RISE AND FALL OF A SETTLEMENT. -- THE SEQUEL TO CAPTAIN GREY'S
DISCOVERIES. -- A WORD AT PARTING.
His Excellency the Governor having kindly invited me to be his
companion on a journey which he proposed to make to the new
settlement of Australind, about a hundred miles south of Perth, I set
about making the necessary preparations. I borrowed a pair of
saddle-bags, and having stuffed my traps into one side of them,
loaded the other with a cold roast fowl, a boiled tongue, a pound of
sausages, a loaf of bread, a flask of brandy, and sundry small
packages of tea, sugar, cigars, etc.
When I looked at the result of my labours, the swollen sides of the
leathern receptacle, I enjoyed a noble feeling of independence; as
though I were now prepared to ramble through the world, and stood in
no need of friendly welcome, or the doubtful hospitality of an inn.
Having breakfasted at five o'clock on a December morning (the middle
of summer), and equipped myself in a broad-brimmed straw-hat and
light shooting jacket, I mounted my steed, and sallied forth from my
gate, followed by the sympathizing grins of Hannibal.
His Excellency, true to the hour, was mounting his horse at the door
of Government House -- and as the appearance of the whole turn-out
was rather unlike anything usually seen in Hyde Park, or even
connected with the morning drives of his Excellency the Viceroy of
Ireland, I may as well describe it.
The representative of our gracious Sovereign was habited in his bush
costume -- a white hat, bare of beaver, having a green veil twisted
round it, a light shooting coat and plaid trousers, shoes, and jean
gaiters. His illustrious person was seated on a pair of broad
saddle-bags, which went flap, flap against the sides of his charger,
as he jogged steadily along at the usual travelling pace. On the
pummel of his saddle was strapped a roll of blankets for the night
bivouac, and to one of the straps was attached a tin-pannikin, which
bumped incessantly against his horse's mane. Round the animal's neck
was coiled a long tether-rope, which every now and then kept coming
undone, and the caravan had to halt whilst it was being readjusted.
Behind us rode his Excellency's man, no longer the smug gentleman in
a black suit, with a visage as prim as his neck-cloth, but blazing in
a red woollen shirt, and grinning incessantly with amazement at his
own metamorphosis. Strapped to his waist by a broad belt of leather,
was a large tin-kettle, for the purpose of making his Excellency's
tea in the evening. Huge saddle-bags contained provisions, knives
and forks, plates, and everything necessary for travelling in the
Bush in a style of princely magnificence. No scheik or emir among
the Arabs wanders about the desert half so sumptuously provided. I
could not help laughing (in my sleeve, of course,) at the figure
produced by the tout ensemble of John mounted on his ewe-necked and
pot-bellied steed.
In excellent spirits we jogged along to the Canning, and then eleven
miles farther, to a muddy pool called Boregarup, where we baited the
horses, and lunched on one of his Excellency's cold meat-pies. The
water in the pool was not very tempting, but we ladled a little out
in our pannikins, and mixing it with brandy, managed to drink it.
The want of water makes travelling in the bush during summer a
serious business. Frequently you find a well, on which your thoughts
and hopes have been fixed for the last twenty miles, completely dried
up; and you have to endure thirst as well as you can for some hours
longer. Sometimes by scraping the bottom of the well, and digging
down with your pannikin, you come to a little moisture, and after
waiting an hour, succeed in obtaining about half-a-pint of yellow
fluid, compounded of mud and water. This you strain through as many
pocket-handkerchiefs as you can command, and are at last enabled to
moisten your baked lips.
On these occasions the traveller cares less about himself than his
horse, and often have we served the latter out of our pannikin from
holes into which he could not get his nose, whilst denying ourselves
more than a little sip.
After lying an hour on our blankets in the hot shade, smoking a
cigar, and waging incessant war with myriads of mosquitoes and
sand-flies, we decided that it was impossible to continue any longer
so unequal a conflict; and saddling our horses in haste, we beat a
quick retreat, and felt much cooler and more comfortable whilst in
motion. In the course of the afternoon we passed through a vast dry
swamp many miles long. The reeds on each side of the track
frequently reached to our heads, and prevented our seeing any thing
else on either side of us; and when we did get a glimpse over the
rushes level with our eyes, we could behold nothing but an immense
plain of waving green, like a huge field of unripe wheat, edged in
the distance by the stern outline of the ever-sombre forest of
eucalyptus trees. This swamp is a terrible place to pass through in
winter. It is nevertheless one of the royal post-roads of the
colony; and the bearer of her Majesty's mail from Pinjarra to Perth,
is frequently obliged to swim for his life, with the letter-bag
towing astern, like a jolly-boat behind a Newcastle collier.
