TASMANIA, AND THE OTHER AUSTRALIAN SETTLEMENTS.
Van Diemen's Land, or Tasmania, the next important colony, is, as we
have before stated, a separate island of considerable size, nearly
all the eastern side of which is now inhabited by the English. It
was divided into two counties only, which are called Cornwall and
Buckinghamshire, but these being inconveniently large, a fresh division
into eleven counties, all of them borrowing the names of some in England
or Wales, has since taken place.[144] But without concerning ourselves
about these smaller divisions, which it would be impossible to describe
exactly and distinctly, it may suffice to state, that the two chief
towns in the island are at its opposite extremities, Hobart Town being
at the south, and Launceston at the north, and both of these are
sea-ports; so that the colony seems naturally to divide itself into two
provinces, each of which has one of these towns for its capital, but
which are both, nevertheless, similar in their appearance, character,
and productions.
[144] According to Mr. Montgomery Martin, (Van Diemen's Land, p. 266,)
Cornwall and Buckinghamshire continue to be its only counties, and it is
subdivided into nine police districts; but Dr. Ross's Almanac for 1836
contains, at p. 238, the governor's proclamation for the division
mentioned above; whilst a third division of the island into the counties
of Argyle and Launceston is followed in the Report of the Society for the
Propagation of the Gospel, for 1842. The above may serve for a specimen
of the obscurity and confusion upon these trifling matters, respecting
which accuracy seems almost unattainable.
Van Diemen's Land is a more mountainous, and yet, it would seem, a more
fruitful country than New South Wales. It is, according to the testimony
of all who have visited it, a most beautiful and pleasing land; the
mountains are tolerably high, but do not run much in ranges, and the
views among them are continually broken and cheered by delightful
valleys and fertile plains. Among these hills, limestone is very
commonly discovered, and is now in considerable use; it is supposed,
likewise, that coals, and iron ore, will be found abundantly in Van
Diemen's Land, but these resources of the colony have not yet been much
explored. In the cultivated parts of the country the soil varies
greatly; in some places it is a rich black mould, in others, sand or
flint is mingled; but its general fertility is proved by the excellent
crops which, year after year, it produces. The coast of Van Diemen's
Land abounds in bays and fine harbours; nor is this island at all
deficient in rivers and streams, imparting life to the landscape, and
fruitfulness to the soil. The Derwent, upon the banks of which stands
Hobart Town, is a very fine river, without rocks or sand banks, and
always safely navigable for ships of considerable size. Both sides of
this river abound in beautiful and romantic scenery, and although the
soil is less productive than in some other parts of the colony, yet the
neighbourhood of the capital, and the advantage of water-carriage,
combine to make amends for this inferiority. The Tamar falls into the
sea in Bass's Strait, quite on the opposite side of the island to the
mouth of the Derwent; and as Hobart Town adorns the latter river, so the
Tamar is enlivened by the trade and commerce of the port of Launceston.
The navigation of this river for large vessels is not easy, in
consequence of a bar and other hindrances. The Tamar is formed by the
union of two smaller streams, named the North Esk, and South Esk, and at
Launceston, the distance from the sea is about forty miles. Towards its
mouth, the land adjoining this stream is barren and sandy, but within a
few miles this kind of soil is succeeded by rich level marshes, and
beautiful slopes of moderately wooded and rich pasture country rising up
behind these. The other rivers of Van Diemen's Land are either, like the
Huon, situated in the uncolonized parts, or, like the Shannon, the
Jordan, and the Clyde, inconsiderable streams, so as not to merit a more
particular description. Many of the Tasmanian rivers take their rise in
lakes, which are usually found in high situations in the central parts
of the island, and abound with water-fowl.
Hobart Town, the capital of a very beautiful and lovely island, may
boast of a situation of suitable loveliness and beauty. Behind it, on
the west, stand some gently rising hills, well wooded, beyond which
towers Mount Wellington, 4000 feet in height, and having its summit,
during more than half the year, covered with snow, but yet seldom
obscured with clouds, because of the pureness and clearness of the air.
