profession, and if anything happened to him it would be a public loss." T h e gentleman referred to was, afterwards, the much-esteemed Chief Justice of Victoria (Sir W . F. Stawell). The numerous and prospering residents of the now "Border City" of Albury will be amused by the following patronizing notice culled from a Melbourne newspaper of M a y , 1 8 4 7 : — " T h e little township of Albury is rising daily into importance. In the course of a short time, from its peculiar situation, it will become a place of no little enterprise. A certain Melbourne physician intends forthwith transferring his household gods there, where he is led to believe his prescriptions will be honoured and remunerated." T h e migrating doctor was a Mr. J. J. Keating, a surgeon, w h o kept a so-called Medical Hall some time in Elizabeth Street. Things went better with him in Albury than in Melbourne, where he lived, cured, and did well for many years. Small remnants of the Aboriginal tribes of the Yarra, Western Port, and the Goulburn hung about Melbourne, a mendicant drunken nuisance. M e n , women, and children cadged for cash, grog, tobacco, refuse food, old clothes, etc., and m u c h to the public satisfaction, on the 30th September, 1847, some impulse moved them to migrate to the country. T h e more effectually to shake off all clingings of civilization they discarded all the tattered European raiment worn, m a d e heaps of and burned it, and then collecting a few invalid adults and weakly children, they placed them in some "mia-mias" over the river near Heidelberg, and cleared out. M r . Thomas, an Assistant Protector of Aborigines, provided for the wants of the poor creatures deserted, w h o fared m u c h better than those w h o had abandoned them. O n the 16th February, 1847, a young butcher, named Edward O'Donnell, was summoned by an attractive damsel, Miss Rose Reilly, for the maintenance of twins; and to support her plaint exhibited as evidence the two living affidavits. T h e knight of the cleaver consented to pay the weekly s u m of 5s. each for the care of his lambs. SMUGGLING EX-CONVICTS IN BOXES.
The receivers of stolen watches and other valuables obtained from the Melbourne thieves used to export their ill-gotten wares to Launceston, and as if by a reciprocity treaty, Melbourne used to be favoured with the occasional import of a " contraband lady " quietly smuggled across Bass's Straits, stowed away like brew in a beer cask, with the bung-hole open. S o m e of the most pronounced Cyprians of the period were known to have passed through the Port Phillip " R i p " in this way; and the reason was that they were transported female convicts from England, w h o were let out to assigned service in V a n Diemen's Land. T h e fair one, casked, cased, and provisioned, was berthed under the special surveillance of the steward, and generally released in the Bay. In March, 1847, a shocking tragedy arose out of this practice. There was in Launceston a Mrs. Nancy Robertson, the reputed wife of a flying pieman, known as "Jemmy." T h e m a n was an expired convict, the woman's sentence had not expired, and " J e m m y " believed that if his " N a n c y " could be got over to Port Phillip, their joint fortune would be made, and pies "all hot" need not be "flied" or cried any more. Nancy was willing to come, but objected to be coffined alive, if only for two or three days, and the difficulty was h o w to get her on board the steamer "Shamrock." A case was nicely padded and prepared for her reception, and " J e m m y " was at his wits' end to know what to do. H e tried a little coaxing, in which he was potently aided by some over-proof rum, and "Nancy" was what might be politely termed " moribundly intoxicated," and in this state was boxed up and placed below in the hold. " J e m m y " was an ordinary passenger, but during the trip, his frequent flirtings up and down the hatchway aroused the suspicions of Captain Gilmore, w h o closely watched him ; and before the day was over a very offensive odour was perceptible below. T h e pieman was at last seen to approach a case, and placing his lips to an interstice, say in a whisper, "Nancy, it's all right n o w ; you can come out." But there was no response, and no " N a n c y " came out. T h e
