AUSTRALIAN CURIOSITIES

AUSTRALIAN CURIOSITIES.

{From the Yeoman.}

I find in a late number of the Field an extract, as given below: — ''Australian Curiosities. — On view in the International Bazaar, opposite the Great Exhibition, astounding marvels from Australia! The petrified native black man, from the Mammoth Stalactite Cave, Mosquito Plains; no other known in the world; and the most gigantic crocodile leviathan ever seen, 200 years old, captured by the exhibitor, after long and dangerous toil, in the tropical regions; also, a crocodile egg and skeleton. No better evidence of the astonishing rarity of these marvellous wonders need be adduced than the immense excitement they created in Australia, the newspapers, and Courts of Law — Mr. Craig, well known in the new world as the crocodile-killer and explorer, having had a long and severe contest with the Government and other authorities for possession of the greatest of all natural curiosities of ancient or modern times, a petrified aborigine! " The above notice having been kindly forwarded to me by the editor of the Field, I immediately visited the exhibition, and now beg to report upon it. The petrified native black man is simply the body of some unfortunate Australian native, who years since retired into a limestone cave and there lay down and died, lie was most likely wounded when he went into the cave; his position and the features indicate this, and a mark of an incision in the throat, which may have been the cause of death, is pointed out. The body is not in any sense of the word petrified; it is simply hard and dry, exactly in the state of the hedgehogs, weasels, &c, we see on barn doors. The leviathan crocodile is certainly a very fine fellow, 18ft. long, and the history of his capture in the Fitzroy River, Queensland, Australia, is given by the exhibitor. I have asked Dr. Guntber to kindly examine and tell me to what species this beast belongs, as I was not till now aware that crocodiles were found in Australia. They do not, I believe, exist on the west coast, but are found on the east coast. The proprietor (Mr. Craig) tells me that he has had much difficulty in getting his specimens over, for he had not only a terrible fight with the Australian crocodile upon the interpretation of the law of habeas corpus, but he had also a dire combat on the same point with the Australian lawyers, for they applied the Habeas Corpus Act to him personally, declaring that he had no right to take possession of the 'corpus' of the Australian native. However, he won his lawsuit, his dried native, and a farthing damages at the same time. He now hopes to gain many farthings by the exhibition of his curiosities, and I wish him luck.

— F. T. Buckland, 2nd Life Guards. 

Happening to have been at Rockhampton, in Queensland, at the time the said crocodile was found floating on the water of the River Fitzroy, I know something about the matter. The crocodile was supposed to have been shot by a party of Germans, who had gone up, the river above the town to a place where such animals used then to be often seen. Some days afterwards a crocodile was found floating in the river, and taken possession of by the person who is here described as "well known in the new world as the crocodile-killer and explorer," which is simply absurd nonsense. There are plenty of crocodiles on the east, north, and west coasts of Australia, within the tropics. On the north-west coast, A. C. Gregory's party found them dangerous neighbours to the horses of the expedition, two of which were attacked and terribly wounded by these monsters' as they were feeding on the margin of a tidal creek. It is a matter of no moment to these creatures whether the water is salt or fresh, but I think they prefer freeh water. This may be because there animals venturing forward to drink supply them with food. 

-An Old Bushman

South Australian Register Monday 17th November 1862 

EXHIBITION OF CURIOSITIES

EXHIBITION OF CURIOSITIES.  

AN exhibition of a somewhat novel character was opened yesterday by Mr. Craig, lately from Adelaide, in the upper floor of the Prince of Wales Auction Rooms in King Street. The announcement of the show was certainly an attractive one, the public being invited to step in and see a "petrified blackfellow;" and also some immense stuffed crocodiles. The former of these objects naturally excited the greater curiosity, and during yesterday evening it was inspected by a considerable number of people. There can be no question as to the body being an extremely curious object; but it certainly does not fulfil the expectations raised by the announcement. There is no petrifaction whatever about the body, and it is difficult to understand why it was stated to be in that condition. The body bears considerable resemblance to a mummy, the soft parts of the system being destroyed, leaving entire the tendons and sinews, as well as the skin, - which is of a whity-brown colour, and has no more solidity than an ordinary hide. Portions of the anatomy are gone, but the figure is, for the most part, perfect, and its structure shows it to have been the body of a blackfellow. The place in which the body was found sufficiently accounts for its state of preservation; it had been lying for a number of years in an, extensive stalactite cave, at Musquito Plains, in the South Eastern district, in South Australia, where it had been excluded from atmospheric action, and had been subjected to intense cold and also to the constant drippings from the limestone beds.

