Helena weekly herald. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1867-1900, 1884-05-01
Vanderbilt the Second.

Almost every American paper which
reaches us antipodal readers, says Mel
bourne, Australia, correspondent, bears the
name of Vanderbilt Estimates of his
wealth crop out periodically, and ring the
changes on hundreds of millions, from one
to two with half and quarter stops. Only
in such favored country as this or the
United States could such a fortune as $780,
000, 900 be collected in two litetimes. say
this" for we OF the colony of Victoria
have man as rich, maybe richer than
your Vanderbilt, and it is my purpose this
in letter to give readers an opportunity to
contrast the men. About tOrty-six years
ago farmer named Clarke left the shores
of England for Tasmania, for the purpose
of farming, and taking with him consider
able capital and being in addition re-
markable judge Of sheep and cattle. He
appears to have failed on this island, and as
the Tasmanans were forming new settle
ment on the shores of the great Australian
continent, near Port Philip, he determined
to try his fortunes there Where the Queen
City of the South, Melbourne, with its
100000 inhabitants, now stands, was then
a waste, inhabited by the savage and the
kangaroo. Clarke at this time received
from distant relative a considerable sum
of money, which he Immediately invested
in land in the vicinity of Melbourne, then
called "Baoegrass" AS the colonial gov
ernment of New South Wales granted So
600 acres at the uniform price of five shil-
lings per acre. Clarke Immediately invested
his legacy in one of these immense blocks
and thus laid the foundation of his gigan-
tic fortune This was in 1S4O, and for
several years he continued to farm and to
take up sheep and cattle stations in the
then uninhabited regions of Australia Fe-
lix, now the colony of Victoria. He al
ways attended the government land sales,
and bought largely in the Ballarat district,
where the richest gold mines in Australia
are situated. The discovery of gold at
Mount Alexander and Ballarat increased
his growing wealth, as he exacted rigidly a
tribute or royalty for permission to mine on
his coveted lands, and he thus obtained
immense sums.
Never were riches more worthily be-
slowed. He continued till the time of his
death, 1864, to bay lambs, sell merinO wool
and deal in cattle. His son succeeded to
this vast inheritance, which comprised at
his fathers death, 100000 merino sheep,
100000 cattle, and nearly 100000 acres of
freehold lands, and leasehold of crown
lands. equal in area to that of England.
The probable duty paid to the various
colonial governments was calculated on an
estate valued at $50,000,O0O, although this
was not more than half of its real value.
His son, the present Lord RupertwOOd, has
by his care and attention quadrupled this
vast fortune. When the Duke of Edin-
bnrgh and the sons of the Prince of Wales
visited Australia, they were feasted right
royalty at RupertswoOd, the family seat
and Queen Victoria created him Baron Ru-
pertswood of Rupertswood, in the Colony
of Victoria, and peer of the United
Kingdom. Without exaggeratiOn the Aus
tralian is worth 100000, 900, and the influx
of population is adding daily to his wealth.
His generosity is unbOunded. The chari-
table institutions at Melbourne and the
colonies owe him great debt of gratitude
for his iberality. RupertswoOd, the seat
of this bucolic Australian, is superb, and
can compare with any residence in the
Old or New World, its estimated cost being
S4000000