On the other side of the town, to the eastward, is to be seen the noble
Derwent, which here better deserves to be called an arm of the sea than
a river, extending with its winding banks, forming beautiful bays and
lakes, or projecting into picturesque points, whilst its waters are
enlivened by the boats and shipping of the adjacent port. The water here
is salt, and the bay on which Hobart Town stands affords one of the best
anchorages in the world for vessels, in whatever number or of whatever
burden they may be. Indeed it is said that the Derwent surpasses even
Port Jackson, or at least it is doubtful which of the two deserves a
preference.[145] The capital of Tasmania is built upon gently rising
ground, and though within the present century its site was mere
bush-land, it has now some good streets, with large and handsome shops
and houses. According to Mr. Montgomery Martin, the average rental of
these was 50_l._ each, but then we must not lose sight of the high value
which houses bear in Australia. However, at that calculation, the annual
value of rent in Hobart Town in the year 1835, when there were 1281
houses, would be 72,000_l._[146] The public buildings are said to be,
some of them, handsome and commodious. Court-house, barracks, hospital,
orphan-schools, jails, and government house, rank among the principal
buildings of Hobart Town; and in many respects it appears to resemble a
provincial sea-port in the mother country. It has some excellent inns,
good wharfs and warehouses, and public banks, besides a few considerable
manufacturing establishments. A small stream runs nearly through the
centre of the town, which, besides turning some mills, affords at
certain seasons a good supply of water. But the town is chiefly supplied
by means of pipes, which convey water to private houses and likewise to
the public pumps, and occasionally, it would appear, some scarcity of
this needful article prevails.[147] The church of St. David's, in the
capital of Van Diemen's Land, is a large building, and so it ought to
be, since it was until lately the only church for a population
(including the suburbs) of 13,000 souls.[148] Besides the church, sundry
other buildings rear up their heads, here as elsewhere; and if any thing
could justify separation and divisions among those for whom their Divine
Master prayed "that they might be one," if in any case it were "lawful
to do evil that good may come," then dissent of every kind might find
its excuse in a place like Hobart Town, where so many thousand souls,
the majority of them in a very unhealthy state, have been formerly left
in the charge of one pastor. But instead of praying the Lord of the
vineyard for more labourers, and endeavouring themselves to furnish the
means of supplying these, men have rushed, self-sent, or sent only by
others having no more authority than themselves, into the field of
pastoral labour. And while we lament the confusion that has ensued,
while we rejoice in whatever good may have resulted from unauthorized
preachers, we members of the Church of England are compelled by truth to
acknowledge, that, if other men have been led astray by their eagerness
and ignorance, we have been not less culpably misled by our slothfulness
and apathy. Accordingly the marks of our needless divisions are every
where manifest; and like the noxious weeds which sometimes hang about
the roots of a noble tree, so are these transplanted together with our
best institutions into our colonies. In the chief town of Tasmania are
to be found separate places of worship for Roman Catholics,
Presbyterians, Wesleyans, and Independents.
[145] See Wentworth's Australasia, vol. i. p. 51.
[146] See Mr. M. Martin's Van Diemen's Land, p. 274.
[147] The following specimen of the evil art of stirring up the
discontent of those that are suffering under the dispensations of
Providence, is taken from an old newspaper, published in Hobart Town in
1835. It may be stated, that in the very same paper we are informed that
the drought had recently been so great that scarcely a cabbage, or any
other vegetable but potato, was to be obtained in the town. Of course
water was scarce, and precautions had been taken by the Governor to
preserve some at a place whence the shipping were supplied; but this
careful conduct of their ruler is thus held up to the abhorrence of
the people. "Why," it is asked, "do not the people drink the ditchwater
and be poisoned quietly; it is quite enough that their betters should
enjoy such a luxury as pure water." And how often in England do we see
this sort of trash printed by those _dealers in knowledge_, the
newspaper-writers, who sometimes argue as though all the credit of
prosperous occurrences belonged to the _people_ of a country, and all
the disgrace and responsibility of misfortunes and trials were to be put
off upon its _rulers_! How often are we reminded of the Israelites
murmuring against Moses on account of the miseries of that wilderness
in which their own sins condemned them to wander!
