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Grosvenor Street, Toowong, April 15th, 1940.
Dear Mr. May,
In the review of place names which I delivered to you today, I think that I forgot to mention that the Queensland geographical name of the mountain that the blacks called Mil-merran is Mt. Domville which was named after one Captain Domville who, I believe, had at some time, some pastoral interest in the neighbourhood. Another mountain or hill in the same district is called Captain's Bignells? mountain after the same person. I may say that the name of a a settlement, a little south of Milmerran township, is called Tumavil, sometime written Tummaville, is derived from the black's pronunciation of Domville.
Yours faithfully, FJWatson
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Grosvenor Street, Toowong, S.W.1. 15th April, 1940.
Mr May,
Dear Sir,
I have your letter and additional list of place names to hand. Of the latter I have made a review and am enclosing it herewith. The names of which I have no knowledge I have marked X. Please notie that with regard to differences in spelling that dh, t, d, ch, and j are correctly optionally used as is also k and g which may also be sounded as kg.
I the few occasions where v occurs it may be sounded as b or bv or bf but never as v alone.
Re. Widgee Widgee Station, I cannot think that the name has any connection with Widgee Widgeepin and I can offer no suggestion except as previously given. In the district now being dealt with, wojei wojei-bin means place of cedar trees, and at Widgee Widgee station the word with the same meaning would be pronounced almost the same, but I do not know whether cedar trees were ever in evidence at either place.
Re Milmerran, I once spent about four months in this locality. Mil'-mer'ran is the name of an isolated mountain a few miles from the township to whcih its name has been given.
While there I learned that the name was derived from mil, meaning eye, or, to see, and merran, the literal meaning of which I cannot give but which practically means the surrounding terrain. The name may be interpreted as "See all round about". My informant express this by spreading his hand out horizontally and moving it around in a circle. From the top of this mountain an unbroken view of the surrounding country for a great distance may be obtained.
Regarding my deductions as to the meaning of Goompi q.v., I would point out that ngumpin, ngumbing, and umpi are optionally used except, perhaps in the opinion of an aboriginal purist.
The nasal, gutteral disgraph is, as one early writer, J.D. Lang, has remarked, is used by the aboriginal as causa euphoniae, or, for the sake of sound.
In the---
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In the Wide Bay district I have heard the word nginta, meaning "you", pronounced by the native variously as nginta, ginta, ninta, and inta. And in the Logan River District I have heard the equivalent pronounced as ngamung, namung and amung. Very few of the latter day blacks ever use this digraph and few white men could ever master it. With regard to names of place names in Stradbroke, Moreton Island and the isles near them, I would mention that, apparently, the inhabitants thereof spoke different languages to the mainland natives, although they must had had many word in common. Other than the the three negative words used by them I know nothing of the their languages. Possibly, Mr. Tom Welsby, who has spent much time about Moreton Bay could give some information thereon.
Trusting this information may be of service to, I am, yours faithfully FJWatson (F.J.Watson).
P.S. Re. the name Moombee Moombee, meaning huts, the initial letter m is probably accounted for as a white man's attempt at pronouncing the peculiar digraph ng.
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Grosvenor Street, Toowong, 11th April, 1940.
Mr. Sydney University of Queensland Brisbane.
Dear Sir, With reference to your letter of 8th inst, with list of place names for review, I am retruning same to you enclosed with some notes that I have made thereon. You will note on your list that definition which are correct and require no comment I have ticked off. Those of which I know nothing I have marked X,and comments on others are in the accompanying notes.
Your faithfully, FJ Watson (F.J.Watson.)
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Nyleta, Grosvenor Street, Toowong S.W.1. April 9th, 1940.
Mr. Sidney May_, Hon. Secretary, Place Names Committee, University of Queensland.
Dear Sir,
My delay in answering your letter (undated) re. the meaning of the name of the island Bungunba is owing to the fact that, having no personal thereof I have been making inquiries, but, I regret, without effect. I might, however, suggest a way for further inquiry. In the Brisbane River language bungum is the name of a basket or bag. At Dunwich, on Stradbroke Island, I have seen some interesting aboriginal work of this kind, woven from a shrub or reed of the swamps near by; and, as work of this kind was usually named after the material used, it might be of some interest to find the name of the material and whether it was plentiful on the island in question. Perhaps the superintendent of the Aboriginal Station at Miora, near Dunwich, could obtain the name from some of the descendants of the original natives,--Goenpul-- of Stradbroke Island.
Yours faithfully, FJWatson