THE LAND QUESTION AND THE EARLY SALES 203 



surveyed for occupation. If willing to take his selection in one 

 block, he had the right to demand a special survey of such land as 

 he elected to acquire. The regulations were only issued in Sydney 

 in the last week of January, 1841, and within the next three 

 months no less than eight special surveys were applied for and 

 secured by payment of the requisite 40,960 to the Crown. 



Three of these were within ten miles of Melbourne, and with 

 the progress of settlement each acquired a market value equal to 

 many times the total sum paid for the eight. H. Elgar's special 

 survey covered a large portion of the best land in Boroondara, 

 abutting on the important suburbs of Kew, Hawthorn and Camber- 

 well. Beyond him to the north, bounded by the Yarra, F. W. 

 Unwin's survey took in the rich park-like country around Temple- 

 stowe, opposite Heidelberg. Henry Dendy's block secured him a 

 frontage of several miles to Port Phillip Bay, including the land 

 on which the populous suburban town of Brighton now stands. 

 So quickly was the prospective value of this block realised, that 

 Dendy was offered 15,000 for his certificate before he had in- 

 spected his purchase. Three of the other surveys were made in 

 Gipps Land, of which very little was then known, and here the 

 results, from a speculative point of view, were not so encouraging. 

 Another taken up by Wm. Eutledge on the Sydney Eoad embraced 

 the area of the town of Kilmore, and some of the richest soil in 

 the colony. The eighth secured to Hugh Jamieson the picturesque 

 slopes of Mount Martha, with a good deal of sandy scrub of very 

 little productive value, though not without intervening flats of good 

 soil. 



Sir George Gipps took alarm at the rapid alienation of territory, 

 which had mainly been arranged in London, and on his own respon- 

 sibility announced that there would be no further sales pending a 

 reference to the Home Government. His representations in that 

 quarter were effectual, and he was directed to abolish the system of 

 special surveys at once. A Gazette notice in August, 1841, termi- 

 nated these, and in February, 1842, the Crown Land Sales Act was 

 brought into force, reverting to the conditions initiated by Lord 

 Eipon, requiring all lands to be submitted to public competition, 

 with a minimum reserve of 1 per acre. 



