The Sun.
London, England, 1842-12-12 00:00:00

AUSTRALIND.

Letters and papers, coming up to the 10th of
August last, have been received from the Western
Australian Company's settlement of Australind, by
the overland mail, from India, and via Falmouth.
Nothing can be more satisfactory than the contents of
these dispatches. All the town sections and 150 of
the rural allotments had been selected, and the settlers
were permanently located on their respective pro-
perties.
The utmost activity and energy prevailed in the
settlement ; cottages, and houses were springing up in
town and country ; three hotels were in the course 1
of construction, and such was the general opinion en-
tertained throughout the colony of its flourishing
prospects, that town sections, attached to rural allot-
ments (under the denomination of " mixed allot-
ments "), and which cost the purchaser only ss. per
section were selling at 201., 251., 301., and eyen 351.
each. For some of the rural allotments large sums
have been offered, and favourite spots for gardens were
letting at a high rent.
One of the letters received remarks that,

" The pleasing feature in all these proceedings is,
that what has been done, and is doing, is the work,
not of speculators or strangers, but of our own indus-
trious settlers ; who, together with the old settlers are
purchasers of land at these high prices."
We extract the following letter from the Perth
Inquirer of the 3d August, 1842 :

" TO THE EDITOR OP THE PERTH INQUIRER.

" Sir,—Little being know at the Swan of the pro-
gress or proceedings at Australind, I take the oppor-
tunity of a few leisure minutes to say a few words on
the subject.
" Within the last few months the advancement of
this settlement has been highly creditable to the Aus-
tralindians ; indeed, I doubt even if Perth made such
progress in so short a time. The surveys are nearly
completed, houses are appearing in every direction,
farms are progressing, and indeed everything augurs
well for its future progress ; but, above all, none de-
spair, all hope for the best, and unanimously work
together for the attainment of the one desired end—
the prospering of the settlement. And why should it
not prosper? It is the finest district in the colony
as yet known; possessing good soil, good feed, and
abundance of water in the dry season. I am an-
swered, perhaps, that the hundred-acre sections can
never succeed ; but that I deny, for these reasons :
First, with regard to agriculture, why, there are but
few farms on the Swan that have even a quarter of that
quantity in cultivation • and secondly, with regard to
the cattle run, there will always be more feed in the
mountain than will be required. Then, perhaps, I
am asked, what is a man to do with any por-
tion of the north-west corner of the Com-
pany's large grant ? Why, I answer, that every
inch of the sandy lands is highly valuable for the cul-
tivation of vines, they being all of limestone formation
and well sheltered ;* moreover the anchorage in Koom-
banah Bay had been tried and found to be perfectly
safe, even in north-west gales. The estuary I grant
is shallow, but might be improved at but a trifling
expense. Indeed, if the Australindians will only
continue to act in unity, I have but little doubt that
in a few years it will be the first district not only in
the colony, but on the continent of Australia.
" One thing in favour of the settlement is, it is well
directed, for although I have not the pleasure of
knowing Mr. Clifton, the Chief Commissioner, still I
must say from what I have heard, that his exertions,
arrangements, and the personal superintendence of
everything, reflects the highest credit on himself and
the Directors of the Company.
" Another is the unity and friendship existing be-
tween the Australindians ; ever ready to assist
each other, bound together by the association of
remembrances of difficulties endured in the early
settlement of the district, and desirous of seeing
each other prosper, they will, and must succeed.
Let us therefore, of the northern district forbear our
croaking that Australind cannot succeed ; let us re-
member that on the prosperity of Australind depends
the prosperity of Western Australia—that if it fails,
Western Australia. will then be like Dr. Goldsmith's
definition of a ghost. ' A thing often talked about
but seldom seen.' The interests of Australind and
Western Australia are essentially blended together,
hand in hand must they advance, and thus, and thus
alone, will Western Australia ever be what she ought,
and earn the right of being placed among the thriving
and supporting colonies of our mother country.--I am,
Sir, your obedient servant, "DELTA."
The editor of this paper, in his remarks on this
letter, observes :—" We are glad to hear such favour-
able accounts of the progress of the settlement at
Australind. We are quite alive to the value of the
new settlement, and only join in the universal feel-
ing, when we say that we wish it every imaginable
success."
The following is an extract from a private letter
very recently received from Mr. Marshall Waller
Clifton-, the Western Australian Company's Chief
Commissioner in Australind :--
" I have unfeigned pleasure is assuring of the pros-
perity and rapid progress of this settlement. Already
full confirmation of all that I have expressed has
been given by the general and unqualified-estimation
in which our town-site and country land have been
held, and by the extraordinary value already put
upon our allotments, not by speculators, but by
people amongst us, and in the. colony. And I cannot
too strongly declare that for beauty, natural advan-
tages, and bright prospects of a rapid career to great-
ness, we have much indeed to boast of. The beauty
of our situation daily becomes more and more
striking. The forest here consists of magnificent
mahogany, red gum, and twoorta, and pepper-
mint ; though these trees are in no great num-

* A vineyard Society had been formed under the pa-
tronage.of his Excellency the Governor, for encouraging
the cultivation of the vine, and subscriptions to a eon-
siderablp amount had already been reeeiyed.

bers, they are majestic records of by-gone ages ; and
the general aspect of the country is lovely in the ex-
treme. The hill, or rather sloping bank, on which
our crescent stands, cleared of all but stately trees, is
strikingly beautiful.

" Although only two months have elapsed since I
gave out the town allotments 33 are already occupied,
and houses building; 10/. and Si. per annum ground
rent have been agreed for some on seven years leases ;
ethers sold at 251. and upwards, and Clifton and Stirl-
ing offer 501. for one in Koombany-road At present
the houses and stores constructing are only of ma-
hogany, but they are neat and comfortable. A man
who came out in the Diadem, a Cambrigeshire
thatcher, is invaluable. His thatch with rushes a
foot in thickness, is really beautiful. I hope soon
to see storehouses begun. If we should have surplus
labour from the number of emigrants, I shall com-
mence quarrying for my house, for we have lime
stone within half a mile from where it will stand.
The granite and quartz and other stone on the hills is
seven miles from the town only, and eventually no
doubt will be used. Clay for bricks and tiles we have
also in abundance. The soil on the flats of the river is
most excellent, and even the sand before my cottage
windows in a garden, having only Koombany-road
between it and the estuary, is exceedingly fertile. I
have now coming on in it the finest crop of potatoes
and peas I ever saw ; and I. hope in three months to
see it covered with melons, and water-melons.

" The gardens reserved on the other side of Bruns-
wick-street, under the hill, I am getting cleared by
degrees. I have given the officers gardens in it, and
all are at work in leisure hours to bring it into culti-
vation. The houses building on the Brunswick
will have the most splendid garden-ground around
them. I hope, the moment I have a pair of oxen, to
clear the inclosure in Victoria-square and the flat at
the Brunswick end of the Park, and to get wheat next
season and potatoes for the general supply of the emi-
grants and the establishment 251. seems the mini-
mum price of an allotment here."