Oscar Glenalva Hughan, pictured above with his piercing eyes of the palest blue, is one of my favourite family tree members. He was the brother of my maternal great-great grandmother, Bertha Hughan, who had exactly the same eyes...in fact, it was a strong family trait that revealed itself in all of the Hughan siblings of Oscar's generation.

I have largely dealt with what I have discovered of Oscar's remarkable life in my Hughan Genealogy blog. It was his prolific career as a bush journalist and poet that made me decide that a blog of his own was warranted..I have transcribed hundreds of pages of his articles written from Bourke in the 1860s and 1870s and mailed to whatever newspaper he was writing for, often being syndicated for reproduction in other papers Australian wide when they saw the need to report on Bourke's floods, drought or wild behaviour.

In a nutshell, Oscar's life prior to his arrival in Bourke went as follows:

Oscar Hughan was the fourth child and first son born to Robert Alexander Hughan and Hannah Oakley on November 29, 1826. He was born at Colchester, Essex, after his three elder sisters had been born in the neighbouring county of Suffolk.
Oscar was aged twelve years when his family moved to London. His father was a tea dealer, described in 1844 as “unfortunate in business but always honest”, and by the time he moved his family to London Robert Hughan had quite a series of failed business ventures behind him. The family had moved from Ipswich to Colchester, and then finally London in search of work in 1838.Money must have been an issue, particularly with the Hughan family expanding to nine children, but Robert and Hannah did an exceptional job of raising a well-educated and articulate family. The family was Scots Presbyterian, and the Hughan family was long established in the Kirkmabreck parish of Kirkcudbright in Scotland.

Whilst other Hughans back in Scotland stuck to the traditional naming patterns of the Scots, Robert Hughan and his wife in England were more fanciful in the naming of their children- Malvina, Laura, Marion, Jessie and Bertha for their daughters, and Oscar, Robert, Fergus McIvor and Allan Ramsey Cunningham for their sons. Family was catered to by the use of several middle names...Marion ‘Agnes’ (her paternal grandmother was Agnes Herris Hughan), Jessie Hannah (after her mother Hannah Oakley) and Robert Alexander named fully after his father.

Oscar, the eldest son, was in all probability named after two literary characters...Oscar in the famous Irish tale 'Oscar and Malvina', and Oscar of 'Oscar of Alva- A Tale', a poem written in 1807 by Byron. The latter involves two Scottish brothers, the elder named Oscar and the younger Allan:

"Dark was the flow of Oscar's hair;

Wildly it streamed along the gale;

But Allan's locks were bright and fair,

And pensive seem'd his cheek, and pale.

But Oscar own'd a hero's soul,

His dark eye shone through beams of truth;

Allan had early learn'd controul

And smooth his words had been from youth.

Both, both were brave, the Saxon spear

Was shiver'd oft beneath their steel;

And Oscar's bosom scorn'd to fear,

But Oscar's bosom knew to feel.

While Allan's soul belied his form,

Unworthy with such charms to dwell-

Keen as the lightning of the storm,

On foes his deadly vengeance fell."

Oscar had an elder sister named Malvina and a brother named Allan...poor Allan named after the younger brother in the poem whose character flaws drove him to murder his older brother Oscar in a fit of jealousy!

Oscar Hughan as an adult often signed his name as “Oscar G. Hughan”, the ‘G’ standing for ‘Glenalva’.

The 1841 census saw Robert Hughan and most of his family living in Blacklands Street, Chelsea. Robert’s occupation was given as ‘traveller’, and his age as 40 (ages were rounded down to the nearest five years...he was definitely older than 40). His second eldest daughter Laura was misspelled as ‘Sarah’, aged 18, but the other children in the home were correct- Marion 16, Robert 12, Jessy (sic)8, Allan 4 and Bertha 2. Daughter Malvina was living in Bethnal Green and working as a teacher, Oscar was employed as a male servant for Mary Louisa Edwards in Circus Road, St. Marylebone and 11 year old Fergus was living at the Caledonian Asylum School in London.
He was well educated, as was befitting the eldest son, and if his obituary is to be believed, led a varied and fascinating life. In his late-teens when his father died in 1844, his obituary states that he left London for Canada when he was 22, in about 1848.

He travelled around before settling in the city of Boston, where he remained for some eight years. The Hughans considered themselves poets of some talent, and Oscar was no exception. Whilst in Boston, he contributed to various periodicals and reviews, including the ‘Museum’, ‘Transcript’ , ‘Carpet Bag’ and the ‘Waverly’. He considered himself to be a personal friend of Longfellow and Nathaniel Hawthorne (who penned ‘The Scarlet Letter’).

In 1853, when aged 26 and living in the Cambridge district of Boston, Massachusetts, Oscar married Sophia Tuttle, a young American woman. There is no record of Sophia that I can find after this marriage...she simply disappeared, and Oscar never mentioned her in official records again (when he married in Australia in 1870, he stated he was a bachelor).

During the period in which he was living in the United States, Oscar’s mother and siblings immigrated to Australia. Upon leaving the States, Oscar travelled to Geelong (by what means is still a mystery), where he was reunited with his mother Hannah and several of his siblings.

