numbers of banksia, casuarina, and other trees. He landed and ascended the slopes. There was an extensive prospect of wooded country at the back, of Mount Eliza and the wide expanse of water at his right, of the sun-sheened river with the high-wooded background in front of him, and the Swan meandering out of view, backed by the mountains, on the left. He judged that this position was about midway between the sea and the mountains, and there he decided should be the basis of the settlement.
A name had to be awarded the site, and out of respect to the Lieutenant-Governor, who was a Scotchman, the pioneers decided to call it Perth, after the Scotch city of that name. Perhaps there is no more prettily situated city in all Australia than Perth, and the pioneers showed excellent judgment in electing to form their town there. Not only was it central, but it had undoubted claims to great natural beauty. From a utilitarian point of view, it might have been better in the first few years had the Lieutenant-Governor built the inland town on the same side of the Swan River as the town on the seaboard. By so doing there would have been no necessity to erect bridges at different parts, and land transit could have been conveniently used as well as river. As it was all goods, no matter of what kind, after being landed at Fremantle had to be transhipped to boats, and a most laborious trip was experienced before they were landed at Perth. Thus for many years no roads connected the two towns. Captain Stirling evidently considered that the river afforded such excellent opportunities for transit that having the inland town on the northern bank was no inconvenience whatever.
These duties performed the pioneers returned to the seaboard. Other passengers were got over from Garden Island, where, however, the depot for the storage of provisions and stock was kept for some time longer, and a number of women and children remained. A few huts and tents were erected at Fremantle, but the main body of pioneers removed to the site of Perth. The men generally preceded the women and carried loads of goods with them. They put up rude tents and brush wood huts, where the females lodged until it was decided where their future homes were to be. The men thus had their minds fully occupied, but the females had no such resource. Looking out on a wintry day from their insecure lodgings to the dripping primeval woods, which they had come to subdue, might well discourage them, and hushed by the great silence and feeling of remoteness which enshrouded them, they might well repent. These were unfortunate sufferings for people of their grade of society—those more experienced in hardships would have been much better able to bear hem.
Captain Stirling supervised the whole of the operations which took place. He, the representative of Royalty, worked with the rest and spared not himself, so that life might be made more comfortable for his people. By his own exertions he infused spirit into his band. The assistance of the military proved very useful, and having few artificers, all more or less had to lend a hand until other ships arrived bearing the indentured labourers. On the slopes immediately above the Swan, near the present site of Government House, the chief camp was placed. An area had first to be cleared to permit of the erection of tents and other buildings. The old stillness of Mount Eliza and the Swan River was now broken by the sounds of the woodman's axe and the click of hammers. The natives, after some days, drew near, but offered no molestation, and allowed these usurpers of their domains to establish themselves in all peacefulness. They looked with surprise at the energetic efforts of the white men, and were astonished when they observed the buildings go up. While some of the shelters for pioneers were merely composed of canvas; some people did not have that convenience, and had to be content with rude brushwood houses, little better than the mias of natives. The wind coursed through them by day and night, which in the winter was no pleasant experience. Log huts were raised of upright poles, side by side, with a roof of shingle, or reeds gleaned from the river.
A change was thus inaugurated in the wild sites of the two towns, but little progress could be made until more people arrived. All anxiously and eagerly looked forward to greeting anyone of their own kind, for with increased numbers the Australian bush would lose some of its loneliness, and there would be some satisfaction in having the sympathy of others similarly placed. Meanwhile, Mr. Roe explored and surveyed, and Mr. Drummond examined the soil to arrive at a conclusion as to its fertility and suitability for special productions. Before this, however, a party of officers and men from H.M.S. Challenger went out exploring to discover more suitable country for the settlers. On the 26th June they landed at Brown Mount in Cockburn Sound, having for their specific object the exploration of the Canning River and the intervening country. This was then only partially known, and no official report had been made as to its resources. Landing at ten in the morning, the party proceeded in an east by south direction, and travelled about twelve miles that day. The formation was irregular, dark red earth alternating with sandy soil. The billowy surface was thinly covered with trees, beneath which was a fair growth of grass. Some six miles from the landing place they observed a fresh water lagoon, and when night drew nigh they pitched their tents on the S.E. extremity of an extensive lake. Next day, some two miles further on, they passed south of a deep large swamp, and still another but smaller one an equal distance away. Two streams, six or seven feet wide, were crossed, and then nine miles from their starting point of the morning a more goodly scene disclosed itself before them. They had ascended a slight eminence without observing it and there before them lay a vast plain, bounded to the eastward by a range of majestic mountains. Pushing forward, the plain was left behind, and they entered between two ranges and there discovered the Canning River, "rushing over its rocky bed with considerable impetuosity." The soil over the plain was not of the best class, was characterised as suitable for brickmaking, sandy and gravelly. On a small island formed by a small stream debouching from the river's course, they bivouacked that night. In the morning they rose early and ascended a mountain 1,000 feet in height, in the hopes of obtaining a comprehensive view, but the dense atmosphere rendered it impossible to see more than a few miles to the west on the track of approach, while to the east a succession of tree-covered "lofty mountains" was alone discernible. Going down to the river again they followed its course for five miles to the northward, observing good red soil. Then they examined surrounding country, went near a swamp, went beyond the branching of the Canning, and noted fine soil in places. At night they camped twelve miles distant from the ravines left in the morning. On the following day they made for the coast down the left bank of the river, which, they reported, presented for some ten miles scenes of the richest verdure and most luxurious vegetation. On June 30 they reached the junction of the Canning and Swan Rivers at