After emerging from the swamp, we passed through an extensive plain,
covered with coarse scrub and thinly-scattered grass, and lined with
forest trees and clumps of black-boys. When about half-way down it,
we came upon a herd of wild cattle grazing at some two hundred yards'
distance from the path. They seemed very much astonished at the
appearance of three such picturesque individuals; and after gazing
for a few moments, lost in wonder, they tossed up their heads, and
trotted along-side of us, keeping their original distance. Having
kept us company for about half-a-mile, they relieved us of their
society, (which was not very agreeable, as we had no firearms) by
coming to a halt, and allowing us to proceed in peace, whilst they
contented themselves with brandishing their horns and tails, and
butting against one another in play.
That night we slept at the Dandalup, hospitably entertained by F.
Corbet Singleton, Esq., M.C., the owner of a fine estate of twelve
thousand acres, a good deal of it alluvial soil. Were the population
such as it ought to be in this fine country; and the markets
proportioned to the capabilities of the soil, nothing would be more
agreeable than to live on a beautiful property like this, cultivating
your corn lands and multiplying your flocks and herds. But as it is,
unfortunately, a man is soon overdone with his own wealth. He has
more corn than he can find a market for; more cattle than he can
sell; and he is obliged to allow his land to run waste, and his herds
to run wild, rather than be at the expense of farming on a great
scale without adequate remuneration.
Let me advise emigrants to these colonies to turn their attention
chiefly to the breeding of sheep and horses, which are saleable
things in foreign markets. The growers of wool, and the breeders of
horses for India will make their estates profitable; but large herds
of cattle will produce nothing to the owner in a thinly-populated
country.
The next day, after inspecting the farm, we proceeded with our host
to Mandurah, crossing an estuary a quarter of a mile broad, but so
shallow that the water did not reach above our saddle-flaps. And now
(having parted from Singleton) we had to swim our horses across the
mouth of the Murray River. After a little delay, a boat was found;
with a couple of men to row it across, and removing the saddles and
other things from the horses' backs, we prepared for the passage.
His Excellency's Arab mare was destined to make the experimental
trip, and the Governor, with many injunctions and misgivings,
committed the end of the tether-rope to the hand of his servant, who
belayed it to the stern of the boat, where he seated himself, to act
as occasion should require. The boatman rowed till the tether-rope
was out at full stretch; his Excellency coaxed and entreated the mare
to enter the water, and "shoo-ed!" and "shaa-ed!" and called her a
stupid creature, whilst I cracked my whip and jumped about, and
rattled my hat, and made as much noise as people usually do on such
occasions. The mare, on her part, reared up, and flung herself back,
and plunged about, and showed so strong a determination not to go
down the broken bank, that we feared we should never get her into the
river. At last, however, we managed to back her into the water, when
she was dragged instantly out of her depth and obliged to swim. The
men pulled so fast that she could not keep up with them, and giving
up the attempt, floated quietly on her side, to the great horror of
her master, who thought he never should bestride her again, until he
was relieved by seeing her start to her feet in shallow water, and
scramble up the bank, dripping like a veritable hippopotamus.
The other horses behaved better; and when we had ourselves crossed
and remounted, we rode by the side of the river, or rather estuary, a
distance of ten miles, till we came to a picturesque little spot
called Mocha weir -- a high bank, a clump of trees, a brawling brook,
(unusual sight in this country,) and a patch of excellent grass.
Here we resolved to halt for the night. Each rider attended to his
own horse, which, however, did not get much grooming, and then we
prepared for the great business of life, and kindled a fire, filled
the kettle with limpid water, drew out our various stocks of
provisions, and arranged the dinner-table on the grass, and made
every thing look exceedingly comfortable and inviting. Then we made
tea, and invited each other to eat, and did eat without invitation;
and joked and laughed, and felt considerably more happy and sociable
than if vice-royalty had been real-royalty, and the green canopy of
the trees were the banqueting-hall at Windsor Castle. The man
munched his victuals at a small private bivouac of his own, within
easy call, as he had to jump up every now and then, and bring the
kettle, or wash the plates for the second and third courses. When
the things were removed, we lighted cigars, and pleasantly
discoursed, recumbent before the fire. Our beds were already made of
black-boy tops, and, therefore we had nothing to do but await the
hour of rest. The sun had disappeared, and darkness, closing around
us, drew nigher and more nigh every moment, swallowing up object
after object in its stealthy advance, and seeming about to overwhelm
us in its mysterious obscurity. But John heaped logs of dry wood
upon the fire, and nobly we resisted all the powers of Darkness. In
the midst of that black solitude, our little circle of light
maintained its independence, nor yielded to the invasion which had
swallowed up all around it. Here was our Camp of Refuge, and here we
felt snug, and secure, and at home; whilst all without our magic
circle was comfortless and desolate.
