THE SETTLEMENT OF PORTLAND BAY 83 



such restrictions as the Government might prescribe. The only 

 concession he asked was that, in view of the great expenditure he 

 had already incurred and still further to be faced, the Government 

 would accept a deposit of 5 per cent, of the purchase-money and 

 allow him ten years to pay the balance, which was meanwhile to 

 be secured by mortgage and to bear interest at the rate of 5 per 

 cent, per annum. As an indication of his bona fides, he proposed, 

 on the acceptance of these conditions, to surrender to the Crown 

 the 84,000 acres to which he was entitled in Western Australia. 

 Seeing how universally the principle of deferred payment for the 

 purchase of Crown lands, even without interest, has been adopted 

 by Colonial Parliaments, it cannot be said that there was anything 

 unreasonable in this proposal. Governor Arthur undoubtedly 

 favoured it as strongly as his official position would allow him. 

 He ventured to say in his despatch to the Colonial Secretary that 

 he thought it most desirable the country indicated should be 

 settled. It was fertile and well watered, within easy reach of 

 Launceston, and offered a prospect for the extensive development 

 of sheep breeding which might soon render Great Britain indepen- 

 dent of the Continental supply of wool. He was outspoken enough 

 also to say that he thought the respectability, the enterprise and 

 the misfortunes of the applicant deserved the generous support of 

 the Government. 



It was evident, too, from the tenor of his despatch, that he was 

 not without some expectation of extending the sphere of his own 

 importance by acquiring a sort of supervision of the proposed new 

 settlement, as an appanage of Tasmania, though some of the reasons 

 assigned are not such as Victorians would readily endorse. He 

 politely offered his services in that direction, if acceptable to the 

 Government, promising to see that all necessary measures were 

 taken for making the occupation a means to secure the protection 

 and promote the civilisation of the aborigines. But neither the 

 equity of Mr. Henty's claim nor the bid for the support of Exeter 

 Hall availed anything. The memorial was met by a formal expres- 

 sion of regret that Sir George Grey saw no sufficient grounds to 

 warrant the admission of the claim. 



Meanwhile Mr. Henty, having probably realised from the 



6* 



