Aborigines. Captain Fermaner is now at Williamstown, in charge of the yacht "Taniwha," belonging to Mr. P. Turnbull, the only survivor of a once well-known old mercantile firm in Melbourne.
THE FIRST YARRA STEAMER
Was not inaptly named the "Firefly," William Pearson, Commander; and on the 28th October, 1838, she commenced to ply as a regular daily trader between the ports of Melbourne and Williamstown. She condescended to carry passengers for 2s. 6d. per head each way ; goods 8s. per ton ; and towing vessels for £5 per job. This apology for a steamboat was a half-rotten, incommodious old tub, more disposed to buzz than tofly,and with more smoke than fire in its composition. She lumbered away for a time, not much to the advantage of either her proprietary or the public ; yet she continued in possession of the river until January, 1840, when her flying was put an end to, her fires put out, and her engine put to more profitable use by being transferred to a sawmill at Brighton. In November, 1838, a Captain Tobin started business as a private pilot, and his first engagement was to bring the Launceston schooner " Industry," from Launceston, to the Melbourne wharf. T h e craft drew eight and a-half feet of water, and Tobin got through his work very creditably on the 20th. O n the 3rd January, 1839, there arrived the barque "Hope," from Sydney, with 130 immigrants (including 30 w o m e n and 50 children), a detachment of military, and four recently appointed assistant protectors of Aborigines. T h e four officials imported between them families amounting to twenty-two children, an acquisition in peopling an infant colony. The first wool ship for England was the " T h o m a s Laurie," for London, on the 15th January, 1839, with 400 bales, and other cargo valued at ,£6,500. This vessel carried h o m e thefirstdirect English mail. In May, 1839, the " Industry" arrived from Launceston with a cargo offlour,just in time to avert a famine, as the stock offlourwas almost out, and the price was ,£59 per ton. The " Louisa Campbell," barque, Buckley, for London, cleared outwards on the 30th May, with 740 bales wool and 25 tons bark. O n the evening previous Captain Buckley was entertained at a public dinner in the British Hotel, W'illiam Street, at which Messrs. H . N . Carrington, W . Meek, J. Hodgson, P. W . Welsh, C. Williams, and others attended. It is a remarkable coincidence that the twofirstvessels sailing direct from British ports arrived in Hobson's Bay on the same day (17th June, 1839), and both grounded coming up from the Heads. They were the barques "Midlothian," from Leith, and the " William Bryan," 500 tons, from London. These mishaps occurred through want of pilots. The Scotchman was in first. O n November n t h the " Strathisla" arrived from Adelaide with 50 Timor ponies. November witnessed two arrivals which, from the future of some of the colonists w h o came in each, are deserving of special mention, viz. : O n the 12th the " Parkfield," barque, from Sydney. Passengers : Mr. and Mrs. F. Manton, and 3 children, Mr. and Mrs. James Montgomery, and 4 children, Mr. and Mrs. R. Ocock, and 4 children, Messrs. R. Deane, Parbury, S. A. Donaldson, Jas. Cooke, R. Barry, Brewer, Rose, R. Brown, A. Hogue, W . F. Mollison, Murray, Mason, J. Brown, Chisholm, Webster, Marshall, Sewell, Simpson, N . Black, with 26 in the steerage. 15th. From Plymouth, having sailed 24th July, the ship "William Metcalfe" (Phillipson) with emigrants. Cabin passengers: T h e Rev. J. Y. Wilson, wife and two children, Miss Barber, Messrs. John and George Coldham, J. B. Were, wife and two children, D. Jennings and wife, G. Playne, T. W , P., and H . Cobb (3), F. Forbes, G. Thomas, A. Suchet," A. and G. Arden, T. Dtmsford' A. O'Mullane, M.D., Surgeon-Superintendent. Intermediate: Mrs. C. Liardet and five children^ Mr. J. Orr, five sons and one daughter, Messrs. H . and J. Scott, R. Wyld, John Matthews! Jane Cross and Rhoda Newell (Messrs. Were and Jennings' servants). Steerage: 157 adults and 28 children, equal to 168 adults. If the cabin, intermediate, and steerage passengers in these two ships were put together and shaken up, there would be found amongst them, as the sequel proved, as strange an agglomeration, good and bad, as could well be imagined. S o m e of them acquired high name and fame, and their
