December, by parties willing to
JL contract for the establishment of a Ferry over the lower part of Collins and the middle of Elizabeth Streets ; the state of which in rainy weather, renders these impassable without the means of a Punt."
This is evidently a skit, but it by no means misrepresented the once almost utterly impassable state of the Melbourne thoroughfares. Subsequent to the death of Mr. W . F. A. Rucker, his son presented to the Melbourne Public Library the books of the Derwent Banking Agency, which was one of thefirstbanking institutions established in Melbourne. T h e set consists of cash-book, ledger, bill-book, letter-book, with a packet of cheques and vouchers, and two parcels of various documents. A m o n g the names which appear in the books is that of the historical John Batman, and according to the " Bills Receivable " book, the first bill negotiated by the Agency was one drawn on 1st February, 1838, by John M'Nall, in favour of T h o m a s Napier. T h e ledger shows transactions with John Batman from 17th April to