He became sub-editor of a local Geelong newspaper, and was subsequently connected with a periodical known as ‘The Spirit of The Age’. Oscar also loved the theatre and acted frequently. He was a friend of one of the best actors of the day, G.V. Brooke, and acted on the stage with him. One of the two obituaries that appeared at the time of Oscar’s death in 1915 stated that he had been during his life ‘a soldier, sailor, schoolmaster and slave holder’, amongst other things…evidence to support these claims has yet to be found.

Oscar suggested in several articles over his career that he had arrived in Bourke in about 1864, just prior to a big flood, but there is published proof that he was present in the fledgling town earlier than then. He never signed his articles, and if he was referred to as anything it was by the appellation "Our Bourke Correspondent" , but he did sign his name when he wrote the occasional letter to the editor. The earliest I can find was published by the Maitland Mercury & Hunter River General Advertiser, on Saturday 5 December 1863. It was signed 'Oscar Hugar', but this is a misprint, as it was most definitely written by Oscar Hughan. The letter appeared as follows:

"ORIGINAL CORRESPONDENCE.

To the Editor of the Maitland Mercury.

Sir- In answer to a letter by Mr. David M. Jones, Walgett, dated October 3, I have a few remarks to mark, which I trust may benefit himself and all those who think

'Tis pleasure sure to see one's name in print,

A book's a book____________.

First then, as to the purpose of the letter, which to the most superficial must appear at a glance to be personal pique. This ,unhappily, too often leads writers into the error of using terms more fitted for the bar of a public house than the pages of a "widely circulated journal", as the one he makes his organ.

Frivolous, scrawling, unprincipled, scribblers, untruthful, scurrilous, are terms not at all classical or becoming a gentleman; and I am sure the writer, after a moment's reflection, must own the truth of this.

If the writers referred to in his epistle are the abominable set described, they, of course, have no just reason to complain, and the inference is that the Walgett mails have been punctually and faithfully delivered at Bourke at their appointed times. But in the face of this we have the resistless truth that since the beginning of August- in fact, from the present contractor's engagement- only three mails have reached our office. Have these "frivolous" persons then complained without reason, or are they 'unprincipled' and 'scurrilous' in delivering their plain unvarnished tale? Or has Major Christie, poor gentleman, been supine and easily imposed upon in believing a report unquestionably correct? Our friend must place the standard of the Major's business capacity very low to imagine he has not the means to learn when a public document is scurrilous or not. That he has done so is apparent, or should we not be deploring the bad taste shown by the Walgett correspondent.

As to the geographical part of the letter, it is in part true, but its chief features are high-strained metaphor and hyperbole. For instance, the terms 'inland sea', 'isolated stations', 'uninhabited wildernesses', drought, &c, &c, ad infinitum, remind us more of the Livingstone travels in Africa than our lonely Australian plain and bush land. However, drought has not kept back our letters, nor want of abundance of horse forage, so we will divest the journey of half its horrors. The lack of habitations on the road we think a decided advantage, as gossip is a rapacious devourer of time. The only thing, then, to overcome is the 'inland sea'; which means, in unromantic words, billabongs extended into the country. These we grant a great annoyance, and a fearful wasting of horses' strength; but they are all to be headed, or crossed by boat or canoe- incurring additional expense, perhaps, but with all that the receivers and senders of letters have nothing at all to do.

Every contractor knows the difficulties before him at the outset, and even if he blunders by miscalculation, or speculative rivalry, he must bear the reaction. He is not playing at blindman's bluff when he signs the contract; his eyes are open, he reads its requirements and penalties, and binds himself to meet them faithfully. Henceforth he is not his own master- he belongs to the public, and by the public he will be lauded or condemned. It is to be regretted that instead of finding fault with the Walgett mail route, and the injustice of fines imposed upon non-performance of duty, he had not pointed out to the postal authorities a better and less horrible road- a track, in fact, over which loaded bullock drays were taken over by Mr. John Kelly of Bourke, to and from Walgett, while Her Majesty's mail was flying the signal of distress.

In the hope of doing good we will humbly trace the line, which, if proclaimed a mail route during flood time, will end all trouble in the future. The proposed route is from Walgett to Gragan, thence to Wamerawa Creek, (seldom swollen and always crossable by canoe), from this point to the Mana- where a canoe at all times would ensure a passage, from thence to the Bogan- across which the Bogan mail run has run without hindrance all winter. The distance of this road is 185 miles, making a difference of 15 miles over the old one. The route has been, as I said before, travelled in flood time by loaded drays, and cannot then offer any obstacle to the passing of horsemen. Trusting the Government will proclaim this a mail highway, not only for the benefit of the mail contractor, but the public in general.

I have the honor, Sir, to be yours truly, Oscar Hugar."

It we go backwards in time from this point, we can find in newspapers both David Murray's letter that Oscar is replying to, and the initial article written by Oscar that started the whole fracas.

Firstly, the article, published by the Maitland Mercury & Hunter River General Advertiser on Thursday 27 August 1863:

"BOURKE (From The Empire's Correspondent, August 14).

