Page:Cyclopedia of Western Australia, volume 1.pdf/116
I may see fit to appoint to command them will be duly notified, and that on proof of their Disobedience to such officers or of negligent performance of the Duties required of them, they will be subject, in the Absence of Martial Law, to a pecuniary fine and to Imprisonment until the same shall be liquidated. And whereas His Majesty having been graciously pleased to confide to me the Power to make all necessary Locations, and to grant unoccupied Lands within the aforesaid Territory under such Restrictions as are or may be contained in the several Instructions issued or to be issued to me by Authority of His Majesty's Government, I do hereby give Notice that the Conditions and existing Regulations under which Crown Lands will be granted will be exhibited to Public Inspection at the Offices of the Secretary to Government, and of the Surveyor of the Territory, subject to such alterations and amendments as may from time to time be ordered, and all Persons desirous of obtaining Lands or of becoming settlers for any other purposes in this Territory, are, as soon as may be practicable after their arrival in this Settlement, to appear at the Office of the Secretary to Government, and there to make application for Permission to reside in the Settlement, and all Persons found at large without having obtained such Permission will render themselves liable to be committed to Custody, and all Persons in like Manner who may intend to quit the Colony are to give a week's Notice of their Intentions to depart, upon pain of being liable to be apprehended and detained and of rendering the Master of the Ship in which they may be about to depart subject to a Fine as set forth by the Port Regulations.
God save the King!
Given under my hand and seal at Perth this 18th day of June, 1829.
L.S. James Stirling,
Lieutenant-Governor.
By His Excellency's Command,
Peter Brown,
Secretary to Government.
The proclamation was published both on the mainland (by Captain Irwin) and on Garden Island, and on the same day orders were issued confirming the appointments (all of them without salary) which had been made in the course of the voyage.
The strong winds and rough seas consequent upon the season of the year made regular and continual communication with the mainland both difficult and dangerous. It was therefore deemed wise to postpone the work of erecting the permanent settlement, and in the interval temporary buildings to house the colonists and stores were erected on Garden Island, some of which continued in occupation even after the removal of the settlement, as it was thought safer to house the bulk of the stores on the island, bringing them across from time to time as necessity required. A portion of the scrub was also cleared, and the seeds brought from England and the Cape were planted, so that, though late, they might have the advantage of the portion of the season still remaining.
During the month of July two exploring parties were sent out in order to secure all the information possible concerning the districts within easy reach of the Swan River. The first of these, under the control of Lieutenant Henry, of the "Challenger," proceeded to discover the source of the Canning River and to examine the country lying between the mountains and the sea. The party followed the river for a distance of 100 miles and found that, with trifling exceptions, the soil was well adapted to agriculture. The second expedition, under Commander Currie, explored the country south and south-east of the Swan for a distance of about ten miles, finding a river and several fresh water lakes, and further extending the area of possible cultivation.
Meanwhile Captain Stirling and his officers, having decided to found two towns, one at the mouth of the river to serve the purposes of a seaport and one farther inland as the seat of government, landed on the mainland to select suitable sites. That for the port was quickly chosen on the south bank of the Swan at its mouth, and was named Fremantle in honour of the captain of the "Challenger." The other selection proved more difficult, but after closely following the course of the Swan for some miles they finally fixed upon a spot just above the junction of the Swan and the Canning, as the best position for the seat of government, to which they gave the name of Perth, possibly out of compliment to the Secretary of State for the Colonies and to the Lieutenant-Governor, both of whom were sons of Caledonia, and possibly because the contour of the country just at that point was not unlike that of the ancient capital of Scotland.
That the site chosen was admirable in every way must be admitted, even though for the time being it was difficult of access from Fremantle, which was on the south side of the river. Overshadowed by Mount Eliza, with a broad expanse of water before it, and the river flats where Stirling had experienced difficulties in 1827 stretching out beyond it, it made an ideal spot for what was to become the capital city of a great State. No doubt the existence of these flats, which seemed to promise well for agricultural development, in part at any rate, led to the selection of that particular place. The site having been settled, notice was given that the first stone of the new town of Perth would be laid on August 12, the date of King George IV.'s birthday. The ceremony was performed by cutting down a tree on the allotment set apart for the military barracks.
During this month (August) the other vessels—the "Calista," "St. Leonard," and "Marquis of Anglesey"—arrived with settlers and stock. These as well as the first arrivals were all anxious to receive locations of land as quickly as possible, for though there was little or no opportunity of doing anything in the way of cultivation at the time they were desirous of making preparation for the following season. The SurveyorGeneral and his assistants were kept busy making rough but fairly accurate surveys of locations applied for. All these applications made the issue of land regulations imperative, and on August 28 the first Land