Page:Diary of ten years.djvu/197

 179 such. "Why do you not get carpenters?" you say. Answer "They are idle or inactive in proportion to the exorbitance of their charge, (10s. a day), and you can hardly notice a day's work." This is a regular grumble; so it is, and I must claim the privilege of an Englishman to grumble. But I conclude by saying that the weather at this season is the very perfection of weather, warm days, cool nights, and dewy mornings.

To-day I got security for some money due to me, and have the power of selling a grant if not paid within a given time. There is a short-cut mode of mortgaging land here, which will make it change hands with rapidity. However, as we have nothing to do with the old feudal reasons for making land unalienable, I don't see why we should not render it as transferable as any other property. I dug up a few new potatoes, which had remained deep sown in the ground since last season; they are good.

Another ship from Van Diemen's Land, the Eagle, with provisions and a general cargo; only a few sheep, and these for slaughter.

In the evening Mr. * * * came here on business. I do not well know what to think of him: he was a man of war (I don't mean a wooden one), his words are those of a man of peace; he speaks at times as if he were averse to litigation, yet he is continually involved in it; professing puerile simplicity, yet arguing with the casuistry of a Jesuit; a linguist; (he suddenly asked me the other day what I thought was the force of the particle "Eth," in the first verse of the Hebrew Bible?) a great financier, who has proposed a desirable scheme of a bank which was to enrich us all,—the only requisite being that the Government should lend us £100,000!! Yet with his varied talents, he is a mere boatman plying on our river.

27th.—Ten at night. I have drawn my chair near the fire, and have thrown on an an additional log, that I may write