We were not armed, by the advice of Captain Donaldson, the Commandant, although a bushranger named Bevan (free, and a native of Sydney) was abroad, and in the vicinity, committing great depredations with impunity; doubtless being sheltered by those pests of society, receivers of "swag," the phrase for plunder, in the jargon of thieves, rogues, and vagabonds.
There was also some danger to be apprehended from the natives, who were now committing several cruel acts of retaliation, which their extermination seemed to be the only means of stopping. This is the more to be regretted, as the natives, at first, were friendly disposed, and appeared mild and affable; their hostility being caused by the rash and imprudent conduct of certain civilized individuals.
At the first formation of the colony (observes Mr. Evans[1]), Lieutenant Gov. Bowen having left Risdon, on a tour through the Island, to ascertain the spots of land most eligible to be formed into allotments for settlers, the command devolved upon an officer of the New South Wales Corps. Towards noon of the day, after the Lieutenant Governor's departure, a considerable number of natives were seen descending from the neighbouring hills; and as they approached, they were distinctly heard to sing, each man having in his hand a green bough, a well known emblem of peace among savage tribes. Perhaps their signals of amity
- ↑ Description of Van Dieman's Land, by G. W. Evans, Esq., Deputy Surveyor-General.
