405
Feb. 8th.—Have I mentioned before that we have got out two protectors of the aborigines? One of them is the son of Sir John Barrow. I fear it will be only an additional difficulty in our way in obtaining redress or justice for wrongs done to us. Mr. Barrow has been at Sierra Leone, engaged in something of the same sort, but he seems quite despondent about the natives here, as he finds them so very different from what he had expected, and so much more difficult to make any impression upon.
Monday.—Major Irwin is in Perth, and Mr. Mitchell did not come, so I had to read two services yesterday.
Feb. 13th.—I was not able to send this by the Westmoreland, but some other vessel has come in the meantime, and is to go the same route in a week, so it cannot make much difference. We have news now from South Australia. People are coming here from that place with stock, and we expect soon to have great quantities poured in. There are strange accounts from that colony—great numbers arriving there, and some not even landing, but going off by shiploads to other colonies. New Zealand seems to be all the rage. S— has had a letter from Thomas B—, who is there. He says it has been altogether too much cried up. So long as people can be induced to come out there with plenty of money, and so long as the money lasts, things will go on well; but nothing is done there, nothing is produced, and when the money is at an end where will a renewal of it come from? Water, in South Australia, was selling at the port at 4d.—some say 1s. a glass. The Governor there and an exploring party were nearly lost in the bush. One young gentleman, a Mr. Bryan, was actually lost. This was in looking for some good land near the Murray River, above Lake Alexandrina. As to this colony we are getting on better every day, but we want labour sadly. Schoales is thinking of going for a shipload. He has near 100 bespoken, and the Government mean to spend £600 in getting out labourers also this year.