MAILS. From the frequent irregularities of our mail service some months ago, the post office authorities cancelled the contract, and the new contractor commenced on the Bogan line the first of the month, and it is to be hoped that he will make a better job of it than the last; and there is reason to believe that he will, as he lives at one end of the line and is said to have plenty of horses, or at least his father has, and they are essential to regularity. The Walgett mail is very irregular; we have had but one the past eight or nine weeks. It is doubtless a bad road, as it crosses many of the tributaries of the Darling, this will be their excuse; but by going more to the eastward and making some exertion they might do the work, though perhaps not in the prescribed time. This mail is not of the same importance as the Bogan; all our Sydney correspondence coming by the latter, whilst the former bring from Maitland and the northern portion of the colony. It is somewhat singular that although the contract for both routes was broken, on account of the irregularities of running, that the late contractor for the Bogan should have obtained the Walgett contract. There may be regulations that oblige the heads of departments to take the lowest tenders, but surely some attention ought to be paid to the way in which competitors have discharged their former obligations. It is now 14 days since his contract commenced, but he has not put in an appearance at Bourke.

This article drew a reaction from the Walgett mail contractor himself, which was published by the Empire, Monday 21 September 1863:

"To the Editor of The Empire.

Sir- In a recent issue of your journal I observe in a letter from your Bourke Correspondent a paragraph headed "Mails" in which my character is made the subject of comment, the writer having by his assertions so contrived it that a construction might be placed upon his remarks which my conduct has not warranted.

Referring to the Bogan mail line, I beg to inform you I became the first contractor for its performance in May 1862, until July 31, 1863. During that period I had to contend against a season of flood and drought hitherto unknown in the colony. The extent of the line is 350 miles. This distance is performed in six days; and I may add that from Gongolgan to Bourke, a distance of 75 miles, no habitation exists. From May until January, 1863, the greater part of the Bogan was dry, thirty and forty miles at a stretch, and in December so frighteningly severe was the drought upon this river that, with few exceptions, the squatters were compelled to abandon their stations for want of water, taking with them any stock capable of travelling. As an instance of the appalling results of this trying season, I have witnessed drays attempt to travel from Bourke upwards, and in three instances- Mr. Powell's &c, &c- the bullocks have all perished, and the drivers, deserting their drays, barely escaped with their lives, through this scarcity of water.

I have been a witness to a starved and famishing mob of cattle, after a search for water, finding one of these stagnant pools and, rushing madly in, not one would escape being smothered in their attempt to drink; and I was invariably compelled to clear a bucketful of water with ashes to enable the horse conveying the mails to drink. When matters assumed so serious an aspect as this, men could not be found who would risk their lives on the long stages. A firm determination to surmount these obstacles prompted me to personally convey the mail, which I did until the completion of the drought in as punctual a manner as the case would admit; and it is a well-known fact that thirty mail horses perished upon the Upper Bogan alone. They would start in apparently good heart, and becoming exhausted midway on the stages , either fall dead or perish with thirst. I wish to observe that Bourke being situated upon the Darling River, the inhabitants of that place could form no idea of the difficulties the mail had to contend with upon its transit down.

The floods following so rapidly upon the late drought again retarded the progress of the mails, when the authorities, probably attributing the delay to a laxity of duty, and misled by these reports, cancelled my contract, as a reward for the above services.

I must now apologise for the length of this letter; and, in conclusion, I challenge any person to disprove my assertions, trusting that, should they do, their signature will testify to their position.

Your obedient servant,

David M. Jones, Wallgett, Namoi River, September 8."

Having established that Oscar Hughan was in Bourke prior to August 1863, I began searching back in newspapers for the first mention of Fort Bourke, as it was still called then, in a 'newsy' capacity rather than in official government announcements. The earliest I found was in March of 1862, and was a reprint by the Sydney Empire newspaper of a small article that originally appeared in the Maitland Ensign.
The article most certainly has an Oscar 'feel' about it...perhaps not as full-on Oscar as those he produced at a later date when he was an established citizen of Bourke, but "Oscary" never the less. I transcribed the articles written in 1862 about Fort Bourke from Fort Bourke, and they are as follows:

1862- FORT BOURKE IN THE NEWS.

FORT BOURKE: A correspondent, writing to the Maitland Ensign from Fort Bourke, under date 21st February, says:-We have been visited with another flood up here, which has prevented the mail from running during the last month. I regret to state that a bullock driver, whose name I have not been able to ascertain, has been missing from the neighbourhood for the last three weeks. It seems that he had borrowed a horse and saddle to proceed on some business to Toralle Station, and it is supposed he lost himself in the bush. The horse and saddle were found some days afterwards about seven miles this side of Torelle, but nothing has been heard of the poor man, although search has been made for him ever since. I believe he was on his way to Maitland with a load of wool from Toralle when he borrowed the horse. The weather is still very hot here, averaging 106 degrees in the shade.- March 25, 1862, Empire.
(Note: The lost man’s name was Henry Cooper, from Luskintyre)

A Correspondent of The Pastoral Times, writing from Fort Bourke, says: “Great fears are entertained that young Curlewis and a young man named McCulloch, who started together from Dr. Youl’s station, below this, have perished. They went out back to look for country and the only chance of their safety would appear to be that they may possibly come across Howitt’s track, and get relief from them. They have been away more than double the time they proposed to be, or than they had rations for.” The same writer says: “Give us only steam communication from Fort Bourke, and millions of acres of beautifully grassed and well-watered country, now waste and unoccupied, will be covered with sheep and cattle; and I believe that, before many years are passed, the Darling will produce more wool and tallow than the Murray and Murrumbidgee together.”
- The Argus, Tuesday 6 May 1862

