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Title: The State and Position of Western Australia; commonly called the Swan-River Settlement. Author: Frederick Chidley Irwin * A Project Gutenberg of Australia eBook * eBook No.: 1402171h.html Language: English Date first posted: May 2014 Date most recently updated: May 2014 Produced by: Ned Overton. Project Gutenberg Australia eBooks are created from printed editions which are in the public domain in Australia, unless a copyright notice is included. We do NOT keep any eBooks in compliance with a particular paper edition. Copyright laws are changing all over the world. Be sure to check the copyright laws for your country before downloading or redistributing this file. This eBook is made available at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg Australia Licence which may be viewed online.GO TO Project Gutenberg Australia HOME PAGE
Introduction—Motives of the Writer—Sources of Information—Description of the Country, Soil, Climate, Natural Productions, Pasturage, Seasons—Favourable Reports of the Interior—Fisheries—Harbours—Political and Commercial Advantages—Table of Sailing Distances &c The Aborigines: Food, Clothing, Huts, &c.—Character—Natives of the Murray River—Recent Encounter—Mounted Police—Tendency of Penal Settlements—Native Claims—A Treaty recommended—Appeal for Missionaries Misstatements in recent Publications—Mr. Peel's Grant—Causes of early Failures—Origin of many injurious Reports—Instance of a Settler seriously misled by them—Want of Money—High Prices of Provisions—Want of Storehouses—Free Grants, Tendency of—Remedies in Progress First Difficulties of the Colony surmounted—Fremantle—Perth—Guildford—Land and Water Communication—Canal—Principal Farms on the Swan River—The Canning—York District—Murray River—Port Leschenault—Vasse's Inlet—Port Augusta—The Blackwood—King George's Sound General State of Society—Indentured Servants—Aborigines—Native Institution—Sagacity of Two Natives—Intercourse among the Agriculturists—Female Society—Settlers &c. in the Towns—Free Institutions—Trial by Jury Latest Accounts—Agricultural Society's Report—Increase of Stock—Superior Breeds—Sheep Farming—Wool—Wheat—Kaffre-Corn—Oat-Hay—Hops—Fruits—Vegetables—Timber-Trees &c.—Bees—Flour-Mills—Brewing—Revenue &c. &c. India—Colonization Company formed at Calcutta—Views of the Shareholders—Loss of the Mercury—Interest excited at Calcutta and Madras—Rearing of Horses for the India Market—Remount of British Cavalry at Madras, procured from Sydney—Position of Swan River—Its superior Advantages for that Traffic Colonization—Colonel Napier and the "Self-supporting Principle"—Mistaken Policy pointed out—Article on Colonization in Archbishop Whately's Work A few concluding Hints to Emigrants APPENDIX.No. I. Table of Variations of the Thermometer and Barometer, at Perth No. II. Meteorological Journal of King George's SoundNo. III. Reports of Physicians it. No. IV. Captain Preston's Report on the Harbours &c. No. V. Swan-River Mission No. VI. Proposals for the Erection of a Church and Parsonage at Augusta, Western Australia No. VII. Native InstitutionNo. VIII. Extraordinary Recovery of a Child by two Swan-River Natives No. IX. Government NoticeNo. X. Profits of Sheep Farming |
Distance. | Time. | ||
To | Timor | 1,500 miles | 12 days. |
Java | 1,700 | 15 | |
Madras | 3,400 | 25 | |
Ceylon | 3,100 | 23 | |
Mauritius | 3,400 | 21 | |
Cape of Good Hope | 5,000 | 31 | |
Van Diemen's Land | 2,200 | 12 | |
Sydney | 2,600 | 16 |
(Signed by) | |
Wm. Locke Brockman. | Thomas N. Yule. |
E. P. Barrett Lennard. | W. B. Andrews. |
J. W. Hardy. | Henry Bull. |
Geo. Fletcher Moore. | Richard G. Meares, late Captain |
William Burges. | 2nd Life Guards |
Michael Clarkson. | |
William Tanner, Honorary Secretary. |
Mean Temperature. | No. of Days' Rain | Total Quantity of Rain in the | ||
8 A.M. | Sunset. | in the Month. | month by Pluviameter. | |
May, 1831 | 61 | 63 | 13 | 2.2015 |
June | 56 | 58 | 18 | 6.4014 |
July | 52 | 56 | 16 | 6.4453 |
Aug. | 53 | 56 | 17 | 6.6268 |
Sept. | 55 | 58 | 14 | 3.2403 |
Oct. | 58 | 59 | 11 | 1.6721 |
Nov. | 60 | 61 | 10 | |
Dec. | 62 | 63 | 7 | 0.1295 |
Jan. 1832 | 67 | 65 | 5 | 0.2652 |
Feb. | 67 | 66 | 4 | 0.8811 |
March | 65 | 66 | 13 | 0.3556 |
April | 61 | 60 | 11 | 2.5383 |
His Majesty's sloop Sulphur, 10th December, 1832. |
In 1822 it amounted to | 125,000 | lbs. | |
In 1825 it was | 411,000 | ||
In 1828 it had increased to | 834,343 | ||
In 1830 it exceeded | 991,000 | ||
And | in 1834 it is estimated at | 2,700,000 | ! |