Some seventeen years ago, soon after that portion of South Australia was first taken up, a party of blacks murdered one of the shepherds and stole the sheep ; to revenge which an attack was made - upon the natives by the settlers, when several of the former were wounded. It is supposed that one of the blacks fled to the stalactite cave for shelter, and that he died there of his wound. The body is stated by Mr. Craig   to be now precisely in the same attitude as when it was first discovered, and the posture is evidently that of a person who had expired in extreme suffering.  

The circumstances under which Mr. Craig became possessed of the body are rather remarkable, and recently created no small amount of excitement in Adelaide. The body had been allowed to remain on the spot in which it was discovered, and naturally added to the interest of the beautiful limestone formations in the cavern. At length however, Mr. Craig, who had been travelling,through the colonies in search of curiosities, heard of the existence of the body, and determined on adding it to his collection. The country being very wild, and little inhabited, Mr. Craig encountered great hardships in the prosecution of his enterprise, but at length succeeded in obtaining the body and in removing it from the cave, wrapping it round with a blanket and carrying it on his shoulder. Upon arriving at the nearest inn, which was at Mount Gambier, more than seventy miles distant, no little curiosity was excited to know what were the contents of his bundle, and some suspicions being roused, the Crown Lands Ranger obtained from a Magistrate named Dr. Wehl an authority to examine the article, and, upon the contents being exhibited, the magistrate authorised the police sergeant to take it forcibly away from Mr. Craig, -- The result was, that the body was restored to the cave, and guarded by heavy iron bars, in order to prevent its recapture. An action of trover was thereupon brought in the Supreme Court in Adelaide, by Mr. Craig against Dr. Wehl for the recovery of the body. The case, which was tried before Mr. Justice Gwynne, turned of course upon the right of ownership, the Crown Lands Ranger relying upon an Act which forbids persons removing trees, stones, or " other material " from the lands of the Crown, the hardened corpse being considered as " other material." The Judge ruled that the magistrate  had no jurisdiction in the matter, and had no right to interfere between two citizens who were disputing about their property, and the jury gave a verdict of one farthing damages. A report of the trial, which, as might be supposed, was a rather amusing affair, will be found in another column. 

Subsequently, Mr. Craig applied for a new trial, but was unsuccessful. It appears however, that he was determined not to be foiled, and although much vigilance was exercised by the residents in the neighbourhood to guard the recovered treasure, the public in Adelaide were, a few weeks after the trial apprised by telegraph from Mount Gambier, that the body was again missIng and that no traces of the depredator could be discovered. By what means the body was a second time removed from tho cave, we are not aware, but there can be no doubt of its having been brought down to Adelaide and shipped thence as merchandise for Sydney. " We understand that a large 'reward has been offered by the Adelaide Government for the recovery of the body, but we do not apprehend that while in this colony Mr. Craig's treasure will be liable to seizure.

Besides the body of the aborigine, Mr. Craig exhibits some stuffed crocodiles. Two years since, while residing on the Fitzroy River, in Queensland, Mr. Craig carefully studied the habits of the amphibious monsters that abound in that river, and, after several ineffectual attempts, succeeded in obtaining two splendid specimens. Having ascertained the seat of the brain of the crocodile, he fired hammered iron bullets into it, and managed to secure the bodies and to stuff them. One of the crocodiles is between ten and eleven feet long, and the other is nineteen feet long. There is also shown the skeleton of a crocodile which Mr. Craig killed by shooting in the spine.

The exhibition will, we understand, remain open to the public for several days. We may mention that Mr. Craig attends at the exhibition, and relates to visitors a number of interesting particulars in reference to the body of the blackfellow, and also to the ferocious animals he has succeeded in capturing and preserving.

The Sydney Morning Herald Thursday January 1862

THE PETRIFIED ABORIGINAL

THE PETRIFIED ABORIGINAL.

