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Statement of Hugh Finney. I shipped on boards of the Brig Maria as a Seaman. I was one of the association bound for the settlement of New Guinea. After the brig struck on the reef there were five men ordered into the larger boat by the Captain and I jumped into her making the sixth. The Captain was in the boat when I jumped in making in all seven men. We pulled for what was thought was Cape Cleveland. The Captain said so, but since my arrival there I have found it was the Palm Islands. When we got up and found it was an island the Captain said he thought some land he saw about fifteen miles to the Northward was Cape Cleveland so we put up a blanket and ran for it. We wished to camp on the Island as we were quite exhausted but the Captain said no. He was certain that the land he seen was Cape Cleveland and that we should took no time in getting there to offer assistance for the men left on the wreck. When we reached the place we took for Cape Cleveland but which I have since
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discerned as Hinchenbrook Island. We remained here three days the surf being too heavy to launch the boat as party of us walked to a point to the north but not discerning anything we returned to the boat after an absence of two days _ We launched the boat on the third day and steered for a point urther Northwhich we took for Cape Cleveland had which I have since discovered to be Tam O'Shanter Point the almost ten miles farther North of this point and then beached the boat, being now convinced that Cleveland bay was to the Southwards _ We camped there all day and started the next morning to pull South but as we men exhausted from want of food we returned to the same spot landed the boat up high & dry and started to walk South After leaving the boat about a mile and a half we came upon a black's camp we made friends with two of them and they pointed South when we said white fellow These men accompanied us about a mile and a half further when a
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large mob came out of the bush and attacked us we all turned arround and defended ourselves but one of us armed would not go off all our ammunition being wet. I was standing between the blacks and one of our party who were getting out the fire arms from the blankets where they had been put to keep dry when I was knocked down by one of the blacks senseless. When I came to I crawled into a bush and after that I fainted. I saw Oscar Wallen before I went to the bush. He had no arms with him. I told him either to go away or come into the bush with me or the blacks would find us. The blacks were ahead of us at this time about 100 yards chasing the other men. We then started at night making along the beach and camping in the bush during the day and on the fifth day we reached Cardwell
[signed] Hugh Finney
Taken and Declared before us at the Court House Cardwell This 9th day of March 1872 [signed] Brinsley Sheridan PM [signed] P Sellheim J.P.