BY JAMES B. WALKER. 119 



be expected by raising grain ; and to promote the seal 

 fishery." 



There is no doubt that Governor King was in peribct 

 accord with the Home Government in his apprehension uf 

 French designs, and in his policy of anticipating them by 

 occupying important points "for political reasons,"* 



Already, in January of this very year the Authorities in 

 Downing-street had determined to form a settlement at 

 Port Phillip, and had selected Lieut.-Coi. J3avitl Collins 

 to be its Lieutenant-Governor, and the date corresponds 

 with the communications that King had made to the 

 English Government with respect to Baudin's expedition. 



Five months later (24th June, 1803), in consequence of soo Memo, of 

 King's despatch of 23 November, 1802, informing the p. m.^' ^'''^' 

 Admiralty of the report that the French were about to 

 colonise Van Diemen's Land, Lord Hobart insrructed the 

 Governor to remove part of the establishment at Norfolk 

 Island to Port Dairy mple, " the advantageous position of Hobart lo King, 

 which, upon the southern coast of Van Diemen's Land and \t.l2x ' ^^'^' 

 near the eastern entrance of Bass' Straits, renders it, in a 

 political view, pecuharly necessary that a settlement should 

 be formed there." The amusing confu-iion of localities 

 does not say much for the state of geograpliir-al knowledge 

 at Downing-street, but the anxiety of the (iovernment 

 to anticipate French action is very clearly imiicated. 



The Governor's mind was now firmly made up to 

 establish a colony at the Derwent, but some months were 

 yet to elapse before he could carry out his jilans. One of 

 his difficulties had been to find, out of the slend(M' 

 establishment at Port Jackson, a com})etont ofilicer t<> 

 whom he could entrust the command cf the intended 

 settlement. The arrival of H.M.S. Glalton at Sydney, 

 in March, 1803, relieved him from this embarrassment. 

 There was on board the Glatton a Lieutenant who had 

 made several voyages to the colony, and so fur back as 

 1792 had been engaged in conveying cattle and pro- 

 visions from Bengal to New South Wales in the Atlantic 

 storeship, at a time of great scarcity .t He was a son of 



* Sn; Professor Soelcy on Najtolcon's intentions in tlu' wiir lliiit 

 ensuod on the rupture of the Peace of Amiens, 18tli Muy, 180;j. 

 Exp. of England, p. .34. 



t So Mr. BonM'iek, who gives an extract of a letter from Bowen 

 to the Under-Secretary of State, dated from the store.«hi)> Atlanfir^ 

 March 1792; Collins, however, given tlie name of the Adniinilty 

 Agent on board the Atlantic as Richard Bo\\iii. ("ollin.s, New 

 South Wales, i., 174. 