[148] From a letter dated March 4, 1841, and written by the late
lamented Archdeacon Hutchins, it would appear that two new churches,
St. Giles's and Trinity, are likely to be erected in Hobart Town. See
Report of the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel, for 1841,
p. 61.
With respect to Launceston, which continues still to be the principal
town on the northern side of Van Diemen's Land, there is not much to be
related. It stands at the junction of the North and South Esk, and
consequently at the head of the navigation of the Tamar, which is formed
by these two streams. The town is pleasantly situated at the foot of a
hill upon a small plain of about 200 acres of land. There are a few good
houses in Launceston, but its improvement has not kept pace with that of
Hobart Town; nor is it ever likely to increase very greatly, since a
government establishment has been formed at George Town, a place about
thirty miles lower down, and consequently much nearer to Port Dalrymple
at the entrance of the Tamar, and more convenient in its access for
large ships. George Town is well situated for every purpose of
trade, but for agriculture it offers no advantages, the soil in the
neighbourhood being very poor, and accordingly most of the settlers
prefer remaining at Launceston. The population of the latter place may
be nearly 1000, but no return of this has been met with apart from the
population of the district to which the town gives its name. Launceston
has a chaplain and a church, of which no particular account is given.
There is also a Presbyterian teacher resident in the town. At Longford,
near Launceston, may be found an example of "patient continuance in
well-doing," which deserves to be recorded for the encouragement of
others. About the year 1830 the first clergyman stationed there, the
Rev. R. P. Davis, began with a congregation of five, which appeared for
some time stationary. A church had been built which it was thought would
never be filled; but in eight years afterwards, the walls could not
contain those who were anxious to hear the word of God in them. The
grain of mustard-seed had literally grown into a spreading tree; the
congregation had multiplied a hundredfold, and a large church was about
to be built, to which the inhabitants had contributed 1500_l._[149]
Other small places might be mentioned, as Elizabeth Town, Perth,
Brighton, &c., which are very pleasant and thriving little settlements;
and the penal settlements of Port Macquarie and on Tasman's Peninsula
might be described. Port Arthur, one of these, is on the last-named
Peninsula, a sterile spot of about 100,000 acres, surrounded by sea,
except where a narrow neck of land connects it with the main island; and
this isthmus is guarded, night and day, by soldiers, and by a line of
fierce dogs. Nothing particularly deserving of further notice presents
itself, and therefore we may conclude our brief sketch of Van Diemen's
Land, wishing it and all the other British colonies in Australia a
progress no less rapid in religion and morals, than their recent
progress in commerce, agriculture, riches, and luxuries has been. What
condition of a country can be more truly deplorable than that which in
holy Scripture is so powerfully set forth, when the boast, "I am rich
and increased with goods, and have need of nothing," is heard proceeding
from a land which in the sight of God is "wretched, and miserable, and
poor, and blind, and naked?"[150]
[149] Bishop of Australia's letter to the Society for the Propagation
of the Gospel, dated May 22, 1838.
[150] See Rev. iii. 17.
The Australian colonies may be said to form a family group of British
origin; and although the two elder sisters are undoubtedly the most
advanced and interesting, yet some of the younger branches of the same
family may justly deserve to be noticed. We may begin with the very
recent colony called Port Phillip, which lies between New South Wales
and Van Diemen's Land, and which, as we have already seen, had well
nigh taken the place of the latter country in the honours of early
colonization. The country in the neighbourhood of the inlet named Port
Phillip is in many parts exceedingly rich and fine; the scenery is
varied by hills, woods, and water; and besides much excellent pasture
and sheep walks, there are thousands of acres ready for the plough, and
capable of growing any European grain. The situation of the principal
town here, called Melbourne, is on the Yarra Yarra river, just where its
stream flows over a fall and mingles with the salt water from Port
Phillip, from the head of which bay Melbourne is distant about six miles
by the course of the river, but across the land not more than one and a
half. The vessels generally lie at Hobson's Bay, distant by land four or
five miles, by water ten or twelve. There is a bar at the entrance of
the river which prevents large ships from coming up close to Melbourne.
