Gumeracha, and their families. Mr. Shepherdson thus records his first impressions of the infant colony:—"On our arrival at the 'Main,' as it was then called, Adelaide had just been laid out, and the few people living there were located in tents, reed and pisey huts, and wooden erections; Government House, occupied by Captain Hindmarsh, R.N., was of reeds. At the time of our arrival serious quarrels had taken place, the result of the divided authority between the Governor and the Resident Commissioner (Mr., afterwards Sir James Fisher) and their respective adherents, Mr. Gouger, the then Colonial Secretary, was just proceeding to England for the purpose of appealing to the Home Government for a settlement of the unhappy differences, and Mr. Randell and myself took Mr. Gouger's tent for our families, at a rental of £1 per week. In accordance with my instructions, I got up a public meeting in a temporary erection, which then did duty as Trinity Church, and the Governor at my request promised to take the chair. On the night appointed I proceeded to Government House to accompany His Excellency to the meeting, but on learning from me on our way down that Mr. Fisher, Mr. Mann, the Advocate General, and others of their friends were to take part in the proceedings, he declined to enter the place. After using all the persuasion of which I was capable, he at length gave way, adding, 'Well, as Governor, I suppose I must countenance the thing, but as Jack Hindmarsh I'll do little.' As the result of the meeting, a committee was appointed, to co-operate with me, and as soon as a temporary wooden erection on the park lands, opposite and near Trinity Church, was vacated by the Bank of South Australia, I organised a school, and we proceeded with its erection. It comprised a dwelling-house and a girls' department on one side, and a boys' department on the other. Before its completion, however, my health gave way from the intense heat and limited accommodation." Mr. Shepherdson was next appointed