Sometimes the active-minded John would dive, without apparent dismay,
into the black and hostile-looking regions of Night, which seemed to
close upon him as though for ever; and when we had resignedly given
him up, a prey to the evil spirits that prowled around, he would
reappear with startling suddenness, issuing forth into the light like
some red demon of the woods, and bearing a huge log upon his shoulder
-- the spoils of his "foray-sack" -- which he would fling down upon
the fire, making it blaze up with sudden fierceness, and extending
the circle of light for a few moments to a greater distance around,
so as to give us a transient glimpse of things which were soon
swallowed up again in darkness -- like glimpses of the dead in dreams.
I must hurry on to Australind, merely mentioning that we passed two
lakes not far from each other, one of which was fresh, and the other
salt -- salt as the Dead Sea. It is usual in this perverse country
(though not so in this instance) to find a salt lake surrounded with
good, and a fresh-water lake with bad land. Here it was bad
altogether. The country, however, improved greatly as we drew
towards Australind; and about ten miles from that place, we came upon
a fine flock of sheep that seemed to be doing extremely well.
We now passed along the banks of the Leschenault estuary, on which
Australind is situated; and soon we discovered three figures
approaching on horseback. These proved to be M. Waller Clifton,
Esq., the chief Commissioner of the Western Australian Company, to
whom the whole district belongs, attended by a brace of his surveyors
as aides-de-camp -- one mounted on a very tall horse, and the other
on a very small pony. The Chief Commissioner himself bestrode a
meek-looking cart-horse, which, on perceiving us in the distance, he
urged into an exhilarating trot. His Excellency, seeing these
demonstrations of an imposing reception, hastily drew forth his black
silk neck-cloth from his pocket, and re-enveloped his throat
therewith, which, during the heat of the day, he had allowed to be
carelessly exposed. Gathering himself up in his saddle, and assuming
the gravity proper to the representative of his sovereign, he awaited
with as much dignity as his state of perspiration would allow, the
approach of the Chief of Australind. As for myself, I plucked up my
shirt-collar, and tried to look as spicy as possible.
The first greetings over, the two chieftains rode into the town side
by side, as amicably as Napoleon and Alexander of Russia; whilst I
fell to the share of the aides, and related the most recent news of
Perth, and the last bon mots of Richard Nash, for their
entertainment; receiving in return an account of the arrival of 400
male and female emigrants at the settlement the day before.
We were entertained, as every guest invariably is, right hospitably
by Mr. Clifton and his amiable family.
Australind was then (December 1842) a promising new town. It was
alive with well-dressed young men and women, who were promenading
under the large forest trees which still occupied the intended
squares and most of the streets. They had only landed from the
vessel which had brought them some twenty-four hours before, and they
were evidently variously affected by all they saw. Some appeared to
be struck with the strange circumstance of trees growing in the
streets; some looked aghast at the wooden houses and canvass tents;
one thought everything looked exceedingly green; another fancied that
a town built upon sand could not possibly endure long. And he was
right: for the town has long since been deserted, except by half a
dozen families; and the newly arrived settlers are dispersed over the
colony. This has not been the fault of the Chief Commissioner, nor
is it owing to any inferiority in the soil, but to causes which I
intend briefly to explain, as there are many people in England who
are, or were, interested in the fortunes of this promising young
settlement.
The Western Australian Company's grant of land at Australind
comprises 100,000 acres, among which there is a large quantity of
excellent pasture and arable land. It is well watered, and generally
well adapted for the site of a new settlement. The flats of the
Brunswick and Collic rivers would supply the whole colony, if
thoroughly peopled, with grain; and there is abundance of feed for
sheep and cattle, even to the summits of the hills.
A great portion of this grant has been purchased by the Company from
Colonel Lautour, who, however, could not furnish a good title to it.
Having never performed the necessary improvements which would entitle
him to a deed of grant in fee-simple from the crown, his right of
possession became forfeit; and in April, 1840, Governor Hutt, though
much interested in the success of the Company, of which his brother,
the member for Gateshead, was chairman, thought himself obliged, in
the conscientious discharge of his duty, to resume the estate for the
crown.
This proved to be a most fatal proceeding. The Company's title to
Colonel Lautour's grant had been confirmed by the Home-government in
November 1839, but owing to the non-existence of regular post-office
communication (that grand and inexcusable error, which allows the
British Empire to be composed of a mass of unconnected settlements,
dependent upon chance for intelligence and aid from the mother
country), the news did not reach the colony until May or June
following.
Accounts of the resumption of the grant by the Governor reached
England, and not only perplexed the Company, but greatly disquieted
the minds of the numerous individuals to whom they had sold land, to
the value of nearly 60,000 pounds. At this very time, too, unhappily,
arrived Captain Grey in England, on his return from the expedition to
the north-western side of New Holland, of which he has since
published a clever and popular narrative. Captain Grey took an early
opportunity of giving a somewhat lamentable account of the Company's
land at Leschenault, or Australind, and a very glowing description of
a district, many miles to the north of Perth, between Gantheaume Bay
and the Arrowsmith River, which he had passed through on his
disastrous return. He also expatiated, in most precise terms, upon a
splendid harbour which he called Port Grey, and of which he made an
elaborate sketch; and on the 26th of October, 1840, addressed to Lord
John Russell "a detailed description of that portion of the western
coast of Australia which lies between Gantheaume Bay and the River
Arrowsmith, as it would be found useful in enabling persons,
intending to occupy that tract of country, to arrive at correct
conclusions regarding its capabilities." In the map of his route,
published by Arrowsmith, Port Grey is laid down as a spacious,
well-sheltered harbour, with a convenient point of land extending a
couple of miles out to sea from its northern extremity, and having a
useful reef of rocks projecting, most happily, to the same distance,
affording altogether a secure shelter for shipping in seven fathoms'
water.
