us back about a mile, to where we found huts, or gunyahs, and a number of women and children.  We sat down in the midst of these sooty and sable aboriginal children of Australia; amongst whom we ascertained were eight chiefs belonging to the country near Port Phillip, over which we had travelled, and with which we had so much reason to be pleased.  The three principal chiefs were brothers.  Two of them were fully six feet high and tolerably good-looking; the third was not so tall but much stouter than the others.  The other five chiefs were equally fine men.  And a question, to myself, here arises, and the answer as speedily follows, viz., now is the time for entering into and effecting a purchase of their land.  A full explanation, that my object in visiting their shores was to purchase their land, they appeared to understand; and the following negotiation or agreement was immediately entered into.  I purchased two large blocks or tracts of land, about 600,000 acres, more or less, and, in consideration therefor, I gave them blankets, knives, looking-glasses, tomahawks, beads, scissors, flour, etc.  I also further agreed to pay them a tribute or rent yearly.  The parchment, or deed was signed this afternoon by the eight chiefs, each of them, at the same time, handing me a portion of the soil; thus giving me full possession of the tracts of land I had purchased.

This most extraordinary sale and purchase took place by the side of a lovely stream of water, from whence my land commenced.  A tree was here marked in four different ways, to define the corner boundaries.  Good land, to any extent, either for stock or tillage, with good water was here in abundance, ready for sheep, cattle, or the plough.  Our negotiation was terminated by my Sydney natives giving our newly-acquired friends a grand corroborree at night, much to their delight.  The group consisted, altogether, of forty-five men, women, and children.

Sunday, June 7th. I awoke this morning with the agreeable consciousness of my being able, like Alexander Selkirk, of school-boy memory, to say:  “I am monarch of all I survey; my right there is none to dispute.”  With a view, however, of securing this right more permanently, I busied myself with drawing up triplicates of the deeds of the land I had purchased, and in delivering over to the natives more property.  This was done on the banks of the lovely little creek which I have named Batman’s Creek, as a memento of the novel and interesting transaction occurring on its banks.  After the purchase and payment at the conclusion of the preliminaries, I had made preparation for departing, when two of the principal chiefs approached, and laid their royal mantles at my feet, begging my acceptance of them.  Upon my acquiescing, the gifts were placed around my neck and over my shoulders by the noble donors, who seemed much pleased at their share in the transaction, and begged of me to walk a pace or two in their (now my) princely vestments.  I