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TO ROBERT GOUGER OF LONDON
ESQUIRE.
Sydney, N. S. Wales, Dec. 26, 1831.
Sin,
I have lately read with great pleasure
and improvement, a pamphlet attributed
here to you, or to Mr. Tenant, or to both,
intituled, " A Statement of the Principles
and OlQects of a proposed National Society,
for the Cure and Prevention of Paupe
rism, by means of Systematic Colonization."
Whether you be the author of this pamph
let or not, I beg leave to address to you as
a Gentleman taking a deep interest in the
subject, and as having done me the honor
to publish in London my letter to you on
this Colony (of date the 6th of December,
1830) the following critique on the very in
genious pamphlet in question.
The free and fried population of this
Colony, Sir, is supposed by some, to be
only equal to. its prison population; by
others, it is supposed to exceed the latter
by one half or more. But our free and
freed population is composed of women
and children, as well as of adults, (the
children including, of course, the offspring
of the married convicts) ; consequently
in adults, our prison population is exces
sive of our free and freed. This will be
easily conceived when I remind you, that
our prison population, is our only labour
ing population, generally speaking.
As far as you include Australia in your
plan for the emigration of British pau
pers, it will be necessary that the trans
portation of convicts to this " Colony
should cease. Otherwise, wages will fall
so low, as speedily to put an end to pauper
emigration here. Yet, to hint at stopping
transportation before this new proposal of
pauper deportation be actually put in
force, is dangerous, and I mention it
with fear and trembling; for if trans
portation hither should, cease any con
siderable period before the deportation of
paupers commences, the Colony would be
sadly put about. The convicts, by the
death of the aged among theim, and by
the premature death of others, owing to a
variety of causes which need not here be
specified, and owing also to a great num
ber of them being transported beyond seas
to our ill-advised, ill-administered, and
most expensive and cruel penal settle
ments ; from these causes I say, the con
victs at present on hand, would soon be
found inadequate for the carrying on of
the agricultural, mercantile, manufactur
ing, and domestic concerns of the Colony,
if transportation were to cease. You will
therefore, Sir, I trust, so far as your
influence and that of your friends ex
tends, see to it, that the deportation of
paupers commences hither before trans
portation ceases. At the same time I beg
to observe, that when once the former ef
fectively begins, the sooner the latter
shall end, the better.
A strong opposition is made here, to
your plan of selling our Crown Lands. If
it be natural for persons accustomed first
to have had a thing given them, and after
wards sold to them for a sum which they
expected unlimited credit in paying,
either with or without interest, as might
happen to turn out ; so far, this opposi
tion may be natural enough. But if it be
unreasonable for persons to insist on a
continuance of such an indulgence, when
obvious reasons shew its impolicy, why
then of all men I ever heard of, those in
question are certainly the ,most unreason
able. They kpow well, that the land
bought by them during the last eight
years, is worth the money ; and, that
a part of it (for instance, Mr. M'Ar
thur's purchase of the rich lands of the
Cow-pastures, and various wheat lands
still richer, purchased by others on the
River H unter) would, if now put up by
auction, fetch ten shillings an acre in lien
of five ; they also know, that similar landn
on the banks of the I-awkesbury and
Nepeiin (being first cleared of the,timnber,)
not only sells for five pounds an acre at'the
present time, and which rivers bound ihe
Cow-pastures on the Eastern side, but
actually lets for twenty shillings an acre
per annum in money, and twenty-five
shillings its produce at market prices;
and they also know, that the first sales of
the Crown hinds will consist of all the
best aind most proximate wheat lands of
the Colony, or at any rate1 that they need
not buy inferior lands if pult up by the
Crowvn Auctioneer, but may rent them till
the wheat lands come to the hammer in
their turn. Yet knowing all this, they
are still (uite indignant, first at being
obliged' to pay for the lands they bought
years ago, although no interest or rent is
demanded of them ; and are still more
indignant to perceive, that they can buy
no more land except for ready money, and
at not less than five shillings per acre;
which howvever is only one fourth of what
such land on the above rivers now lets for.
per' annum
The class of persons who act thus un
reasonably, and who, I am sorry to say,
comprise the chief men in the Colony, al
lege in justification of' their conduct, that
the Government will act by this Colony as
Mr. WVilmot Horton (with the sanction of
the Home Government) did by Canada;
namely, endow Colonial Bishoprics and
Archdleaconries, and R~ectorships and Vi
earships, 'with the proceeds of the Crown
lands here, in lieu of disbursing them in
the deportation hither of paupers.
