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struct jetties and breakwaters, or remove shoals; and a good natural harbour is indispensable to keep- ing up the requisite communication with the outer world.

Again, the soil in Western Australia for breadth of about twenty miles up to the mountain range, which runs parallel with the coast, is sandy and sterile. Beyond this there is a fair agricultural country; and about 250 miles to the north there is

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a rich lead-mine with indications of copper, and a good grazing district; whilst at about the same dis- tance to the south is situated King George's Sound, a fine anchorage on the south coast, which may be expected to become important, as steam navigation. from Europe shall increase. The colony seems peculiarly favourable to the breeding of horses, and it has a good market for them in India.

The most powerful cause, however, of the failure of this colony was certainly the manner in which it was established. The Government was not to be so unworthy as to wring any of their means from the enterprising men going forth to the wilderness, and all their resources were to be left unimpaired in the settler's hands. The public lands, therefore, were rendered extremely easy of acquisition. Lavish grants were made to every one who could show some evidences of the possession of capital, and who professed at the same time useful designs; while to humbler persons were to be allowed grants at the rate of 40 acres for every 31. they had of their In short, the colony was thoroughly founded

Own.

on what may be called the generous system. The consequence was the prompt beggary of everybody concerned. The so-called capitalists were the pro- prietors of extensive deserts, which they neither had the means to cultivate, nor yet could dispose of at a profit to others. How could they, when the Go- vernment, with a whole continent at its back, offered free grants of land to every comer? Mr. Thomas Peel, to whom a quarter of a million of acres were granted, remains in the colony to this day a hope- less insolvent. General Lautour, to whom a similar quantity was granted, has passed a large portion of his time in the Queen's Bench Prison in London. The labourers who were prematurely forced into the condition of land-owners have probably been able to produce a sort of rude plenty for themselves on their

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own farms, but are removed from all prospect of raising themselves in the social scale, or lifting their families into a condition of leisure and independence of manual toil.

Whilst this was going on at Swan River, several new settlements in other parts of Australia, where

an ungenerous Government had taxed the settlers by making them pay a price for their land, which~~~~ price was spent afterwards in objects of general advantage to the community, had inade such strides

in prosperity as have probably never been seen before in the history of any new colonies whatever. Port Phillip, at the end of ten years, contained 32,000 inhabitants, with a flourishing city, and large pos- sessions in flocks and herds and buildings; South Australia, at the end of a similar period, contained 25,000 inhabitants, with the like advantages: and in neither had any good effect yet been felt from the discovery of minerals.

Such were the circumstances in which, in 1849

and 1850, the population of Western Australia, impressed with their own stagnant condition, and not insensible, it must be supposed, to the contrast pre- sented by the settlements on the other side of New Holland, implored the Government to send convicts

to their colony. The representation was unanimous, both from the resident colonists and from those connected with them in this country, Partly they looked to the supply of hands, and principally, perhaps, although this was not avowed, to the stimulus which they might hope to derive from the large Government expenditure on a new convict establishment. The Government assented to their wishes. The first party of convicts arrived in June 1850. The following Table will show the whole number of convicts who have been dispatched up to

the present time.

For Public Tickets-of- Works. Leave.

Total.

1850..

384

Nil

384

1851..

119

759

878

1852..

372

70

442

Total

875

829

1,704

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PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE

Reference

LLUC.O.

885

2 PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON

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