The Directors of the Western Australian Company, alarmed at the
account related of Australind, perplexed by the proceedings of the
local Government, and captivated by the description of Port Grey,
with its splendid districts of "rich flats," and "fertile downs,"
determined to change the site of their settlement.
Captain Grey describes two "flat-topped ranges," in the neighbourhood
of this port, lying about twenty miles apart; and in his diary of
"Sunday, April 7, 1839," he says: "The country between these two
ranges was an open grassy valley thinly wooded; and IT APPEARED TO BE
ONE OF THE MOST EXTENSIVELY FERTILE portions of country which I had
yet seen in Australia. After travelling for another mile over the
sandy downs, we reached another romantic glen-like valley, bounded to
the north and south by steep limestone cliffs; we descended these
cliffs, and at their base found as in the last valley we had crossed,
EXTENSIVE FLATS, through which wound a water-course. All the hills
I could see in the vicinity consisted of limestone, and for the
whole distance I could see to the eastward (about seven or
eight miles) the country appeared to be of the MOST FERTILE and
picturesque character; the hills were slightly wooded with large
timber, and the valleys were nearly bare of trees and COVERED WITH
GRASS. On ascending the limestone hills to the south of the valley,
we found ourselves once more in open sandy downs; after travelling
three miles across these in a S. by E. direction, we again came to a
valley of the same character as the one above described; it ran from
the same direction; to the eastward we saw a fertile valley. * * *
We halted for some time immediately at the foot of Mount Fairfax.
"We continued our route in the evening over the sandy downs, which,
at the distance of half a mile from the sea, terminated in cliffs.
* * * After travelling three miles, we halted for the night.
"Monday 8th. The first three miles of our route lay over sandy
downs, when we found ourselves in grassy, wooded plains, lying
between the flat-topped range, and some dunes which bordered a bay,"
etc.
It is well known that people in the latter stages of starvation have
constantly visions before their eyes of sumptuous entertainments,
rich meats, and delicious wines. Captain Grey, who was then walking
for his life, at a Barclay pace, with a very empty stomach, was
probably labouring under a similar hallucination with respect to the
country over which he passed; beholding flowery meads and fertile
vales in districts which we fear would prove little attractive to a
settler. He beheld fine flowing rivers and sheltered bays, which
have since altogether disappeared, like the scenes beheld on misty
mornings by Sicilian mariners.
His account of the country determined the Western Australian Company
to change the site of their intended settlement. Calling together
the purchasers of land at Australind, the Directors offered to return
them the amount of their respective purchases, or allow them to take
up new allotments in the very superior district of Port Grey. Almost
all chose to reclaim their cash, and declined further speculation.
The Company now, towards the close of 1840, sent out Mr. Clifton,
their "Chief Commissioner," with directions to remove the whole of
their establishment then settled at Australind, to the new settlement
of Port Grey. On arriving at Australind, Mr. Clifton was agreeably
surprised to find the country much superior to what he had expected,
after hearing Captain Grey's account of it. So differently do the
same objects appear to different eyes! And perhaps Captain Grey had
only viewed the sandy banks of the inlet, without having passed into
the interior, and seen the flats of the Brunswick, etc. There is a
very great deal more of worthless than of good land at Australind,
which is the case throughout the whole of New Holland, in the very
best districts. The general character throughout all the settled
parts of the island, or continent, is bad, with scattered patches of
good.
The Chief Commissioner, however, prepared to carry out his
instructions, though with much regret, as he doubted greatly whether
the proposed alteration would prove for the better. These
preparations were put a stop to by a communication from his
Excellency the Governor, informing him that the Government schooner
had recently returned from a survey of the coast and district of the
so-called Port Grey, and that no sufficient harbour could be
discovered along the coast; whilst the country in every direction
appeared barren and incapable of cultivation. Mr. Clifton therefore
remained at Australind with his party, and used every effort and
exerted every energy to found a flourishing colony. But
unfortunately, the change of site to Port Grey, and then the return
to Australind, and the various conflicting accounts promulgated by
the Company themselves, now lauding and now condemning the two places
in turn, operated so unfavourably upon the public mind that no more
sales of land could be effected. It became, therefore, inexpedient to
maintain the expensive establishment of Commissioners, Secretaries,
and Surveyors at Australind, who were accordingly conge'd without
much ceremony; and the Western Australian Company, like the
"unsubstantial pageant," or Port Grey itself, "melted into air, thin
air," leaving "not a rack behind." Yet not exactly so, for it has
left behind, like some stranded wreck by the receding tide, a most
worthy and high-minded family who deserved a brighter fate.
