Page:The founding of South Australia.djvu/178

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172
THE FOUNDING OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA.

"June 22nd.—Mr. Angas is undertaking the management of a School Society, to include infant as well as other schools.

"June 24th.—Hindmarsh has returned to town, and is ready to lend a willing hand. A meeting of the publication committee having been ordered at Lefevre's rooms at Somerset House, Hindmarsh and I went down, and almost immediately after Angas came in. He has very much assisted in publishing the measure in the West of England, and intends to take himself £5,000 worth of land, to be divided into small farms and let on lease to small farmers, who will be supplied with money by him, the tenants having leave to purchase the estate at their convenience at a given price. The sub-committee ordered 8,000 copies of the 'regulations* to be printed, and £10 worth of advertisements in the country. The register to-day show £2,500 subscribed for land.

"June 29th.—Called with Hindmarsh on J. A. Smith, Grote, Currie, Boriadaile. Labouchere, C. Buller, and some others. We also went to Sir G. Grey to try to get the matter of postage accorded to us—but we were unsuccessful. Hindmarsh tells me of two or three youths who will be under his care in the colony, and who must be in some way provided for; of these, young Torrens is one.

"July 4th.—After the last meeting I went to Barkway and was detained there by illness. On my return I found the Board assembled at a special meeting to fix the offices and salaries. Before I arrived, a resolution had been passed obliging the officers to purchase land in proportion to their salaries, for each £100 of salary they were to purchase £500 of land. The absurdity of this was evident at once, but as it had been proposed by Torrens, and had been already passed, I did not think it prudent to disturb the meeting.

"July 6th.—Wrote a long letter to Torrens begging him to reconsider his plan for making the government