138 A HISTORY OF THE COLONY OF VICTORIA 



hitherto been pursued, and gives cogent reasons for its reconsidera- 

 tion. He points out that the wool of New South Wales forms, 

 and is long likely to continue, its chief source of wealth. It is only 

 by a free range over the wide expanse of native herbage that the 

 production of this staple can be upheld at its present rate of 

 increase, and the proprietors of thousands of acres are already 

 finding it necessary to send large flocks outside the present author- 

 ised boundaries of location to preserve them in health and condi- 

 tion. One of two courses must be followed if the present restriction 

 is maintained : either the settlers must restrain the increase of their 

 flocks, or they must raise artificial food for them, and either course 

 would seem to be a perverse rejection of the bounty of Providence. 

 But, even apart from these strong reasons for allowing dispersion, 

 he felt it was useless to ignore the fact that the Government was 

 powerless to prevent it. The attempt to enforce the permanent 

 removal of intruders from waste lands would probably cost more 

 than would be sufficient to provide for the control and protection 

 of the Government over the country they desired to occupy. The 

 question he had to consider was, how could the Government turn to 

 the best advantage of the colony a state of things it could not wholly 

 interdict? On the whole, he ventured to think it would be more 

 desirable to impose on Mr. Batman and his associates reasonable 

 conditions of occupation, rather than to insist upon their abandon- 

 ing their undertaking. With some doubts as to whether the step 

 is not premature, he is inclined, in consideration of the capital 

 expended by Mr. Batman and party, to recommend the early oc- 

 cupation of Port Phillip. He would propose, therefore, that a 

 township should be marked out in some eligible spot on the coast 

 to which Mr. Batman's party had proceeded, and that the town 

 allotments and a portion of the adjoining territory should be open 

 to location under the existing regulations, feeling assured that 

 considerable purchases would at once be made. Instead of apply- 

 ing the proceeds of such sales directly to the encouragement of 

 emigration, as was the practice, he thought at first it might be 

 diverted towards defraying the necessary expenses of the survey 

 and the allotment of the land, and the pay of a police magistrate, 

 constabulary force and officer of customs. It is creditable to the 