Such has been the lamentable result of Captain Grey's discoveries in
Western Australia; for whether there be or not a good tract of land
in the neighbourhood of Champion Bay, Captain Grey's denunciation of
Australind, and his strongly urged advice to the Company to change
the site of their settlement, have undoubtedly been the chief causes
of their failure.
Three expeditions have been sent to the scene of this Australian
Fata Morgana, in the hope of beholding it again, but like the door
of the fairy palace in the rock, it is visible only to Prince Ahmed;
and unless the Governor of New Zealand will himself found a colony
there, it is most likely ever to remain desert and valueless. The
first expedition was that in the Government schooner, in 1840,
already alluded to; the second was made in 1841, by H.M.S. Beagle,
Captain Stokes, accompanied by the Chief Commissioner, Mr. Clifton.
A careful survey was made of the coast as far north as the spot were
Captain Grey was wrecked, and began his march southward, but nothing
was discovered at all resembling the description given of Port Grey.
The only bay in which a ship could lie, and that with very doubtful
security, was Champion Bay; but unfortunately the country in every
direction from this spot is most barren and miserable. Captain Grey
travelled close along the coast-line, according to his journal, but
those who have gone in search of his "fertile valleys" have
penetrated some distance into the interior, without discovering
anything but scrub and desert.
Captain Stokes, in his published "Letter to the Surveyor General of
Western Australia," detailing his proceedings, mentions having "now
seen and examined an extent of country little short of forty miles,
nearly the whole of which deserved the character of sterility." In
another place, he related the discovery of "the only piece of grass
of a useful nature seen in this route; it was, however, quite
parched, and occupied a space of three or four acres."
Not being able to find any tolerable shelter along the coast besides
Champion Bay, he concludes that it must be the spot designated as
Port Grey; and after exploring the country behind it, with the effect
just stated, he sailed away one morning towards the north-west and
meeting with a "favourable westerly wind," by afternoon was carried
"past the bight south of Point Moore, sufficiently near to see that
its shores were fronted with many sunken rocks." This also led to
the conclusion that "Champion Bay is the port Captain Grey speaks of
in his journal, placed in Arrowsmith's chart twelve miles south of
its true position."
Since the date of Captain Stokes's survey, Captain Grey has himself
virtually admitted Champion Bay to be the locality visited by him.
In a letter to that officer dated, "Government House, Adelaide,
January 28, 1842," and published in the South Australian journals,
Captain Grey observes, "I have attentively read your letter to the
Hon. the Surveyor-General of Western Australia; and have also
considered the observations made by you to me, relative to the error
you suppose I have fallen into in mistaking the Wizard Peak of
Captain King for the hill named by him Mount Fairfax, and I find I
have certainly fallen into this error -- a by no means unlikely one,
considering the very similar character of the singular group of hills
called Moresby's Flat-topped Range, and the circumstances under which
I was journeying."
The hill, therefore, at whose foot Captain Grey halted on the
afternoon of April 7, 1839, was not Mount Fairfax, but the Wizard
Peak, or some other hill "to the north of Mount Fairfax." From
thence the "sandy downs," (mentioned in the extract from his Journal
that I have given above) over which he passed in the evening
continued to within "half a mile of the sea," where "they terminated
in cliffs." To have seen all this he must have been walking at no
very great distance from the shore during that day's marsh. His
object was to reach Perth as quickly as possible; and he steered in
the most direct course -- "south by east." We know, therefore,
exactly the line of country traversed by Captain Grey -- the
"singular group called Moresby's Flat-topped Range" being
unmistakeable.
In December, 1844, H. M. colonial schooner, Champion, under the
command of Lieutenant Helpman, R.N., accompanied by Mr. J. Harrison,
Civil Engineer, etc., was again despatched by Governor Hutt to make
further observations in the neighbourhood of Gantheaume Bay.
Lieutenant Helpman says in his report, "I coasted close in from
Champion Bay, collecting angles and soundings until in latitude 28
degrees 10' 30", S. the low ridges of sand along the shore induced me
to land, being then (as I concluded from the latitude given by
Captain Grey) in the immediate vicinity of the estuary." This
estuary is described by Captain Grey in his diary of the FIFTH April,
who states that "for one mile we continued along THE RICH FLATS which
bordered the estuary" ... "we ascended the limestone range, and got
a view of the country to the eastward and found it STILL GRASSY, and
exactly the same character as far as we could see. For the next five
miles we continued along the top of the limestone range, the estuary
still occupying the valley which lay to the west of us." ... "At
the end of a mile in a south by east direction, we found ourselves on
the banks of a river, the Hutt, from forty to fifty yards wide, which
was running strong, and was brackish at its mouth," etc. Such was
the appearance of the estuary and of the Hutt River in the eyes of
Captain Grey.
