Page:The Perth Gazette and Western Australian Journal 1(14).djvu/3

 THE PERTH GAZETTE, AND WESTERN AUSTRALIAN JOURNAL.

REPORTED AFFRAY WITH THE NATIVES. On Tuesday last it was generally reported that an affray had taken place the day previously between the soldiers and the natives, near the flats, and it was confidently stated at Fremantle, that several of them were shot; on enquiry, however, we find the statement to be incorrect, and the following are the simple facts:—

On Saturday last, Yagan taking advantage of Mr. Watsons absence from home, he entered the house, and offered such violence as occasioned Mrs. Watsons hurrying in great agitation to the house of a neighbour for protection; finding his intention defeated, he endeavoured to remove her suspicions by calling her back and exclaiming "White Woman, very good!—good bye!"—but when he found his efforts unavailing, he made off in a different direction.

The report of this occurrence reaching the ears of Capt. Ellis, the Superintendent of the native tribes, he, accompanied by Mr. Norcott and two soldiers took advantage of the first appearance of Yagan in the town of Perth, on the Monday, to conduct him with other natives to Mr. Watson's house, for the purpose of explaining to them the punishment which would attend a repetition of such an attempt as Yagan had been guilty of; however, on reaching the spot, Yagan, who had been entrapped once before, conscious of his offence, and apprehending danger, started into the bush followed by the others of his tribe. Ryan one of the privates of the 63d. misunderstanding Capt. Ellis's order hastily fired, but without injuring any of them;—Captain Ellis rode after them, but could not prevail upon them to return. Yagan and Migo (the man who was supposed to have been wounded), have since been in the town, and the whole affair which has been magnified into a desperate attack upon the natives, has thus ended as the mere idle gossip of the day.

Some sheep we hear have been speared at the Honorable Peter Brown, Esq.'s farm; Capt. Ellis has been in the neighbourhood for the last two days, but we believe without having been successful in his endeavours to seize the perpetrators.

The Norval, Capt. Ross, arrived at Launceston last week from Sydney, with a detachment of the 21st or North British Fusileers, which had gone out with prisoners to New South Wales, and are now forwarded to this place where the regiment is to be stationed, to succeed the 63d regiment. It is understood, however, that the latter regiment will not embark for India as formerly, before the full complement of the regiment to succeed them in the colony has arrived. The detachment by the Norval, consists of Capt. Daniell, Lieutenant Stuart, 1 sergeant, 1 corporal, 27 privates, also 7 children. They left the Downs on the 31st of August.—The Hobart Town Courier.

FOR SALE. THE Cutter rigged boat &apos;SUCCESS&apos; carrying 3 tons, with sails, mast, chain cable, and anchor,—Price 35 Guineas cash, or 40 Guineas in barter for live stock, or useful articles of provisions.—Apply to
 * W. GIBBS, Perth.

We made some remarks a few weeks ago upon the subject, of our improvements and the scarcity of money owing to the absence of a proper circulating medium; we also intimated that our eastern friends were suffering under the same difficulty, which the following extract from the Hobart Town Courier of the l5th Feb. fully confirms.

"It is a fact probably not very generally known to the reader, that many, indeed most of the United States of America have incurred debts with London contractors for large loans advanced on them. Thus in Oct. last, the state of Louisiana contracted a new loan (one of a similar amount having alreadly been contracted) with the great house of Baring and & Co. for 7 millions of dollars. The contract was taken in New Orleans at 106 per cent, for a 5 per cent. stock with a fixed period of redemption. We would wish particularly to draw this fact before the notice of our readers, in hopes that some measures of the kind would be adopted either through the negotiation of the government or a respectable company of individuals or banking house, by which the repayment of the money and interest to the lender might be securely guaranteed. A loan of this kind would be one of the most glorious things that could be done for this colony. The settlers would then be able to obtain the means of carrying on their improvements at a fair rate of interest, instead of the usurious exactions to which they have been subjected, so exorbitant that they could seldom or never after extricate themselves from the load so brought upon them. In this latter way fortunes have been made by certain griping hands, who having filled their pockets and made their arrangements, take their flight to drain our poor island annually of a portion of its best and most sterling produce.

