Nuyts Monument At Streaky Bay

The first of these articles on the early days introduced the Gulden Zeepaard with its captain and Pieter Nuyts, voyaging along the Southern Coast of New Holland in the year 1627. To Pieter Nuyts is given the credit for the discovery of that shore line, but probably Thyssen's should be included as well. A portion of that coast-line forms the extreme western portion of what is now known as South Australia.

In 1927 — the tercentenary of that voyage — the District Council of Streaky Bay at the instigation of the historical section of the Royal Geographical Society of Australasia, S.A. branch, erected a monument to commemorate that memorable voyage. Eyen as Nuyts' journey along the coast was incomplete — only that portion along the forbidding shore being charted, the better land to the east not being reached — so at the present time, the erection of the monument is not complete, the laborious part is done, but the better part is still in complete — the tablet to indicate whom the monument honors is still to be put in place.

It is to be hoped that the wording will not perpetrate a misstatement similar to that on the tablet on the Bluff near Victor Harbor commemorating the meeting of Flinders and Baudin, saying it was near that spot where the two ships of those voyagers met, whereas the actual meeting place was on the other side of the Murray mouth. Care should be taken to avoid saying Streaky Bay was the end of Nuyts' voyage. It is very doubtful whether he got so far east; as the bay. He certainly got as far as Denial Bay.

It is not known for what reason the Gulden Zeepaard was taken along the South Coast, but if Nuyts and the captain were following the instructions issued some time previous ly by the Governor General of the Dutch East Indies (Jan Pietzoon Coen) for the guidance of other Dutch research captains, they would have been bound on reaching Streaky Bay to have followed the southern trend of the coast, but apparently they were not aware of this and believed the coast was still keeping to the east. Having gone "sufficiently far" on that course they returned in accordance with the aforesaid instructions. This seems proof positive that the boat did not reach the east side of Smoky Bay.

MEMORIAL INCOMPLETE

It is probable that the captain stopped delineating the coast line, when he reached the western end of what is now Nuyts' Archipelago, as named by Flinders. Sailing among the islands of this group, they then only charted the islands, not getting near enough to the mainland to fix the coast line. Probably the voyage would end a little south-west of Laura Bay. If care is exercised in framing the wording of the tablet, Streaky Bay which the Gulden Zeepaard almost reached is a suitable place for the monument.

On April 16, 1927, the District Council of Streaky Bay received a suggestion from the Royal Geographical Society of Australasia, S.A. branch, that a monument should be erected. Consideration of the proposal was deferred until May 21, when it was agreed that a memorial should be erected at the intersection of Alfred terrace and Bay road, to commemorate the voyage in 1627. It was then decided that a concrete or stone obelisk should be erected and carry a bronze tablet with a historical record. The structure was to act in a dual capacity — as a historical record and as a road beacon — commemorative and utilitarian. No time was lost in erecting the pillar at the intersection agreed upon, for by November 1927, the local newspaper was able to report the completion of the stone work. The base is of concrete three tiers high surmounted by a pillar of Mount Gambier freestone (it is to be trusted geologists will not quibble at the use of this word). It still had to, have an electric light placed on the top as well as the tablet.

The paper said "The whole will present a handsome appearance when complete." The use of Mount Gambier stone is suggestive of symbolically joining these two places together — the west to the east — where Nuyts left off in the west and where the next voyager, Lieut. James Grant, a century and three quarters later in the east, successfully made land and called a prominent eminence Mount Gambier, leaving the intervening country to be discovered by Flinders and Baudin two or three years later. Like Nuyts and his voyage of discovery of the South Coast, the record of this memorial for the time being must be left incomplete.

TWO CREWS MURDERED

It may be interesting to mention that Grant came from England in the Lady Nelson which was dubbed "His Majesty's tinder box." This boat had a violent end many years afterwards. Although the disaster is not connected with the story of the Peninsula, it is well worth recording, as the history is not generally known. J. Price Conigrave in his delightful book "North Australia," published last year, gives an account of the ship's end.

An attempt to form a settlement on the mainland, of the North Coast failed. The commandant then sailed to Melville Island and formed a camp on that island, shortly afterwards Captain Barlow was left in charge. Conigrave's record relating to the Lady Nelson then reads : — "Owing to shortness of supplies, Barlow despatched the Lady Nelson in February, 1825, to Timor for a cargo of buffaloes and other stock and general supplies, but from that voyage the brig never returned. After a few months had elapsed, and with the fate of the Lady Nelson still unknown, Barns (who was described by Governor Darling as 'an unprincipled adventurer') whilst remaining at Melville Island himself, sent the ship Stedcombe (which was under his control — J.D.S.) to Timor, having contracted with the commandant to land buffaloes at the island for 25 Spanish dollars per head. Incidentally, the captain of the Stedcombe was to attempt to gather news of the missing Lady Nelson, but the former also sailed for the port of lost ships."

Fifteen years were to go by, before it was learned what had happen ed to the two vessels. The Lady Nelson it was learned then, had been captured by the natives of the Island of Barbar, one of the Serwatti Archipelago, the whole of the crew had been murdered and the brig burned after having been run ashore by her captives.

The Stedcombe had been taken by native pirates when she was off Timor Laut, 60 miles to the east of Babar, and all hands had been butchered, with the exception of two lads, Forbes and Edwards. In remarkable circumstances in 1839 . (Port Lincoln birth birth year — J.D.S.) the former was rescued by Captain Watson of the schooner Essington. With much difficulty, for Forbes had almost forgotten his mother tongue, he told in a disconnected manner how he and Edwards had been treated for years as slaves by their native captors, and of the death, about four years earlier of his shipmate Edwards. Thus, though the vessel's association with the early North Australia settlement, led to its dramatic end, it is of moment to recall the very colorful career of the little Lady Nelson.

Built at Plymouth, she was sailed to Australia by Lieutenant James Grant, who in 1801, surveyed part of the coast of New South Wales. In the following year Lieutenant John Mur ay sailed the vessel into what he described as 'a most noble sheet of water,' which he called Port Phillip Bay. Near to it now rises the city of Melbourne. Later, Phillip Parker King did valuable work in the Lady Nelson, which was in and out of the frowning Sydney Heads for several years under commission to many a gallant seaman. When the vessel went up in flames on a foreign beach, there closed a romantic career which had been woven closely into the history of the early days of the settlement in Australia."

An index of the subjects dealt with in the articles of the Early Days of Eyre Peninsula, will appear next week. In the article on Lady Franklin in last week's edition, the words ' stationary bust ' were used instead of 'statuary bust,' in the description of the monument in Westminster Abbey. Mr. Somerville regrets this slip.