From "Acardian":— The following from the reminiscences of one who, as a youth was conversant with the occurrence, will throw some light on the above: "Mr. Adam Smith came to Sydney in 1839, and to Hynam about the year 1844. He had a partner called Brown, who was murdered by the blacks. Mr. Brown was shepherding some sheep not far from the station, and, seeing a camp of blacks, he went over to have a chat with them, not fearing any harm, as he had a double-barreled gun with him. He was in the act of stooping down to get a firestick to light his pipe with with when a black fellow struck him over the head with a waddy, killing him instantly. The natives stripped him naked, taking all his belongings, including his gun. It was necessary to teach the blacks a lesson, and the station people met, and decided to take the law into their own hands; this was the year 1845; a call to arms was made, the footmen going one way and the horsemen another. They were, all armed, and it was a bad day for the ill fated blacks. The horsemen came up with them in the ranges behind Narracoorte, and saw one fellow carrying poor Brown's gun, and a lubra wearing his coat. They opened fire, and many of the Blacks went under, making no show of resistance, but scattering and running for their lives . . . One black, who was mortally wounded, made his way - into a cave and died there. He was found years after sitting in an upright position, petrified, and was one of the sights of those wonderful caves, until he was stolen and taken to England, Where he was exhibited." 

As to whether the body was; petrified or not, I merely quote from the reminiscences. 

The Register Thursday 23 November 1922

the Booandik have no songs

The Booandik have no songs, properly called.

The following are two fair specimens: -

About the Birds-

                Yul-yul, thumbal,

                Kallaball, moonarebul

                Nana nan molanin 

                Yongo birrit 

This is repeated over and over.

Translation of the foregoing:-

               Fly March-Fly, beetle;
               Fly beetle, bat night
               Parrot, little parrot
               Wattle bird, Minah bird.

About the Whale-

               Waton aa young naa,
               Konterbul walonaa,
               Young naa konterbul.

This is also repeated over and over. Translation:-

               The whale has come,
               And thrown up on land.


from The Booandik Tribe of South Australian Aborigines : A Sketch of Their Habits, Customs, Legends 
Christina Smith 1880   http://archive.org/details/booandiktribeso00smitgoog 

Natives attacking Shepherds' Huts

Samuel Calvert 1828-1913

The First Account

South Australian Tuesday 12th August 1845

SHOCKING MURDER BY THE BLACKS IN THE SOUTH-EASTERN DISTRICT.-Authentic accounts have been received of the murder of Mr Brown, of Brown & Oliver, settlers, by a small tribe of strange blacks. The blacks, consisting of four men and five lubras, had loitered about the station for several days. Mr Brown was very kind to the natives, and had been splitting timber in their neighbourhood without the least suspicion. One day about a month ago, he took a stroll to their neighbourhood, and had been smoking his pipe, without attending to them. The natives came about him, and one of them took the opportunity to give him a stunning blow on the back of the head; another instantly snatched his gun from under his arm, and the rest - men and women - fell on him and killed him. They then stripped him, and afterwards proceeded to the shepherd, who was with 1000 sheep, a mile off, and by pointing the gun at him intimidated him, so that they managed to get clear off with 500 sheep. The most of them were, however recovered. The blacks are known, and can be identified. The station of Messrs Brown and Oliver is about fifty miles west of the Glenelg, and fifty miles north of Mount Gambier. It is within the South Australian territory.

On to England

THE WESTERN DAILY PRESS Saturday March 17, 1866

A petrified Australian male aborigine has just been bought to this country, and will be shortly submitted to the auctioneer's hammer by Mr Stevens, Covent Garden. This singular specimen of petrification was, it is said, found in one of the stone caverns which abound in Musquito Plains, South Australia. It was lying in a natural position, as if having fallen asleep; and a Mr Craig, was in the colony at the time in search of curiosities, got possession of the "black fellow," for the purpose of adding him to his collection. Travelling with his singular burden wrapped in a blanket for nearly one hundred miles, he reached Mount Gambia, where his movements attracted suspicion, and the Crown Lands Ranger, ascertained that his bargain was a human being, sought the advice of a higher power, and relieved him of his prize.  An action of trover was immediately commenced and Mr Craig succeeded in obtaining a verdict, with damages one farthing. The government however refused to give up the "stone or other material"which was again placed in the cave. Mr Craig, however, again went to work and, despite the heavy iron bars with which it was guarded, and the hardship he endured, managed to regain it, and bought it safely to England.

READING MERCURY Saturday 21st April 1866

SALE OF A PETRIFIED AUSTRALIAN ABORIGINE, - Mr. J.C Stevens recently submitted to public  competition, in London, one of the aborigines of Australia in a petrified or mummy state. This remarkable specimen of a native Australian was found in a limestone cave on Mosquito Plains, South Australia. It is the only specimen of its kind known in the scientific world. It is believed to be of great antiquity and is almost perfect in every detail. The biddings commenced at 10 guineas and the lot eventually realised 18gs.