The Sun.
London, England, 1841-08-14 00:00:00

AUSTRAL IND.

2xtract Despatch from the Company's Chief Commis-
sioner to the Directors, dated Australind, Port LeSche-
nault, 30th March, 1841 :
" The anchorage of Port of Leschenault is much bet-
ter than I expected, and affords complete shelter, ex-
cepting from winds from N. by E. to W., and by N. or
W.N.W., to-large ships, lying in four and a half or five
Fathoms, or to smaller ones, lying further in, round to
Y.W.; but as the ground is d!ear of rocks, an I is good
holding ground, whalers have lain at it through the win-
ter months, and it has become a place of such resort for
,American whalers, carrying on their operations in Geo-
graphe Bay and along this coast, that it is stated to me
that 400 arrivals of vessels calling here took place dur-
ing last year ; this fact I eannk vouch for, but I can, po-
sitively state on the authority t Mr. Eliot, the Govern-
ment Resident at this port, the. a few days before I ar-
rived fourteen whalers and it #4II vessel were anchored
7==4estu •
in the port at one time ; at tb.o t, ,ample nt thcre.aie
three large ships besides the Parkfield at the anchorage.
" The bar at the entrance of the inlet, as the Board
jefore understood, has no great depth of water upon it,
but it is so protected that, excepting in heavy gales from
,he northward, it has but little surf upon it, and none in
the deepest part of the Channel ; it is therefore passable
by boats at almost all times. The stores shipped here
in the Parkfield, and the cargo, as far as at present
landed from her, have all passed in safety in the ship's
cutter, in the whale boats, and in a large Hat boat which
had been prepared for our use.
" The depth of water inside the bar is very consider-
able for some way up the inlet, and not less, as far as I
can learn, than two or three fathoms any where in the
Channel, as far as above Australind. I have ordered
an accurate survey to be made of the whole inlet, with as
much despatch as possible, above the point to which the
French Chart extends, showing the depth of water in
the Channel; and I shall take all other practical means
to ascertain its capabilities or deficiencies. The inlet is
a most beautiful piece of water of thirteen or fourteen
miles in length, expanding, at a mile or two from its
entrance, to a mile and a mile and a half in breadth. It
is separated from the sea by a narrow, but high and pic-
turesque ridge of limestone and sand, of broken outline,
and generally covered with timber and vegetation; and
is bounded on the east principally by the grants of Sir
James Stirling and that which was purchased of Colonel
Lautour,—the latter rising gradually from almost the
water's edge, (in some places to the height of 120 feet)
and covered with fine timber. The rivers Preston and
Collie, both navigable for many miles up, discharge
themselves into the inlet on the eastern side; and the
Brunswick, also navigable for many miles, which runs
through the whole of Colonel Lautour 's Grant, (now the
Company's property), falls into the Collie a little above
its embouchure. As the rise and fall of tide here is
not considerable, the inlet has none of the character of
creeks of. England, being full to the edge of the shore
and clear of weed. It is absolutely full of the finest fish,
and abounds with black swans, ducks of various kinds,
and other aquatic birds.
" The site on which Mr. Austin is engaged in marking
out the town, is that indicated to him in the instructions
which I gave him under the sanction of the Board be-
fore he left England ; and I assure the Board, that it is
not only the best which could be found, but it is beauti-
ful and desirable in all respects, excepting that its dis,
tance up the inlet is inconsiderable, being, as I estimate,
about five miles ; but even in this respect, it is better
situated in reference to the .port than Perth, which is
sixteen miles from Freemantle, outside of which, and of
the bar of the Swan, Gage's Roads are the only anchorage,
excepting the more distant one of Cockburn Sound, at
which ships for the river can lie. A small iron steamer
would obviate this inconvenience, and be of treat advan-
tage to every one who might be located up the inlet, or
on the Collie or Brunswick. The undulating nature of
the ground on which the town site is marked out, rising,
as bfore stated, in some places to 120 feet, affording
limestone for building on the spot. and fine soil on the
Brunswick, which, at the back of the town site, ap-
proaches the inlet to within three quarters of a mile,
with abundance of water by digging anywhere a few
feet, and with superiority to flood, altogether render it
a most promising and desirable position for a town. I
have not yet, of course, had time to survey the country-
hind generally, but I have traced the Brunswick from its
junction with the Collie for three miles, where it is
thirty or forty yards wide, and on its banks found the
finest land I have seen in Australia. Some of my party
have traced this river (which Captain Grey stated he
could not find), for six or seven miles, and it was still a
Lyonsiderable stream now, at the end of this (extraordi-:
nary) dry season : and their reports, and the opinion
current in the colony, speak most favourably of the, value
of land on its banks, and generally of the grants pur-
chased of Colonel Lautour and Sir James Stirling, and
an additional one on the Collie, recently purchasd for
the Company.. I need not add that the climate of this
part of the country is acknowledged to be finer than that
of almost any other part of Australia. Such is the posi-
tion in which Australind is fixed, and God grant that it
may become a prosperous city.
" The gentlemen who have come out with me as set-
tlers, and the emigrants one and all, are delighted with
the decision - that has been come to ; and several now
tell me (Mr. Birch, a settler, in particular), that after
what they had heard of the district to the northward,
and have seen of this, they would have quitted me here
if I had gone to Port Grey.
" Now, I have every reason to believe I shall keep the
whole colony together ; for there are so few grants vet
settlersto tlie B Board
mt e, exemplaryttheir
brought into use in this part, that I do not fear the dis-
persion of my people to any extent. I have before re-
portedeorfa
tti
nh gen-
tlemenwii
me on all occasions, and their promise to devote their
whole time to the general good till their lands can be
zealous
chosen ; and it would be unjust to the emigrants if I
did not again speak highly of their conduct since we have
been at this port. They are now actively tit work in as-
sisting to land. the cargo and bring it up by water to
Australind. I hope to locate them all there in a few
days, in tents or temporary huts, which I shall allow
them to build, to fill up the vacancies among the men
forming the Surveying Establishment from th most de-
serving, and to employ the remainder in objects for the
general good till they find profitable employment among
the settlers, allowing them, during that time, rations ac-
cording to the Directors' orders.
" During my long ride to Perth and back, by different
routes through the bush, I saw no country, except that
on the Murray, which can be compared with this imme-
diate district, and it is perfectly clear to ins that there is
a splendid opportunity for the beneficial employment of
capital in it. The minor object of gardening even, to
which hardly any attention has yet been paid, would re-
turn an ample profit. Every whaler on the coast would
call here frequently for vegetables, fruits, and other re-
freshments if they could get them ; at present.they
tually pay here 251. per ton for potatoes and 20/. per ton
for onions ; and the more important branches of stock
and sheep rearing can no where in Australia be carried
on with greater prospect of success than here."
Extract Despatch from same to same. Dated Australind,

