152 A HISTOEY OF THE COLONY OF VICTORIA 



Thirty-one signatures were appended to this first attempt at 

 legislation in the settlement, and the assembly which adopted it 

 met in the newly erected house of John Batman. It is probable 

 that Mr. Stewart was present at the meeting as a spectator, but it 

 is certain that the resolutions were duly submitted to and highly 

 approved by him. He departed for Sydney a few days afterwards, 

 fully impressed with the importance of the new territory, and 

 pledged to further the claims of the settlers to Government re- 

 cognition. But Sir Eichard Bourke, having referred the matter to 

 the Colonial Office, could not act until he received the reply which 

 was already on its way. During the intervening months of wait- 

 ing, however, the tide of immigration continued to flow steadily, 

 many resolute men, and a considerable amount of valuable stock, 

 arriving every week. At length the anticipated despatch of Lord 

 Glenelg, dated 13th April, arrived in Sydney. It is a verbose and 

 discursive state paper, a large portion of which is a feeble vindica- 

 tion of his predecessor's views on the necessity for concentrating 

 settlement in the Colonies, while admitting that from later infor- 

 mation which he has gained he must regard such a policy as 

 unsuitable to the prevailing form of Australian industry. He 

 therefore sees nothing for it but to accept the inevitable, and to 

 authorise the Governor to carry out his suggestions with regard 

 to Port Phillip and Twofold Bay. He limits his instructions to 

 a general concurrence in Sir Eichard Bourke's views, and leaves 

 all details to him. But he offers an unexpected stimulant by the 

 intimation that, from correspondence he has had with some gentle- 

 men interested in the subject, he anticipates that the settlement 

 at Port Phillip will probably be reinforced by a large number 

 of emigrants, and a considerable introduction of capital from 

 Scotland. 



With his hands left free the Governor lost no time in carrying 

 out the plans which he had perfected at leisure, and was no doubt 

 gratified at being able to respond to the wishes of the denizens by 

 the Yarra. On the 9th of September he issued a proclamation noti- 

 fying that His Majesty's Government had authorised settlement at 

 Port Phillip under the same Crown lands regulations as were in 

 force in other parts of New South Wales, and that he had appointed 



