QSA846965 1877 Depositions of crew of the Schooner Douglas 22 February, Colonial Secretarys Office In Letters, In letter 77:757, DR63971

and did not see him come up again. I must have seen him if he had come up. The rock was about half a mile from the island. After this I looked around the deck and saw the body of a shipmate Patrick Troy lying, terribly cut up. I also saw James Purcell and John Shaw and the Master all badly wounded, Also W'm Laurie slightly so. The mate and Steward took the ships boat and put the body of Patrick Troy in it to bury it ashore. When they returned they reported the murder of the two men on the Island. The ship remained one day at the Island and then came on to Trinity Bay taking three days on the voyage. The ships rigging was much cut about, and the mate has to repair it before we sailed. Before leaving the Island the bodies of the two blacks were thrown overboard.

[signed] Daniel Deasy Taken and sworn before me at Cairns the day and date before written [signed] Edward Morey

(4/ This deponent being duly sworn and saith, My name is Thomas Harris I am a Master Mariner at present in command of the Schooner "Douglas". Beaver & Co of Melbourne are the owners. I am in the inter Colonial trade. There are Eleven all told belonging to the "Douglas". We left Trinity Bay about the end of first week in January for Dunk Island to cut firewood and dunnage. The first morning we were anchored there, two canoes came off, each having one black fellow. They came aboard on their own account and I gave them tobacco and other things. Before they went away, I asked them if they would sail with me and work and they said yes. In three days after just as we were getting underweigh four blacks came alongside and I allowed them on deck. Three of these I consented to take but did not like the looks of the fourth man so sent him away in his canoe. There was a licensed authority sent on board the ship while at Melbourne authorising the Capt'n of Beaver & Co vessel "Douglas" to ship and engage black labour at any Island or island in the South Pacific or off the Main, for a period of twelve months, for collecting

Guano on beche de mer of the Chilcott Islands, the property of Beaver & Co. The license was for twenty labourers and was issued I believe by the Governor of Victoria. Mr Beaver a brother of the owner held the license and has I think still got it. The three blacks were engaged on the 16th Jan'y and the engagements entered in the log book. The book now before the Court is the Schooner Douglas log book and the entry on the 16th January is correct. Owing to head winds we do not reach Chilcott Island for about three weeks. When we got there we set to work landing barrows, planks, and a building for the hands to live in. I forgot to mention that we found the brig Alexandra belonging to Beaver & Co lying at the Island. Four days after it was decided that the brig should go to the Daintree to load Cedar, and Mr Beaver decided to take a passage to Cooktown in her. When the Alexandra left I had two men on the Island to remain, their names were Humphrey Coughlin and Alexander Macintosh. There were also two of the blacks ashore with them. The men had no arms, save two half axes which I warned them not to leave about. The

(5) blacks had no arms. That night all hands went to sleep as I considered there was no neccessity for a watch, there being no boat ashore and only one black a board. About midnight the mate and I were lying asleep below, and were awoke by cries a man singing out "they have murdered me". The mate rushed on deck and I followed. I met one of the hands James Purcell, all cut and bleeding, who seemed half stupid. I told him to go aft down to the cabin. I next saw a black following the mate with a raised axe. I sang out to him and he came at me and struck at my head, but I raised my left hand to ward the blow and received it on the palm of the hand. I closed with him to try and get the axe, but did not succeed and then rushed down to the cabin. I found Purcell in the cabin dreadfully wounded. The cabin boy was also there. I then tried to load the two revolvers, the only firearms we had. While the black were battering the skylight in and trying to strike us with the ends of oars they thrust down. I fired several shots in the dark. During the night one of the hands John Shaw came thro' the lazarette up to the cabin floor and begged

for Gods sake to be let in as he was dying. I got him in and found he was dreadfully cut about. In the meantime and until daybreak the blacks had charge of the deck, cutting and damaging everything they could. About quarter to 5 am. I heard a commotion and a man running and the cook bundled down into the cabin. He was unhurt and I gave him a revolver. He fired at a black who was over the skylight and shot him and then ran up and put another charge in him. I followed him. There were three men forward who called out "he is overboard" and I looked over and saw a black swimming away. I told the cook to fire and he fired four shots. I saw the black land on a rock, and saw a sea take him off but did not again see him. I think he was drowned. On looking around I saw the bodies of two blacks and ordered them to be thrown overboard. I also saw the body of Patrick Troy fearfully cut up with his brains oozing out and one foot cut off. There were other men badly wounded. I sent the mate and cook in a boat to look after the two men on the Island, and