Geelong Advertiser and Intelligencer (Vic. : 1851 - 1856), Friday 5 August 1853, page 1


PORTL?ND. PUBLIC MEETING. A public meeting, pursuant to advertisement, weas held at the Portland Hotel, on Thursday ervening last; the 2Sth nult. The weather was very unfavourable; nevertheless the meeting was as well attended as could have been expected. D. Gallie, Esq., was called to the chair, and stated that the object of the. meeting was, as would be perceived by the advertisement, to initiate mnsnres for seculring the permanent appropriation of the botanical gaiden reserve to its proposed use. Dr. Allisen, the Honorary Secretary, stated that at a previous meeting it wast resolved that we should have the ground marked as a reserve, secured by some fixed tenure. It was desirable to know what "reserved ground" meant. The use of it must be deferred muntil the inlhabitants were satisfied that irwould be senured to them permanently, so asnot to be disturbed by them at any future time, at the whim or enprice of any govemrnor or surveyor. Dr. A. urged the necessity of emnposermig a eorrespondence with the government on this subject; and made some general and'appropriate remarks on the advantages of a botanical gardeti. and the study of botanical science. The reslatioins appear, published by authority, in another place.Portland Guardian.BoAT BoAT UrSEr Tr A WmLLE.-3M1A DnwnsED -A distressing accdent happened in our bay last Saturday. Early. in the afternoon a whalinig party of- six went- out to capture a whalmle,which came close up to the jetty. 'After being struck, the wrhale drew the boat out a considerable distance, but the erew succeeded in again coming up to and harpooning it in the neighbourhood of the double corner. The whale then began to dash furiously about the boit,:'thich he upset by a stroke of his tail. The crew clun.foro a considerable time to the boat, were on its keel, and again, by the boat turning over, plunaed into the water, the enraged animal all the while dashing and splashing and roaring round, undcr, and amongt them. The boait eas broken in two. One of the inrew,named Williams, left the boat, and stru?k out for the beach, .but either throngh edxianuston and fear, or as some declare, being struck by the.ta-l of the whale, sunk and was drowned. The others were so exhausted, that theycould have held on but a few minutes more, had nota boat from the jetty arrived in time to pick them up. Williams has left a widow and family to deplore his untimely end. The widowhas this urelancholy aargravation of her.afiliction, that this was hersecond husband that has been snatched away by-a sudden and premature death. The remains of the boat werebrought to the jetty yesterday. but everyc attueipt to recover the body of the unfortunate

W.illirms has failcd; it is, w-ithtoo much reason, sulpposed, tha;t before tis it has become thu fod of shlarks. The merse of the whale, also, hIs not yet been reovcy .-Portland. G~uardian.