The Darling. From the Pastoral Times, May 2.
We extract from a letter from a gentleman, residing near Fort Bourke, some interesting particulars of occurrences in that remote locality:-" I found shearing over, and all the wool started, though one of the Maitland bullock drivers had lost himself in some most unaccountable manner, and has perished in the bush! He left Toorale about sundown to go to Gundabooka, the station of Mr. Samuel Smith, only about nine miles distant, on the opposite side of the river, and to which there is a plain dray road, along which he had driven his own loaded drays both backward and forwards, and where he had been spelling his bullocks for a month. About three days later, the horse he rode was found, with saddle and bridle still on, coming up the river along the road in hobbles. B---- was out and all the men, both blacks and whites, tracking and hunting for him for several days, but without success. A few days since, the blacks brought intelligence that his remains were in a deep bend of the river, between Toorale and Gundabooka. The only probable conjecture is that he got astray out back from the river, where his horse got away from him just as he put the hobbles on him, that he got bewildered in trying to catch him, and that by the time he succeeded in making the river he was so exhausted that he drank and died. A great number of poor fellows perish thus miserably; how they manage it I can't tell. I imagine they become bewildered when they lose a road.
Great fears are entertained that young Curlewis and a young man named McCullough, both of whom started together from Dr. Youl's station below this, have perished. They went out back to look for country, and the only chance of their safety would appear to be that they may possibly come across Howitt's track and get relief from them. They have been away more than double the time they proposed to be, or than they had rations for.
" Immediately on my return home, B____ proposed a little trip to survey the Warrego runs, and that river as far as the Queensland boundary, where we had started 10,000 young sheep. We overtook the sheep, and as we had to await their arrival, we employed ourselves making excursions over the border. We founds the inhabitants of the first station (Dangar's) to consist of two white men, who were in a state of great alarm consequent upon the murder of their next-door neighbour, who resided some seventy miles higher up the river-a man of the name of Jacquiline, who was engaged as hutkeeper at the cattle station of a Mr. Conn. It appears that Mr. Conn was awayj on the Namoi, and that the stockman was camped out, when a lot of strange blacks, supposed to belong to the Culgoa, came to the station upon the opposite side of the river, where a family of the name of Gallagher have lately established themselves; here it is thought that a Warrego black, who was employed on the station, gave the strangers the information that Conn's stock-man would be away all night, and that the poor old hutkeeper was consequently alone, as they proceeded down the river about three miles, to a crossing-place, and then up the river again, to near Conn's, where they camped for the night. At sunrise next morning, they proceeded to the hut, and after knocking the old man on the head they dragged him outside the door, where they thrust spears into him and mutilated him in a most brutal manner. Some of Gallagher's children, who were milking in the stockyard on the opposite side of the river, ran into the house, crying that the blacks were murdering the old man. Upon hearing this, a man named Pearson jumped out of bed and ran down to the bank of the river and fired amongst a circle of them as they were dancing around the body of the poor old man. He hopes he struck one of the devils in the legs but as they had no means of crossing the river, and the distance across to the hut was some two hundred yards or more, he could not be certain. It happened that the settler next above Conn's, on his way down the river for supplies, arrived there the same afternoon; and, finding what had occurred, and that the blacks had taken away all the firearms from Conn's, he rode back to his own place (100 miles from Conn's), procured arms, men and horses, and started with a party, in pursuit of the murderers. They then proceeded down to Dangar's to get some of the station blacks to track; by the time they again returned to the scene of the murder, so much time had elapsed that pursuit was useless; and after about a week spent in fruitless huntings from camp to camp the party returned, Pearson, having accidentally shot himself through the knee by his pistol cock coming in contact with his coat sleeve, and so exploding.
We spent a month exploring about and returned to Bourke last Saturday weak. During that time we rode over sufficient magnificently grassed and well-watered country to keep at least half a million of sheep, and would the Government of New South Wales and Queensland only determine the claims to the country, the whole would be stocked in a few months. As it is probably in a few years a commissioner may visit the neighbourhood, and in a few more, perhaps, he may report; then, a sufficient time having elapsed, a notice may appear in the Gazette, and these poor fellows who have risked their lives in forming stations will likely find that their claims are not recognised.
From reading the Act I had thought that in Queensland, at any rate, these, things would have been better managed, but it appears not. The Act says the commissioner of the district shall grant a license to the first applicant provided that that should more than one person apply for the same country that applicant shall be preferred who first stocks the country. So stands the Act; how stands the reality? You go to the commissioner, you may register your claim, but you are told that no license can be granted till he has visited the locality, probably years hence. Again, from reading the Act many-inferred that those who first stocked the country would have the preferable claim but lo! the "regulations'' are published, and behold the little words "at the same time" interpolated between "provided that should more than one person apply” and the words which in the Act directly follow- “for the same country that applicant shall be preferred who first stocks the country”;and the whole spirit of the Act is completely altered. Why, in the name of common sense, do committees sit on bills? Why does the honorable member for ___ move that the words so or so be omitted, or that the word so or so be inserted between the words so and so?
The whole thing is a perfect farce if the Government have the power to insert words at option after the passing, of the Act. The probability of two persons applying “at the same time”, which, I imagine means the same moment, for the same country, is about 10,000 to 1; and it was scarcely likely that the Parliament intended to provide for such a contingency. I have been led into this digression by the hardship which must accrue to some of these poor fellows who have gone up into Queensland under the supposition that priority of occupation gave them the best claim.
Well, we returned to Fort Bourke on Saturday week. A curious case occurred at Fort Bourke during our absence. A man who had been employed as a shepherd, and discharged, went up to the proposed township, and, walking up to a sawpit where two sawyers were at work, deliberately pulled a revolver and shot the pitman, saying, " That will teach you to go about telling lies of me." The wounded man, never having seen the villain before, and seeing him on the point of giving him the second barrel, exclaimed, "If you are a man, don't murder me in this way, but tell me why you have shot me." "What!" said the ruffian, "is it possible that you are not ---, for whom I have been looking these six years? This is, indeed, provoking!" He then walked off, when, meeting a blackboy riding a horse belonging to a Mr. Sly, who is about to open a public house at the township, he pulled him off, mounted, and rode into the bush. The horse, thinking he had been far enough, worked round towards home, and the wretch, finding himself again in the neighbourhood of men whom he rightly supposed would soon be in pursuit of him, let the horse go, and walked down to the Commissioner's camp, and put himself under the protection of the troopers; there he lives without work or confinement of any sort, and I expect every day to hear of his going off unmolested. Meantime his poor victim lies in great pain; with a shattered collar bone, and a ball lodged under the arm in the immediate neighbourhood of one of the large arteries, in a very precarious condition.
You can have no idea of the annoyances to which we are subjected up here. Fancy how you would like the following, as an instance :-A scoundrel hired as a shepherd and watchman, at 20s per week, for six months. He served about three or four weeks, when he drove his flock up in the middle of the night to the overseer, said he would shepherd no more, and demanded to be paid for the time done. Of course, this was refused. The scoundrel then cadges his way, not to the nearest magistrate or the nearest Bench, but to a Bench 360 miles from here, where, finding- a JP., whose father-in-law is in reduced circumstances, ,and who condescends to serve the summonses his son-In-law grants; from him he gets a summons for the manager to appear to answer the claim for six months' wages-a distance of 380 miles, in the middle of shearing. A solicitor was applied to to procure an injunction to restrain the worthies of ____ from proceeding, but they replied that under the present law, where a magistrate can be found who would grant such a summons, and a Bench who would entertain the case, there is no help for it ; and that even were there a beach at Fort Bourke, and twenty magistrates living there, we might still be dragged even to Deniliquin, could a magistrate be found there (which I trust there never will be), who would act in the same disgraceful way.
There is a P. M. appointed for Fort Bourke, which is in this district, and probably the Government may soon sell some of the land there. It is a good position for a police station, and probably may be created one under the new Police Act.
I hear that the enterprising owners of the steamer Settler are to launch a vessel, on the same principle, by the 1st July next, to be called "Settler No. 2," and to be devoted exclusively to the navigation of the Darling. It is amusing to hear the slow-going
South Australians comment upon the Yankee go-ahead boat, as she sweeps past them at the rate of twelve miles per hour, when their best pace is about four, against the stream. Give us only steam communication from Fort Bourke, and millions of acres of beautifully grassed and well-watered country, now waste and unoccupied, will be covered with sheep and cattle ; and I believe that before many years are past, the Darling will produce more wool and tallow than the Murray and Murrumbidgee together."
-Sydney Morning Herald, May 12, 1862.

