Page:Diary of ten years.djvu/384

 366 them, 4000 acres with a house, barn, stockyard, and 30 or 40 acres under cultivation, all for £20 a year, and I give him also 100 sheep to keep for three years on a fourth share of the increase; to the other man I let 4000 acres for five years, and I give him 200 sheep on fourths. These are surely good terms. I had the men busy in digging a drain to carry water from a piece of ground in Wright's grant, and as I was fixing some sods close to one of the men, he called out, "Look at the snake." Sure enough there was one close behind me, raising its head, and looking intently at my operations. As he described it, however, he "put an end to its speculations" by chopping it in two with the spade. The man mowing near us killed another immediately after.

Friday.—Had two public meetings on Wednesday—one to consider about giving some token of respect to our Governor on his intended leave. It was decided that a piece of plate shall be given to him, and an address be presented. The other meeting was to receive communications through Mr. Brockman from the Agricultural Society of Calcutta. I was chairman of the meeting. They sent us samples of wheat and barley; both seemed very poor, nothing like so good as we have ourselves; and the wheat was all eaten with weavil.

Friday.—Just returned from Perth. The Governor, Irwin, and some others have gone to Port Leschenhault again, in the Champion. They wanted me to go, but I could not get away.

Saturday.—I have been expecting Schoales here to-day, but he has not arrived. I wished the Britannia had arrived before the Joshua Carroll sails. I surely expect now some return from former consignments of wool, and am anxious to know what she may have brought in order to know what to send for. My official duties are really beginning to be very serious. Questions of great importance are occurring much more frequently, and more onus is thrown upon me than formerly.

Sunday.—Schoales came here in the morning. Mr. Mitchell also came to service, and he administered the sacrament. It