The next morning was fair.  On leaving the port it had been the intention of the party to return the same evening, and the boat was victualled for one day only.  There was now nothing for breakfast but a little tea and sugar and a piece of damper:  no flesh, fish, or fowl.  Davy was anxious to entertain his passengers to the best of his ability, especially Mr. Reeve, who, though not of delicate health, was a gentleman of refined tastes, and liked to have his meals prepared and served in the best style.  Fresh water was of the first necessity, and, after so much rain, should have been plentiful, but not a spoonful could anywhere be found:  the soil of the island was sandy, and all the rain had soaked into it and disappeared.  The damper having been exposed to the weather was saturated with water.  There was in the boat a large three-legged iron pot, half filled with fat, a hard and compact dainty not liable to be spilled or wasted, and in it had been stewed many a savoury meal of sandpipers, parrots, rats, and quail.  This pot had been fortunately left upright and uncoveredduring the night, and the abundant rain had filled it with fresh water.  Davy, with the intuition of artistic genius, at once saw the means of producing a repast fit for the gods.  He poured the water which covered the fat from the iron pot into the kettle, which he placed on the fire for the purpose of making tea.  He cut the sodden damper into substantial slices, put them into the pot, and cooked them in the fat over the fire.  When well done they tasted like fried bread, and gave entire satisfaction; Mr. Reeve observing, when the feast was finished, that he had never in all his life eaten a better breakfast.

A start was made for the port, but the wind came dead ahead, and the men had to pull the whole way across the inlet, through the Caledonian Canal, and as far as Long Point.  There they went ashore for a rest, and Mr. Reeve asked Davy if he could find the mouth of the Tarra River.  Davy said he had never been there, but he had no doubt that he could find it, as he had seen the river when he was duck-shooting.  It was then high water, and the wind still blowing strongly from the west, so a reef was taken in the lug, and the boat ran right into the Tarra as far as the site of the present court-house.  There the party landed, and after looking at the country Mr. Reeve decided to take up his special survey there.  It was partly open forest, but it contained, also, a considerable area of rich flats covered with luxuriant tea tree and myrtle scrub, which in course of time became mingled with imported blackberry bushes, whins, sweetbriar, and thistles.  Any quantity of labour might be spent on it with advantage to the owner, so the following advertisement appeared in the public journals: 

To capitalists and the industrious labouring class.

Gippsland—­port Albert.