Fort Bourke: (from a correspondent)
This embryo township of ours was disturbed from its usual quiet on Saturday by the arrival of the police magistrate, not at the head of the force as was expected, but alone, having left the C.P.S and police some ten miles distant, the horses knocked up. Next morning, horses were despatched to bring them forward. They made their appearance about two o’clock. From inquiries I find their journey has been a long one, owing to the food being so scarce on the Bogan- the route by which they came- hence their horses were in a bad condition, with the exception, as far as appearance went, of the Police Magistrate’s horse, they could not have travelled twenty miles further in a week. The necessity for a Police magistrate and force down here is obvious to the most casual observer, for in the country from Molong to Wentworth on the south, and Walgate on the north, constant acts of violence and depredations on property are being committed with impunity. Our Police Magistrate did some duty on his way down, I am told, having committed a man to the Wellington sessions from Cannonbar for stealing.
The first court was held on the 5th instant before the Police Magistrate’s tent, in the open air, when three men were brought up, on warrant, charged with highway robbery, with firearms, and remanded for further evidence. The prosecutor, a hawker, having made his appearance on Saturday morning, the men were again brought up before the Police Magistrate and Commissioner Sharpe, J.P. From the evidence it would appear that the hawker was travelling down the Bogan, near to Keanan Station, when the men in custody, Alexander McGregor, Hugh Vaughan and ___ Henderson came up to him; one of them asked him for some oil for his eyes; while talking he seized the hawker and tied his hands aided by the other, put him into the smaller of two carts that he was driving, and led them all into the bush, about a mile, taking the hawker’s gun and revolver. They then tied him to a tree, one standing over him with the gun, whilst the other rifled the carts and putting their selection of goods into the smaller cart. The man left to watch the hawker having left him for some reason or another, he managed to get loose, and away through the bush to the adjoining station where he got assistance. When the hawker returned he found the smaller cart gone and all the horses(4). Next day they found the cart. They found the man Vaughan in a shepherd’s hut, asleep in a blanket belonging to the hawker, and a large and choice swag of goods lying beside him. They aroused him and found on him a pair of cord trowsers and socks, belonging to the same party. They stripped him and tied him hand and foot, and left him for the time, taking the goods with them, which were produced in court. The other two men had three horses of their own; they made their appearance at Thomas Station, when the hawker and his assistants were there. The pack horses were loaded, and the horses they were riding were also laden; they had the fire arms taken from the hawker also. They were taken into custody and committed on the above-named day to take their trial at the Bathurst Circuit Court. The prisoners are now secured in a kitchen, in the course of erection, and part of the premises Mr Sly is building for a public house.
I believe warrants have been issued against other parties for serious offences, but the particulars I am not acquainted with as the police are, perhaps properly, very close about.
(NOTE: When these men faced the court at Bathurst in September 1862, both Vaughan and McGregor were found guilty. “His Honor summed up; the jury retired and returned a verdict against both the prisoners of guilty of robbery with fire-arms. His Honor said that McGregor was an abominably bad character who was known as one of the worst characters at Norfolk Island where he was known by the name of Robert Knox. His Honor said he knew his character well: Sentence, — McGregor- hard labour on the roads or other public works of the colony for fifteen years, the first two years in irons. Vaughan was sentenced to ten years hard labour on the roads or-public works of the colony, the first two years in irons.”
On Friday last, Mr Landsborough’s exploration party, consisting of himself, a Mr Bonner, I think they called him, a cook, and three black-fellows,- they had a large number of horses and one camel they picked up at Barrawama, a station about 40 miles up the river. From what I could gleam, it would appear they left the Gulf of Carpentaria early in February last, and followed up the Flinders, then crossed the ranges into the Paroo country and struck the Warrego, and following it down until they struck ___ Station. They had been for some time on short allowance, and so far reduced as to have marked one of their horses for slaughter, but fortunately were not reduced to that necessity. They speak of the country through which they have passed as excellent for all pastoral purposes. After the first station at which they stopped, they made the Darling at Barrawama, from which place they came to Bourke. They have experienced few of the difficulties that usually attend exploring parties. They only lost one horse, which died either from the effects of a bite of some venemous reptile, or some poisonous bait. The supplies which they received from the Victoria steamer are said not to have been of the best description. No tea, no sugar- and we know from other sources that the vessel that was chartered to take horses was wrecked on Sir Charles Hardy’s Island, and from the poor condition of the horses when landed we may very well infer that they could not have been in the best condition. Mr Landsborough and his companions appeared to be in first-rate health, somewhat dark from the effects, I presume, of exposure to a tropical and semi-tropical sun, but they put in such an appearance as you might expect from hardy and experienced bush men. The success of this movement proves to a demonstration that large and experienced parties are not the best adapted for exploration in this continent.
I forgot to say that their instructions were to follow Burke’s track, but that track they never saw; and we need not wonder at that when we remember that that unfortunate gentleman’s –unfortunate I mean as to his own fate- party was very small, that their track would soon be covered by tropical vegetation. I think that the fact of their crossing with comparative ease from the Gulf of Carpentaria, and experiencing no want of food for their cattle, coupled with the fact that the country is well-adapted for depasturing stock , will give an immense value to this portion of the country.
Bourke is destined at no distant day to be the centre of great importance, and “we must not despise the day of small things”- and the place that is now considered as the ultima thule of this colony will be the centre of radiating interests of the first magnitude. Only let our Government do all in their power to furnish the settlers in this far off region with facilities for the conveyance of their products to market, and supplies for their consumption, and these far-off western districts- in the language of one of your energetic members- will be the greatest districts,- he said in the world- I say in the colony.
We now have in the course of erection a large store, nearly covered in, and as already stated, a public house, and I am informed that material is being prepared in the bush for a second.
From the great prices paid as premium at the late sale of runs situated in this district, this must be considered in the estimation of the squatters- a class that is NOT likely to be led away with puffing- as a first rate country for stock.
The river is very low and there appears to be no early prospect of the appearance of the steamer in these waters. When anything transpires of public interest, I will duly appraise you of it.
- June 25, 1862. Bathurst Free Press & Mining Journal.

