of roast eggs, and commenced their journey on McMillan’s track, each man carrying his double-barrelled gun, ready loaded, in his hand.  By this time the sight of a gun was a sufficient warning to the blackfellows to keep at a safe distance; the discharge of the nine-pounder had proved to them that the white man possessed mysterious powers of mischief, and it was a long time before they could recover courage enough to approach within view of the camp at the Old Port.  On the second day of their journey Davy and Shay arrived at the Thomson, and found the mob of cattle and the men all safe.  They built a hut, erected a stockyard, and roughly fixed the boundaries of the station by blazed trees, the bank of the river, and other natural marks.

There were three brothers Imlay in the Twofold Bay district—­John, Alexander, and George—­the latter residing at the Bay, where he received stores from Sydney, and shipped return cargoes of station produce and fat cattle for Hobarton.  Two stations on the mountains were managed by the other two brothers, and their brand was III., usually called “the Bible brand.”  When the station on the Thomson was put in working order, the Imlays exchanged it for one owned by P. P. King, which was situated between their two stations in the Monaro district.  The Gippsland station was named Fulham, and was managed by John King.  Jack Shay returned to the mountains, and Davy to the Old Port.

Soon afterwards the steamer ‘Corsair’ arrived from Melbourne, bringing many passengers, one of whom was John Reeve, who took up a station at Snake Ridge, and purchased the block of land known as Reeve’s Survey.  The new settlers also brought a number of horses, and Norman McLeod had twenty bullocks on board.  The steamer could not reach the port, and brought-to abreast of the Midge Channel.  The cattle and horses were slung and put into the water, four at a time, and swam to land, but all the bullocks disappeared soon afterwards and fled to the mountains.

Next the brig ‘Bruthen’ arrived from Sydney, chartered by the Highland chief Macdonnell, of Glengarry.  In the days of King William III. a sum of 20,000 pounds was voted for the purpose of purchasing the allegiance of the Glengarry of that day, and of that of several other powerful chiefs.  On taking the oath of loyalty to the new dynasty, they were to receive not more than 2,000 pounds each; or, if they preferred dignity to cash, they could have any title of nobility they pleased below that of earl.  Most of them took the oath and the cash.  It is not recorded that any chief preferred a title, but the Macdonnell of 1842 was Lord Glengarry to all the new settlers in Gippsland.  His father, Colonel Alexander Ronaldson Macdonnell, was the last genuine specimen of a Highland chief, and he was the Fergus McIvor of Walter Scott’s “Waverley.”  He always wore the dress of his ancestors, and kept sentinels posted at his doors.  He perished in the year 1828, while attempting to escape from a steamer which had gone ashore.  His estate was heavily encumbered, and his son was compelled to sell it to the Marquis of Huntly.  In 1840 it was sold to the Earl of Dudley for 91,000 pounds, and in 1860 to Edward Ellice for 120,000 pounds.