"In addition to m6tyh letter olfB:tthi.e 30th ult., detailing
the circumstances under which I have taken upon myself,
in conjunction with his Excellency the Governor, to
found Australind on the original site, up Leschenault
Inlet, I have the utmost satisfaction in acquainting you,
for the information of the Directors of the Western Aus-
tralian Company, that every hour confirms the wisdom
of the choice of position for the settlement 'which has
thus been made. The navigation of the inlet will be
perfectly easy by steamers and boats, so that communi-
cation with the roadstead and sea is complete. Inland
navigation for many miles, by the Brunswick and Collie,
is better by very far than in any other position which
could have been chosen, and as the Preston also is navi•
gable for some miles up, and discharges itself into the
inlet, communication with the district it waters is like-
wise accomplished.
" If a dam were constructed in the Brunswick, within
the town site, to shut out the passage of sea-water, there
would be, I am at present informed, no difficulty in hav-
ing the river full of fresh water to the town at all seasons
of the year, as it is at present during the rainy season ;
but such is the facility of obtaining water any where in
the town site, that it is only necessary to sink a well three
or four feet, and an abundant supply is immediately
yielded of most excellent quality. As soon as I pitched
the first tent in the situation in which I determined to
place my establishment, I sunk a well about five feet deep
and then placed a small cask in it; the cask immediately
filled and keeps full of delicious water, though sometimes
we have taken eight or ten bucketsfull out of it at a time,
and in one day upwards of fifty buckets full; and another
small well, sunk within a few yards from the edge of the
Estuary, also yields excellent water; in fact, it may be
found in every part of the town site, the depth of the well
being, of course, regulated with reference to the height
of the ground in which it is sunk. The town site is really
in every direction beautiful; its western front, looking
across the inlet, is commanding and the view delightful ;
its eastern view on the Brunswick is picturesque and
full of charm, and the south-eastern angle has a most
romantic view up and down the Collie and the junction
of the Brunswick, which almost surpasses any thing I
have ever seen. The land rises boldly from the edge of
the Collie, and that part of the town will be sixty or
eighty feet at least above the stream. Limestone crops
out on the tops of some of the hills, and exists in others.
Every part of the town site is superior to flood, and
consequently affords facility for drainage. The only
land in the town which bears the least appearance of
being wet is on the banks of the Brunswick, not from
floods, but from under-springs. It is the finest land I
ever saw, and as I propose to make public gardens,
&c., on this part of the stream adjoining the town.
as enjoined by my instructions, I have lent a part of it