The town appears to be rapidly increasing; the commerce of Port Phillip
is yearly extending; its central position, the goodness of much of the
surrounding soil, and the fact of its being less encumbered than is
usually the case with wood, all these circumstances unite in rendering
this outpost, as we may term it, of New South Wales, an important and
interesting spot. Respecting its prospects of religious improvement
and pastoral care, it is gratifying to be able to quote the following
statement from a letter of the Bishop of Australia, of whose unwieldy
diocese Port Phillip forms a part. "At Melbourne the zeal of the
inhabitants has led them to undertake the erection of a church, the
estimated cost of which is nearly 7000_l._ Although the certain and
rapid increase of the town be such as will, at no distant period, call
for a church of that importance, I greatly fear that resources may be
wanting for its immediate erection." Meanwhile the Bishop expresses his
anxiety that temporary accommodation, at the least, should be provided
for the great numbers collected at Melbourne, who are desirous of
attending the church. "It is evident," continues he, "that within a
short interval there will be in the colony few stations, with the
exception, perhaps, of Sydney itself, which will demand more assiduous
care and attention on behalf of its spiritual interests, than the town
whose streets extend over a spot where, not more than three years ago,
the Yarra Yarra flowed through an almost uninterrupted solitude."[151]
The population of Melbourne is stated in a recent periodical to be 4479,
while that of the whole settlement of Port Phillip is 11,758. By the
same authority the numbers of the members of the Church of England in
this English colony are said to be 6194; that of the Presbyterians,
2045; of the Wesleyan Methodists, 651; of other dissenters, 1353; of
Roman Catholics, 1441; of Jews, 59; Mahommedans and Pagans, 10. The
mention of Jews, who are to be met with in almost all these remote
colonies of the southern ocean, can scarcely fail to recall to mind
God's threatenings to his chosen people (see Deut. xxviii. 64). We
shall conclude this notice of Port Phillip with mentioning two
important items in the estimates of its expenditure for 1842:--Police
and jails, 17,526_l._ 8_s._; clergy and schools, 5350_l._;[152] and,
as a commentary upon these disproportionate estimates, which are by
no means peculiar to Port Phillip, the words of Sir George Arthur may be
added:--"Penitentiaries, treadwheels, flogging, chain-gangs, and penal
settlements," says the late governor of Tasmania, "will all prove
ineffectual either to prevent or to punish crime, _without religious
and moral instruction_."
[151] See Bishop of Australia's Letter, dated June 1840, in the Report
of the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts, for
1841, pp. 148-9.
[152] For the particulars here stated see the Australian and New Zealand
Magazine, No. 1, p. 51, and No. 2, pp. 111, 112.
The next of the infant colonies of Great Britain in New Holland, which
offers itself to our attention, as the eye ranges over the map of that
huge island, is the very recently formed settlement of Southern
Australia. This is situated upon the southern coast likewise, and
consists of a large block of country, the inland parts of which have not
yet been explored, forming three sides of a square, with the fourth side
broken and jagged by the inclination and indentations of the coast,
which are here very considerable. The area of South Australia thus
marked out is supposed to be about 310,000 square miles, containing
upwards of 98,000,000 of acres; that is to say, it is double the size of
the three British kingdoms, and not much less than that of France.[153]
The mode of colonizing this extensive tract of country is proposed to be
upon different principles from those elsewhere followed in Australia. No
transported convicts are ever to be sent there. No free grants of land
are to be made, but land can become private property by purchase alone,
and the whole of the purchase-money is proposed to be spent in the
encouragement of emigration. The emigrants to be conveyed by means of
this fund, without expense to the colony, were to be of both sexes in
equal numbers, and the preference is to be given to young married
persons not having children. The prospect of having a representative
assembly was held out to the colony, but the population was to exceed
50,000 before it could be lawful for the Crown to grant this.