Lieutenant Helpman continues his report as follows: --
"On reaching the summit of the highest coast hill I found myself
abreast of the centre of the inlet, which was void of water, but
presented the appearance of a continuous sheet of salt as far as the
eye could reach. Passing over the coast ridges, I came down, in
about half a mile, to the edge of the estuary, and followed it in a
southerly direction for about two miles, when I ascended another
hill, from which I could clearly see the south end of it, which was
covered with the same description of incrustration of salt.
"A gorge at the south-east corner of the estuary is probably where
the Hutt River discharges itself during the rainy season, but there
was no appearance of water in any part of the flat, which was about
two miles wide between the hills and the south-east shore of the
inlet.
"Observing that the north extremity of the estuary, as seen from the
hill just referred to, presented some slight appearance of water, I
was induced to examine it, and found the sand ridges on the coast
extremely low, nearly destitute of herbage, but giving the idea of
having had water passing over them. This I judged to be the case,
from a few blades of very coarse grass which were laid flat on the
ground, as if from the effects of running water.
"From the highest point of these ridges, notwithstanding the smoke
from the numerous native fires, the whole north end of the inlet was
plainly seen to be covered with salty incrustations, similar to those
previously referred to.
"I conceive the point of land near which these latter observations
were made, and where I landed the second time, to be Shoal Point of
the chart; but, except that it is very low, I see no cause for its
name, as the water was deep close to it, and having only a few rocks
close off its extreme west point, within a quarter of a mile of the
shore.
"Following close in from Shoal Point, the coast is perfectly clear of
dangers; but I observed no opening in the hills indicative of a
river, nor could I discover any bay or place of shelter for shipping
to resort to.
"Red Point, which is the western entrance of Gantheaume Bay, is a
very bold headland of considerable elevation, it is circular, and
about four miles in extent. I landed at the east end of the red sand
cliffs, taking a specimen of the rock.
"The land to the northward from this promontory is of a white sandy
appearance, having ridges of sand hills along the coast of moderate
altitude.
"The low state of the barometer, and the strong northerly winds,
induced me to keep the vessel at a considerable offing. During the
day the breezes were very fresh, and had it not been for the
whale-boat with which I was furnished, I should not have been able to
have effected a landing on any part of the coast which came under my
observation. Under these circumstances, I was compelled most
reluctantly to abandon the idea of spending much time in examining
the interior.
"The VERY DRY STATE OF THE HUTT AT THIS SEASON seems to indicate that
but little water flows into it at any time; and I am disposed to
fancy, that the lagoon, or estuary, owes its formation to the
breaking in of the sea over the low sand hills during the tempestuous
gales of the winter months, more especially towards the north end of
the inlet, where the sand ridges are lower than in any other part of
the coast in that vicinity."
Thus the luxuriant country of Captain Grey, like the water-pools seen
in the mirage of the desert, when approached, vanishes from the view
of the traveller.
It is to be observed, that Captain Stokes and Lieutenant Helpman
surveyed these districts in the early part of the summer season --
November and December -- when they were more likely to appear fertile
than on the 5th and 7th April, quite at the end of that season, and
just before the commencement of the winter rains.
Since the above passages were written, I have read an account in the
Perth journals of January, 1847, of the discovery of coal by the
Messrs. Gregory, about forty miles east of Champion Bay. These
gentlemen relate, that in journeying towards the coast, they passed
through a tract of country capable of being settled. This may
possibly be Captain Grey's luxuriant district; and yet the district
which he describes was close upon the coast. It is also stated, that
there is now ascertained to be a corner of Champion Bay in which
small vessels may find a safe anchorage; and this is conjectured to
be that Port Grey whose existence has been so long denied. But,
although a few miles of country may be found in this neighbourhood
capable of supporting a limited number of flocks and herds, it is
certain that there is no such district here as would suffice for the
purposes of a colony of the magnitude contemplated by the Western
Australian Company. The advice, therefore, given them to change the
site of the operations from Australind, or Leschenault, to Champion
Bay, or Port Grey, was the most pernicious that could have been
bestowed.
But it may certainly be doubted whether the principles on which the
settlement of Australind was founded were in themselves of a sound
and permanent nature. They were those propounded originally by Mr.
Edward Gibbon Wakefield, and applied with extraordinary success to
the formation and to the circumstances of the colony of South
Australia. The most prominent features which they present are, --
the concentration of population, and the high price of land.
The land in the immediate neighbourhood of Adelaide is very fine, and
capable of supporting a dense population; it was therefore perhaps,
good policy to divide it into eight-acre sections, valued at one
pound per acre, which supported a body of agriculturalists, who found
a ready and near market for their productions in the rapidly rising
town. But there are few theories that will bear universal
application; and the mistake made in the case of Australind was, in
expecting to obtain the same result from principles which were to be
applied under very different circumstances.