I am happy to say, that notwith
standing this evil example of .Crown
lands in Canada, the bulk of the Co
lonists believe, that His Majesty's p~resent
Ministers willnot actinthlsway by the pro
ceeds of our lands, but will honorably ap
propriate thorn to the object for which
they profess to be governed in selling
them.
"1'he Colonists however think, that while
the objection just mentioned, may really
float in the ruffled minds of the chief gen
tlemen of the Colonly, they also think,
that those gentliincei arc unwilling to pay
for their land at all, at any price, or at al
tine.
This cannot apply certainly to such of
them as have already paid for their lands.
Therefore, the Colonists further believe,
that the main objet of some of the gen
tlemen in question, in wishing the mini.
mum price to be reduced to is. 6d. per
acre for the first quality of land, and so on
in proportion for inferior land, and
demanding twenty years' credit even on
that humble offer, and at five-pet cent
interest too. (when our Banks charge ten),
is, that they may hereafter be able to form
themselves into one or two land-dealing
companies, and purchase large tracts of
the most proximate wheat lands in the
Colony, to sell at an advance to future
new-comers, to the native-youth, and
other little settlers.
This last surmise of the Colonists, as
well as some others, was however, publicly
delmed by the gentlemen in question at a
late Public Meeting held at Parramatta by
call of the Sheriff, and therefore, it would
perhaps be rude in me to persevere in
charging them with such opinions. But
laying down this weapon of attack, the
friends of the policy contained in your
pamphlet, are compelled in justice to their
own views and feelings to say, that what
ever be the motive of the gentlemen in
question, we think their conduct in this
affLir, does little credit to their judgment,
whatever it may do to their patriotism t.
(To be continue 1.)
f I am aware Sir that you are a reader of
our Sydney Newspapers, You must have
perceived in them bitter complaints of the
as, passed by our Legislative Council; s
body of fifteen, selected by the Crown with.
out the least regard to the voice of the
Colonists, whose money nevertheless is
placed at their disposal. A kind of mock
regard to the people of the Colony ap.
pears to prevail in its formation, by seven
out of the fifteen being selected from the chief
graziers and merchants of the Colony. These
seven of course are the high Torys of the
country; who in their zeal for arbitrary power,
leave their eight cornpeers far behind them.
They wore the sturdiest supporters of
the Press Transportation Act, and which
was passed specially to get the Editors
here transported to Norfolk Island among
thrice-convicted felons. Three of the seven
would have been relatives by blood or mar.
riage, had one not been absent from the
Colony. There is still an uncle and nephew
in the Council, famous both of them for
their opposition to all manner of popular
rights, and to whom immense patronage has
been extended by this Government,hoth inland
and convicts, mechanics as well as labourers.
One of themh, through the intrigue of Com.
missioner Bigge (who is the original author
of this Venetian Junta) had an im.
mnense grant of land given him in the Cow.
pastures, worth lOs. atl acre; but whether it
was ten or twenty thousand acres, the mys
terins of our local Government have never
enabled inc to discover. The same person
has lately paid 5s. an acre for another large
tract of the same superior land, worth also
10s. an acre. The mode of payment was made
in a sort of jobbing way such as I will now
describe. The same gentleman wishing to
fence in his large Demeanes, induced the late
Governor Darling, who was very ready to
gratify his thick-and-thin supporters, to "ini"
fiate," as it is outlandishly called, a Bill, to
compel every man, however poor, to pay half
of his rich neighbour's fence, when such rich
neighbour chose to fence in his land. This
law male no allowance for the inability of
the neighbour, perhaps a poor widow, to pay
for her moiety of the expense of such fence.
It did not regard the rights of her tenure from
the Crown, in which no condition of fencing
(only of cultivating) is inserted. Hence, if a
rich man cast a. gloting eye on his poorer
neighbour's vineyard, surrounded by Ins own
manors, (which manors he it remembered were
given him by theGovernment for nothing, while
tte conditions of the grant, namely, cultiva
ting a large portion, are never fulfilled,) lie
hris only to fence his neighbour's little farm
all round, and immediately the price of half
the fence is demandable of the owner of the
little ftrm ; and if the latter has not money
sufllient to pay for his share, his land
becomes liable to be sold in *due course of
law, for the same. I am far from insintating
that our Mlembers of Council hare done, or
would do so damnable a deed as this; but
every little settler in the country is iabl/c to
be so treated. Whlich consitleration alone is
enough to mnake men detest a Government,
which sanctions such a law.
