colony.

The doctor, as I said, went over with the earliest from the Hobart side
of the island, quitting his land grant, which was the last under that
system, and was got for him by his friend Governor Arthur--a privilege
for which, as I have said, the Henty family arrived just too late.
Amongst the live stock he took over was Miss Thomson's pony, which was
the first of the equines landed at Port Phillip. Its owner was then a
very young girl. She and her mother landed towards the end of 1835, and
were the first ladies of "the settlement." The family pitched a tent
almost under a magnificent gum tree, whose stump, covered with ivy,
still exists close to the Cathedral at Prince's Bridge. But shortly
after several of the young men of the settlement, in order to provide
them better accommodation, collected some boards and built them a hut
lower down the river bank. With the two places the Thomsons were able to
dispense hospitalities, their guests including Messrs. Gellibrand and
Hesse, Mr. James Smith, and Mr. Mackillop. It used to be said that "the
settlement" was in the habit of going to tea with Mrs. Thomson.

This brings us into 1836. The next year came the officials in charge
from Sydney, who included Mr. R.S. Webb, as Collector of Customs, whose
daughter, Annie, was the first white child born in the settlement (with,
however, some dispute as to a blacksmith's child having been the first),
and who was afterwards married to my late friend, Colin Mackinnon,
younger brother of the better known Lauchlan. Dr. Thomson used to read
prayers to the little settlement in a rude structure upon the ground now
occupied by St. James's Church. Afterwards he removed to Kardinia,
Geelong, as his live stock had been landed there, and this place he
finally made his home.