THE DARLING.
[FROM A CORRESPONDENT]
I WAS in hopes of being enabled by this time to report a rise in the river, but (excepting a somewhat promising one which began to be perceptible at Bourke about the 18th July, but which has now subsided) our prospects of a steamer up from Wentworth appear to be as distant as before. The stations are beginning to be very short of supplies, especially in respect of sugar and tobacco. The Bogan Company's teams have, however, arrived, and they have, no doubt, good reason to congratulate themselves on not having trusted mainly to the chance of a steamer coming, for securing shearing supplies and loading down. At Menindie a land sale has taken place, hut I have not learned what prices were realised. The residents down there are very patiently waiting for the proclamation of their township of Perry, and for the establishment of a bench and petty sessions there, which are certainly much needed. Perry is 300 miles below Fort Bourke, and 200 above Wentworth. It is a depot for police, and is to be a site for barracks for five men. I understand the Darling is to be patrolled throughout, but if this be the case, there are no evidences here at present of such a necessary measure being at all likely to be soon adopted; for at Fort Bourke there were only two constables, one of whom is anything but a proper person to be in the force, the other being a very young boy, quite unaccustomed to the bush. Those two, however, have been far some time absent escorting prisoners to Dubbo, one of whom has escaped. It was hoped that the new Police Bill was to effect great changes and improvements in the force, but at all events the Darling has not yet benefited much by the great panacea of the Inspector General, neither as to organisation of the body itself, nor as to the materials of which it is composed. There have been numerous murders in this locality by the blacks, and although I am informed that the attention of the Government has been drawn particularly thereto, scarcely any notice has been taken of the matter. Without any police to interfere in those atrocities, and in the present state of the law which precludes any chance of a conviction being obtained if the miscreants should be apprehended, travellers and shepherds are at the mercy of the savages who, unchecked by the authorities, are now becoming more and more daring in their villany.
The commissioner for the Albert district, Mr. Sharp, has, I hear by the mailman, just returned from the Paroo. I trust he has been successful in securing the ruffians who murdered Mr. Curlewis and McCullough, in January last; indeed we are fully assured that Mr. Sharp is a very unlikely person to return without being able to render a satisfactory account of the perpetrators of that cowardly assassination. The mailman states that one of the troopers informed him they had been about ninety miles above Windole on the Paroo, near a waterhole called "Penonigia"; that they found the camp where the murders took place, and saw the ashes where a damper had been baked. The tracks of a violent contest were still evident, and a nulla nullah, dinted and blood-stained, as well as a spear, were picked up close by. Nothing else was found except a bent stirrup iron.
One old man explained to the troopers that the other blacks were very angry with the five who committed the murders, and that they did not wish to be driven off their ground by the white men through a crime with which they had nothing to do. He told where four of the murderers were, and another blackfellow told afterwards where "Peter" or Mirercul was. This was the ringleader, he had been in company with the unfortunate victims of his treachery for ten days, showing them the country. On the night of the murder when they were asleep, he planted their arms and went to other blacks and induced them to join in the murder on account of the "tuck out" they would get. Mr. McCullough was first speared. Mr. Curlewis, awaking, searched for his gun, but could not find it ; he seized a fire-stick and defended himself against the four until Peter, having despatched poor McCullough, killed him with a tomahawk. The latter gentleman is highly connected in England, and had just had a considerable fortune left him. Such is the horrifying narrative of the blacks, who added that everything had been thrown into water-holes. The troopers made careful search, but could find nothing of the remains of either gentlemen. There were the tracks of three beds at the camp—the third being the one occupied by Peter whilst he feigned sleep. The return of the commissioner's party somewhat sooner than I believe they anticipated, gives some hope that their mission to the Paroo was not altogether a fruitless one. Certainly, unless the Government manifest some care for the lives of those who are engaged in settling the remote districts, it will scarcely be wondered at if they take the matter into their own hands.
-September 10, 1862. Sydney Morning Herald.
BOURKE.
(by our own Correspondent)
Since my last communication there has been nothing of moment transpiring. The prisoners committed from this place to Bathurst, for highway robbery, have been convicted, at least, two of them ; the other (Henderson) got away from the police on his way to Dubbo. From several causes, it would appear, their journey was protracted. The man Welsh, for whose apprehension a reward was offered, and who was arrested on the charge of shooting one Woolf has also been convicted and sentenced to 7 years. There have been several cases recently, before the Police Court, under the Master and Servants Act — this week no less than four. This would seem to be the staple of our police business just now. And it was high time that something should be done, for our flock-owners are at the mercy of their men. Instances are numerous of flocks being left unprotected and abandoned without notice, shepherds sometimes telling the owners, in not very choice terms, to go a certain place, ___ them and their sheep; presuming on the circumstance that redress was not to be obtained. Now, however, we have got a court at hand, it is to hoped that a change for the better will take place.