The land adjoining the town-site of Australind is generally very
indifferent, though the flats of the Brunswick and Collie Rivers
afford perhaps some thousand acres of excellent land, but still not
sufficient to maintain a large and dense population. The Company's
property was divided into farms of 100 acres, and these were valued
at 100 pounds each to the emigrants, who drew lots for the choice of
site.
When the settlers arrived and took possession of their respective
grants, they soon discovered that if they all produced wheat, there
would certainly be plenty of food in the settlement, but very little
sale for it; whereas, if they intended to become sheep-farmers, and
produce wool for the English market, one hundred acres of land would
not suffice in that country for the keep of fifty sheep. The
sections of one hundred acres were, therefore, far too small for the
wants of the settler, who found that, although he might probably be
able to supply his table with vegetables, he had but small prospect
of ever applying his capers to boiled mutton, or initiating his
family into the mysteries of beef a la mode. Disgusted with the
narrowness of his prospects, and recoiling from the idea of a
vegetable diet, the sturdy settler quickly abandoned the limited
sections of Australind, and wandered away in search of a grant of
some three or four thousand acres, on which he might reasonably hope
to pasture a flock of sheep that would return him good interest for
the capital invested.
The Western Australian Company gave far too much for their land in
the first instance, and were therefore compelled to set a much higher
value upon it than it would bear. The ministers of the Crown, who
have adopted the principles of Mr. Gibbon Wakefield, require one
pound per acre for waste lands; and the Company, though they
purchased their property from private individuals at a somewhat lower
rate, expected to sell it again at the same price. There is very
little land (in proportion to the vast extent of poor and of entirely
worthless land) throughout the length and breadth of all New Holland,
that is worth twenty shillings an acre. In the more densely
populated parts, arable land is worth that sum, and often much more;
but in the pastoral districts, three shillings an acre is in truth a
high price.
It has long been acknowledged in New South Wales, as well as in other
parts of Australia, that it takes from three to five acres to support
a single sheep throughout the year. An ewe-sheep is worth about nine
shillings; and if you have to buy three and a half acres of land, at
three shillings, to keep her upon, the amount of capital you invest
will be nineteen shillings and sixpence. The profits on the wool of
this sheep, after paying all expenses of keep, shearing, freight,
commission, etc., will be barely two-pence, or about one per cent
upon the capital invested. But then you have her lamb? True, but
you must buy an additional quantity of land to keep it upon. Still
there is a gain upon the increase; and in process of time the annual
profits amount up to ten and even twenty per cent. But suppose the
three and a half acres of land, instead of 10 shillings and 6 pence
had cost 3 pounds 10 shillings and 6 pence, it would then be
perfectly absurd to think of investing money in sheep.
The course pursued by the home Government, in fixing the uniform
extravagant price of twenty shillings an acre upon the pastoral lands
of Australia, is probably more the result of ignorance of their real
value than of a desire to check or prevent emigration to that
country. It is an ignorance, however, that refuses to be
enlightened, and has therefore all the guilt of deliberate injury.
The monstrous demand of twenty shillings an acre for crown-lands, has
not only had the effect of deterring capitalists from embarking in so
hopeless a speculation, but has grievously wronged the existing
land-owners, by raising the price of labour. When land was sold at
five shillings an acre, a fund was accumulated in the hand of the
local Government that served to pay for the introduction of labouring
emigrants. That fund has ceased to exist in New South Wales and in
Western Australia. The value of labour has therefore risen, whilst
the value of agricultural produce, by the increase of the supply
beyond the demand, has grievously diminished. The advocates of the
Wakefield system triumphantly inform us that there never can be a
labour-fund in any colony in which private individuals are able to
sell land at a cheaper rate than the Government.
They point to South Australia, and bid us note how different is the
state of things there, where land universally is worth a pound an
acre or more. But to us it appears, that the character of the soil
is much the same throughout these countries -- if anything, being
superior in Western Australia, where there are no droughts, and where
the wool produced, though the worst got up, from the want of labour,
is stated by the London brokers to be pre-eminent in quality -- that
colony would most naturally be sought by the emigrant in which the
price of land is the most reasonable. It is not the high price of
land that has caused the prosperity of South Australia.
Every one who is well informed on the subject, is perfectly aware,
that in 1841 and 1842, before the discovery of copper-mines, South
Australia was universally in a state of bankruptcy. Never was a
country so thoroughly smitten with ruin. Almost all the original
settlers sank in the general prostration of the settlement, and
never again held up their heads. The inhabitants slunk away from
the colony in numbers; and property even in Adelaide was almost
worthless. The holders of the eighty-acre sections produced far
more of the necessaries of life than the non-producing population
required; and the neighbouring colonies were deluged with the
farm-produce of the bankrupt agriculturalists of South Australia.