[153] See Report of Committee on South Australia, p. 78. Evidence of
T. F. Elliot, Esq. Answer 733. From the same source, the report of this
Parliamentary Committee in 1841, much of the information respecting
Southern Australia is derived.
To attempt to state accurately what the soil and capabilities of so
vast an extent of country may be, would evidently be to attempt an
impossibility. Of that small part of it which is already occupied, much
is barren, hilly land, especially upon the coast. Nevertheless, it would
appear that South Australia has, so far as we can at present judge, its
full proportion of good and available soil, both for the purposes of
farming and for pasture.[154] The situation of that part of the colony,
where the principal settlements have been commenced, is very well
chosen, for it lies upon the Gulf of St. Vincent, a very deep inlet of
the sea, and is well backed with a range of hills to the eastward,
beyond which the country yet unexplored extends to the banks of the
river Murray; so that, in fact, the Murray and the Gulf of St. Vincent,
form natural boundaries to those settlements which are already begun,
and within these limits it is said that there are the means of
supporting comfortably from one hundred to two hundred thousand
inhabitants. This statement agrees with Captain Sturt's report of the
existence of several millions of acres of very beautiful and fertile
land in the same district. The climate of South Australia is healthy,
though very warm;[155] and the usual disorders of Australia, complaints
of the eye and relaxation of the bowels, were the ailments least
uncommon among the new settlers. In March 1841, the population of the
colony was estimated at about 14,000, and the amount of land under
tillage about 2000 acres. But since that time there has been a
considerable increase in both items. The quantity of provisions in
proportion to the inhabitants was considerably greater than in England.
A small commerce is springing up, and slate, which abounds in South
Australia, and oil, the produce of the adjacent seas, together with wool
from the flocks fed upon the neighbouring hills, begin to form materials
of traffic.[156]
[154] In these matters it is impossible to get at truth. Each man judges
upon certain data, but though the conclusion of each may be correct, yet
because the data were partial and imperfect, so likewise will the
conclusions be. Mr. Mann, who was examined by the Committee upon South
Australia, gives it as his opinion that about four-fifths of the land in
that colony were bad. However, he had never been more than three weeks
in it nor above fourteen miles from its chief town, so his judgment was
formed principally upon hearsay. Others, probably, have gone into the
contrary extreme of praising the soil too highly, and truth may, as
usual, lie between the two extremes.
[155] It is noticed as a matter of surprise, that on August 6th, 1841,
Mount Lofty, a hill 2400 feet in height, was covered with snow, and that
the small river, called the Torrens, had been partly frozen.
[156] During the first six months of 1841, seventy vessels, comprising
a burden of 11,139 tons, arrived at Port Adelaide. See Australian and
New Zealand Magazine, No. 2, p. 114.
The capital of the province of South Australia bears the honoured name
of Adelaide, and is placed upon the eastern side of the Gulf of St.
Vincent. The country around it is hilly and well timbered, but not too
thickly encumbered with wood, and the soil is generally good, with
abundance of water. The British settlers removed to this spot from
Kangaroo Island, which is at the entrance of Gulf St. Vincent, but which
they found less desirable for a colony from the difficulty and expense
of clearing away the timber there. Adelaide is supposed to be well and
centrally placed for the capital of a province, and it now has a good
port,[157] to which vessels of four or five hundred tons may come and
discharge their cargoes.
[157] Here again reports differ. See Mr. T. Driver's Evidence before the
Committee on South Australia, p. 221, Answer, 2498, and _following ones_.