This is the terrible draw-back that is daily gaining head against us, and scarce a vessel now quits our shores that does not bear with it some one or the other capitalist of this description holding us fast by the more than iron bonds of parchment to pay our annual tribute. They are the very worst species of members that a community can possess—they are absolute drones upon its industry, for they do nothitg—they may be known by never on any occasion laying out a shilling on tiny colonial improvement whatever. So far from cultivating the land—so far from making corn grow where the wild waste formerly spread itself, though rolling in wealth, they will not even afford themselves a house but live in a hired one for fear of encroaching on the accumulating capital. The most remarkable feature belonging to them is, that their love of money should allow them to draw the limit, and should at last permit them to leave the scene of their golden source to spend a portion profitless in the mother country. This has always appeared to us a most singular anomaly, though a most unfortunate one for this country. If a loan of the kind we propose, and which our worse than useless Van Diemen s land company started to effect, could be negotiated with a respectable house at home, these 20 and 30 per cent, gentry would soon be brought to their proper bearings. Their mortgages and encumbrance upon us would be speedily paid off, and they would at last be reduced to the 2½ per cent, from the funds, instead of ten times the amount sucked away from us in wool, oil or treasury bills, which they now of necessity do. We must either be more economical, more saving, and less enterprise in colonial improvement, or bring about the equitable measure we propose, or we may prepare ourselves to sink to the same wretched state in which absentee Ireland is now reduced."

We have as yet no loans at exorbitant and ruinous interest to encumber us, and now the rock upon which our neighbours have split is clearly laid down for us, it will be a lasting reproach if we strike upon it. An accomodation of some description we plainly avow is essential to our advancement, but it must be on such terms as will render the benefit reciprocal. After this cautio those who submit to become the victims of the overbearing mortgagee richly deserve, to wear the shackles their imprudence had forged.

The panic, as it may be called, which has existed in Hobart Town for the last two or three months owing to the depreciated state of trade and currency begins gradually now to subside. While according to our custom, we candidly came forward with the truth and acknowledged the distressed condition the colony was in, we carefully avoided any observation that might tend to aggravate the pressure by needless alarm, We recommended, and do still most strenuously recommend, the exercise of the strictest economy, which coupled with the application of persevering industry, we were convinced would ultimately alleviate the burden. The discounting of bills and other usual means of obtaining pecuniary aid, to carry on colonial improvments, were not, we shewed, detrimental in themselves, except when carried to excess, as they stand so materially to stimulate industry—to call into operation the best and truest productive species of all capital, that of labour. The general advancement of the colony—the intrinsic value of property in the island—the wealth of nations, as Adam Smith would call it, is by that means permanently ensured. The chief evils to be apprehended, are lest the eagerness of the settler should carry him too rapidly forward with his improvements so as to get beyond his depth as it were, and not to be able afterwards to recover himself, and lest the lender of money drawing too great an interest or bonus for the loan, especially if he himself has not a fixed stake in the colony—if he be not a family man so as to retain him a settler, and prevent him from becoming a rich absentee abroad, to drain us annuall of our best returns, should accumulate too large a portion of the general wealth, and become at last the enormous, uncompromising capitalist, ultimately to bring on our island the same evils which from the same unnatural cause, so much oppress the mother country—Hobart Town Courier.

The present year seems likely to be more rife of joint stock companies than any other since disastrous 1825; but those now announced, instead of being, as then, for any purpose under the suit, take 'the form and pressure of the time;' they are all either for the promotion of steam travelling, or of colonization. A prospectus has been issued for a general steam carriage company, totally distinct from the one already noticed, whose operations were to be confined to the immediate neighbourhood of the metropolis; this, on the contrary, is to extend the blessings of rapid locomotion to all parts of the United Kingdom. The railway companies likewise appear to be tolerably flourishing; but the schemes which take the best of all, are those which chime in with the prevailing rage for emigration. The Australian and Van Diemen s Land Companies (now some years established) seem to be sufficient for those distant colonies, this is quite correct—we have quite sufficient of these companies in these colonies—notwithstanding the able men, Sir E. Parry, and Mr. Curr, who conduct them), but the Canada company will for the future have to contend with a powerful rival in the shape of a similar association, which will, however, leave the upper province to its older competitor, and confine its operation exclusively to Lower Canada. It is entitled the British American Land Company, and has been chiefly set on foot by Mr. Galt (author of Annals of the Parish, and innumerable other works) who was formerly agent to the original company. The new scheme has had brilliant success hitherto, and has been warmly welcomed by the inhabitants of the colony, which it is the object of its promoters to improve. Besides this, a New Brunswick Land Company has also been announced, and within these few days, a Central American Company. We are afraid so many speculations will only tend to the ruin of each other; but at any rate, they present no insignificant 'sign of the times.'—Mechanics Mag.

A company is projected at Paris of capitalists and resolute men, instructed in science and the arts, for the purpose of proceeding to Africa, and forming an establishment, to be put into immediate and direct communication with the nations of the interior, and to enter into commercial relations that they may terminate the war between the Arabs and the Franks, and be susceptible of very extensive diffusion.