From John Brooks   29 October 1894

Balbinia¹

29th Oct 1894.

Baron Sir Ferdinand Von Mueller &c

Melbourne

Dear Sir

I did not for one minute contemplate the possibility of my humble letter to you attaining such an exalted position as thanks to your extremely kind offices it has, or I should have exercised much greater care in its compilation — when I think of its being read before that august assemblage of the learned in Brisbane after New Year bristling with Presidents & Vice Presidents whose names & fame are World wide I fairly shudder.² But when I read with my own eyes the gracious & very flattering encomiums it provoked from two gentlemen whose praise is so valuable as yourself & Major Boyd I am sure I felt quite 10 years younger & 1/2 an inch taller. it has been a source of great gratification to my dear mother & sister & a proud & happy man am I.

I have with shame now to inform you that I made a dreadful slip of the pen in my letter to you I think when writing of Pollocks Reef³ the Southern extremity of the Recherche Archipelago I wrote "Beware Reef the dread of mariners &c" Beware Reef is just off Cape Conran near the mouth of the Snowy River on the Gippsland Coast⁴ where I travelled just before I came on this Coast & I have always had them both a little confused in my mind hence my mistake will you kindly correct it.⁵

Additional point has been just recently given to my remarks through the wreck off the ill fated SS. Rodonda.⁶ her compasses not being sufficiently insulated were deflected by the proximity of machinery she was conveying for the Dundas gold mines so she was a good many miles out of her supposed course & struck on the Pollocks reef at 2 a.m. the majority of the passengers were a mean cowardly lot. though not without one or two brilliant exceptions as for instance when the Captain ordered all hands on deck the ruffians rushed the boats before they could be lowered from the davits the ropes broke & they were precipitated into the sea & 4 or 5 of them met the fate such cowards deserve two boats capable of carrying 30 passengers each were cut adrift while yet containing only 8 or 10 each the Captain's threats & entreaties to them to return as otherwise the people could not all be saved were of no avail so the mate sprang up on the bulwarks & after abusing them to the best of his ability without effect threw off his jacket & sprang overboard to swim after & capture them "Well Sir" said Mr Fitzgerald — a passenger — a splendid handsome man "You shall not go alone" & he sprang in too. & they succeeded in bringing the boats back & in landing all of the 196 souls on Southeast Island there was a lady among them with two little children She could not give them as much as a biscuit without some unmanly wretch snatching it out of their hands. it is not surprising that when the captain called for volunteers to man a boat to go to the mainland to cut the telegraph wire & so attract attention that none should be forthcoming whereupon Mr Fitzgerald guaranteed £100 to every man who who⁷ venture he making one himself & after a deal of difficulty a crew was procured who were fortunately picked up by the "Grace Darling" & all were safely conveyed & landed by her at Point Malcolm where when they dropped anchor they gave 3 cheers to the amazement of Messrs Ponton & Sharps Establishment who were there shearing — the cheers from the throats of 196 people producing a volume of sound never heard on this coast before.

Scarcely had this occurred when our small community was again convulsed by a affray with an Afghan Camel Caravan. A respectable young fellow named Knowles whose father belongs to the civil service in S.A. while camped at an outstation of Pontons named Wahganninya saw an Afghan performing his ablutions in the dam⁸ Knowles went & expostulated with him telling which contains the only available supply there of water for travellers him to get a dish & wash in that so as not to defile the water for other people the Afghan replied nature provided the water & he would use it as he liked in defiance of "Englishmans" for whom he had no respect Knowles — a little handful of some 8 stone weight — then endeavoured to intill⁹ a little into him with such effect that the Afghan yelled for his comrades to come to his assistance & 16 of them ran over & began pelting Knowles with sticks & stones which he dodged until a stone struck him on the cheekbone near his eye half stunned & maddened with pain he drew his revolver & shot the Afghan who caused the disturbances wounding him in the left shoulder, the other Afghans then rushed on Knowles & a scuffle ensued for possession of the revolver which accidentally went off & shot an Afghan dead the others overpowered Knowles & tied him up to a tree & beat him till he became insensible they then went & captured Pontons bullock driver & another young man & tied them up. when they returned to Knowles & beat him again. they then informed the other two that if the wounded Afghan died they would burn them all alive the head man of the Afghans named Anghwon Zada returned in the night & told Knowles if the wounded Afghan died he would kill Knowles. They kept them tied up till 3 p.m. next day when Knowles rode into Israelite Bay & reported to the police — he is now under arrest & I sincerely trust no jury will be found to convict him for it is of such stuff that heroes are made

There is a man living near Eyres Patch¹⁰ named Fred Schultz his father is or was a general in the Sweedish Army. he himself has been a lieutenant in the same, he lives with an aboriginal woman & made a lot of money kangarooing which he took to London & spent in rioting returning to Eyres patch he found the kangarooing line done & now makes a precarious living cutting sandalwood which is said to vary considerably from that to the Westward, he it was who first informed me that the Doombarry — (wild peach) & the Mulgarra (ab¹¹) — (Anglici wild cherry) were of the true sandalwood genus. I did not credit him till I saw it also in one of your works. he might be of service to you as he knocks about in Country I may never see again & the points to which you may especially direct his attention are (1) the Sandy ground around [Hamps] Rockhole on top of the cliffs just above his house (2) the face of the the cliffs especially the gulches & grassy patches on them (3) the recent formation or country between the beach & the cliffs (4) If he reaches so far inland the belt of Casurina¹² on the northern outskirts of the Nullabor plain.¹³

There remains for me now only to answer the points on which you desire information & I take them in the order you have given

(1) the Blackboy or Xanthorrhoea of this district is as far as I am aware identical with that of wide distribution in the westward specimens have been procured by me & forwarded to you by Miss Brooks¹⁴ but I will obtain another & if possible forward it with this letter.

(2) the Cabbage or Xmas tree (Nuytsia floribunda) answers to your description & appears to me to correspond with the sample you […]¹⁵

[John Paul Brooks]¹⁶

Casurina

Nuytsia floribunda

Xanthorrhoea