The town stands on gently rising banks, between which flows a pretty
stream, named the Torrens, and commands a view of an extensive plain,
reaching down to the sea, over which the fresh breezes generally blow
from the south-west. Behind Adelaide is a fine wooded country, and six
miles distant is a range of hills, with the wooded summit of Mount Lofty
forming their highest point. The population of the capital of South
Australia and its immediate neighbourhood, is supposed to be about eight
thousand. The town has not yet many buildings or establishments of any
importance, but there is a hospital, and also a savings' bank, in which
last, during six months of 1841, the deposits had increased from 130_l._
0_s._ 2_d._ to 520_l._ 2_s._ 10_d._ It had _four_ newspapers and _one_
colonial chaplain in 1842, and the estimates for that year contained the
following items:--Police, 9112_l._ 19_s._ 4_d._; jail, 1034_l._ 8_s._;
colonial chaplain, 370_l._ But we must do the colony of South Australia
the justice to state that this is not the whole sum which is there spent
on religious instruction. The voluntary system, as it is called, has
been brought into action there, and hitherto, it would appear,
successfully enough, so far as pounds, shillings, and pence are
concerned, if it be true that in four years,--the four first years of
the colony,--upwards of 11,500_l._ had been voluntarily contributed for
religious and educational purposes, and "the clergy," (as all teachers
are now denominated,) supported at an annual charge of 1200_l._ But, of
course, the voluntary principle, as its name implies, is a little apt
to be _wilful_; and, accordingly, in Adelaide alone, with a population
of eight thousand souls, it is stated that there are ten or twelve
public "places of worship," and a corresponding number of "zealous,
highly-educated, and efficient clergymen." Every settler apportions his
mite to Paul, to Apollos or to Cephas, according as it seems right in
his own eyes; and occasionally it may happen, when any little offence is
taken, that the popular saying is actually realized, and Peter is robbed
that Paul may be paid. And to some persons, who cannot, one would think,
have read their Bible with much attention, this system appears actually
to be the very height of perfection. The following brief quotation from
a letter of the Congregational teacher at Adelaide is said to be "most
satisfactory:"--
"_Religion._--The whole circle of denominations is filled up with their
appropriate pastors, churches, and places of worship. Adelaide is well
supplied. The country is not altogether neglected; but, as it fills up,
will be better attended to. I do not think the religious prospects bad.
Truth and piety, I expect, will flourish in South Australia. The clergy
of the Churches of England and Scotland are evangelical; the Wesleyans
have been very active and useful. Of us, you read in the Report of the
Colonial Missionary Society. The other bodies are also making their
way."[158] Would this report of religion in South Australia be "most
satisfactory" to that apostle, who teaches that "there is _one_ body,
and _one_ Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling?"
[158] See "South Australia in 1842," p. 19, published by Hailes, London.
Still let us not judge harshly of the infant colony, nor reproach it for
a leprosy, with which it has been inoculated by the mother country.
While we hail with gladness the good spirit which has been shown in
raising so much money for religious objects in the very infancy of the
settlement, let us hope, that the "places of worship" may diminish in
number, while the churches increase, and that the country districts may
have a larger share of assistance than they can now receive out of what
remains of 1200_l._ a year, after Adelaide and its _ten_ or _twelve
clergymen_ have been supplied.[159] Undoubtedly, in this province of
Australia there is much zeal and good feeling awakened, and the efforts
of the South Australian Church Building Society are deserving of every
success. To the members of this Society it must be indeed a cause of
thankfulness and joy, that they can call to mind during the lapse of
only four years, the quick succession of an open spot, a tent, a reed
hut, a wooden shed, and lastly, a church capable of holding six hundred
persons, being respectively used for places of divine worship. And now,
not only do they see one church finished, but two others are, ere this
time, no doubt completed.[160]
[159] For the facts here noticed, see the Australian and New Zealand
Magazine, No. 1. p. 53.
[160] See Report of the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel for
1842, p. 57.
