Page:Extracts from the letters and journals of George Fletcher Moore.djvu/183

 Rh three bottles of wine, at a house of entertainment near the lakes. This sounds grandly. But as a set-off, there are but fifteen casks of pork in the whole colony, and they ask 14l. for one of them. You should send pork from Ireland; it can never come at an unseasonable time.

We have had great discussions about the establishment of a bank; a prospectus has been submitted to the Governor, soliciting an advance of 5000l. on security of twenty-five solvent and responsible individuals; but his Excellency has not the power of meeting our wants and wishes, and suggests the expediency of raising the required capital by subscription among the colonists. There is a good opening here for the application of capital by moneyed men, who would receive very high discount. If the Governor could advance money to settlers on discount of bills at 5 per cent., the colony would be served in an inconceivable degree, settlers being now obliged to borrow, sometimes at 25 per cent. interest!

12th.—Great excitement has prevailed among us this morning, a loud report having been heard at a very early hour, supposed to come from a ship hourly expected with supplies.—Pshaw! it was only the accidental blowing up of a flask of gunpowder.

Some of the offices which Government had built at Perth are to be sold to settlers, and more commodious ones built at Perth, with a