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A.W. Howitt Esq.,
Dear Sir,
I desire to sincerely thank you for your kindness in answering my queries with regard to the natives.
The other day, in conversation with Mr. Sidney Seymour, of Romsey (a pioneer of this district - 1842 - and now in his 94th year), I was informed by him that whilst on Dr Baynton's station (15 miles north of Lancefield) he had some natives assisting him in different kinds of work. They would not, however, come over the range to Lancefield, stating that they had no business there and it was not their territoy. This is confirmation of the boundary that you give in your "Native Tribes", and shows that your information has been reliable
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and trustworthy.
An examination of the western portion of this district shows that the blacks had numerous camping places between Lancefield and Mt Macedon - "native ovens" being numerous. Tomahawk heads have been picked up in large numbers. On three farms close to Lancefield [crossed out: up] close on one hundred have at various times been found. Only last week three were found in a small paddock in the course of ploughing operations.
Mr Seymour tells me of an incident that occurred on Baynton's station whilst three blacks were cutting bark. Mr Seymour was superintending the operations, and he observed that the [crossed out: became] blacks suddenly became very excited. Presently a big bird settled on a tree between him and the blacks, and he then asked them what was the matter. One of them pointed to the bird, and said - "Some one blackfellow kill some one blackfellow" and pointed to the north. The blacks
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would not do any more work that day, and Mr Seymour had to return to the station.
On another occasion, Mrs Seymour said to a blackwoman on the station - "What for you have nose all over your face," and the woman retorted - "What for you have nose like a boomerang."
Mr Seymour only remembers seeing one party of blacks in the Lancefield district, and they were camped near a creek, about eight miles from the quarry in the [crossed out: dre] direction of Melbourne.
One point that interests me is -Was Berak one of the Kurnajeberreing section of the Wurrenjerri tribe?
In reading some notes on the aborigines in "Victoria and Metropolis" I noticed a reference to a black called Barrack, "the King of the Yarra Yarra tribe, and its sole survivor. William, as he is often called, is believed to be 64 years of age. He is a man of powerful build, though somewhat short in [crossed out: build] stature, and looks younger than he really is. The old man believes he must have been about eleven years of age at the time of
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Batman's visit to Port Phillip ..... He married in Gippsland a native woman called Lizzie, and went to reside at Acheron .... Later on his wife died, and he afterwards married a Christian native woman called Annie. Three of his children died in infancy, and and his son David (aged 10 years) and his wife died within a month of one another." Barrack was at Coranderrk at the time Mr Graham Berry left Victoria to act as Agent-General in England.
Again thanking you, and hoping that I am not imposing on your good nature in asking a second lot of information (which is very interesting to me after reading your book), I am, yours sincerely J. Guthridge Lancefield