The British colony in the great southern land to which the attention of
the reader may next be directed, is that of Western Australia; or,
as it was called in its earlier days, during its first struggles into
existence, the Swan River Settlement. This is situated upon the coast of
New Holland, opposite to the colony of New South Wales, lying in nearly
the same latitude, but thirty-four or thirty-six degrees of longitude to
the west of it. The first discovery of this spot was made by a Dutchman,
Vlaming, in 1697, who named the stream Black Swan River, from the black
swans, which were then seen for the first time by Europeans, and two of
which were taken alive to Batavia.[161] The banks of the Swan River were
first colonized in 1830, and the mode in which this was effected is
peculiar and different from the usual course. A few gentlemen of large
property undertook to found the colony, at little or no expense to the
mother country, receiving immense grants of land in return for the
expenses incurred by them in this attempt; which grants, however, were
to revert to government, unless they were cultivated and improved under
certain conditions and in a given time. Great difficulties and many
privations were endured by the first settlers, but these appear to have
been overcome, and so soon as the stream of emigration shall have set
steadily into Western Australia, (which is, perhaps, all things
considered, the most desirable of our Australasian colonies for a
respectable Englishman to fix himself in,) there can be little doubt
that its progress will be not less rapid than that of the sister
settlements. Along the sea coast, the country is hilly and barren; nor
is it much better in the immediate neighbourhood of the principal
settlements, Perth and Fremantle; but beyond these there is plenty of
good grass country, and near the inland town of Guildford, the arable
land in the valley of the Swan River is surpassingly rich and
productive, so that it has been known to bear eleven successive crops of
wheat in as many years, without any manure, and the last year's crop
averaging twenty-five bushels to the acre. In some parts this good land
approaches more nearly to the coast; but still a large proportion of the
soil is poor and sandy, although even of this a great deal is capable of
cultivation, and is thought to be especially fitted for the growth of
the vine.[162] The climate is exceedingly healthy and delightful;
indeed, it is even superior to other parts of Australia, and rain is
more abundant here than elsewhere. Plenty of fish is likewise to be
found in the neighbouring bays and inlets, which are very numerous; and
the whales are so plentiful, only a few hours' sail from the shore, that
oil is a principal article of export, but the Americans are allowed to
occupy this fishery almost entirely, and it is stated that from two to
three hundred of their ships have been engaged in the whale fishery off
this coast during a single year. The population of Western Australia is
small, not being computed at more than 2700 souls in the beginning of
the year 1842. The number of acres cultivated in 1840 were, according
to the returns of the local Agricultural Society, 1650 in wheat, and
3296 in every kind of culture. This settlement is, more than others,
in want of that article of which England especially needs to be
relieved--population; and if a man is frugal, sober, and industrious, if
he will bear in mind that "on no part of the face of the globe will the
earth yield her increase, but as it is moistened by sweat from man's
brow,"[163] Western Australia is, possibly, the best and most agreeable
country where he can find a happy home. Although this large district is
yet so thinly peopled, it is, nevertheless, in a state of colonization
and civilization surpassing what might have been fairly expected. And
the absence of convicts, though it renders labour scarce and expensive,
brings with it counterbalancing advantages, and prevents the double
danger of immediate taint to society from the unhappy criminals, and of
future schism arising between the emancipated convicts, or their
children, and the free settlers.
[161] See Flinders' Voyage, Introduction, vol. i. p. 60.
[162] There is a vine in the government garden (at Perth) which, planted
as a cutting, sent out shoots 16 1/2 feet long in the second year, and
yielded more than 4 cwt. of grapes. Another, belonging to Mr. C. Brown
of the same place, had a stem, which, in only five years' growth, was
14 1/2 feet in circumference. See "A Short Account of the Settlement in
Swan River," p. 15, published by Cross, Holborn, 1842.
[163] See "A Short Account of the Settlement of Swan River," p. 33.
Fremantle is at the mouth of the Swan River, and contains some
tolerable houses, with a jetty and various other conveniences for
trade, especially for the whale fishery; from the ships engaged in which
pursuit, (chiefly American vessels,) a great portion of its commerce is
derived. One cause of its trade and population not having increased more
rapidly may be the bar across the mouth of the Swan River, having only
a depth of six feet at low water, and preventing the approach of ships
of large burden. The soil around is sandy, and produces little or no
grass; but when well cultivated, it yields excellent vegetables. Two
miles from Fremantle, up the river, there is a ferry across to Perth,
the seat of government and capital of the colony, which is well
situated, the river extending into a broad sheet, named Melville Waters,
in front of the town. Here is good brick-earth and garden-ground, and
near the town there are some tolerable farms. But at Guildford, seven
miles further up the river, commences the rich corn-land of the colony,
and the town itself contains six or seven hundred inhabitants. York is
forty-eight miles eastward of Guildford; and King George's Sound, on the
coast, where there is another settlement, is about one hundred and fifty
miles from York.
