Page:Diary of ten years.djvu/167

 149 pound cleared. We are badly off for broad sharp hooks, which are better than sickles; send me some by the next vessel. Few persons have had bread for some time past here; so that I eat some new bread and fresh-churned butter-milk with great goût to-day.

12th.—The dogs killed a long-tailed, yellow-spotted guana, and a black one: the first had eggs. I shot a quail and a white cockatoo, and after this sport went to dine with Mackie, having to swim across the river as my boat was not at my side of it. On my return, I looked out for my boat, when lo, being at cross purposes, it had changed sides again; I had to swim the second time—how fortunate that there are neither alligators nor sharks in the river!

13th.—Captain Irwin dined with me this day, and while we were at dinner several of my friends popped in. I understand that a petition has been sent to council from Fremantle, praying that the court should be held alternately there and in Perth.

16th.—A boat came up bringing news of the arrival of a small schooner (the Governor Bourke), in which I returned, but did not arrive at Perth till nine at night on Monday. I took down with me some new wheat, the first in the market; sold one bushel for £1; which some praised, and others blamed me for selling so cheap. I sold at the same time, eight pounds of butter, at 3s. per pound, and could not help marvelling at the small size of the luxury which sold for 24s., compared with the bulk of the necessary, which only brought 20s. Much money might be made of a dairy here.

18th.—I went to the postmaster's, hardly expecting letters; but imagine my delight and surprize at getting letters from my dear father and you, of dates from the 1st of August to the 29th of November, 1831, and half-a-dozen papers of different dates—one so late as the 10th of March, 1832. I have had letters from you of later dates before, but these explain many allusions and circumstances in the subsequent