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The Government agreed to bear the cost of the civil and military officers necessary, but allowed them to take land in lieu of pay.

These conditions seem to be liberal enough to have ensured success to any capably-managed expedition. Yet that was not the result of Mr. Peeks project. Although anticipating somewhat, it may be advisable to complete the story. The first shipment of immigrants and stock, under the charge of Mr. Peel, arrived in the colony toward the end of 1829. Owing to lack of management on the part of the promoter, and to his failure to provide those whom he had brought with food and clothing according to his contract with them, most of them deserted and struck out for themselves. In fact, almost from the date of their landing it was evident that the project was doomed to failure. Beyond merely bringing the people out Peel failed to fulfil any of the conditions of his agreement with the Government, and in consequence endless litigation ensued. Finally, on September 25, 1834, he made formal application to the Governor for a grant of 250,000 acres of land on conditions of general improvement.

In compliance with this request he was granted on November 25 following the fee simple of the land now known as Cockburn Sound Location 16, "in consideration of certain location duties performed to the satisfaction of Governor Stirling." Here he settled down in solitary grandeur, an embittered and disappointed man, doing little or nothing to improve his vast estate, and died at Mandurah some thirty years later in comparatively indigent circumstances.

Apparently a second proposal to establish a settlement in Western Australia was made about the same time, with abortive results, by Mr. Nathaniel Ogle. In his work "The Colony of Western Australia," published in 1839, he says:—"The writer in 1828-9 was desirous, from private information he had received, to emigrate, with nearly 1,000 well-selected companions, to Leschenault and La Vasse. A frigate of nearly 1,700 tons, built at Archangel for the Greeks, was selected. The capital ready was ample. It was deemed necessary to require the use of the ship on the coast for three years to supply the colony with labourers, cattle, and provision. The Government, after much correspondence, refused them permission to use their ship for that period because she was foreign built; which caused the expedition to be abandoned—to his great and lasting regret."

Concurrently with the negotiations with private parties the Government pushed on the official arrangements for the inception of the new colony. Owing to the personal knowledge of the country which he possessed and the enthusiasm he showed in advocating its claims it was felt that the administration could not be entrusted to any other than Captain Stirling. A Scotchman by birth and a naval officer of many years' standing, he had gained a good deal of colonial experience in the colony of New South Wales, and had been instrumental in forming the settlements in the north and south of that territory. He was therefore peculiarly fitted to undertake the duties attendant upon the control of the new venture. At first it was a matter of consideration whether he should be merely a Civil Superintendent or should have the larger powers of a Lieutenant-Governor. By the time the conditions of settlement were laid down the latter title was decided upon as being the more suitable, and it was also decided to award him a priority of choice of 100,000 acres as some recompense for the services he had already rendered. This consisted of the whole of Garden Island, with the exception of such portions as might be required for Crown purposes, together with sufficient land in the neighbourhood of Cape Naturaliste necessary to make up the full grant.

At the time he received no definite commission as Lieutenant-Governor. In place of that he received a letter of appointment and instruction which was dated December 30, 1828, and which held good for something over two years, until, in fact, March 5, 1831, when the first commission was issued appointing him Governor and Commander-in-Chief of Western Australia. The reason for the adoption of this course was explained in a despatch forwarded to Stirling by the Secretary of