LAND SALES:- On Tuesday and Wednesday the first land Sales at Bourke took place. The attendance on the first day — the place considered — was numerous, consisting of the tradespeople resident in the town, with other employers of labour from down the river. There were three blocks of the township put up, consisting of ten allotments in each- in all thirty- all of which were sold at the upset price of four pounds per lot with the exception of three lots, which were respectively sold for fifteen pounds, eight pounds, and four pounds, one shilling. There were also three country lots sold, comprising about eighty-one acres at the upset price of one pound per acre. This sale must be considered highly satisfactory.
On the previous week the Clerk of Petty Sessions visited Brewarrina, for the purpose of selling the land at that place, consisting of town and country lots. All the town lots were sold, and a few of the country lots, in most cases, I believe, above the upset price. This place is situated on the Darling, some seventy miles from here. It is known as the Native Fishery. The ingenuity of the natives is remarkable. They construct a network of stones laid on the rocky bottom of the stream, so arranged as to securely confine the fish when once fairly within its intricate meshes. The stoney labyrinth is of considerable extent, but at the present time only a small portion of it is kept in repair by the natives. The land sale at Brewarrina was well attended, and realized more money than that at Bourke ; there having been more lots put up. The prices upon the whole were higher. This may, to some extent, be attributed to the presence of a spirit – not ethereal- that possesses the marvellous property of magnifying the objects at any time placed before it, and of abstracting the observer's mind from all other things than the matter in hand; so that his obligations, pecuniary, social, moral, or religious are for the time forgotten. I believe this agent occasionally work wonders in some auction marts; hence the champagne luncheons that sometimes meet our eyes. I would not be understood as saying that the worthy operator at this sale had recourse to the practice of ordinary knights of the hammer, for being a Government functionary it would be infra dig., but if the company thought proper to seek this aid, why not ? However it appears to have been for the public good, and there can be no reason why the public purse should not receive some additional aid from that which forms one of its principal sources of income. The knowledge of this remote portion of the territory is very limited among the residents of our towns, as evidenced in the occasional communications in the newspapers; but every day will increase that knowledge.
Since my last communication considerable progress has been made in the buildings then noticed. Messrs. Alexander Ross and Co's. store may be considered finished. Mr. Sly's. public house draws on to completion, and he intends opening on the 1st November; Mr. Kelly's house is also considerably advanced, and I believe an application has been lodged for a license to open on the 1st December. The Police Magistrate has a small snug residence covered with thatch, with verandah filled in with rustic work, which looks very neat; and I understand his good lady and daughter may be expected here in the course of November proximo. This will make a very acceptable addition to the female portion of our township. I ought here to observe that Mr. Kelly arrived a few days ago, with his wife and her sister. These may be trifling matters, but “the day of small things” is not to be despised.
Twelve months ago there was not a single residence in the place, whereas we have now buildings of the value of two thousands pounds erected. Who will say after this that Bourke is 'little and unknown.' We have had but little rain the last few months, notwitstanding we have had good feed for cattle; and I am informed that the lambing has carried a very high per centage. Shearing has commenced at Tooralle, one of the Bogan River Company's stations, and in a week or two will be very general. Some inconvenience has been experienced on most of the stations for want of the usual necessaries, arising mainly from their dependence on the arrival of the steamers, which have not yet come, and from present appearances are not likely to be here this season, as the river is now very low, although a few weeks ago it had risen upwards of four feet. This dependence on the steamers must be very precarious, and it would be much better for sheep proprietors and others to get their supplies from Sydney, via Maitland or the Western Road. The price paid for carriage from Maitland this season is seventeen pounds and return loading (wood) at about fifteen: loading from Dubbo twenty. The food for travellers is said to be pretty good by the Macquarie and crossing over to the Bogan by the Marri Greek. The reasons given for the extravagant prices said to have been sought at Bathurst for the conveyance of stores are entirely without foundation. If they can bring stores from Maitland for seventeen pounds, which is a hundred miles further, why should they ask, and in one instance get, sixty, which I am told was the case ?
-October 15, 1862. Bathurst Free Press.
Township at Fort Bourk.-A. correspondent furnishes us with the following:-The locale of the township is about six miles above the original Fort Bourke of the late Sir Thomas Mitchell, called by the natives, Mortumertie; or the Eighteen Mile Point by the settlers. The first sale of Crown lands took place a few weeks ago, and the result may be considered as highly satisfactory. Three sections in the township each containing ten lots, were sold at the upset price, excepting three at £4 1s.,£8, and £16 each respectively. Three suburban lots, consisting of about eighty acres, were also sold at the upset price of one pound. There was a land sale the previous week at Brewarrina, or the Native Fishery, which also went off very well. All the town lots put up were sold, as well as a few country lots. Twelve months ago not a vestige of a residence was to be seen at Bourke, now there are two buildings, designed for public-houses, nearly complete, and one large store completed. As the allotments at the late sale were purchased mainly by tradesmen, we may soon expect a considerable addition. There is a considerable traffic through the place, and it will, no doubt, be one of considerable importance at no distant day.
-October 23, 1862, Empire, Sydney.