But while the Mlember of Council in ques.
tiolInnha no such vile motive as this in getting
that Prince of enlightened Rulers Darling, to
imiitinte the hpresent fencing lawr, lie had it hi
initention to (ho by the (Joverniient, rhiat
every poor widow in the Colony, being a laud.
owner, Is liable to be done to, Sly her rich
neiglibotmr; namely; to make the Government
pay him for half his fencing. For whlen
the ftemnber in question wrent the other
day to pay our Collector of Internal Reventie
Ss. an acre for the fine tract of land bought
by him eight years ago, and which am I saiti
before is worth l0s. an acre, lie presented. as
p~art payment, a bill for £400, as thme Govern.
ment'* ,a9/' share of his fencing I thie sime
being dhone along-side a p ublic road I All
Colonists whlo heard of thls mister-stroke ol.
policy, namely, ge~ttng the local Governmnent
mn the lst instance to pass a lawo which should
tOou/h its owon fcunds in lieu ofthose of poor
woidows and orphans, were higly delighted;
and they cheerfully forgave th fencing act,
for this one admnirab Se result of its operatlion.
It is riemarkable, that two of our Legislative
Counnil still owe the GJorerriment i canil-l
derable sum, for land purch ased by thems
uears ago. Anti although If Slut land weree
put up by auction it would fetch an advance
upon the price tlhey are to pay for it (es. an
acre), yet now that they are at length calle4(
upon to pay, they are the chief abettors of the
proposed Petition to the King, which prays
to let them have it at Is. 6d. an acre, and on
a further long credit too, on paylng 5 peor
cent Interest (only from the present 51l110
tllough) on the principal; these persona I
may. are the lotidest In their reprobatlonl
of Lord Goderich's new regulations generallY.
which the great bulk of the ColonIsts hiotv
ever applaud, and in support of which the
Amendment Petition (vs copied at pg
of this letter) is an unequivocal proof., Fri
the Amendment-Petition be not carried1 IC
wiril be owving 'to the Public Meeting being
held at Parramatta in lIeu of Sydiley-an 1In
convenience and expense, which few, save the
old Incorrigible debtors of the Government.
will incur merely to support the icing's new
Land regulation..

Mr. Rowe had long.-omnilainled to Mr.
M'Leay of his being kept out of the. premises
situate in York-street, (next the Barrack-gate.
which the late. Governor had given or coh!
to hirm for a valuable consideration, the house
being-occupied by the tailors of the Garrison.
Governor Bourke oti being applied to by Mr.
Rowe, gave orders, that the tailors should re
move forthwith; which aecordin gly took
place, and Mr. Rowe obtained peaceable pos.
session of his property.
Air. V. I1. Moore was suspended by ae
neral Darling; but after an appeal to Down
ing-street, he was re-instated. The General
'however continued to write against 1M r.
.1loore to the Home Government. Governor
Bourke received orders to investigate General
1)'3 charges of incompetencyV On being ap.
plied to for their opinion of Mr. Mnore, the
Attorney, General, Chief Justice, &e. gave
the Governor a very high character of Mr.
Moore for lcg~l talednts, and attention to his
Crown Duties. General Ilourke- of course
will transmit these certiifcatea to Lord Gode.
rich. Whattwill his Lordship think of General
J)arling's veracity or. judgment, or both, on
receiving thena ? And what will he thiilj of
otiher charges made by the General, against
other persons obnoxious to him ? And will
he not regret having condemned persons here,
who complained to his Lordship of oppres
bion ; having judged of their case by the ex
parte representations of such a man ?
Prince-street, Windmill-street, and that
part of Kent-street which winds round Fort
Phillip by the Stone-quarries, have long been
famed for deeds of darkness, and-call for thu
prompt interference of our Authorities, to
enforce the regular attendance of the patroles
(if there be any in that quarter) on their
beat. On Monday night last, a gentleman who
wasescortizg a, lady to her. residence in that
quarter, was knocked down by several rltalans,
who despoiled him of what he had about hib,
(using, however, no more violence thani was
necessary to effect their purpose) andri made
off with their booty before any assistunce
could be procured. Fortunately, upon private
isformoatioji being given to the Police, the
parties were taken, and the property found on
their jiersous.

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