THE TAMELIA DENOUNCED FOR SMUGGLING. 243 



tliis: — At the sound our captain found a letter from 

 the consuhar agent at Freemantle, directed to the 

 captain of any American whaler who might first 

 touch at tlic port. The purport of the missive formed 

 a caution to the barque Pamelia's master not to 

 enter any port in the Australian colonies, as her 

 smuQ-o-lina: tobacco on her last visit to Vasse had 

 been divulged, and vessel and cargo thereby forfeited 

 to the crown. The other party concerned, to whom 

 the tobacco had been delivered, and placed aboard the 

 brig Champion, had had his brig seized, and was 

 heavily mulcted beside, for his part in the nefarious 

 transaction. lie is a man well to do, and at the time 

 of the smuggling was fulfilling heavy contracts with 

 the English government; supplying them with tim- 

 ber for the construction of the railroad from Ade- 

 laide to Melbourne. 



This is no unusual method of turning a penny, 

 amongst those who visit this coast ; and I have seen 

 more than one instance of it. In some cases, the autho- 

 rities wink at the fraud committed against the govern- 

 ment ; and, as the party who is fortunate enough to 

 escape conviction trebles or quadruples the amount 

 of his outlay, the temptation is strong to engage in 

 the illicit traffic. 



Beside this budget of shipping news, it was said by 

 the inhabitants of Albany, that gold in considerable 

 quantities had been discovered by shepherds, about 

 one hundred and fifty miles distant in the interior, and 

 that a party was preparing to visit this El Dorado. 



At 2 o'clock in the afternoon of the 11th the boat 

 returned ; and, bracing forward, we stood to the 

 westward, in hopes of seeing the Pamelia before she 



