after O'Connor had publicly attacked his business practices. Gellibrand gave "a detailed account of Fereday as the prince of usurers, lending money at 35 per cent interest". Fereday won damages of £400, but his reputation was severely damaged by Gellibrand's speeches. In 1828 Gellibrand made some efforts to obtain a government appointment at Sydney without success. In 1835 Gellibrand made an attempt to obtain a revision of his case, and counsel's opinion on it was obtained from Serjeant Talfourd. His opinion was "that the charges have been grounded in mistake or malice, pursued with entire inattention to the rights of the accused, and decided in prejudice and anger. The charges respecting professional practice are too absurd to stand for a moment". Port Phillip Association As early as January 1827, Gellibrand in partnership with John Batman applied for a grant of land in the as yet un-colonised region at Port Phillip. They stated that they were prepared to bring with them sheep and cattle to the value of £4000 to £5000. This application was refused, but the two colonists maintained their interest in the pursuit of obtaining land at Port Phillip. In 1835 Gellibrand became one of the leading members of the Port Phillip Association, a company of 17 colonists who devised a plan to obtain and divide amongst themselves thousands of acres of land on the northern shore of Port Phillip through a treaty with the local Wurundjeri people. Gellibrand, having a strong foundation in law, drew up this Batman Treaty which stipulated that the Aboriginal people would hand over all of the land within 10 miles of the northern shore in exchange for a yearly hand-out of basic provisions. Gellibrand was assigned a block of land that is now the region that extends from Laverton to Spotswood. Gellibrand with several other members of the Association crossed Bass Strait from Van Diemen's Land in January 1836 in a vessel loaded with sheep to be pastured on their newly obtained land. They came ashore at Western Port, and following native pathways that took them through vacant Aboriginal villages, they made their way across the Mornington Peninsula to Port Phillip. Supplying themselves with water from wells dug by Aboriginal people, they walked along the shore to the vicinity of the Melbourne settlement on the Yarra River. Gellibrand could barely walk by this stage, and was taken the remaining distance in boat manned