This model colony afforded itself the most signal refutation of the
truth of the Wakefield theories; and the whole world would have been
compelled to acknowledge the falsehood, but for the opportune
discovery of the mineral wealth of the colony. It is to its mines
that South Australia owes its good fortune, its population, and its
riches, and not to any secret of political economy bestowed upon it
by adventurous theorists. According to the opinion of these
philosophers, New South Wales and Western Australia can never again
by any possibility possess a labour-fund, because the private owners
of large grants of land, which they obtained for nominal sums, can
always afford to undersell the Crown. So long as the Crown refuses
to sell for less than a pound an acre, this will certainly be the
case; but the day will doubtless come when our rulers will condescend
to enquire into the necessities of those over whose fortunes they
preside; and will adopt a policy suited to the actual circumstances
of the case, and not vainly endeavour to apply, universally, abstract
opinions which have long been proved to be, in almost all parts of
Australia, totally useless and inapplicable. THE ONLY WAY TO RAISE A
LABOUR-FUND IN THESE COLONIES IS, BY OFFERING CROWN-LANDS TO THE
EMIGRANT AT THE LOWEST MARKET PRICE. The Crown could always afford
to undersell the private land-speculator, and might establish a
permanent fund for the introduction of labour, by selling land at a
low rate, AND RESERVING A RENT-CHARGE, IN THE SHAPE OF A LAND-TAX --
OF ONE HALF-PENNY PER ACRE. Thus, every grant of five thousand acres
would pay an annual tax to Government of 10 pounds 8 shillings and 4
pence; and would, therefore, in a very few years, accumulate a fund
sufficient to supply itself with a labouring population. When it is
remembered how very small was the original cost to the owners of most
of the lands in Western Australia, there will not appear much hardship
in imposing this tax upon all the private property of the colony, as
well as upon lands to be hereafter sold by the Crown. This course of
legislation would infuse new vitality into the colony; and at the end
of the short period of five years, the tax might be suspended as
regards all lands purchased by individuals PRIOR TO THE PASSING OF THE
ACT, but continued for ever upon lands purchased under the Act, and in
contemplation of having to bear such a rent-charge.
This is the only way by which emigration can be insured to the
colonies of New South Wales and Western Australia; and the time will
sooner or later arrive when this suggestion will be adopted, though
it may not be acknowledged.
Her Majesty's present Secretary of State for the Colonies is the
first really liberal minister we have had; and to him the distant and
struggling settlements of Australia look with reviving hope. THE
OBJECTS MOST EAGERLY SOUGHT BY THOSE COLONIES ARE -- A NEW SYSTEM OF
GOVERNMENT, WITH LESS OF COLONIAL-OFFICE INTERFERENCE; A REGULAR
POST-OFFICE COMMUNICATION WITH ENGLAND; AND A TOTAL REFORM IN THE
EXISTING REGULATIONS FOR THE SALE OF CROWN-LANDS, WITHOUT WHICH, IN
COUNTRIES PURELY PASTORAL AND AGRICULTURAL, THERE CAN NEVER AGAIN
BE FORMED A FUND FOR THE INTRODUCTION OF LABOUR.
In the hope of making colonial subjects more familiar to the general
reader, and more popular than they are at present, I have perhaps
given to this little work a character so trifling as to make it
appear unworthy of the attention of political philosophers; and yet,
inasmuch as it points out some of the wants of a large body of
British subjects, whose fortunes lie entirely at the mercy of
distant rulers, who have but little sympathy with a condition of
which they possess but a most imperfect knowledge -- it is a work
(inadequate though it be) not altogether undeserving of the
consideration even of Statesmen.
NOTE TO CHAPTER 30.
I am happy that this work will become the medium of informing the
Colonists of Western Australia of one of the most promising events
that has ever happened to that country.
The ship-timber of the Colony, a trial cargo of which arrived in
England this month (October, 1847), has just been admitted into the
Royal Navy. A highly favourable report has been made upon it by the
Government surveyors, and it is pronounced admirably adapted for
kelsons, stern-posts, great beams for steam-frigates, and other heavy
work. If a company be formed, on good principles, and under proper
management, a timber trade for the supply of the Navy will be found
most lucrative.
The principal portion of the labour should be performed by Chinamen,
to be obtained from Sincapore.
For this great boon, the Colonists are indebted to LORD AUCKLAND, the
First Lord of the Admiralty, for his ready acquiescence in agreeing
to receive the timber, by way of experiment; to Mr. G. H. Ward, the
Secretary, for the kind attention he has paid to every request made
to him on the subject, notwithstanding that he has been sufficiently
pestered to have wearied the patience of the most amiable of mankind;
and, above all, to our late Governor, MR. HUTT, and his brother, the
Honourable Member for Gateshead, who have been indefatigable in their
exertions to promote the weal of the Colony.
THE END.