FORT BOURKE. (from our own Correspondent) The Police Magistrate left here on the 8th Ultimo, accompanied by his black boy for Dubbo, which place he reached, I believe, on the morning of the seventh day, where he met his good lady and daughter, and after a stay of eight days at that place started for Bourke in an express covered waggon. Judicious arrangements having been made by having the necessary supplies of horse food at different places on the road, they reached their destination early in the morning of the seventh day from Dubbo, a distance of 300 miles, without accident.
The Police business of this month has consisted wholly of cases under the Master and Servants' Act. There are other cases pending. Two of the Bogan River Company’s men were sentenced to fourteen days hard labor, which labor has been expended in stumping and clearing a part of the township reserve. The licensing meeting was held on the 11th at which two applications were entertained and granted - one unanimously, the other by a majority of the Bench, the Police Magistrate being the dissentient on the ground that the house for which the application was made was erected on ground reserved for public buildings, and therefore the applicant must be considered a trespasser.
The Bogan River Company have finished shearing, and several of their drays passed through the township a few days ago with wool for Dubbo; the other stations are far advanced with their shearing.
Tenders are invited, I perceive for the erection of a court-house and a watch-house, but from the scarcity of the timber in this neighbourhood, I don't think any acquainted with it will tender- the style must be altered.
The Temperature for the month has been very high- by the Thermometer in the shade at 2 p.m. I find it has ranged from 82 to 110, the average about 96. A very high average, and I should think it would not be higher during the summer, - persons at a distance would imagine that this would be unbearable and even unhealthy but such is not the case, which arises, I apprehend, from the extreme dryness of the atmosphere. The evenings are delightful. This locality with that of many others in the colony has suffered and is still suffering from drought, and it may be safely affirmed that there has not been six days rain for the last twelve months, but one of the peculiarities of these districts is that stock thrives on the salt bush and various shrubs with which the country abounds, rain is however much wanted for the grasses. November 27, 1862.
-December 10, Bathurst Free Press.