The Express.
London, England, 1846-12-02 00:00:00

COLONIAL.

COLONEL GAWLER AND THE COLONY OF
SOUTH AUSTRALIA.
Sir,—Among the Editorial articles in your journal
of Saturday last, there is one in reference to the
colony of South Australia, which, in the great body
of its observations, is, so far as it goes, most correct.
As having been led to look somewhat closely into
colonial history, and moreover, as being of necessity
intimately acquainted with the progress and prospects
of South Australia, I can bear witness with confidence
that, in proportion to its age as a British possession,
there has not appeared in modern times so fine and
promising a colony. A population of about 23,000
souls, and exports of its own produce amounting in
value, for the first quarter of this year, to 101,718/. 135.,
in the course of the tenth year only of absolute ex-
istence, are results which modern society has never
before seen, and which, even in the energetic days of
Phcenician, Grecian, and Roman colonization, were
probably never, in any very distant settlement,
equalled.
While, however, your article is very correct in its
commendation of South Australia, it is, I assure you,
most incorrect and unjust in some subordinate sen-
tences of its observations. As the weight of this
inaccuracy bears upon me, I must beg leave to set the
matter in its right position. The sentences to which
I refer, stand as follows :
During the ten years of its existence, South Australia has fre-
quently been the object of vehement attacks. We have no intention
to deny that there was often good cause fur severe criticism. Mt,
management on the part of those to whom its direction was at fleet
entrusted, and an unlucky spirit of gambling speculation that arose
among the settlers, rendered the cokmy at one time fairly bankrupt.
In the hitherto short history of South Australia, no
one is the "direction " of its affairs has ever been
" the object of frequent and vehement attacks "0 in
this country, but myself. Taking, therefore, your
censures to myself, I must offer to them, with a few
additional observations, the following letter on the
same subject, which appeared lately in the Times, and
which I beg you to do me the favour to insert in your
columns: . . _

Sir,—ln your City Article of this morning, under the head of
"Late Advitios from South Australia," a comparison is drawn be-
tween the expenditure and produce of that colony for the yearn 1540
and 1645 respectively, in apparent censure of the former, and praise
by " contrast ', of the latter. As the responsibility of the former rests
upon me, I would offer a few words on this subject. A man's public
reputation is cf no small importance to him, if it only be in reference
to the future work into which, in the providence of God, he may be
thrown.

The year 1840 was the fourth only of the absolute existence of
South Australia as a British possession. I found it in 1838, with the
exception of two or three small patches near the sea shore, an unex-
plored, intricate wilderness. Settlers poured in by thousands, and
land was meet rapidly purchased, sufficient to occupy the available
tracts of a district as large as our borne principality of Wales. The
colonists were certainly in a state of bitter, not to ray fierce, political
&menden •. the original Barre,' Department bad resigned, and my
means of meeting the emergency consisted of one young draughts.
man for the office, and one retired corporal of Sappers for the field ;
the latter a fine fellow certainly, who would have answered all my
purposes If I could have cut him up Into tenor twenty living
but who, unhappily for me, was not thus divisible. Bcsiiati°thenst
difficulties, the original tents, instruments, See., were almost
wholly destroyed; provisions and wages wets immensely high, there
were very few draught animals in the province, and the nearest
points of supply for almost everything required were at distances of
from 1,000 to 1,500 miles acmes astormy and very indifferently known
ocean. Let any intelligent man realise in his mind such a position,
aiding to my very brief sketch of it all three circumstances connected
with a new climate, country, and community, which I have not space
to describe, and let him judge whether it was possible to meet and
conquer such an emergency without a great outlay. I certainly did
overcome It; for, when 1 left the province in 1841, the latest de-
mands for land were, after immense exertion, in the very act of being
answered.

Ina leading article which your Journal did me the favour, with
much good feeling towards me, to devote to the subject in October,
1044, witness was borne to this fact. The article says of me, " Had
the eternal solitudes of Australia been as fleeting and precarious as a

• The vehement attacks of which we spoke were directed against
the colony. The " severe criticise' " on those to whom its direction
was intrusted, was directed more against Colonel Gawlor's employers
than himself, who was but a subordinate agent.