There are several other little stations scattered about in various
directions, especially upon the coast. In 1840 there were five clergymen
in Western Australia, and on the 1st of January, 1841, the foundation
stone of a church at Perth to contain 600 persons was laid by the
governor; its estimated cost was 4000_l._ There are churches also at
Guildford, at the Middle Swan, the Upper Swan, and at York, and a new
church erecting at Albany, near King George's Sound. Some humble little
churches have also been built of mud, and thatched with rushes, in this
colony. And although, where it can be done, we think that noble churches
are most becoming to the service of the King of kings, yet we doubt not,
in the cases where these lowly buildings are unavoidable, that since
"the chariots of God are twenty thousand, even thousands of angels," so
these ministering spirits are sent forth into the wilderness to minister
unto them that are heirs of salvation: we confidently trust that "the
Lord is among them," even "as in the holy place of Sinai." Wesleyan
meeting-houses are to be found at Perth and Fremantle. The governor
and executive council were authorized to "grant aid towards ministers'
stipends, and towards buildings, _without any distinction of
sect_."[164] This precious system, which would make no "distinction of
sect," between the doctrine of the beloved apostle St. John, and that of
the Nicolaitans, "which God hates,"[165] is almost a dead letter in
Western Australia, owing to the scattered state of the population, and
the great majority of them being members of the Church of England. The
duty of government to _tolerate_ separatists, (while they continue
obedient to the laws of the country,) is now denied by no one; and
toleration, one might have supposed, would have been all that those who
dislike a state church would have accepted; but the duty of government
to _encourage_ and _foster_ separation in places where it does not at
present exist, is inculcated neither by reason, policy, nor Scripture;
neither can dissenters consistently accept of aid from the state in
Australia, and exclaim against it in England.
[164] See Australian and New Zealand Magazine, No. 1, p. 28.
[165] See Rev. ii. 15.
One more commencement of colonization in the island of New Holland must
be mentioned in order to complete the circle. An attempt to form a
settlement on the northern coast was made as early as 1824, at Melville
Island, rather more than five degrees to the west of the Gulph of
Carpentaria; but this establishment was moved in 1827 to Raffles Bay,
an adjacent inlet of the main land. The new station was in its turn
abandoned in the year 1829, and a fresh settlement, at the distance of
a few miles, was planted at Port Essington, by Sir Gordon Bremer, who
sailed thither with His Majesty's ships _Alligator_ and _Britomarte_,
in 1838. The colony is still quite in an infant state. No clergyman
accompanied the expedition, although the commander was desirous
of securing the blessings of Church communion for his little
settlement.[166] In the immediate neighbourhood some native Christians
(Australians) were found, who had many years ago been converted by the
Dutch; they had churches, and appeared to behave well. Upon application
to the Bishop of Australia, 300_l._ was obtained towards a church at
Port Essington, and his endeavours to get a chaplain appointed there
were promised. It may be observed that Port Essington is situated 2000
miles, in a direct line, from Hobart Town, and both places were until
very recently within the same diocese, that of Australia! In like
manner, when the five clergymen stationed in Western Australia had
memorialized the Bishop to visit them, that he might consecrate their
churches, confirm their children, and "set in order things that were
wanting," one great obstacle to his compliance was the necessity of
having his life insured in the interim, for Western Australia, though
within his diocese, was not within the limits of his policy of life
assurance!
[166] Thus, as recently as the year 1838, two ships were sent from
_Christian_ England to found a colony; having on board upwards of
500 souls, but unprovided with any minister of religion! How strange a
method, _if we really believe God's word_, of gaining a blessing from
Heaven, either for ourselves or our colonies!
[Illustration: CAPE PILLAR NEAR THE ENTRANCE OF RIVER DERWENT, VAN
DIEMAN'S LAND.]